40 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



imicli ycnius. KiKlory nfter fnclmy has ,ioar diiwii for iii>iii of tlif right 

 kind of .siilesmcn to sell the coods. There Is ii Mg dllTerenec In siilos- 

 mcn : one will sell ten dollars' worth of stuff to anolhi'rs one dollur's 

 worth. It's the luittin;: of the floods neross to the buyer that tells, and 

 none can make k>'"<1 unless be a|>|>lles proper salesmanship — uses as little 

 eui-rgy as posslhle, trys to land his man with the least enemy and the 

 fewest words, and wonis only that lit the case. 



Mr. Casson said .vou must study y(Uir man ; hefiire Kolnj; Into his 

 place of business, walk up and down before the house and think out 

 what *oii want to do. As an illuslration. when .von build a house you 

 have a blueprint to go by. and so should yon be pri'pared when you 

 approach your man. IlnndliUK nuMi, Mr. t'asson said. Is a profi'sslon. an 

 art — a wonderful one, Knjrineers an<l locomotivi' builders have plans and 

 directions for carryinir on their work, while the lumber salesman has 

 nothing but his iiersonai efpilpment to convince and lu'lng over his man, 

 and man is the most complex pieci- of machinery in the world. 



The first essential In a salesman Is to be able to listen, a difflcult Job 

 at times, as a salesman naturally wants to talk ; hut many orders have 

 been hooked by being sood listeners. Then, never arjiue with a customer. 

 If he says the world is Hat. let him have it that way: what's the 

 rtilTere;ice'; Kvery man has a sroueh : study his firouch : he has some- 

 tliinu' on top he wants to set out — wants to tell it to somebody — let him 

 u'cl it olf. Why. that's what we c'^t married for — to have someone to 

 syuipathl/.e with u.s — someone to whom we can tell all our troubles. 

 Never go head on to a man. which often kills .your chance of settinft an 

 order. Co with him not against him — it makes a lot of dlCCerence. There 

 are two kinds of handles to a man : lind out which handle moves your 

 man and take hold of it. If a man's name is Hrown. don't <'aM bim 

 Smith ; if you are not sure of his name don't talk to him. To get a man s 

 name wrong is like hitting him in the face with a wet towel. 



Mr. Tasson then save some valuable advice as to effecting sales. lie 

 said he went Into a store recently and asked for a grey necktie : the 

 ftoy in charge brought out a brow'n and several other colors in rotation. 

 Sir. Casson kindly gave the lad this advice: "If a man knows what he 

 wants. let him alone — If he doesn't, then it's time to show him some- 

 thing else. (!et him interested in something that will appeal to him : 

 for Instance, tell him that here is a tie which is just the color of his 

 .eyes — that fellow I'll wager will sell six ties instead of one." Yon can 

 sell better to the eye than the ear. Carry a pad with figures of your 

 article on it : tlie eyes follow the pad and there Is something to interest. 

 .\nother piece of advice of Mr. I'asson was not to start talking lumber 

 ■riglit away — get around to it gradually. Insurance men are the best 

 salesmen — tlie.v talk to .vou about yourself : the.v will bet you you wont 

 die in twenty years : you bet you will. Those fellows have the statistics 

 and know — they are talking to you from your own point of view, and 

 they will get your policy in the end. "There has always been a great 

 cry of suppl.v and demand talk." went on Mr. Casson. "whidi is a lot of 

 nonsense. Why the Widsbach people some time ago found that a limit 

 to sales in New York had been put at 27.000. when in one yc>ar they 

 .lumped to SloO.OOO — talk about supply and demand : it's good salesman- 

 ship, not demand that is neefled. Selling a man what he wants is easy, 

 but true salesmanship is knowing how to handle your man. Salesmanship 

 is an expansive art : all .lobs eventuall.v get stale. You slide into old 

 routine work and when you arrive at that stage you must needs wake 

 up and make a fresh start. Be a person, not a habit : take joy in your 

 work, don't l"t it get into mere grinding. Study your work as you would 

 a problem." Mr. Casson said that some years ago farmers did their 

 daily task, had some cows, some horses and stables for them, a kind 

 ■of house for themselves to live in and ahout .$30 over at the end of the 

 year ; later on somebod.v comes along and digs down sixty or seventy feet 

 and finds oil. and thr Standard Oil Company is formed and several 

 hundred million dollars worth of oil is realized. The farmer was satis- 

 fied to live on the surface and to die poor. Y'ou must dig down — don't 

 stop satisfied with the old routine and ever.vda.v dope. Keep studying. 

 keep digging.. A 'certain deep digger is curing a ham b.v electricit.v in 

 two hours instead of thirt.v days. Mr. Casson advised his hearers to 

 study the trees and the many uses that can be made of the wood. ITe 

 felt sure the lumbermen knew less than they should of the nature and 

 utilit.v'of trees. 



