Document jBXRdMzdz3EyJb1Gpd7kkpZYy

October 27, 1915 The Sledge ft Barkley Co., Inc. Lawrenceville, Va. Your letters of October 8th and 13th with reference to a stock of SWP, which you wish to move, were both received, but have been held for the writer's attention, as we believe it is a matter which should be gone into very thoroughly and that you should be acquainted with the success of the suggestion which we offer, as it has been worked out elsewhere. In the first place, we can say without hesitation that there is not an unsalable shade in the entire list of SWP, and we know this by the fact that we keep constantly in close touch with the demand. We have some 250 traveling Representatives, who each year report to us if there is a falling off in the demand for any particular shade, and also if there Is a demand for any new shade. These reports are all combined, and at our Annual Managers Meeting the matter is fully discussed, and if it is found that any changes should be made, they are acted upon. You can readily see that no one is in closer touch with the actu al demand than our men, who are selling the various shades dally. We do believe, nowever, that your trouble is one that could easily be gotten into if you were not fully acquainted wi*h the conditions. When a cus tomer comes in to select paint for his house, you hand him one of our color-cards or you refer him to the painted wooden paddles, and to a large extent he is left to make his own ehoice, and very few people are educated to the point of what constitutes a proper and harmonious combi nation of colors} consequently they select shades which they have seen used on their neighbors' properties and, aa a result, if it is not care fully watched, your demand simmers down to a few shades and the houses in your locality all become to look alike and there is no beautiful, har monious contrast, which adds so much to the appearance of a town. Now, in going over the list which you gave us, we find according to our manufacturing records, that each and every shade has had a tremendous sale this year, and we also find that many beautiful combinations can be made by using these identical shades either in two or three color effects, and just to show you what wt mean, we hate gone to the trouble to put to gether a number of combinations .of the exact colors which you believe are not salable, and we are sending you, under separate cover, three addition al packs of these colors, so that you can make up other attractive combinations. Now, our suggestion would be that when a customer comes in and selects paint for his house, you hand these combinations to him and state that they represent new shades, which The Sherwin-Williams Co. have just suggested for 1916 painting, beeause it Is a fact that our Decorative Department is constantly making these suggestions and that the colors, which we are sending you, are time and time again included in our suggestions. 0007-SWP-000010217 N14780