"TALK BUSINESS."

Mataura Ensign, 22 July 1914, Page 7

"TALK BUSINESS."

SMOKE OF COMPETITORS.

Analysed by Moses Irons.

The following 1 is taken from 'System,' the magazine el business, published a! Chicago, and pointedly illustrates the American method of success. Seven years ago 'System' published the first Moses Irons story, and each is founded on actual experience. It is by Daniel Louis Hanson.

"Here, stop that, John !" Moses I Irons smot- the desk with the' palm of his hand. i Mr Renwiek looked his amaze-j ment, then flushed: "I don't understand—" he began. j "That is just why T want yon i to stop that line of talk : you don't | understand the situation; you don't get down to brass tacks, j You say that we have steadily! been losing- ground in Ohio for the; Jast lew months; anil you also say that it is not due to a falling oii'j in building operations. Hut when ! you give reasons you begin to| flounder. j "Lamson is to blame, you' think; that sort of is iiaf-i v.ral with a sales manager—hisj first, impulse is to ascribe the fault to the salesman in the terri-J fory. If might be any one of a J thousand other reasons just as! well poor shipping, inferior! g-oods, slow billing, inefficient j correspondence in the home office,; and so on. But supnose Lamson; is to blame—what then? Ts he! siiyplv discouraged? Is his health! poor? Has he family troubles?; Has he invested in stocks during! the present slumn? I might go on I all night, John, but it would sim-j ply be a "'uessing game such as! children induljve in for amuse-! ment. Thank heaven, business isj more of a science. We can 10-i cat- a symptom in the economic! body just as surely as the nhysi-1 f'iiin by his diagnosis can in the! human liodv. !

"I know that wo are losing ground in Ohio, when the amount of Imildinjr going on should give us' aji iiu-nvis:'," Kenwick maintained crisply.

jj„ "No doubt of thiit." snid Moses : Irons. «fiil>l»lin«»■ :t few v/nrds on his desk pad. "Shoot that to Lamson by telegraph, and we'll get closer to the source of our trouble."

"Who is cottin."' the biggest business in Olitn ? Wire answer." was the message that sped eastward to Lanison. „

•■ Shortly after luncheon Kenwick brought Lamson's renly into the fnmt office. Moses Lions read il aloud: "luter-oceanic, which cuts prices and gives long dafiugs." The ironmaster ran his pen through all but the first two words :

"Tlii« rest is mere persiflage," he said, "Lamson is Scotch and always.wants to fret his'money's worth but of the telegraph companies. You see. John, we might have -guessed till doomsday and never have hit the reason! It isn't Lamson but Intoroceanic- -" "Infornceanic's cutting and long dating," interpolated Kenwick. "Nothing of the kind. I know Ramsay of that concern too well to believe anything' of the sort" said Mr Irons. "Then why is it setting' . the business?" insisted the sales manager. Moses Irons threw up hishands in despair. "I have just rescued you from one guessing contest, and now you want to start another! 1 haven't time to spot all our sins of omission and commission in business. All I know is that Tntcroceanic is skinning us out of a score of competitors, Lamson picks the winner in a jiiVy. 'Dial is all the answer I can give you: it is to you to find the reason. Ton are to- be at Put-in-lhiy on Monday for the convention: suppose you put in the rest of the week visiting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Springfield and Toledo, taking a day in each.

"Don't try to sell anything; have some other reason for visiting the trade. Take along the blueprint, of that new lavatory, j say, and get opinions on its design, size, price, and so on. Bui I all the time keep your eyes wideopen, and on your return you can give me tin* reason why Interoceanic is skinning everybody in a territory 300 miles from its headquarters." "But ," began Renwick. "No buts, John. When I see a competitor's smoke ahead of me I don't sit down and let it choke hie. I hustle a little nearer, and analyze it to see what its elements are. I may want to buy the same kind of fuel myself." Ten days later Renwick laid a fat envelope on Mr Irons' desk. "It is a good thing that we asked advice about that lavatory," he said, "we will have to make some changes in jt. The trade urges strongly that we make it of porcelain; and use a concealed hanger instead of brackets."

