How a Live Paint Dealer uses a Pocket Prospect Book

Reprinted from Gulf

We are all of us ready and willing to admit that the merchant in almost any line of businesi who gets the comparative best results, is the one who follows- up his business-prospects in a logical manner. The slip-shod method won't meet logical competition.

The absolute necessity for keeping and USING a pros- pect book of some sort by the lumblr merchant has -long been- preached in these columns. Direct and practical ex-amples of exactly how some men have uied prospect look-s se,em always interesting. We read a story tir. oih.t day in the American Paint & Oil Dealer of a paint dealer -or rather .druggist-who operated a very ictive paint department in Minnesota, which is so interlsting that we reproduce- it in part, believing that every mov6 and. act of this paint man could be foll,owed with as much success by_the building merchant in any town.

Up in Stillwater, I\finnesoti, however, is a merchant who keeps track of his prospects, and what is more, follows them carefully with ttre result that the paint sales in his drug,store have been most gratifying.

Here is his method. In his pockef hJ carries a little memorandum book. This book is divided into five sections. The first contains the names and addresses of all the painters in the town; the second a list of barn paint prospects; the third color combinations for houses ; the fourth prospects for house pdint, and the fifth a lisi of varnish and interior prospects.

If Mr. Brenner, for thal is the merchant's name. is

Coast Lumberman

walking down the street in Stillwater and he sees a house that needs painting, down goes the address in section four of the little book, and if he knows the owner's name, that is recorded also. If not, he makes it his business to secure his name.

Mr. Brenner knows practicallv every farmer in the surrounding country and knows all the rural routes. Often he drives into the country upon either business or pleasure bent. Then his little book comes in handv. If he sees a barn, granary, hoghouse or ahy other building that needs painting, the farmer's name is recorded under Barn Paint Prospects, or if he is putting up a new barn or granary, or making additions to his old ones, it is written in the same section, for an addition usually means that both the old and new parts rvill be painted with proper persuasion.

Working on the assumption that a person usually knorvs more about his neighbor's business than said neighbor himself, Mr. Brenner always asks people to whom he sells a bill of paint in the store whether or hot any of his neigh- bors are contemplating doing any exterior or inteiior painting. Having secured this information, their hames are listed in the proper places. Of course; the guesses are sometimes wrong in regard to these, but a large percentage are good.

Other sollrces for live prospects are the lumber dealers and electricians who are wiring houses.

The section cohtaining painters' names and addresses is quite necessary; for oft-n upon calling on one of the prospects listed in the House Paint Section, Mr. Brenner is told that the work is in the hands of a certain painter. Immediately his name and address goes down ind the painter receives a personal call from Mr. Brenner.

The color Combination Section often closes a sale when other methods fail. The prospect is sold on the idea of painting but does not know what colors he wants and says be believes he will postpone it until he can get a family caucus including some aunts and his motheiwho has good taste. Right then Mr. Brenner gets busy with his color combinations, explaining that thiy are not his ideas of. good c_ombinations but thbse compiled by decora- tive artists and often closes a sale that wav.

. Being in the drug business, Mr. Brennir often goes into homes qn missions that have nothing at all to do rvith paint -or painting. However, quite nat-urally he takes in the walls, woodwork and floois. If they ire worn, the name is added to the list of Interior Paint and Varnish Prospects.

Being the nature of man to forget easily, Mr. Brenner does m-ore than to merely list the name and address in the proper section. He always adds a little memorandum. Fof instance. we find notations like this in his little book:

W. F. Jones-Figuring on building a ne'w barn.

C. Joseph-Three silos to paint.

Mrs. E. Martin-House and barn neetls paint'

It is not difficult to see that Mr. Brenner builds up quite a list of live prospects by his notebook method. In fact, as he says, tiey ire 99-441100 live. Having,-them, he does not aliow them to perish in the notebook' He follows them personally rvith calls and letters. and in addition turns in their tlames to the sales promotion department of the company rvhose line he handles-. rvhich does further work on them rvith personal letters.

For instance, Mr. Brenner gets a list of barn paint prospects. He sends in their names to the promotion department advising the latter lvhen he rvants them promoted. In the meantime, he calls on them and talks paint. While his talk is still fresh in their minds, along comes a letter on barn paint from the manufacturer. This concentrated effort perfectly synchronized is bound to have a telling effect. It gets results.

Here are Mr. Brenner's oln rvords in writing the manufacturer in regard to the promoting work:

"Now, then, when your promoting letters are sent out to my prospects the results are not long in coming. So convinced am I of the sales value of your letters that I consider the sale half made when they reach the recipient, {or seldom have I found the promoted prospect postponing his work or buying other materials."

No doubt the letters have something to do rvith it. However, if these selfsame letters were sent out to a list selected haphazard, it rvould probably be a case of much wasted effort and postage. In the last analysis, it is the selection of prospects that makes promotion so valuable to Mr. Brenner, for in addition to getting good prospects by the notebook method, each man is promotecl on tl"re 'right products, at just the right time.

Surely This Is A Record

Port Angeles, Feb. 3.-Tom Newton, high_rigger, ernployed by-the Merrill and Ring Logging Company- at Pyitrt, fifly miles west of here, fell a distance of 120 feet frbm the iop of a tree rvhere he was placing a high lead, and rvas only slightly injured. He struck in soft ground. One leg wai buried in the mud and he was unconscious for an hour. He was taken to the hospital and is now on his feet, and rvill be lopping off the tops of big trees again in a week.

State Association Directore Meetin$

A meeting of the Board of Directors of the State Retail Association"was held at Santa Barbara on Saturday, February 31st.

Those present rvere: President C. W. Pinkerton, Iltnry Riddiford, F. L. Fox, W. T. Davies, A. J.!!o-"9t, f' P' Boyd, C. E. Bonestel, I\{. A. Harris, Frank Wright' J' H' Shepard, C. G. Bird, John Duffield, R' F. Wells, Elmore King, F. Dean Prescott and Mrs. Fraser.

TEe meeting was held mainly for the discussion of the two bills, 23 ind-, no'w before the Assembly, and which rvill come up at the next session in March'

PORTLAND WANTS WESTERN RETAILERS' 1926 CONVENTION

At a meeting of the Portland Lumbermens Club held on Tanuarv 2lst if lvas decided that the Club should invite the "Westein Retailers to hold their 1926 convention in Portland. - it "..otdance with the unanimous wish of the members, Mr. H. T. Anderson, Vice-President of the Club, will personallv Lddt... the Western Retailers in convention at Seattl6, and urge them strongly to accept the invitation of Portland lumbermen'

Henry Tempelton Visits Bay District

Henry Ternpelton, Portland wholesaler, was a recent San Francisto visitor, rvhere he spent several days calling on the lumber trade. Mr. Tempelton is a well known Northwest lumberman and prior to his entering the wholesale lumber business in Portland, he was for many years associated with the retail lumber business in Montana, rvhere he was connected with the Monarch Lumber Co. of Great Falls.

REDWOOD