December 25, 1916 



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The TSfeiv Salesmanship 



On December 1 the Baker-Matthews Lumber Company of Sikeston, 

 Mo., successor to the Baker-Matthews Manufacturing Company, 

 moved its sales office to Chicago, or rather, to be accurate, it organ- 

 ized and established a sales office. 



This firm has undergone a number of changes in its growth since 



MILL OF BAKER-MATTHEWS LUMBER COMPANY AT SIKESTON, MO. 



being established twelve years ago. The 

 present personnel of the company is as fol- 

 lows: C. D. Matthews, president; H. W. 

 Baker, St., vice-president; E. C. Matthews, 

 treasurer, H. W. Baker, Jr., secretary. W. 

 H. Barnes, former secretary of the Baker- 

 Matthews Manufacturing Company and man- 

 ager of the box and egg-ease department 

 which has now been discontinued, has retired 

 from active business and will make his home 

 in California in the future. H. W. Baker, 

 Jr., who has heretofore handled the sales 

 end, will act in the capacity of general man- 

 ager, dividing his time between the mUl end 

 and the sales oflSce in Chicago. 



The present commercial age might be 

 characterized as ' ' The Age of the Greater 

 Salesmanship. ' ' Today the man who mar- 

 kets the product has been placed under the 

 glass and analyzed. He is recognized as one 

 of the chief component parts of any business 

 organization. Certain qualifications are laid 

 down for him — certain standards up to which 

 he must measure. Chief among these stand- 

 ards, the one on which every address, every 

 article on salesmanship lays particular 

 stress, is knowledge- — accurate, first-hand 

 knowledge of the product sold, and of how 



that product is to be used by the buyers after having been sold. 

 The Baker-Matthews Lumber Company must have had this in 

 mind in choosing its sales manager. J. H. Stannard needs no intro- 

 duction to the consuming trade, especially through the Minnesota, 

 Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan territories, as for 

 a number of years past he has traveled through these states. No 

 man could be better fitted for his position than is Mr. Stannard, 



—as- 



being thoroughly grounded in the manufacturing end of the lumber 

 business. For eight years he was directly or indirectly in the employ 

 of the G. W. Jones Lumber Company at Appleton, Wis., a part of 

 that time acting in the capacity of manager for its subsidiary firm, 

 the Wisarkana Lumber Company of Nettleton, Ark. Later he joined 

 the sales force of Lee, Wilson & Co., Wilson, 

 Ark., and recently represented the Mansfield 

 Hardwood Lumber Company of Winn- 

 field, La. 



Mr. Stannard 's experience and knowledge, 

 however, extend beyond the mere manufac- 

 ture of lumber. As the men at the consum- 

 ing end with whom he has been in touch 

 well know, he has made a careful study of 

 their problems and how their lumber is used, 

 and has been able to render efficient service 

 to many a buyer of hardwoods. With this 

 two-fold knowledge he will be a very valua- 

 ble asset to the Baker-Matthews organiza- 

 tions. 



The Baker-Matthews' sales office is lo- 

 cated at 1216 Fisher building, Chicago. For 

 the present Mr. Stannard will undoubtedly 

 look after his trade in person. A little later, 

 however, he plans to add to his selling force. 

 The accompanying illustrations show the 

 mill at Sikeston, Mo., together with the yard 

 where between 6,000,000 and 7,000,000 feet 

 of hardwoods are carried. In addition the 

 Baker-Matthews Lumber Company maintains 



YARD OF BAKER-MATTHEWS LUMBER COMPANY AT SIKESTON. MO, 



a distributing yard at Thebes, 111., where it will carry between 4,000,- 

 000 and 5,000,000 feet. 



The old firm has always enjoyed an enviable reputation in the con- 

 suming trade. It has dealt exclusively in southern hardwoods, mak- 

 ing a specialty of red gum and plain oak. By developing the sales 

 end, the Baker-Matthews Lumber Company will be in far better posi- 

 tion to render more efficient service to its trade. 



