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Show Author of "How to Win Friends t f and Influence People, P.fv J TRADING PLACES V ' . N -- - A couple of years ago a middle-aged man, with a determined, set expression, ushered himself into the New York office of Frederick K. Nixon, of the Riverside River-side and Dan River Cotton Mills down in Virginia. I say ushered himself, because he pushed aside the office boy who tried to perform that duty and stalked straight through the outer room and into Mr. Nixon's .office. Mr. Nixon looked up but had hardly uttered "good morning" before his irate customer began : "I got your prices, but they're too high." "You think they are?" parried Mr. Nixon, who knew that those prices had been shaved to a hair's breadth of profit. "Sure they're too high; I won't pay them. I've been trading with your firm for a long time and I just came in here to give you a piece of my mind. Your company must be trying to make up its depression losses. Well, it won't make them up on me !" "Mr. Nixon leaned back in his swing chair. This man was a good customer, he had traded with them for years, and his checks always came back in time for the 2 per cent discount allowance. allow-ance. He was a man of his word in every particular. par-ticular. If he said definitely he'd never buy from them again, they might as well scratch his name from their ledger. As the customer took a few minutes off from his obviously planned-tirade to get his breath, Fred Nixon's thoughts leaped about here and there. This customer always had been reasonable. More than once he had been known to look at a matter from the other fellow's point of view and rebound logically. Just then an idea was born. Mr. Nixon asked ask-ed the customer what goods he was most interested inter-ested in. But the man wasn't as easy as that. He said he wasn't interested in anything until the price was right, at which Mr. Nixon assuaged him by saying he hoped the price could be made right. Then he made a master stroke. "Just sit over here in my chair," he said. The man hesitated a moment, then complied. "Now you're in my place," Mr. Nixon said, "and I want to ask a favor of you. Will you, as you sit there, actually take my place? Will you assume the position of manufacturer and let me assume that of the customer? Then let's see if we can't get together." toge-ther." The customer looked at him, surprised; but he was willing to be a good sport. Then Mr. Nixon went over the facts, explaining the. details carefully. Next he asked the customer to sellhim, Fred Nixon, a bill of goods at what the customer cus-tomer considered a fair profit. Did Fred win? Well, the satisfied customer departed and the company has never heard a word of complaint from him since. When the man understood the manufacturer's problems, he was willing to play the game. Most people are willing ; to play the game, when they understand condi-! condi-! tions governing a situation. j The next time you are in a similar position, why not try Fred Nixon's method? |