"I'm mighty glad we found that j out before pattern time," the ! ironmaster answered. "Sit down, j John, and tell me all about your I trip." | "J went to Cleveland and found.' ! ihe.l [nforoceauie was doing- a big ; business. I saw its stuff in the 'fine showrooms along' Euclid j Avenue, and in the smaller-shops ;in (lie old Pearl Street district. ; I) wasn't anything' out of the orjdiuary either -just plain everyday ! material. We have it, beaten a ■mile with our special designs. As ;ln prices and (filings, there isn't ;a keener buyer in ilial sertion jilian Mexton out on Superior iSlrcoi; and he satisfied me that | oar quot.itions are as low as Infer[oceanic's and that they are stickling' strictlv to (it) davs with two off in 10." ! "1 am g'lad in hear that, John;' if had an idea that Ramsay was | not getting' silly since he has left j his apprenticeship days behind." j "As to shipments, we are as j prompt: and it stands to reason i that, the lo(jil houses can do better :tiiaii cither of us. By a process |of elimination, therefore, it rej solved itself into a question of ! salesmanship." | "Lamson, after all !" i "I said salesmanship, sir; not | the salesman. You must romomi ber that, Infcrocranic is always j ahead of all its competitors, not j simply Moses Irons and Com-, jpany." j ! "You score, John." Mose.v iTrons settled back into his chair'. !"I should have remembered that'! ; we are not to guess our way out."| j "At Cleveland I found the trade I all knew Ranney, the, J-0 sales-1 -man, yet lie seemed to have left, ibut little impression on their- : minds, though their stock-rooms 'were piled high with his goods. Of the other salesmen working | the city I heard stories galore; of | how they fraternised with the 1 | trade, went fishing' with it in sum-' i mer, skating in winter; of-how jthcy Sundayed with it, at; times'; j taking up their very lodgings at I i their homes. But nothing like! 1 this of Ranney. He came, he sold' and he went away—that was the! whole story. And the only impression he left was a copy of the big' order lie took with him." Moses Irons leaned forward in his chair again. "That's interesting, John; go on," lie urged. ' "In Columbus it was the same tiling. So I' put the (incstion to a bookkeeper there: 'What, sori of a'looking chap is this Mr Rnnney ?' "It was a woman 1 asked that, so the answer was (he more surprising. '(Mi, he is—-well-—he is a little stiff in his manner. I, : don't just know how to describe' him. But In? gets the business just the same.' And that was all 1 could get out of her. "So I put the same question to dishing on High Street; you remembci' him, f expect-'" "Very well indeed, .John ; very ; well indeed.''' " '"Well, that's a hard ooestion lo answer,' flushing- told me.

'Now that you ask it, it occurs to me that of all the men who call. Ranney is the hardest to describe. Yet 1 know ln'm well—that • is, 1 buy goods of .him in large quantifies. I don't believe I know him at all.' "1 urged thai'■line of .questioning, however. ' till he expressed j himself more fully. 'When T say, I don't know him after all. 11 guess it's because he never has; talked about himself and his fam-| il.v. lie is one of the best talkers 1 ever listened to; but he talks | about his him and his stuff. Ij really know more about the Intcoeennie. its ways of doing business and its different managers Hum T do about, many concerns right here in Columbus.' " "We're getting warm." exclaimed Mr Irons. "But did you get next to Ranney finally J"' j ".Not till I reached Toledo on •Saturday. I spent one day in Dnylon. You-haven't, forgotten Patrick Deignan ?" "Rat Deignan: Well. I guess | not. Why, John, before you hailj your eye teeth cut, I used to hunt him up on the job, and while- he went on caulking pipe would sell him a bill of goods. It has been as much of a pleasure to see Pal Deignan settle down on Easy Street as to find a vacant place on i that thoroughfare myself." "So I supposed," continued j Renwick. "It is a mutual, feeding, I know from what Deignan said to me. I was the more sur- ; prised,(then, to sec a lot of Interi oceanic stuff being unloaded on ; tile sidewalk, and a good sized i bunch already in the showroom. It took some time to get wound to the subject. Deignan had a lot j of questions 'about you and your ! family: then about my people. 1 i had him up to the house for dinI ner twice while you were out of the city. Finally I brought out J the lavatory blueprint. Then :i ■ was only a step to talking about ! the 'by's on the turritory.' " i "He has a heart as luV as an I ox !" the ironmaster smiled. "He ! would rather give .an order to a man who sits down and jollies him along than eat." "No doubt of if. He was en- ! thusinstie in his praises of them | that, day, mentioned them by their | first names, and told a lot of anec-