He brought up the subject of cutting out the middleman by the manu- 

 facturers, which he enlarged upon at the last Lumbermen's Exchange 

 meeting. Don't sell your output to one concern, he advised. (!)ne Roe- 

 buck went to a manufacturer and asked him if he would sell bim his 

 entire output and take 12 per cent on the goods. The manufacturer was 

 delighted — it was a dream he bad been waiting for. A year went around. 

 Roebuck informed him he could not pay over seven per cent and a better 

 grade of goods must In- made. etc.. etc. The manufacturer could not 

 meet the demand, so there was only the alternative to sell out at forty 

 cents on the dollar, as the salesmen and customers of course were gone. 

 As to the salesmen's earning power. Mr. Casson said that it .vou don't 

 -earn three times your pay you will be tired. The first third is your 

 salar.v. the second is for costs, rent. etc.. and the third for the boss. A 

 'fellow has an accident on a railroad, bis friends set him up in a 'cigar 

 store. He knows nothing about the business — he sells five cigars for a 

 quarter, is much elated and takes one for himself and smokes it. and b.v 

 so doin^ smokes up the profit. To help the bouse in cutting cost is part 

 of a salesman's duty. Don't talk price to customers, is Mr. Casson's 

 admonition — talk goods. Learn from the automobile salesman — you 



never hear him say anything about price'. He just talks up his machine 

 and the price is palil without a murmur. lie a booster, feel oui your 

 pi'ople — be like a rubber l)all which the harder you knock the higher 

 It will bounce. Meit your nu'n with a smile: optimism will help sales. 

 Never have any Impossibles on your list. Rub the labels off I he door 

 marked impossible anil bring those fellows over. No man knows what 

 he can do until he tries. Why. In San Krancisco the earthcjuakt m-.iiiv 

 every cripple in town get up and run two miles. The survival of the 

 fittest is the rub' In this world, and the fittest is going to win. II is .said 

 the peopli- inherit the rarth, but .vou may rest assured Ihe man who goes 

 nfter It is going to g.'t it. Mr. Casson advised the employers to en- 

 courage their men- to give them a pat on the back — If they seli more, 

 then pay them more. It will help a lot toward Increasing sales. 



When .Mr. Casson was through talking. .losepb I". Comegy.s macii' a 

 motion that a vote of thanks be given to Mr. Hruner and tin- livi- 

 directors of the association for bringing Mr. Casson to rbiladelphia. ami 

 to Mr. Casson for Ills most interesting and instructive address. I'.otb 

 were heartily tendered. 



Speeches l)y .1. Randall Williams, ,Ir.. .1. Randall Williams & Co.: 

 Robert (!. Kay. Kay Lumber Company: Thomas H. Ilanuucr and T. Philip 

 Hammer, T. K. Hammer Lumber Company: .John ,1. (luivinen, I'roducers' 

 Lumlu'r Company, aiul A. J. Lev.v, Korest Lumber Company, were made 

 relative to the advantage of the conferring together of employers and 

 employes. In behalf of the salesmen this get-together social dinner was 

 highly approvi'd and it was suggested tliat much Ijetter results would be 

 obtained if the employers would consult more at length with the sales- 

 men — get :i little <-!uunray. so to speak. The wholesalers made reply 

 tliat the ev<'ning function in ipiestion was about on the Ihu' suggested, 

 and liopcil for many repetitions in lb.- future. 



