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Story
February 20, 1914
The Kendrick Gazette
Kendrick, Latah County, Idaho
What is this article about?
An article discussing the essence of retail salesmanship, stressing that treating 'lookers' (window shoppers) courteously can convert them into buyers and build the store's reputation as the best trading place. True salesmanship is unmistakable and leads to success, regardless of other factors.
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THE ART OF SELLING.
Real Salesmanship Is a Light That
Can't Be Obscured.
The boss wants lookers, because he
knows the looker of today is the buyer
of tomorrow and he wants to make
the lookers feel that his store is "the
best place to trade," which is only an
other way of saying that it is the best
place to do one's looking. He also
knows that the looker of today can
sometimes be converted into a buyer
before the day is over. All he requires
to accomplish what he desires is sales-
manship among his salespeople.
Does he get it? Not from all of
them. If he did there would be less
need for commissions to inquire labo-
riously into the relation between shop-
girls' wages and shopgirls' chastity,
for real salesmanship will get the
money wherever it is practiced and by
whomsoever it is practiced. Real sales-
manship is one light that can't be hid-
den under a bushel. It's a light that
can't be obscured. It's a light that
will shine above department heads and
floorwalkers and reach clear up to "the
old man" in his private office, if you
keep it burning long enough.
What is salesmanship? No one quite
knows. But if you will take care of
the lookers, if you will make all the
lookers pleasantly remember what you
showed them and how you showed it
to them when they were merely look-
ing, you will have mastered one very
important branch of retail salesman-
ship.—Collier's Weekly.
Real Salesmanship Is a Light That
Can't Be Obscured.
The boss wants lookers, because he
knows the looker of today is the buyer
of tomorrow and he wants to make
the lookers feel that his store is "the
best place to trade," which is only an
other way of saying that it is the best
place to do one's looking. He also
knows that the looker of today can
sometimes be converted into a buyer
before the day is over. All he requires
to accomplish what he desires is sales-
manship among his salespeople.
Does he get it? Not from all of
them. If he did there would be less
need for commissions to inquire labo-
riously into the relation between shop-
girls' wages and shopgirls' chastity,
for real salesmanship will get the
money wherever it is practiced and by
whomsoever it is practiced. Real sales-
manship is one light that can't be hid-
den under a bushel. It's a light that
can't be obscured. It's a light that
will shine above department heads and
floorwalkers and reach clear up to "the
old man" in his private office, if you
keep it burning long enough.
What is salesmanship? No one quite
knows. But if you will take care of
the lookers, if you will make all the
lookers pleasantly remember what you
showed them and how you showed it
to them when they were merely look-
ing, you will have mastered one very
important branch of retail salesman-
ship.—Collier's Weekly.
What sub-type of article is it?
Business Advice
Instructional Essay
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
Triumph
What keywords are associated?
Salesmanship
Retail
Lookers
Buyers
Customer Service
Store Reputation
Story Details
Story Details
The article explains that effective salesmanship in retail involves welcoming and impressing lookers to turn them into buyers, building the store's reputation. It notes that true salesmanship is evident and successful, shining through organizational layers, and advises focusing on pleasant interactions with browsers.