dotes about various ones. But finally I ] l{ ,d to ask him direct, 'Who_ coin CS here for the Interoceamc?

"Ho ln,d to think a moment. 'His name is Banner,' he replied. And the ]lex t breath ho was telling me ii storv about a chap named Reilly, "travelling- out of Pittsburgh. " 'What sort of a fellow is this Ranney?' I asked.

" 'Hint s kind of hard to sav,' Dcignan admitted.

"'ls he a . good salesman?' I urged.

" '\\ell, sometimes I think that he isn't—that is when he is here. And then a^\ n , think he is the best of the bunch—and that is when he is g one an( l i] lo s(l , ff from his home is being- unloaded,' and he pointed to the truck backed noagni nn t the sidewalk. '"'s ho from Chicag-o?' I asked.

"'I never h> ;in ] him sav.' '"Ts he mained?' I persisted. " 'No—that is—l don't know: dang if I ever jeard him say.' "'Does he sf around long; is he much of a alker?'

" 'No, he's aquiek flitter. He doesn't spend ty 0 hours with me all fold. And \]n]. e I' ve sal " ( l ] 1( , isn't much of a talker, now that I think of it—h, is. I gef more information aboifc the trade—real stuff, not gossip-from him than from all the res 0 f the other salesmen. I heai'from him about new jobs, about new stuff, new wavs of doing- wok and all that.'

" Fsed to be a dumber ?' I ventured.

" 'Maybe, I heard. But "ome to think, I an sure that he hasn't been one.' - Mr Deifmm ?' " 'Oh, lie's too mich of a silk stocking.' " "Yet he sells Dcgnan a lot of stuff." mused Mose Irons.

"Of that there isnot the least doubt. He sells oir Irish friend the greater part if his purchases."

"And you saw thi-, Ranney in ioicdo •

"Yes, sir: I met Y m in Moltzer's shop. You know Billy Moltzer?"

"Yes, John, he got his start in oil wells near Piqua. Billy Yi.ii zer is no silk sio-I.oiu " "Well, while v.e w'-.e ;:.i|;■■••■.' about the lavnioiy -, ,'-.;. , in - in, and seeing ilia: ■'< -I'. •• busy, passed a '- -., and walked out again, ,--.-, started to do so, w' i ' ,;j, called him back, and i ■ r,':>,k-e<! us; it was Ranney A.; v.- shoe!; hands I could not, help i,„ ' ; ., : ,k of Deignan's appellatbn 'snk stocking,' though it wudd not have occurred to me oherwise, for there was nothing reoarkable about his clothing or his speech. And yet I should not lure hired him as a salesman to "later to horny-handed master plunbers; for he is not a. mixer." \ "You have hired lots cf good men too. What-did Molttr say about him afterwards?" ;.

