Sell Him, Or Help Him Buy

Bg Jacft Dionne

Merchandising is like religion.

If you once get it, you never lose it.

If you ever lose it, you never had it. See?

You can hear and read the merchandising idea from many an aqgle, and based on a multitude of opinions.

But the best fundamental thought in merchandising is to point out to people interesting and attractive things that THEY can do with YOUR goods, materials, stocks, service, or whatever it is you are selling.

The lumber merchant's attitude toward his trade is like unto the proper attitude of the lumber journal toward the industry. The proper ahd higtrest function of a lumber journal is to see and point out to the lumber trade beautiful and interesting and useful things and ideas in THEIR OWN business that they, immersed in their own affairs, might not discover.

The.lumber merchant who looks upon his business in that light, gets much joy from his work, because it is creative, and not simply mechanical.

There is interest, enticement, attraction in looking over that which YOU have, and using your mentality and your best wits to apply it to the other fellow's wants.

And when that other fellow is unconscious of those wants, or needs, the business is a still keener test of merchandising ability. Because when you sell a man something by presenting him a building idea that he had not thought of, or which, at least, had not reached a point where he was trying to supply it, you get your business before it reaches the stage of competition.

f noticed in a Hoo-Hoo report the other day where a lumber salesman talked to a club on the subject, "Don'tlet a man buy from you-go sell him." Or words to that effect.

There is a fine chance for debating salesmanship there. ft is generally conceded that the highest type of salesmanship is to have a man so sold on YOU and so thoroughly conversant with your ability to serve HIM that he just naturally comes to you when he war\ts service in YOUR line.

ft's the old story of the salesman who said to the prospect: "Are you going to buy this stuff from me, or have I got to sell it to you?"

I would think that if he came to buy it from ME, it would be better business from my viewpoint.

Nevertheless there are two sides to the thought that might make a very interesting debate.