Document 5LLxa3RoxXR66ym81717QnxZJ

Little Paint Men's Tour of the World. Leaving New York A Few Exteriors and Interiors of Our Progressive Agents' Stores Two Attractive Displays Store of H. Brooksbank, Springfield, Missouri Store of Haitian Ames. Quincy. Missouri The Oreuige Paint S-* Hardware Co. of West Heeven. Connecticut, setts Paint. You Know the Line Hardware Store of Dickson &* Co., Xewcaslte. Pennsylvania. Hole the Roomy (Vindosos T t i ! i I i + Ii The Exterior The Interior L. B. Hinman Co., Hardware Store, Sacramento, California 0007-SWP-000119817 Copyright, 1912, by The Sherwin-Williams Co., Cleveland, Ohio No portion of this magazine can be used, except by Sherwin -WiJliams agents and dealers, without full credit being given as follows: "From Th e SWP, published by The Sherwin-Williams Co." Volt/me XIV. No. 3 APRIL, 1912 brighten Up Week a Huge Success Enterprising Agenia Enthusiastic Over Prospects HE Spring Campaign issue of The The season is yet early and those agents who S W P had not been out 24 hours have not had the time and opportunity to push before letters and telegrams began Brighten Up Week should not feel that it is to pour in from all sections order too late. Every agent should carry on a vig ing the full-page electrotype, the orous campaign throughout the entire Spring. Brighten Up Week banners and The Brighten Up Week window display can other advertising. We had expected many be kept in the window for several weeks, as it orders, but the results were far beyond our offers possibilities for many different and at most sanguine expectations, and we had to tractive arrangements which the ingenious work overtime to get everything out. window-trimmer will easily discover. One of This Brighten Up Week Campaign seems to he just tlie thing our agents were awaiting Mini they are enthusiastic over the prospects for business this Spring. The Brighten Up our agents has built a model town in his win dow by making imitation mountains from painted canvas and borrowing small wooden dolls from the local toy-shop. V illage window trim is a winner. Our agents For the grass he has sawdust dyed green, are using aliout twice as many full-page elec with sand for the paths. At night the houses trotypes as in any previous year, and the whole are illuminated by small electric bulbs. Brighten Up Week plan is being carried out successfully. We want every S-W Agent to advertise in his local newspaper this Spring, if not ly using the full page, at least the smaller advertisements shown on page o of this number. Many of our agents have been successful in inducing their city authorities to adopt a gen eral Brighten Up Week and are conducting individual campaigns among their customers. Let us know what you are doing with your Spring Campaign. We want to get some ideas which will help us in working out future plans and are always anxious to know what our good agents are doing. We still have several of the full-page advertisements left and a quantity of the Rrighten Up Week banners and stickers. If you need any of this advertising, write to us at once and we shall send it to you. We have received several good letters and Remember the way to get business is to go folders which are being sent out by onr agents. after it. I 0007-SWP-000119818 Is Your Paint Business Paying? HOW frequently in Our investigations from time to time show in a k i n g t li e that the cases are very remote where the deal rounds of the trade wer's profit averages less than 30 per cent. A hear .some dealer say. well-conducted paint department should pro "My paint business duce a considerably better profit, and in nearly does not interest me every instance where we find less than a 30 particularly -- there is per cent profit there is no one party directly not enough profit in it." responsible for the paint end of the business. You do not have to dig deep in your investiga tion to find that he is basing profits on tile Mr. W. Wokoli sale of Prepared House Paint. Lead and Unseed Oil only. Right here it is pertinent to ask, do you base the profits of your hard ware business on nails, stoves and several other staples we might mention? We doubt it --neither should he consider solely Prepared House Paint, Lead and Oil. the staples of his paint department, when ascertaining whether it is paying him or not. The writer was once called to a town to see one of our best agents, who had altout decided to discontinue his paint department. The be lief that it was unprofitable was based upon his percentage of profit on Prepared House Paint, which he figured at 17 per cent and it was Is your paint department I.icing looked after by one particular clerk? No? Then why not turn it over to one who has shown an aptitude for selling paint and encourage him to take advantage of the selling and advertising helps we offer every month in The S IV P Magazine r That clerk will take pride in his special job. and he will learn to concentrate--the secret of successful selling. Our representative will be glad to take him aside and thoroughly jxjst him on the best way to go after the paint and var nish business. , Too many retailers make their paint depart ment a side line. There should lie no side linos in any business. Your paint department can he made one of the most profitable branches of your business and will bring more new trade to your store, with little effort on your part, if full advantage is taken of our dealer helps. costing him 20 per cent to do business. This worried him