"Nothing directly at tint, for wo kepi ;it the blueprints til tliey were picked to pieces, am then we sort of drifted into a tilk of old times and the old timeis who used to sell out of Chicago. Then Moltzer opened up: " 'l'll tell you, Mv Renvick,' he said with considerable i emphasis, M have come to the conclusion that the old-time salptpien should have been buried witfUhe old times. I am tired of hating a fellow walk in on me at anyold hour that suits him, and sloSber all over me just, because he lappens to be a seller and I a h\\'vr of plumbing goods. There' wit a time when I felt proud to hive any one who did not wear ovaritis speak to me. But that time lb; gone by with me. and with tie trade generally. I amn busiiuss man, and the only way to flat-fir me is to approach me on busines lines. lam glad—mighty gladto have old friends like you con? in and spend time with me in-talk ing over the past. But Ido mos emphatically object to ever; whipper-snapper who 'happen; along with three dollars of expense money treating me as : bosom friend, and taking my time with mere drivel. " 'There is Ranney, for instance, who just walked out. Had lie been of the old school, lie would have looked upon that, introduction as an invitation to draw up a chair and gas the whole afternoon. ■ He has been coming here for two years now, but you noticed that he did not grab at my hand as if we belonged to the same lodge.' And Moltzer went on to express in no uncertain terms his detestation of the flabbj hand, the vice-grip hand, the moist hand and all other types oi hands which were held out. to hin by salesmen from one end of flu year to the other." "And this was Billy Moltzer?' ■asked Moses Irons. "Tt was Billy Moltzer." Ren wick answered solemnly. He weir on to tell me, did Billy, aboui the first call he had from Ranney how he had come in and had givei his name, then laid down his card and had asked when he could havi a few moments of the proprietor'i time to submit some prices. 'Hi didn't.' said Moltzer, 'intrenel himself in a chair, and kick th cusnidor into focus.'" " 'But he sold you stuff on tha

first visit,?' I asked. "'Of course lie did,' replied Moltzer, 'and lie lias done the same on every visit since—but always as a business proposition. And lie never yet lias shown me. pictures of his wife and babies to' soften me into a buying' mood. He' never has worked a hard-luck! siory on me, nor suggested my! stocking' up for any other reasons than that I either needed the, stuff, or that the price and the! condition of the market justified! my getting' busy,' "Then I put the very same' question to him that I had the J day before put to Deiirnnn, 'ls this Banney much of a talker J'' j " Yes he is, Ben wick, but not! a gasbag. I always feel brighter after one of his visits, for he is in touch with the very latest in-' formation. - I never fail to get some good constructive idea from him. And his conversation, all that, never g'ets away from tbej one purpose of his visit, that of selling me a bill of goods.' I

" 'And sociable—is a mixer?' I suggested to Billy. " 'Y-es; but, we never yet have found it essential to put our elbows on one brass rail and our feet on a parallel one, in order to finish a business deal.' "

"Did you hire Ranney?" asked Moses Irons as Renwiek finished. "I have not seen him since, sir. It isn't Ranney we want especially, but an infusion into our sales force and system of his spirit,. And we need it mighty quick, too, for in a short time old sales meth-, ods will be as far behind the present age as is a copper bathtub in this day of enameled and porcelain ware.'"'

"You are right, John; dead right! Have you given Lamson his walking- papers?" "I have been hoping to get some of this enthusiasm into him."

"Jtou might as well hope to set. a L5-yeav-)i(l mare through a tissue paper I UM) p for the first time,' John. Ihn'i waste time trying to patch up Lamson with new ( ideas. ,1 ]\ i\ m ] ; , f„ r him in the fourdry. Then get. hold of some l:v. - lV j n i am ] j UJ . u } o " m i ()0S( . in 0!Jo." ! 'I.J'- :• pi'-n,- ..!;-. Mr h-,:-,,' took down (.;. -r, - ; .. ho p/,., ~,j his hand over the u.■' -:■ i; n ; ~■-:-, \ long enough to say: "\o» !i ! pays to analyze the smoke of yom | competitors, John. They may be using a new grade of fuel that lias more power units than your own."