PLAN No. 531. CANVASSING PLAN
To the canvasser or agent who has spent his life selling little 10 and 25-cent articles, shunning the homes of the wealthy through fear of being refused admittance, and wishes for something better, the following plan should appeal:
A New York man got in close touch with several of the large importing and jobbing houses in eastern cities, and had become familiar with the better grades of imported laces, sold only by the best stores. He had acquired an intimate technical knowledge of these expensive goods, and was equipped with a complete outfit of samples mounted on cards that folded in four sections, covered with bookbinders’ cloth and mercerized silk. He also had very rich business cards, containing his name as the representative of a big importing house.
Stopping in a town of considerable size, he would go to the best hotel, and soon would be in possession of the names of many society leaders. These he would call upon, send up his card, and, when admitted, state that he recognized the difficulty ladies have in obtaining fine laces outside the large cities, and that his house had therefore adopted the plan of offering its line of high-grade laces direct to the purchaser. In a most skillful manner he would lead the lady to the point of stating when he might present his samples for her inspection and practically every such inspection meant a large order, amounting to hundreds or even thousands of dollars. He would then ask the lady for an introduction to her friends upon one of her own cards, and this meant more sales—big sales—without number, for he used the card plan for introductions until he had supplied all the women in that town financially able to buy large amounts of fine lace. This required high-grade salesmanship, and his profits ran into many thousands each year.