Sales and Advertising (Volume 1); A Practical Treatise on Selling Problems (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1922. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... Chapter XVI Control of Salesmen 206. Responsibilities of the salesmen Working alone most of the time, if not all of the time, a salesman is open to many temptations to loaf upon the job. Whenever a salesman yields to such temptations, his daily sales average soon declines. The time of a salesman belongs to his company. Every minute of the working day that is not spent in the interests of his house is time--and, hence, money--which he virtually steals from his house. This is true even in cases where a salesman works on the straight commission basis with the understanding that he will devote his full time to his house's interests. A salesman is in honor bound to develop sales to the maximum of his ability. Every day should be a selling day and every hour a sales hour. To accomplish this, a salesman must eliminate lost motion and delays. This can be done by planning the next day's work the evening before. In doing this the salesman should decide what prospective customers to call upon and arrange a list of calls in such a way that the prospective customers can be called upon with the minimum loss of motion. In the case of specialties and of professional services, a salesman should plan his work several days in advance, dictating letters designed either to obtain definite interviews with prospective customers, or to acquaint them with the nature of his business. These letters will eliminate much of the time lost in waiting for interviews and will aid greatly in obtaining an interview and in breaking down the prospective customer's stone wall of reserve. By evening work is meant the hour or more that the salesman spends in the office or at his hotel after a day's work. It does not mean that the salesman should work night and day, as the need for proper rest and prope...