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H H T I C U L i " i; U L 



October 18. 1919 



HORTICULTURE 



Established by W illlam J. Stewart In 1WM 



VOL. XXX 



OCTOBER 18, 1919 



NO. 16 



PUBU8IIKD WEEKLY BY 



HORTICULTURE PUBLISHING COMPANY 

 78 Devonshire Street, Boston, Mass. 



EDWARD I. FARRINGTON, Editor. 



Telephone Fort Hill S694 



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Nobody who has at heart the interest of 

 F. T. D. A. the trade should fail to read the annual 

 lessons address delivered by President Gude at 

 the annual address delivered by President 

 Gude at the annual meeting of the F. T. D. A. in Buffalo 

 this week. Seldom does such an address cover the 

 ground so fully or contain so many worth-while sugges- 

 tions. Special attention is called to what is said about 

 bills and small orders. There are few events in the 

 day's work more annoying than those which have to do 

 with delayed, carelessly written or overlooked bills. 

 There are matters pertaining to bills which will even 

 strain a friendship. As it is pointed out, the clearing 

 house of the association lias done excellent work in put- 

 ting matters of this kind on a more efficient basis; but 

 alter all it is the individual who must be held responsi- 

 ble in the end, and to the degree with which all co- 

 operate does the success of an organization like this 

 depend. 



In the matter of small orders, there are possibilities 

 which many florists often overlook. The man who is 

 planning for the future must -not despise the small 

 orders, for they are the foundation of big orders to come. 

 Moreover, a small order filled with as careful attention 

 to detail as in big orders will prove a most profitable 

 kind of advertising. The truth is that no concern ever 

 gets too big to cater to the small customer. It is in 

 this way that an introduction worth many dollars is 

 often made. 



This leads on naturally enough to Mr. Gude's remarks 

 about advertising in general. There are two things 

 which mark the man of narrow business perceptions. 

 One is the failure to take one or more trade papers, and 

 the other is the failure to appreciate the importance of 

 advertising. Advertising is truly the life of trade, but 

 this does not mean any kind of advertising. Much 



money is thrown away through advertising which does 

 iK it advi 1 1 1 se. Buyers in the trade arc always complain- 

 ing because sellers do not specify jusl what tin- ha e to 

 offer and what il costs. Advertising in the trade offers 

 a direcl and most profitable connection between those 

 who sell and fchose who buy. Trade advertising holds 

 far greater possibilities than has as yel been realized. 

 1 1 is worthy of more thought and study than has been 

 given it on the part of advertisers. 



Advertising for the general public is on a somewhat 

 different basis, although fundamentally the same princi- 

 ples apply. In trade advertising the buyer usually 

 knows what he wants and looks in the advertisements to 

 find where he can buy it or buy it to the best advantage. 

 In general advertising, the suggestion to the possible 

 customer that he needs a certain thing is more often 

 « hat counts. He is led to feel a want which he had not 

 before recognized and accordingly takes the first oppor- 

 tunity to gratify that want. It takes some nerve to 

 advertise a new business when the amount of invested 

 capital is small, but fortunes have been made just be- 

 cause this nerve was displayed. The man who hasn't 

 the nerve to advertise usually remains a small business 

 man, in the florist trade as in other lines of endeavor. 



President Gude's ideas about the proper education of 

 salespeople is of special importance to retail florists, 

 especially those who have a considerable staff. The 

 amount of good or harm which a single salesman can 

 do a business is astonishing. With the right kind of 

 approach, it is not a difficult matter for a salesman to 

 win many new customers for his firm. If, on the con- 

 trary, he meets customers with a rebuff or with an 

 indifferent air or an appearance of being bored because 

 the order is likely to be only a small one, these cus- 

 tomers are very likely to be driven away. Many times it 

 pays well to have regular meetings for the discussion of 

 sales problems. It may even be worth while to get in 

 an expert to talk on the subject. Instructions or admo- 

 nitions from the boss may not be enough. The boss may 

 not know it all. Usually he can learn something, and 

 at a get-together meeting many matters of importance 

 to all concerned come to the surface. 



Of course it is impossible to enlist the hearty co-oper- 

 ation of the salesforce unless they feel they are being well 

 and considerately treated. Sunday closing and shorter 

 hours have their effect in creating a better atmosphere 

 in store or shop. It is a fact that stores which have 

 adopted the most liberal plans have usually been the 

 most successful. The florists can well afford to be more 

 independent than they have been in the past. The 

 public has been educated to a new order of things. If 

 the florists do not fall into line, the public will think 

 that something must be wTong with -their business or 

 that it is on a different plane from others, which is not 

 true. 



Of course Mr. Gude in his able address did not elab- 

 orate all these matters to the extent which has been 

 done here. Perhaps, indeed, he would not endorse or 

 approve all the statements in this editorial, but what be 

 said opened up so many avenues of thought that it has 

 been easy to wander down them, stopping occasionally to 

 consider what in time may prove to be a milestone in 

 the evolution of the florists' trade. 



