SELLING LUMBER 217 



that your customer will not give you a rush order, and at certain 

 times of the year a good many orders are of this character. 



In addition to actually selling lumber, I imagine your firm 

 in hiring you had some other things in view that you might do. 

 They wanted someone to do the thing we say so glibly when we 

 meet a buyer for the first time, viz: "I represent So-and-So." 

 Have you ever given this requirement much thought? Your new 

 would-be customer will certainly size you up closely the first time 

 he sees you, and just the personal impression he gets from you O f Fi rst ect 

 will be the way he will think of your firm. If you give him the Impressions 

 impression of being uncouth, sloppy in appearance, rather loud 

 and vulgar in talk, he will be more than apt to ask the next trav- 

 eling man he knows what kind of a firm does that fellow repre- 

 sent, anyhow ? So you can help cover your territory best by 

 leaving a good impression wherever you go. 



Perhaps your firm also had this in view when they put you 

 in certain territory. They wanted correct information as to actual 

 conditions. Remember, you are the soldier on the firing line, 

 you are seeing the things your general can't see and if you give 

 your general false information, he will more than likely make 

 bad mistakes. Here is an incident of the sort I mean, and I find 

 it is rather a common occurrence. A gentleman friend of mine 

 told me a few days ago that a salesman called on him and offered 

 certain stock at a price slightly under the market. He did not 

 need this stock and was not very quick to grab. Mr. Salesman, 

 who was watching him closely, said: "Say, I've got a proposi- 

 tion to make to you. You make me a firm offer for two cars ^ Poor 

 of this stock and shade my price a dollar. I will wire my house Limiber 

 and tell them you can buy this stock at this price from other 

 people, and I think they will tell me to take your order." (You 

 will note I said above a gentleman friend told me this). My 

 friend said: "I won't do anything of the sort, for I have had 

 no such offer." Not many, perhaps, would have done this, but 

 what do you think of the salesman? Suppose you wanted a hat, 

 and a clerk said : "The price is $4, but wait a minute till I run 

 up and see the old man ; I expect he will tell me to take $3 for 

 it." I expect you would wait, or walk out to the front door and 

 see if the name on the door was Eicklestein or Levy. 



To sum up in a few words, work your territory honestly 

 and thoroughly make your customers glad to see you if they want 