and he thought he was losing money. Together we cheeked over his in Huntington, Mass., March 8, 1912 voices for the two years previous with his sell Publishers of The SWP, ing prices and found that the line as a whole Cleveland, Ohio was paying a net profit of 39 per cent instead of his supposed 17 per cent. Gentlemen : I am always interested in reading the Quite naturally he was surprised, for he had never realized that such a large percentage of his SWP sales was on quarts and halves, the more profitable sizes, and shelf goods such as Floorlac, Buggy Paint, Varnishes, etc.. which are more salable in the smaller packages and net a splendid profit. Needless to say, this man was not slow to realize that he had over looked a good thing in paying so little atten tion to his paint sales, and was not only willing but anxious to take advantage of my sugges tions to develop his paint business. The ad ditional interest and attention put forth in this direction resulted in more than doubling his numbers of The SWP that come to* me. I cannot refrain, however, from criticising in a very friendly way the clerk mentioned on page twelve of the Jan.-Feb, number. I will venture to say that the woman never came In the store again after being loaded up with a lot of things that she didn't intend to buy. When she got home and away from this hypnotic salesman, she was mad clear through. Of course, if you don't ever care to sell a person but once, that is the right way to proceed, but if you want them to come back, be careful. Yours truly. sales the following year. A. H. STANTON. I t t i I Li \ xi i 0007-SWP-000119819 These are the Brighten Up Days This is brighten up time! Away with Winter's gloom and dirt. Make your home --inside and out--bright and cheerful for Spring. Touch up all the worn and dingy places with Sherwin-Williams Faints and Varnishes and make them permanently at tractive and sanitary. It's surprising what a lot you can do with a can of the proper paint or varnish, an inexpensive brush and a little energy--if you know how. Let us give you suggestions. The Brighten Up Store Hints to Industrious Housewives Sometimes you want to brighten up your home and make the furniture, the walls, the floors, bright and cheerful, but don't know just how to go about it. Then you should come to visit me. I've been so tong in the paint business that 1 can tell how to make yonr home spic and span at a small cost. An inexpensive brush and a can of the proper Sherwin-Williams Paint or Varnish does the trick. Let me show you how easy it is. The Brighten Up Store No. 722 The Number of Cut Shown (Actual Size) is Indicated in Corner Looking Into the Future Because your home looks sound and se cure, do not overlook the importance of protecting it with good paint. The rains and dampness will effect the wood before you realize it and the first signs mean the repair man. Look into the future I Give your home a coat or two of Sherwin-Williams Paint. Made from pure white lead, zinc, linseed oil and turpentine. Mixed and ground finely by powerful machinery. It's the most economical paint on the market. Call for color-card and prices. The Brighten Up Store It's Cheaper to Paint than Repair Folks sometimes think they save money by not painting their homes. That's a mis take. Unless properly protected, the rains and sun and snow and damp will gradually cause decay--then you need the repair man. Sherwin-Williams Paint will brighten up your home and lengthen its life. SWP is the result of over 40 years' scientific paint making. Regular colors--......... per gallon. The Brighten Up Store No. 725 Here are afew suggestionsforjour Spring Advertising. Write to Eiiitor, "The S IV P," 6tll Canal Road. Cleveland, Ohio, and we shall send you cuts tofityour space. Also, ifyou would like us to prepare special "copy,' ' tell US the size space you will use, the goods to feature and how often your ad will appear. There is no chargefir this service--it's a pleasure to help our agents 5 0007-SWP-000119820 Co-Operation fcy H. tSduroeder, ofWeelu Hardware Co., Scranton. Pa. Precautionary Honesty ROM our experience we believe the OOMEONE has said that conscience is ^3 "die accumulated caution resulting from countless generations of human exj, perience." This might be all right if all honesty were but precautionary. But it docs not allow for that deep spiritual hon esty that compels a man to be honest with himself in the absence, and regardless, of all outside things. It does not account for best method of securing co-opera tion in a retail business to be as follows: The manager of each de partment must secure as much practical information as possible about the goods he has to sell, and in the retail business this information is ob * tained largely from visiting salesmen who | know their goods and talk them. Secondly: After acquiring complete infor the honesty of the artist who craves per mation it is then essential that the heads of fection and who torments himself over the the departments coach the clerks and acquaint inadequacy of his efforts. them with all of the talking points of the par It is interesting to study men just to see ticular goods they are to sell. This creates an how often they hold honesty as a basic interest in the goods among the clerks that principle emanating from a deep spiritual they otherwise might not have, and gives rise Q consciousness of its beauty' and necessity in the composition of a human personality. to the all-important factor, co-operation. Thirdly: