A man's ability to produce a large volume of busi ness should not be the only measure of his right to join a selling organization or to stay with it; the question should always be considered, whether Ile lends dignity to his house and whether, as a representative, Ile does his concern a lasting good.
Probably the best measure of a salesman's value to his house is: What kind of impression does he leave on those whom Ile fails to sell? 16. References.—Just as soon as the formal appli cation has been filled in, the references given by the salesman should be investigated. There is great di versity of opinion as to the value of commendatory letters from those to whom the applicant refers the sales manager. It is claimed that there are but few people who will give any but a favorable reference in such a case, and it is certainly true that most refer ences do not contain a bald statement of bad qualities, even when the applicant possesses them. Letters of recommendation are for the most part favorable, tho in varying degree. The sales manager will have no trouble in distinguishing between the genial letter that condemns by faint praise, and the sincerely enthusi astic letter that really indicates a good opinion. Fur thermore, the character of the references will go to show the applicant's standing in the community.
17. Applicationblanks.—A form of application for prospective salesmen which is in use in the sales de partment of a highly successful specialty organiza tion is here given. It is recommended for use, with any changes, of course, that the individual business may render necessary.
18. Young men preferred.—Young men are to be preferred as recruits. There is a longer period of service ahead of them. They have greater possibili ties for improvement and development than older men, whose habits of thought and action have become fixed. The money invested in training a man twenty
seven years old, is much better spent than the same amount would be in training a man fifty years old who could turn in the same amount of business. Furthermore there is always the danger that an appli cant who has not made a good connection before be is thirty or thirty-five years of age, may have some char acteristics that will tend to make him a disloyal sales man or a drifter. The drifter may be a good sales man and may be doing himself good in his drifting, but no sales manager wants to turn his organization into a training school. Other things being equal, re emits should be picked whose futures are before them and who are willing to cast their lots with the house.
This matter of selecting men for the selling organ ization is one to which the sales manager may well give some of his best energy. Every man who comes into the organization, takes the training provided and starts out for his territory, represents an investment on the part of the company, of actual dollars and cents. Every time a salesman leaves the organiza tion the money invested goes with him. Then, too, it costs just as much to pay the expenses of a mediocre or unsuccessful salesman as it does to finance a suc cessful one, and the overhead properly chargeable against the former is often larger than in the case of the able man. Furthermore, since territory and pros pects are distinct assets to any house, few concerns can afford to have their prospects visited by mediocre salesmen or to have their advertising backed up by any but the best representatives obtainable.