Letters From an Old Time Salesman to His Son

Part 1

Letters from An Old Time Salesman to His Son

By R. L. James

General Sales Manager, Libby, McNeill & Libby

Chicago and New York THE DARTNELL CORPORATION 1922

Published by The Dartnell Corporation Dartnell Building Ravenswood and Leland Avenues Chicago, Illinois

All privileges of reproducing illustrations or letter press expressly reserved by the publishers

Copyright 1922 in the United States, Canada and Great Britain

R. L. JAMES Chicago

Printed by The Dartnell Press

CONTENTS

PAGE The Boy Starts Out--Green and Gullible But Full of Pep 9 The Boy Writes That He Has Arrived as a “Regular” Salesman 13 The Boy Thinks the House Should Accept Cancellations 17 The Boy Has Been Promoted to a “Special” Salesman 21 Dad Gives the Boy Some Sound Advice Regarding Team Work 25 The Boy Is Having His Troubles as a Branch Manager 31 Dad Tells the Boy Why It Pays to Advertise 37 Dad Counsels the Boy to Throw Away His Knickers and Put on Long Pants 43 The Boy Has Begun to Solicit Dad's Counsel 49 The Boy Has Told Dad of His Latest Pet “Peeve” 55 The Boy Has Met the Girl--He Sounds Dad Out on Matrimony 61 The Boy Has Been Bragging a Little 67 Dad Warns of the Evil Spirit That Whispers “You Haven't Time” 75 The Boy Is Given an Unfailing Formula for Landing a Bigger Job 81 Hal Is District Manager Now--His Problem Is Winning the Respect of Men 87 Dad Drops in on a Branch Manager and Finds the Spirit of the Time 93 The Boy Gets a Chance to See Himself as Others See Him 99 Dad Tips Off the Boy to a New Job 105 Dad Gets a Lesson from a Trip to the Farm 111 Dad Takes an Interest in the Boy's Big Sales Contest 117 Dad Surrenders When the Boy Lands the Big Job 123

The Story Behind These Letters

The most refreshing thing about these letters is that they are real letters, written by a real salesman to a real son. Therein they differ from so many books of this character. There is a certain satisfaction in knowing that what you are reading was written by a man who has been through the mill.

Another refreshing thing about these letters is that they were not written for publication. The motive behind them is an interesting one. Mr. James began his business career as a salesman, calling on the retail trade in small towns. Shortly after a son came to bless his home--a red-headed boy who was christened “Hal.” Like all men who make a success of their profession, Mr. James believed in his work and his dreams of the future for his son always pictured the boy as a traveling salesman. As the boy grew and developed traits of character, what was more natural than that his dad, who shared the boy's problems, should visualize his son with these same peculiar traits running afoul of the same pitfalls and snags that beset the path of every young man in sales work? What was more natural than that he should try to impart to his boy the secrets of his success as a salesman and manager of salesmen, so that the son might use the father's achievement as a short cut?

Through some underground avenue, best known to himself, it came to the attention of the editor of the Libby house-organ that Mr. James--then a department manager--was writing a series of most interesting human letters to his boy. After much persuasion Mr. James agreed to the anonymous publication of these letters--with deletions of a personal character--in the Libby salesman's bulletin. For two years the letters of an old time salesman to his son were the most eagerly read feature of one of the most readable of salesmen's publications.

After the letters had run the gamut from salesman to general sales manager, during the writing of which the author himself had risen to the position of General Sales Manager of his Company, they came to an end. That they had exerted a powerful influence in moulding the character of every Libby salesman there can be no question. No man could read the letters without being the better for having done so. And I feel that Mr. James in permitting the publication of them in book form, so that the message they carry may be spread out beyond the limited confines of the Libby organization and conveyed to every man who sells things, has taken a big step toward fulfilling the obligation which every man owes to his profession. If every salesman could read this book it would do more for the cause of better, cleaner salesmanship than any other one thing.

J. C. ASPLEY, Editor, “Sales Management Magazine.”

THE TRAVELING MAN

How many of you remember the golden days of yore When you were an uncouth urchin hanging 'round the village store, When the loafers saved the country--changed the tariff every day 'Mid the fumes of various mixtures of tobacco-labeled hay, How you forgot the colored candles and the tempting cookie can When the door was quickly opened and in walked the Traveling Man.

'Member how some way or other conversation seemed to stop, When he opened up his samples and your eyes would fairly pop At experiences he related as he took his order down, Talked about a three-ring circus--he was better than a clown, How you wondered and you worshiped and resolved to break each ban That would keep you from becoming, some day too, a Traveling Man.

Never seemed he ever worried, life to him was always bright For you'd seen him in the morning and you'd seen him late at night: Altho' he was always working you could always see his smile Wasn't put on--just came natural, catchy, bubbling all the while; You resolved to be just like him, now deny it if you can, Your day dreams were filled with longing just to be a Traveling Man.

Years have passed--you've lived to see all your boyhood dreams come true And now you're doing daily all the things he used to do; Now you know he had his troubles which he smiled thru right along, But it makes your memory dearer--that his life was not all song; And like him you keep a-hustling, glad that you have joined the clan That begets true admiration--Here's to you, A Traveling Man!

--R. L. James

The Boy Starts Out--Green and Gullible But Full of Pep

Dear Hal:

Your letter written as you had just finished your first week as a cub salesman was received and I've enjoyed reading it over, two or three times, because it brings out the fact that after all, the game doesn't change a great deal in fundamentals since the time I used to beat the brush.

I notice that you're impressed with the fact that it was pretty easy for the regular salesman Ryan to sell goods, and that you think he's a wonderful salesman. Now, of course, I never met Ryan and I don't doubt from what you say that he is fairly popular with the trade, knows the line and is a hard worker, but from some of the things you say, I'm not exactly sure that Ryan is the man who wrote the first book on salesmanship, but, of course, I may be mistaken. With all due respect to Ryan, you must remember that your company was manufacturing and marketing food products long before Ryan was strong enough to shake a rattle.

Now, I'm not trying to belittle the honest sales effort of yourself or your friend Ryan in the least, but I just want to be sure that you appreciate the fact that your success last week wasn't due 100 per cent to the siren voice of your salesmanship, but that a great big piece of credit was due to the solid foundation on which you were building your sales.

Part 2

I notice you sort of “bragged” over the fact that you sold only the best merchants in each town and those who were capable of giving orders worth while. If I had to take my choice between five nice new ten dollar bills and five old ragged ones, why, of course, I'd choose the crinkly kind, but if there wasn't any law against my getting both piles, I don't think I'd be so particular, because it has been my experience that the ragged ones can be changed into just as many dimes and quarters as the new ones, and either one is acceptable to the receiving teller when you pass the little black book under the wicket on Saturday.

Now the matter of choice in selling retailers is just the same. With a line like your company has, in the first place you should attempt to place it in a big way in the best stores in the town, but there isn't any game law against selling it to the little fellow around the corner, is there? Nobody in “the house” ever told you to beware of selling the small merchant, did they? You bet they didn't! In fact, every successful business has been founded on the small customer, who afterward grew into the big one. You know when Marshall Field first started in business his store didn't cover a city block, but I suppose there were some two and three-quarters per cent salesmen in those days who thought Field's business was too small to bother with, but if any of those salesmen are still living you can probably find them now acting as a nurse-girl to a wheezy taxicab.

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