The proprietor of a modern and It is a fact that very many people hold well-governed store may nourish this spirit of honesty to be the best policy--out of pre co-operation by maintaining a. congenial atti caution--instead of honesty, the best and tude toward his clerks at all dimes. only principle. To such, a relaxation of Fourthly: True co-operation, on the part honesty when they are in no danger, and of the force, in the study of the goods for are likely to profit, is easy. You may ask effective presentation to the customer coupled many very reputable people why they are with a study of the customer himself; the ap honest, why they would not do certain things and they will tell y'ou because it would be wrong. But if you ask them why it is wrong, it is often likely that they will tell you because it would mean social ostracism, or criticism and condemnation from their friends. With them honesty is simply a policy, Such people are quick to condemn every art in their fellows that does not dovetail perfectly with conventional and social proach, the arguments, and finally the actual sale, will go far toward making any business a successful one. In our own work, we have found that en thusiastic co-operation developed the sale of articles to such an extent that individual de partments were established and devoted en tirely to their sale. And it has also been our experience that earnest co-operation on the part of the force has resulted in a mutual benefit to the pro prietor, manager, and clerks. usage. They are in mortal fear of such criticism themselves and therefore exag gerate every offense, never allowing for the complicated network of human rela tions in which some people become en tangled. and to undo which, they are obliged to take a bold course and smash a few of society's rules. In this world It is best to think twice before publishing your surmises about the other fellow's conduct, and surely it is bet ter always to act on principle rather than policy, though, thanks to man's timidity, it is good to have a policy when we are incapable of having, or understanding, a principle.--The Ca-rtoti. I ! 0007-SWP-000119821 Get the Customers' View-Point gMBgjgvjQDERN retailing implies more than advice: "Every once-in-a-while," he said, "the the mere buying and selling of mer- live merchant should try to forget he is the yffiarjB chandise. The successful merchant proprietor, put on his hat and enter the store of the Twentieth Century no mat as if he wishes to make some purchase. Then ter whether he lives in the large he should use his mental apparatus to analyze city and employs a force of hun things about him, not from the point of view dreds of clerks or keeps a small of the man inside, but from that of the casual store is not the one who operates his place of customer entering his doors. What is his first business simply as a medium for the exchange impression on entering the store? How long of goods for their equivalent in money. This is he kept waiting before being attended to ? Is is the age of scientific merchandizing. Busi there anything to occupy his mind while the ness is now conducted along bigger, broader clerk is serving elsewhere, a show-case con and more progressive lines than ever before taining cutlery or silverware, or electrical de and the merchant who achieves success is the vices, or something else which interests him ? one who offers his customers the highest de Then, is the clerk who waits on him, courte gree of intelligent service. ous, obliging and onto his job? Does he know Service is a factor of the most vital im the ins and outs of the articles for sale ? portance in business. Its effects are far-reach "The simple practice of looking at my place ing and work invisibly throughout all hours of of business through the eyes of my custom the day. It creates that something which can ers," continues this merchant, "caused me not he bought, yet without which no business to make several radical changes for their bene succeeds--good-will. Merchandise of the best fit, and incidentally helped me to increase my quality, prices gauged proportionately, pro business and profits." gressive business methods and service form the combination which is responsible for the success of America's kings of merchandizing. T> define service is a difficult task. It is that intangible something which necessitates the pulling of yourself in the place of the customer and moulding your methods of doing business so they conform with his desires. It is made up of so many little things and courtesies that at the time seem of little consequence, but which nevertheless create a distinct and last ing impression on the minds of your custom ers. Service embraces deliveries, promises, guar antees, refund for unsatisfactory purchases, etc. If a purchase is made, the clerk should be sure to explain the proper use of the thing bought instead of merely being anxious to ring up the amount on the cash-register and have it done with. Quite often a customer will buy some little article and not knowing the proper way to manipulate it, condemn that device as being a "fake." Customers will come to look upon your store as a place for practical in formation if you teach them to. When the clerk says the order will be delivered at a cer Service is the force which compels the tain time, he should take especial care to fulfil customers to trade with you. How often do his promise. If he fails to do so, the customer prospective buyers pass by