260 SELLINGLUMBER 



The highest selling expense of any concern reporting was 

 $1.36 per thousand, for the first four months of this year, while the 

 lowest selling expense for the same period was $0.112, and I be- 

 lieve it is safe to say that the average price received by the concern 

 that had the $1.36 average cost to sell as against the concern who 

 sold for 11 cents would easily be enough higher to make up the 

 High and extra cost to sell. For I believe, taken as a general proposition, 

 Low Selling that the salesman or office that secures the larger volume of busi- 

 ness at a very low selling expense, does so at the expense of the 

 price per thousand received, as low prices mean large volume, 

 which means a low selling expense, and, on the other hand, the 

 concerns that incurred the greatest amount of expense in selling 

 are usually the concerns that secure the highest price for their 

 product. 



It is almost impossible to arrive at any conclusion as to what 

 should be an average selling cost as far as a salesman is con- 

 cerned, and we should not attempt to judge a salesman in any way 

 by his selling cost, unless taken over a period of months or years, 

 for the reason that conditions in a territory are subject to such 

 sudden changes. The manufacturers' selling cost is not a true 

 indication, in any sense, as to the best net results obtained, except 

 where a concern has an extremely high selling expense, it might 

 indicate lack of efficiency, and where it is extremely low, it would 

 D'ff It t m di ca te, m nearly all cases, that they had sacrificed their price so 

 Fix a Fair as to keep down the selling expense. It costs much more to sell 

 Average. lumber in one or two carloads at a time through a salesman to 

 the average small buyer, and receive probably a $19,00 average, at 

 a selling cost of 75 cents per thousand than it does for one man 

 to sell a large buyer by meeting his idea of the market, anywhere 

 from five to ten times as much lumber as the salesman could sell 

 to the smaller dealer, at an average price of $18.00 per thousand, 

 with a selling cost of perhaps 11 cents. As far as net results 

 and beneficial effect it would have on general market conditions, 

 I believe there is no argument as between the two methods. 



As salesmen, the cost of selling lumber, both direct and in- 

 direct, lies in our hands, to a very large extent. Loyalty to our 

 The Salesman ^ rm > with the conservation of the expense money placed in our 



Can Regulate hands, and with the time that we devote to the business that we 

 Selling Cost. . . e , . 



are receiving a salary for, are very potent factors in the selling 



cost of lumber. Especially at times like those we have been going 



