REVIEW 471 



a " follow-up " system must be worked out and the breeder and 

 his product be kept continually before the eye of the prospective 

 customer. In such a system all inquiries by mail must be answered 

 immediately. A short personal letter is best, accompanied by the 

 breeder's card, with circulars describing matings and pointing 

 out the good qualities of the strain. Under separate cover the 

 annual catalogue should be forwarded, — if the breeder's business 

 is extensive enough for him to issue such a booklet. The cata- 

 logue should describe in detail all matings and products for sale, 

 and give past winnings and other records. It is also a good plan 

 to give some guarantees as to financial standing, since it is cus- 

 tomary to send cash with the order, and this reference makes the 

 purchaser feel more secure. 



As a rule, all inquiries should be followed by at least two 

 letters before being dropped; if these fail to bring a response, 

 additional ones would in most cases be a waste of money. 



A record should be kept of all sales, so that circulars and 

 catalogues can afterward be mailed to customers, with the idea of 

 keeping their trade year after year. Such a record can be kept 

 on filing cards, and indexed for handy reference. Where adver- 

 tising is carried on extensively and in a number of different per- 

 iodicals, it is well to tabulate all inquiries, arranging them under 

 the name of the paper in which the advertisement was noted. 

 This will show the effectiveness of the different papers, and those 

 which are bringing in no return at all can be dropped. 



If a business is to prosper year after year, and keep its old 

 customers as well as acquire new ones, the breeder must live up 

 to his advertisement when he fills orders resulting from it. No 

 business will long prosper if the customers are so hoodwinked that 

 they are dissatisfied, and fail to come back every year for addi- 

 tional purchases. The unscrupulous advertiser must depend upon 

 securing enough new customers each year to make up for those 

 lost, which is almost an impossibility. It must be remembered 

 that, after all is said and done, the satisfaction of customers 

 throughout the country is the most extensive advertisement a 

 breeder can have, and the most profitable as well. 



REVIEW. 



1. Give eight advantages of keeping records. 



2. What four points should be considered in planning records? 



3. What points should be shown in a breeding or mating record? 