several stores of will lose confidence in hint, and this sooner or a similar character to purchase an article later resolves itself into doubt and distrust. simply because the merchant "further down How often does it happen that when a mer the street" is a little more courteous, his smil chant secures a new customer he is prompt in ing "Good morning" a little more cheerful, and deliveries and always willing to extend favors, his manner a little more anxious to please than but as soon as his trade in established, these other dealers ? This is merely a phase of serv things drop off. Why shouldn't the progressive ice: little trivial details which may pass un merchant treat every patron as a new one ? noticed by many storekeepers, are the things Perhaps one of the most fruitful reasons for that count. losing customers is in the matter of handling Some time ago the proprietor of a success complaints for purchases which are unsuitable. ful hardware store gave the following sound Frequently people are unreasonable in this re- 7 gard; the fault is theirs, but nevertheless the merchant should not hesitate to exchange the article or refund the price of tile purchase. And not alone do this, but refund it cheerfully. It is of little use to hand back money with a dark gloomy look; but many instances are known where the permanent trade of a cus tomer has been won simply in the manner of dealing with a complaint. A pleasant smile and a few words to the effect that you want your trade always to be satisfied, will often accom- plish wonders in creating the feeling of confi dence in your business methods. There is no other field of human endeavor which offers such scope for the keen study of mankind or analyses of business methods as retail merchandizing, for the proprietor and his clerks come in contact with all classes and conditions of people. Retailing is rapidly be coming a science, the first precept of which will be "Look at things through the eyes of your customers." An Advertising Plan tJtiat Brought Results WE ARE always glad to pass along adver tising and selling schemes that have been used successfully. There is often the possi bility that they can lie used to advantage by some of our agents. A well-e:xecuted, profit able campaign recently conducted by C. YV. Settle Lumber Co. of Clark, Missouri, is out lined in the following: The first feature was an anonymous postal card that served to arouse the attention and interest of the prospects. It requested them to be on the lookout for an envelope marked T > 4 > J. I I f f Have You Used Our Moving Sign? IF YOU haven't used one of our Little Paint Man Moving Signs in your window, write to our local office for one without delay. The accompanying illustration gives you a general idea of their attractiveness, but you have to see one set up and in action before you can ap with a big red "X," The envelope was to con preciate its real value. No passer-by will fail tain a communication that would be of im to look into your window if you display one. portance. Things to Remember Study thyself! He that does not know how to learn from his own mistakes turns the best schoolmaster out of his life. A man progresses just as long as he is will ing to learn. The man who puts not his shoulder to the wheel may never have a carriage to ride in. A man who is afraid of work must be brave enough to meet poverty. Four or five days after the cards were mailed, when those who received them were beginning to wonder where the cards came from, the certificates illustrated above were sent out in envelopes marked with the red "X." The proposition offered by the C. W. Settle Lumber Co. was a rebate on purchases made by certificate-holders. The same plan can be used without change, or it may be modified to conform to one's own ideas. 8 I -e-' >- 0007-SWP-000119823 U'riie fc fZtftfor, T/te S Jf' P ff you 'ivtiuf ihis Sff Moving-Picture Show Advertising New and Profitable Style of Advertising for Our Agents HE latest, and one of the most profitable forms of publicity for the retail merchant is moving-picture show advertising. The popularity of these places of entertainment is re markable, and is not restricted to any section of the country or a cer tain class of people. Rich and poor, young and old. alike, delight in attending the five and ten-cent theatres. The arguments in favor of this kind of advertising are many. It is eco nomical. the cost varying from $3 to $5 per month, depending upon the capacity of the house in which the pictures are shown. Then, the attention of the patrons is focussed upon the advertisement when it is flashed on the screen, and being practically the only light in the house, every word of your advertisement will be read. Also, the public are enjoying themselves--and you can always interest a mail or woman easier when he or she is happy. Women make up a large percentage of the at tendance in these shows and of course they are your best customers. The lantern slides which we have prepared for our agents are very attractive as will be seen front the reproductions shown altove. They are tinted in five or six colors and neatly imprinted with the name of our local agents. This advertising will not only increase your sale of paints and varnishes, blit bring cus- tomers'`to your store for other merchandise. yi I i | I j 0007-SWP-000119824 Questions and Answers Some Pertinent Queries (A*k Than Yournlf The Merchant Who Doesn't Care That Live, Progres sive Fellow Did you send in your list of prospects for our Personal Letter System? No, too busy. Will do so later if I remember. Sent you a list of 30 names. Already sold 17 fobs. Is our Window Dis play telling the passers- by that you sell the kind of Paints and Varnishes they want to buy? Couldn't find the time to put it up. You bet) I have the best-trimmed window in town. Have you sent in any a request to our Decora jHi tive Department for ar tistic color suggestions to be mailed your custom o/. 