PLAN No. 666. HE RAN A SALES COMPANY
About ten years ago I met a young man who was possessed of exceptional energy and push. With him something must be done and the time to do it was to-day. He ran a little collection company, and if he couldn’t get prompt results he lost no time in bringing suit. The profits of the business did not develop fast enough for him, so one day he quit this work.
He felt that selling was his life-work. He had experience as an auctioneer, but now he determined to become a real business doctor and give people such treatment that they would know of his company throughout the state. He made good, and last fall when I met him he was making $8,000 a year, owned a house in the most exclusive part of the city, had a fine car, and this is how he accomplished it:
He opened a cheap office, then had printed a post card with the picture of an old doctor on a hurry call, printed in red, with wording as follows “Let us head Old Doctor... your way. He is the original business Doctor... Sales Company, Phone and address.” He obtained from Dun & Company the names of the merchants in his city. With this card he got in touch with the business.
Most merchants know little about advertising, and know little about putting on a sale. Many merchants want to operate with less stock, others wish to sell but can not.
The young man makes a contract with the merchant for twenty days if possible. He receives 10 per cent of the gross sales. All advertising is to be arranged and paid for by the merchant, and the agent’s entire sales force is placed at his disposal.
A large sheet—24x36—is prepared and circulated by the local merchant. He prints about twenty-five of these circulars on muslin cloth so that the advertisement will remain in place on telephone poles, fences, etc., and the surrounding territory is circularized in this manner.
A page is bought in the local newspaper, and large cuts and vigorous copy is put in the ads.
It is essential that a large crowd be present the first four or five days, and here are a few of the many plans that bring them:
A prize of $10 to be given away, and those present Monday morning at 9 to 9:15 will receive tickets for the prize. Then he delivers the tickets. The free ticket requires holder, who has signed it, to return to the store at 2 o’clock Monday afternoon, when three judges, selected from the people, are to conduct the drawing and award the prize. The ticket holder must be there in person or the prize goes to someone else.
Just before the prize is awarded the agent makes the announcement that the person who makes the closest guess on his weight will receive $10 in gold. The people must call at the store and put their estimates in at 9 o’clock the next morning. At 2 o’clock the same day they must be present if they wish to win the prize.
Before this second prize is awarded, he announces that $10 will be given to the person who would make the best guess on the number of grains of wheat a rooster will eat in three minutes. Next morning at 9 o’clock the amount must be given at the store, and at 2 the prize is given out. This insures a large crowd at the store for three days.
If it is near Christmas he lets everyone know there will be a turkey chase in front of the store at ——. Six turkeys are placed on top of the store and he is perched up on a box in front. He announces that the first turkey that falls among them is anyone’s turkey that gets it. The second is for boys up to 18 and the third is for women, the fourth for the men, fifth for the girls, and the last for the old maids; he then changes it to everybody. But before the sixth is dropped down he makes the announcement that in on the cashier’s desk is a jar of beans and the one who makes the best guess on the correct number of beans will get a first-class rocking chair. This is important as it brings them into the store after the turkeys are all gone.
He was not a card-writer but soon developed some skill which was of great assistance in his work. He always arranges the stock so that it shows to the best advantage. This work is very important and usually takes three or four days. For this service he is paid 10 per cent of the gross receipts and this amount is paid at the end of each day. His busy season is from September to April 1.
In many cases after five days have passed, and he has made $500, the owner of the store makes him a proposition to allow him to finish the sale for the remaining fifteen days, which he usually settles for $300.
He not only handles merchandise, as above related, but auctions stock for farmers at 3 per cent commission. He makes a specialty of auctioneering hardware stores, and his success is extraordinary. He will take up a knife, make a sale at a certain figure, and at once, and at the same price, offers for sale all knives of the same kind. He sells a tub at a certain figure and the balance go at the same price.
He is now going into the business of auctioneering real estate. He has sold large tracts of land. He has on his staff six high-class salesmen and he devotes his entire time to directing the sales work. He is doing all in his power to educate those who think “sale” to connect that thought with the name of his company.
Three of his seven years were hard, but the last four he has been able to develop a net income of $8,000 per annum.
Plan No. 667. The Widow’s Idea