Annual Baltimore Exchange 



•I'll.' annual m etlug of tlir Ilaltiiunrr Lumber Kxcb.-inge which was held 

 oil li.-ccinber 1 at the Miichauts' Club proved to be exceptionally en- 

 joyable and interesting. it was productive to a pronounced degrei' of 

 the feeling of good fellowship and co-operation, and it w'as distinguished 

 for the reading of yearly reports that afforded much encouragement to 

 the membership, apart from the di-lightfiii menu served at the banquet 



following the business session, and II tlier social features connected 



with tile event. 



It was stated, for instance, in the report of the retiring president, 

 Theodore Mottu. that the quantity of lumber inspected by the inspectors 

 of the exchange during the past year was larger than for preceding 

 years, and that the bureau was coming to l)e more and more recognized 

 as observing the highest standards and as deserving to the fullest extent 

 the confidence of the trade, Onl.v one reinspection was ordered during the 

 entire year, which shows to what extent the lumbermen of Baltimore 

 and others have come to rely upon the official inspection. 



The i)roceedings opened with the retiring president calling the mem- 

 bers to order and asking Secretary L. II. (Jwaltney to read the minutes 

 of the last meeting, in September. Mr. Owaltney then, as treasurer of 

 the exchange, read his report, which sliowed that the year from Novem- 

 ber 30. 1012. to November ,10. 1!>1:>, had ended with a balance in the 

 treasur.;'. and with an increase in the membership, the report being 

 approved with expressions of satisfaction. 



.Mr. Mottu then called H. Rowland Clapp to the chair, while be pre- 

 sented his annual statement, which set forth among other things the 

 following, applicable to the hardwood trade : 



At the beginning of the year trade eunilitions generally were in exeep- 

 tionall.v good shape, and we" all tbouglit tliat a banner year was before us. 

 Lumber was very hard to get: the mills all tlircieub tlie South were busy 

 running night and day to keep up with their orders; cancellations were 

 frequent, and yon seldom, if ever, got more than a minimuiii ear. Trices 

 were ver.v firm: in fact, everything looked good and we all predicted good 

 business. Early summer brought a great change.' and very suddenly we 

 were confronted with a condition exactly the opposite, which, unfortunately, 

 has continued up to this ti'me. Now you do not have to wait lor shipments: 

 your mail is full of circulars offering lumber of all kinds at any old price; 

 there is no acute car shortage, and tin- supply is far in excess of the de- 

 mand. This. I believe, is applicable to all producing seel ions. 



The inspec-ticai liureau, I am pleased to state, has had excellent sup- 

 port frciin Ihe nieiiibers during the .year, ^^'itb an open seascui. lumber has 

 arrived freely, and oin inspectors have all been kept busy, c'ven with the 

 increased niiml»'i. having added three men in the spring. In 11112 the 

 bureau counted 07, 111111,0110 feet of Virginia and North Cariilina pine, and 

 12.000.0011 f|.|-t of cither kinds of lumber. In Ifii:'. we ccimied 7ii.O(i0.000 



feet of Virginia and North Carolina pinc\ and i:;,Onii.i feet of other 



kinds of lumber, showing an increase in 101:; over liilj of about i:! per- 

 cent. This is indc>ed very gratifying, and I am sure that you will all con- 

 tinue to support this important bramb c.f our Kxeliange. 



The export trade during lOlM has bi'C'ii eonduc-led under varying condi- 

 tions. In .Tanuar.v ocean freight rates on iuiiilier advanced from twent.v- 

 five to thirty per cent, and on logs twenty-live to 70 per cent. Notwith- 

 standing the extra cost of transporting luiiiber there was a good demand, 

 with strong values during the first cpiarter, and these conditions might 

 have continued, but owing to the open winter and consequently the non- 

 interference with timbering operations in the interior, supplies assumed 

 extraordinary proportions, and soon a surplus of stock was in evidence, 

 which made values much depressed : and during the summer months, al- 

 though the demand was well up to previous years, the shippers had to 

 accept lower prices on account of the free suppl.y. By our local exporters 

 I am advised that the supply has been largely reduced, and that there is 

 now a fair opening for all classes of hardwoods in the European markets, 

 but that the shippers should realize that it is useless to send abroad large 

 consignments of unsold lumber and that with a careful study of the needs 

 of the foreign markets the export trade can be profitably and satisfactorily 

 worked. The demand for our lumber and logs, and the favorable situation 

 of Baltimore, together with the advantages offered by ocean sailings from 

 this port should bring to u.s our share of the business. 



