SALESMAN AND commercial representative who has to depend for his income upon the repeat orders coining from old customers knows the vital importance of remaining on good terms with the users or purchasers of his commodity. But such selling men form only a portion of the fraternity, the remainder being obliged to continually look for business that is entirely new, with small hope, in many cases, of a repeat order for a long time to come.
It is easy in such circumstances to be guilty of neglect towards those who have already purchased. Great promises are often made to such purchasers with assurances of various calls in the future to make sure that the apparatus, or fittings, or machine, as the case may be, continues to give satisfaction and is thoroughly understood so that the greatest good may be got out of it.
In the majority of cases the buyer sees no more of the selling man once the order has been signed. This is a much greater loss to the selling man than to the user. The latter, with the aid of a book of instructions and a good deal of common sense, contrives to initiate his staff into the mysteries of the recent acquisition. Attachments which might be of great value are not understood, and only about half the possible benefits are derived from the purchase. At the end of the first few weeks the enthusiasm which led to the sale has spent its effects, and the user gradually becomes convinced that he was off his guard in parting with his money.
Some salesmen, more conscientious than the rest, may make one call to see that the purchased article has been properly understood, stay a very short time compared with that spent when trying to secure the signature to the order, and get away at the earliest possible moment on the pretext of pressure of business.
Users of special lines of goods must be cultivated if a broad and successful business is to be built up. There is an inborn hatred of being "done," and once a user gets this idea, trade in his immediate neighbour hood becomes very difficult upon the occasion of a future visit to his locality,.
On the other hand, if the greatest pains are taken to see that every detail of the article sold is fully understood and properly used, the purchaser, regarding such attention as an act of grace on the part of the salesman, will do all in his power to reciprocate. The recommendation of the man who has paid his money for a piece of apparatus and speaks of it with enthusiasm is worth more in closing a sale than a whole page advertisement in the daily press. It is quite possible to secure such co-operation from satisfied users that it is not regarded as a hardship to write a letter to a doubting Thomas, or even to go a short distance to see him.
Old hands who really know, on taking over a fresh district, spend as much time as may be required to see all the users of the special thing to be sold. If one of them is found to be dissatisfied, everything within reason is done to bring him to a better frame of mind. In such cases there will be
found people in the neighbourhood who ought to be possible purchasers, but who refuse to entertain the proposition offered. Such is the result of a batch of neglected users.
Once the dissatisfied user is made to see that his original determination to purchase was a good one, he will be quite willing to undo any mischief he may have made amongst his acquaintances, and, as has often happened, give a testimonial saying that now he thoroughly understands his purchase he is more than satisfied. Such a letter will clear up many difficulties, but the need for it reveals a bad state of neglect in a district.
Where every user is satisfied and remains enthusiastic, it is a great lever in influencing; sales to be able to invite any prospective purchaser to make his own inquiries, declining even to suggest any specific individual. Of course the goods handled must be really good, but it goes almost without saying that high-grade salesmen do not attempt to sell anything unsatis factory, for they of all men know that bluff upon the road is a form of commercial suicide.
Where valuable suggestions have been made to the purchaser by the selling man, such as improvements in system, better advertising, reduced outgoings, the user will be glad to answer any inquiries upon the telephone. This will enable the salesman when canvassing to hand in a list of users with the invitation to ring up any of them, knowing full \ v el 1 that the answer to be received will influence the sale more than he himself could possibly hope to do.
Each satisfied purchaser can be made a junior salesman, although he may not know that he is being exploited. It should be borne in mind that the salesman proper has one set of ideas about the product handled, but almost every user of it will have different reasons to give why a doubtful prospect should make up his mind to purchase at once.
It may be objected that users would require a commission for securing an order in the way mentioned. That is not found in practice to be the fact, for the simple reason that the salesman has already taken more trouble on the user's behalf than he is asking the, user to take in return. It must be put to the credit of the average business man that he is a cut above taking money for advising a fellow-tradesman or professional man to buy something which he himself has found to be advantageous.
).n any case, means can be found for extending some courtesy to a good user, which will be of a slightly personal nature, and not liable to give the offence which an offer of a commission might provoke. So simple a matter as satisfying the users in one's district might seem to call for no comment, were it not for the well-known fact that in the rush for new business old purchasers are consistently ignored.