SELLING LUMBER 375 



As before stated, salesmen should be possessed of reasonably 

 practical knowledge of the logging, manufacturing, planing-mill 

 work, as well as a good idea of costs. Equipped with this knowl- 

 edge, and having up-to-date stock sheets, and intelligent advice 

 from the house, he should have his information as regards stock 

 on hand, prices, etc., so condensed, and at his fingers' ends, so Be Ready 



to speak, that he can answer all questions readily and with calm to Answer 

 f i-i TM 1 11 j- L e Questions 



finality. The salesman who has to dig into a mass of papers, 



notes, or a whole pouch of papers to find out whether he can 

 furnish this or that, or to obtain information or figure out a 

 price before quoting, creates an unfavorable impression on the 

 buyer and also takes up unnecessarily a lot of the buyer's time. 



Today this vast body of intelligent salesmen is the best 

 means of disseminating truthful information about the lumber 

 industry, and particularly the yellow pine industry, not alone to 

 the great army of retailers who use lumber throughout the United 

 States, but to the ultimate consumer. The traveling salesman 

 should not alone feel that he is paid for the quantity and qual- 

 ity of lumber he sells, but equally important to the house he repre- 

 sents, and the great lumber industry in general, is the character 

 of information he disseminates, and which he can do without 

 extra cost to his employer. 



One important feature to consider, and which the lumber in- 

 dustry has been suffering from for some time, is the fact that 

 some lumber is being used for certain purposes of an unsuitable 

 character for that purpose. The user of the lumber must be 

 educated, and the traveling salesman is the best means to do so, 

 and to show the dealer that he is not in business merely for the 

 present, but for years to come, and that any consumers, builders 



and architects calling for certain kinds of lumber for a special _ 



t - .. . Unsuitable 



purpose, he should so understand his business, as to seek in every Uses of 



manner possible, ways of overcoming the prevailing feeling of Lumber 

 the average dealer that the only consideration of interest to him is 

 the matter of immediate profit. He should be able to thoroughly 

 explain to his customers, the architects, builders and consumers 

 the importance of carefully considering using that particular kind 

 of lumber which is best suited for any specified purpose. He 

 should give intelligent, practical and honest advice to the retailer 

 and encourage him to impart the same information to his cus- 

 tomers. 



