Samples may be sent by mail at a lower rate, but must be bona fide samples of no sales value. Pairs of articles cannot be sent as samples, but must be sent by parcel post and accompanied by the proper cus toms documents.
Letters are usually routed irrespective of the direc tion which may have been written on the envelop. The German mail was an exception, when carried by a German steamer, and carried only the domestic rate.
7. The credit man.—The foreign credit man's func tion is not essentially different from that of the do mestic credit man. He merely has to obtain his in formation from more widely scattered and different sources. He must take great pains in checking the terms of payment allowed in the various markets. The house generally establishes a fairly fixed policy in each market, and it is his duty to exert constant supervision over the sales agreements made, so that this policy may be strictly followed.
8. The invoice clerk.—The invoice clerk has a re sponsible position since the technique of calculating all the invoice items is extremely involved and exacting. He should possess a definite knowledge of trade usages in various markets, of the policy of the house, and of special agreements between the firm and its foreign customers.
9. The shipping responsibility of choosing the shipping route, of providing for the cargo space, of filling out the shipping documents, and frequently, also, of taking out the marine insur ance, rests with the shipping clerk.
An information file is frequently kept by him which serves to supply the necessary data from which to calculate c.i.f. quotations.
10. The information special record is gen erally kept of the different rules to be followed in making various shipments. It is necessary to have available for ready reference such information as the number of invoices required, the consular fees, the sailing dates of steamers, the length of time required for the journey, the dates of sailing of mail steamers and special port charges, if any.
Foreign and domestic magazines will yield many items which may prove of future interest. Much may be gleaned from trade journals, consular documents and especially from the reports received from travel ing salesmen.
Carefully checked mailing lists are an important feature of the file. Numerous export directories are published in this country and abroad, from which with proper judgment, good mailing lists may be compiled. Among the best directories in the Eng
lish language may be mentioned, Kelley's "Directory of .Merchants, Manufacturers, and Shippers of the World." The Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce has printed mailing lists of dealers in various parts of the world. The Philadelphia Commercial Mu seum and the numerous trade organizations can also supply valuable lists.
The card index clerk or librarian should build a collection of catalogs of competing firms of various nationalities serving the same foreign markets.
11. The traveling traveling sales man abroad must do much more than just sell. He must be the eyes of the firm in the foreign fields. Be yond the ordinary sales reports, detailed information should be required from him concerning the climatic conditions, the prices of accommodations, the habits of the people, credit standing of customers, competi tion, and such general data as will aid the home office in understanding the conditions which confront him.
An export department equipped with this informa tion will have no difficulty in keeping in close touch with its foreign customers, in understanding their problems and in planning future sales campaigns. The salesmen who are to follow in the field will have a complete picture of what they will encounter before leaving the home office. They will be able to prepare themselves for the most effective method of approach and they will be able to select the best time for their visit. The correspondent will also find this informa tion valuable when introducing a personal touch in his letters.
12. The use of cables.—Cable messages are always expensive. From New York to Western Europe the rate is approximately thirty-five cents per word, but to other parts of the world the price is considerably higher. In order to save money, codes should be used. The 'Western Union Cable Code and the A. B. C. Code are in international use. There exist, more over, a large number of special codes for the various trades. It is customary to mention the code used in the letter-head of the firm. Many firms devise pri vate codes and in their catalogs include code words by means of which orders may be cabled.