3 ers, free? (*.; r.j d Is your Spring News paper Advertising pull ing? Nobody zvanfs a n y suggestions. Besides, I don't understand your system. Everybody here knows me, so why should I ad vertise? Interested our local banker. He will spend about for paints and varnishes. Used the full-page ad at first. Now smallet space. Pulling fine. Are all your Advertis ing Features displayed so they will be readily seen? Guess so. There's a package in the cellar not opened yet, though. D is p la v everything you send. Mail some more color-cards. How's business? Eossssaesm.'.ser Paint trade poor. .. re, , Increased this mouth qj per cent. Sales Department Management By Walter H. Cotttwgham. President or The Sherwln-WUllaras Co. .1 Talk before ike , Imerican Society for Promoting Efficiency, .Yew York City, March /'/, /'//- THE way to get tor, and not the things we sell. The things business is to must be right, of course; but it's people who go after it. To gbouy and use the things, and therefore it's peo after it is the work ple whom we must interest and deal with in of the sales de getting rid of things. Too many business partment, and if men are paying too much attention to the properly organized things they make, and not enough attention to and efficiently man the people who make them, the people who sell aged, they will them, and the people who use them. It's not get it. things that make life--it's people. It's not Selling is the things that make business, it's people--people great thing in al with red blood in their veins, men and women most every busi with hearts and feelings and aims and ambi ness. Getting rid tions--men and women susceptible to encour of the product in agement and sympathy and training and disci 3fr. II//. Co/tiHghaui volume at a profit pline. is the object, and The sales department must recognize this :U the same time the test, of a successful busi difference between things and people. They ness man or a successful business organization. must understand the importance of the human This world in which we live is a great mar factor. It touches all sides of the sales propo ketplace. and all the people in it are traders- - sition. The efficient sales manager is essen buyers and sellers in the marketplace. The tially a manager of men--not things. lie must strife of competition is among the sellers; and know his line, it is true; but, far more im the captains of industry are always master portant, he should know his people--the staff traders and master salesmen. who sell his products, the customers who buy It's this broad view of the world as a his products, and the consumers who use his marketplace that makes the business career, products. It is the character of his work with with its increasing and limitless possibilities, these three classes--the staff, the customers so attractive to the ambitious man. Men like and the consumers, that determines his ca Morgan, Carnegie, Rockefeller and Hill have pacity and his success. The staff must be achieved their great success largely through made efficient, loyal and enthusiastic; the cus their ability to create a demand for their tomers must be made permanent and friendly, products. They sell things in a big way. They and the consumers must be made satisfied iwsscss imagination, vision and force, and users and enthusiastic supporters. foresee the wants of the people, and are the The great thing is to link up these three live master salesmen in the world's marketplace. factors in the selling proposition, so that all It's easier to get men to make goods than work in harmony and close co-operation for to get men to sell them. It's easier to get men the advancement of the house and its prod to handle the accounting department, the pur ucts, and--quite as important, for the ad chasing department, or even the financial de vancement of each other. First in importance partment. than it is to find men to successfully is the staff--the inside staff and the outside handle the sales department. The head of staff the house force and the field force. the house ought to be a salesman. The head They must all be imbued with the selling spirit. of the country ought to be a salesman, with They should all be salesmen from the office his eyes on the markets of the world at home boy and telephone operator to chief clerk and and abroad; for successful selling means suc manager. They must work with each other, cessful leadership. When the head of the and not against each other. Their united aim house and the head of the country are sales is to create and increase demand, not merely men. business is good, and the country and to supply demand--that is the business of the the house are prosperous. order department. The great factor in selling is the human fac Some men who call themselves sales man- 0007-SWP-000119826 agers ami some men who call themselves sales department. In no other way can ibe most men, are simply order-takers. floods that sell efficient service be well secured. The sales de without ingenuity and effort require no sales partment