GI. EANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Septembkr, 1921 



Signs and Surroundings Should be 

 Distinctive. 



Something distinctive about the sigu raid 

 the lawn will not only aid in causing the 

 motorist to stop, but will also be a big help 

 in bringing them back again. It is much 

 easier for him to remember your place if 

 there is something distinctive about it; he 

 is much more apt to think of your lioney 



White lotteiiiiK on a Jaik background is easily read 

 liy tile :ii)i)r()aeliin«- motorist. 



each time lie sees your distiuetive features 

 than he would be were he to see merely your 

 sign and house; and it is much easier to 

 direct others to you if you have something 

 which distinguishes you from all others who 

 have honey for sale. Two or three easily 

 read words will differentiate one sign from 

 another, and are enough to make one sign a 

 sign to be remembered where another is for- 

 gotten. Too many words are to be avoided, 

 as the motorist can not read many easily, 

 nor would he if he could. Such words as 

 "Best Ever," "Try It!" "No Sale Sun- 

 day" may be used. Each will want to 

 choose his own. It is not a difficult matter 

 to get something distinctive for the lawn. 

 In most communities it is possible to get an 

 old skep, such as is pictured here, or some 

 quaint hand-made hive of some sort. 



Signs are not the only things which help 

 to induce the motorists to stop. Hives of 

 bees that are visible from the road are a 

 tremendous help. People are suspicious of 

 extracted honey, and too often they are even 

 suspicious of comb honey. Hives of bees 

 that are in sight tend to inspire confidence, 

 as well as being an added notice that we 

 have honey to sell. If it is not possible or 

 advisable to have bees visible from the 

 street or close to the house, empty hives 

 may be used instead. 



People do not like to buy things about 

 which they know but little, especially if the 

 thing in question has a rather doubtful repu- 

 tation, as honey, extracted honey especially, 

 often has. If they are informed about hon- 

 ey they will be better customers. County 

 papers are often pressed for news and wel- 

 come interesting articles from subscribers. 

 Leaflets may be obtained from supply houses 

 and publishers uf bee journals, telling about 



honey, and these may ]>v profitably given to 

 those who stop. Propaganda of this kind 

 will help sales at the door by increasing 

 confidence in honey, as well as help our gro- 

 cers dispose of the honey we furnish them. 

 Necessity of Good Salesmanship. 

 Getting tlie passing motorist to stop is 

 less than half the battle. To be successful 

 it is necessary to act the salesman, and sell 

 him what lie should have, and not what he 

 thinks he wants. To make the greatest 

 number and the largest sales, it is necessary 

 to please him at all points, too. If the lawn 

 is neat, and the special feature on it inter- 

 esting, and if your appearance is prompt, 

 the prospective purchaser will be pleased. 

 He may not know it, but he is in a mood to 

 buy more tlian he had planned to buy when 

 he stopped. If he goes around to the back 

 door, as he usually does, and finds the prem- 

 ises neat, we are almost sure of a sale, but 

 we are surer of one if we meet him before 

 he gets to the back door- The impressions 

 he gets before meeting j-^ou count greatly 

 for or against success. 



The first question usually asked is, ' ' Do 

 you have any honey?" Sometimes it is, 

 "How much is your honey?". If we are to 

 play the salesman it is better to avoid an- 

 swering this question direct. Our customer 

 knows very little about honey; in nearly 

 every case he does not know what kinds of 

 flavors there are, how the honey is or should 

 be put up, or how the quality may vary. If 

 we answer his question at once he thinks 

 ' only of the price — that is the only thing 

 about which he can tliink. So we tell him 

 Iniefly what kinds of honey we have, what 



Distinctive signs and Mirroiiinluiiis help the motor- 

 ist to find the right place when he roines hack 

 for more. 



high quality it is, and the uses of each dif- 

 ferent kind. We try to find out what kind 

 of honey he has bought, if he has ever 

 bought any; then we tell him how our simi- 

 lar kind of honey compares with what he 

 has had, and how possibly another kind 

 might suit him better. Finally, we tell him 

 about the price. 



It is necessary to study each customer 

 somewhat, and to be able to make a good 

 guess at the amount of time he will be will- 



