SALES RECORDS 1. Sales records and statistics.—With no attempt to give a detailed description of any of the various sys tems of records in use in the sales departments of busi ness houses throughout the country, it is-important to indicate the nature of the information that a sales manager should have constantly before him or at least quickly available. It should not be understood that all of the recbrds and statistics enumerated are nec essary in every case, since it is unnecessary to spend money making records of things easily remembered. Records necessary to keep in constant touch with a sales force of one hundred would be in great part un necessary in handling a force of ten. The records needed depend further upon the nature of the busi ness. It must be left to the reader to decide the par ticular kind of information that he should have avail able in his business. As a general rule, the house which sells a large number of items will require more detailed information and a greater variety of statistics than that which handles but 'one product.
Sales department records and statistics are com piled from orders received, from special analyses of field conditions and from reports sent in by the sales men. In this connection it should be constantly borne in mind that the salesman should not be loaded up with too large an amount of purely clerical work. The salesman is easily disgusted and discouraged when he has to spend a, considerable portion of his evenings in filling out different reports. The temperament that makes a man sell goods most readily, is usually not one that makes him take kindly to the careful de tail work necessary in making out reports. In mak ing such reports the salesman is likely to expend more energy for a given result than would one who liked careful detailed work. It is well to remember that the salesman has just so much energy to expend and to allow him to devote practically all of it to pure selling work.
Salesmen working on a commission will act as a safety valve on the sa.les manager who expects too much report work ; but even where the salesmen are working on straight salaries, the sales manager would do well to determine just what proportion of the en ergy which he purchases to use in the selling of goods, should be employed in other channels. If the reports
required of salesmen in the field are too detailed or too numerous it sometimes happens that the salesman who turns in the greatest volume of business is the most careless about his reports and that the man who turns in the best reports does the least business. The sales manager will then be forced to decide whether it is business or reports that he most desires from the men in the field. Nevertheless, there are certain re ports that only the salesmen in the field can furnish, His diligence in so doing should be as greatly ap preciated and as adequately rewarded as his ability to fret business.
2. Records of 'work in territory.—The practice of making permanent records of the work done by the salesmen in the several teiritories varies with different concerns and in different lines of business. In some cases very complete information is desired, and a card is written for each prospect in the territory. Dupli cate cards are then forwarded to the salesman a short time before he calls upon the prospects. The sales man, after he has made his call, reports the result of the interview on the card. A certain limit for the re turning of these reports may be set and a tickler sys tem installed to see that reports are made. The salesman calling upon new prospects of his own initia tive may report on blank cards furnished for that pur pose. These are the general outlines on one of many systems that may be provided to keep track of the thoroness with which territory is worked. Thoro rec ords of this nature when they are not too expensive will do much to point out opportunities for increased business.
3. Robert H. Ingersoll and Brother territorial records.—Probably the most complete record of this sort—especially considering that the product sold is low in. price, and the number of possible customers particularly large--is that recently installed by Rob ert H. Ingersoll and Brother, marketers of the well known Ingersoll watches. This house is credited with having established an almost perfect distribution of its product in spite of keen competition and price cut ting.