should have an equal or controlling department. All that is necessary in such a supervision in the credit and collection depart case is an order department. The master sales ments for the same reason that it affects so man is one who can create business, new busi intimately, and, in the case of these depart ness, or a demand for some new article of ments, sensitively, the service to the customers. business. His is the genius of the inventor and The efficiency of a sales department depends the discoverer. altogether on the character of the sendee ren The development of a successful selling or dered the customer. This involves quality, ganization is a great achievement. It is not value, shipments, correspondence, advertising, accomplished in a day or a year or five years. and above all. the ability to create a demand. It is a process of careful selection, patient Selling the goods is only the beginning of con training, firm but affable discipline, and persis tact with dealer or consumer. We must make tent, enthusiastic effort. Training a selling his interests ours as long as we do business force is like training a fighting force. It de with him. The service should be as far as mands leadership of a high order, and prac possible personal. Make your customers feel tice, practice, practice, and drilling, drilling, they are dealing with men--men who are in drilling--in the barracks or the house, and in terested in their welfare and success, rather the field or on the territory. Napoleon and than with a corporation, which is usually con <? Cromwell were great military leaders because sidered soulless. If the service is personal, they knew how to drill and train their men, they'll feel that way. The danger in corporate how to inspire them, and how to reward them. management is in its being impersonal and They worked them hard, but they encouraged machine-like. The "personal touch" counts in and rewarded them when they did well; and business as it does in all things relating to hu every man knew he would be judged solely man intercourse. on his merits, and that the highest places were open to his courage, energy and ability. And let me add, these great leaders themselves set the pace. The same treatment of a selling force will produce the same results--victories of peace, instead of war. Training such a force involves organization and system. The head of the organization should be the biggest man in the business. He should be a master of system and a leader of men. The head of the sales department should be responsible not only for sales, but for ad Creating a demand is the sales department's greatest achievement. The time has gone by when goods, no matter how excellent, will sell themselves. The quality may be the highest or the price the lowest, but that alone will not sell them. They must be made known to the consumers in a way that the consumers de mand them and will not be satisfied with sub stitutes. Advertising backed by quality and service is the great agency for creating de mand. The advertising must reach the con sumer aiul secure the whole-hearted co-opera vertising, for traffic, and for the distribution tion of the dealer. Advertising that forces the of the product. He should direct all that re lates to the selling and handling of the goods after they are delivered by the manufacturing department to the shipping department. Only in this way can he thoroughly and effectively influence the service to the customers, which plays such an important part in building up a successful sales organization. All advertising is selling; and therefore, in order to insure dealer unwillingly to handle the product can not be wholly or permanently successful. The dealer's good-will and enthusiasm is as neces sary as the consumer's in any plan involving his aid in distributing the product. The dealer is one of the important links in the chain of distribution, and should be considered in all selling plans as a live part of your organiza tion. Make it pay him by providing for a fair the right kind of co-operation, the advertising profit and helping him move the goods in large department should be a branch of the sales de volume, and thus gain his co-operation and partment, which necessitates the head of the sales department being a competent judge of advertising, as well as selling. The distribu add his staff to your own selling force. (To be concluded in next issue) tion of the product, whether direct or through Pbranch houses, involves service to the custom ers; therefore the traffic department, which directs the movement of the goods, and the ERSONALITY counts a hundredweight in a retail business. Meet your cus tomers--greet your customers. Know their branch houses that handle them, should come names and their likes. You can't run a busi under the management of the head of the sales ness from behind a screen.--Furniture World. 12 0007-SWP-000119827 Winning Optimism r.f /Vir iijfM. Si'** ;rrw/t* owr friend, Air. E. A*. A'r. .m.v, l/iurj;i'r of I he Globe Manufacturing Cotnjpany, /V.iri,i, trjcAi'uj; w/taf Atf Aarf /or tf/ter i/W** riixiiu'-fj. The following is one of ftis characteristic replies, l <*:vr rvith enthusiasm and good humor. It should h.