TIME SAVING
W. W. Willson, manager of retail stores for Rice & Hutchins, considers the matter of a thorough acquaintance with the stock of particular value to avoid wasting the customer’s time. He says:
The average customer today demands dispatch when making a purchase. Dispatch does not mean to carelessly rush through a sale, but to do away with unnecessary loss of time. People as a rule have numerous things to attend to either in a business or social way, and they will not waste valuable time waiting while some uninformed salesperson tries to serve them and makes a blunder of it. The customer invariably remembers an experience with this kind of salesperson and makes a special point to avoid him when the next purchase is made. He will find the salesman who knows the stock.
It is often said that “time is money.” To convince yourself of this divide your earnings each week by the number of hours that you work and you will readily understand how much your own time expresses in money on the expense account of the store or department. Remember that this applies also to your customers. You should know your stock so well as to require only the minimum of time to properly transact the sale to the best interest of the customer as well as yourself. A thorough knowledge of the stock helps you to do this. Take care of it and keep it in condition to show and to sell to the best advantage.
It is a recognized business fact that a following of satisfied customers is the best possible advertisement that any business or salesman can have. Satisfied customers return and make other purchases; they influence other customers to come to the store or department. This increases your sales and the profits of your firm. An increased volume of sales increases the value of the salesman. The person who sells the most goods with the greatest satisfaction to all parties concerned receives the greatest reward in compensation and promotion.