- f.t i'ite``nr.i.c<-it;t'iit for every wide-awake agent,-- It T SEEMSthat I have 1 always had so much all-fired unfinished work piled up on my desk that 1 have never had a moment's time to comply with your re quest. Now it hasn't been because I didn't want to, that you know, but I really have been in such shape that it lias almost been impos Mr. /'. A*. A'/'Oox sible. I am always glad to hear from you, and I always trv to come back pretty promptly with an answer, unless you give me a bigger chunk than I can chew, and I will admit that is hang- lire. Inn right here 1 am going to try to "make good" in a certain extent, and in connection with what 1 say refer to my letter to Mr. Hor ton. acknowledging the receipt of the Spring Xumber of The S W P Magazine, and I be lieve that this will help you also. Of course the way we go after business over here, cam paigns nr sjiecial stunts are really nothing new. as it seems to me we are always pulling off something of this kind, and the result is, while others holler about business being rotten, etc., we are always ahead. For January and Feb ruary we are 12y, per cent ahead of last year, and oil! my. how I am anxiously waiting for March figures. They are going to be a whale, as we shipped out an enormous quantity of stulf this month. Just placed an order for a two-ton motor truck today, and believe me, she is going to be a dandy, not only a serviceable proposition, but r. mighty good advertising feature. It is going to he lettered up and painted, and all finished in gold leaf. When she rolls down the street it certainly will attract some attention, believe me. This new asset will be of material as sistance to tts in going after business this Spring, and with our delivery service being mi ire prompt. 1 am looking forward with an ticipated pleasure to a still further increase in our business which necessarily must accom pany expenditures of this kind. I figure it that what the American people want today is "service" and the fellow who can give this service is the fellow who gets the business. We are also at this time figuring on moving into our new building, and if everything goes through all right. 60 days will see us in the finest Paint Store in the United States; three Hours and a basement, thirty feet wide by a hundred and seventy feet deep--guess that is some store, ell? It will be one block up from where we are now, in the heart of the retail district. When Mr. Stewart was down here last week. I took him through the building, and he certainly was gratified at the prospect for the future. I want to say to you that the service of the Decorative Department is one of the most val uable assets for business, that actually results in the sale of the materials, I ever saw in my life, and how any agent could pass up and not take advantage of this service which means so much to him is more than I can understand. Honestly, you would be surprised at the big volume of business that results from the sketches and specifications that the Decorative Department gets up for us. In fact, we have had such good results from co-operating with you in this connection that we have in a small way installed a department similar to this of our own, as we have found out by being able to properly finish wood panels so our customer can see them, eliminates delay, and gets the job started. Of course we only do this in cases where our customer is on short time, but be lieve me, we find a lot of them like that. In our new store we will have two large windows where we have but one here, and although it is a good large one, it is with pleasure that I think of the additional space that this will give us. Window trimming is a wonderful thing, and in our organization our mutual friend Mr. D. P. Burns has charge of this. He pulls off some mighty clever stunts. We trim our windows every Friday and this is a regular thing with us just as sure as the day comes. We have found out by following out this plan that the people are always looking for something new. "Never let your windows be- 13 0007-SWP-000119828 come old or stagnant, for when you do you are losing the most valuable advertising space that you could possibly have. Keep the interior of your store neat and attractive; don't think that because it is a Paint Store that it can't be made beautiful, as when it comes right down to facts there is no store that could surpass a Paint Store from the standpoint of being attractive." It is our intention to have built in our new store something on the order ni the ".Model Bungalow."similar to the one we had up in Chi cago at the Convention. This will help us materially in taking the new Decorative pros pect and the builder of a new home over the proposition, then it will be a big help as a busi ness-getter, which insures the use of our ma terial. Yours very truly. E. R. Kk u o s . ( Tkos. C. Phmt Co. Building, Boston, Mass. Finished throughout with S- tl-' Afill White The Store ofHawkins Druse, Fulton, .X.J. w A Fine Display HVndow belonging to the Carr Hardware Co., Oklahoma City, Ckta. Jackson SckoolBuilding, CedarRapids, Town. SU'V, ODP andFlat-lone were usedforfiuishiugmateria/s 14 J 0007-SWP-000119829 Figuring Profits By William Earl Leever. Manager Systems Service, Burroughs Adding Machine Co. .MAX I'TACTCRER of store equipment recently caused a ques tion to be printed in a few of the national magazines, business, trade and newspaper publications, de signed to find out what percentage of retailers figure their profits right. it is hardly believable that apparently 75 per cent of all retailers do not know how to figure profits. Some of the readers of this publication will doubt the possibility of such a condition. Here is the question: A certain article costs SI wholesale. What will it have to be sold for to allow a profit of 10 per cent after allowing 22 per cent for cost of doing business? It is a very simple question--one that every retailer has to answer in his own business every day. But out of the 1,000 retailers answering the question, 750 answered it wrong. The answers ranged all the way from $1.10 to $1.60. The majority gave the selling price as SI.52 or $1.34, allowing a profit of one cent >>r less, notwithstanding an explanation at the bottom of the question that the answer was not $1.32. A retailer in Dallas, Texas, said that if the u<i had not stated that $1.32 was not correct, he would have put that price on the article. Selling the article at $1.32, he would lose almost 1 per cent instead of making 10 per cent. His trouble was that he figured his profit and the amount which he wanted to take out for the cost of doing business, or his percentages, on the cost price instead of on the selling price. Instead of adding 32 per cent of the whole sale cost to the wholesale cost he should have added 32 per cent of the selling price to the wholesale cost. The wholesale cost is not something to be added to, but a portion of the selling price, in this instance, 68 per cent of the selling price. If the wholesale cost is 68 per cent of the selling price, then the selling price is evidently SI.47, instead of $1.34 or $1.32. If the cost of doing business is figured on the selling price, that is, 22 per cent on the gross amount of business done during the year, the cost of selling the article is not 22 cents, but 32y3 cents. If 10 per cent profit is desired on the selliug price, it is not sufficient to add 10 cents to the cost price. Instead 14.7 cents, nearly 15 cents, must be added. To prove this, take 22 per cent of $1.47, which is 32.34 cents, and 10 per cent of $1.47, which is 14.7 cents. Add these to $1 and you have $1.47. Here is a letter from A. D. Hogan, of Glen Village, N. Y,: "Your question in The Saturday Evening Post, entitled, `What is the Selling Price,5 at tracted my attention. "I picked up my pencil to work it out, but it did not come. Then I took a sheet of paper and went at it, with the result given below. It: was a revelation to me. "The figures applied to every-day sellers in my own stock proved that many articles were only returning a bank interest profit. It was a surprise to me.'' Then he goes on to figure it out for us in the following very sensible way: Let the selling price equal............ 100% Deduct for cost of doing business 22% Deduct for profit........................... 10% Cost is 68 per cent of selling price 68% Then 68% is................................. $1.00 1% is....................................... 0147 100%is 100 times .0147, or.. $1.47 The cost price of an article is not a thing to be added to. It is a per cent of the selling price. A Few Maxims Never become discouraged; work zeal ously and you will surely succeed. Never lie about a business affair. A lie is bad business. Do not trust too much to luck. Spend your time profitably. 1 j I 7 Moralist--"Ah, kind friend, it is deeds, not " 'Ow did 'e come to get run over. Bill?" words, that count!" Friend--"O, I don't know. Did you ever " 'E was pickin' up a 'orseshoe for luck." . send a telegram?" Patient--"Tell me candidly. Doc, do you The men who get ahead fastest are those think I'll pull through?" who look farther ahead. Doctor--"Oh, you're bound to get well-- you can't help yourself. The Medical Record j <? Papa--"Where have you been. James?" shows that out of one hundred cases like "Fishin'." yours, one per cent invariably recovers. I've Papa--"Come into the woodshed and we'l! treated ninety-nine cases, and every one of have a whaling expedition." them died. Why, man alive, you can't die if you try. There's no humbug in statistics." The only way to be perpetually optimistic is to let a flat turndown roll off your mind like water off a duck's back. It doesn't pay to nurse a grouch or scrap with the street-car conductor. When you can think of nothing else to do just smile and keep still. Little Edgar was separated from his mother in a department store. After a long wait he stepped up to the floor-walker and said: "Please, sir, have you seen anything of a woman without a little boy ? Tf you have. I'm "That woman is very hard to wait on." the little boy." I "Why?" "She doesn't know what she wants, yet in sists on asking for it." Ascuni--"What, in vour opinion, is the best business to which a,young man can give his attention?" Luck is simply hard work intelligently ap- plied. ____________ Telit--"His own." A little boy who had often heard his father talk about the Civil War, finally asked: "Father, did anyone help you put down the Rebellion?" ________ He is a good merchant who practices what he preaches to his clerks. Doctor--"Are you ill? Let me see your tongue." Poet--"Ah, it is no use: no tongue can tell how bad I feel." "Is the lady of the house in?" asked the coffee and tea man. "D'ye mane me or the woman what owns it?" demanded Bridget. "What're ye cornin' home with your milkpail empty for?1' demanded the farmer. "Didn't the old cow give anything?" "Yes," replied the boy, "nine <|uarts and a kick.'' O'Hara once saw an advertisement in a street-car, reading: "Buy your stove at O'Brien's and save half your coal." "Begorra," he said, "I'll buy two stoves and save all me coal." "I say, pa, is a man from Poland called a Pole?" "Yes, iny soil." "Then, pa. why isn't a man from Holland called a Hole?" l 16 0007-SWP-000119831