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Show MAIL ORDER MAN TEACHES LOCAL MERCHANTS LESSON to Bo! Sst1"' .ther whether old cnouKh quieted byjbe nKt0K S fS, picl,urc3 " " B Hours will l ..,,! " mail or(,cr cntn oguc because they are thinkinj: about buyinj Tut be cause the matter interest them I, this wnv a desire for the Kopds is aroused nnd n illc nroll fiiA ,atc,r tin,1c' ' lhc l'rcc riS C0f hfc interestitiK ndycrtising. This Is the secret of I Rood slrnre of the success of the mail order blml" ness. The mail order ndvertisenicn s nrc inter cfl tins and are rend, nnd a desire created. And this is good advert sin far advertising is mereh' the creation by scientific means of a desire for the product which you have to dispose of MU lions of dollars virtually are wasted annually by PrSh?fifrWhi f" K0t lhe ,n,lxlmum l" from their ndvcrtismg space. Tlie mail order house has learned that advertising is a science, the department nnd chnln store has lonrned the snme lesson, but the smnll town retailer is lag- King fnr behind. The average merchant who advertises at all spends from 3 to 7 nor cent of his gross income for publicity of various sorts. This is more thnn no pnya for light or heat, yet he is very particular to see that he gets his money's worth from the nst items. No store keeper will use the old kerosene lamp or even the oldstyle electric globe, lie wants to get the mnximum nmount of light from the money Hpcnt for electricity. Yet his advertising often is conducted In the same way as it was thirty yenrs ngo. There nrc many instances in-stances of merchants who have run the same advertisement ad-vertisement in their local papers until the type Is worn out. The majority, of course, arc not so bad as thnt nnd change their copy with some degree de-gree of regularity. Uut this is not enough. The copy must be Interesting, must arouse a desire for the product on the part of the reader. It is not hard to interest n reader or to arouse the desire to purchase. No special study need be made to become an advertisement writer. Advertising Ad-vertising is merely salesmanship nnd tho principles prin-ciples of good salesmanship mav be applied with eciual success to advertising. If the writer of an advertisement will concentrate on a few particular particu-lar objects and describe them in a attractive way and this is the principal thing nnme prices, his space will not be wasted, and his copy will "pull." What would you think of a traveling salesman who came to your store and said: "We have a fine line of groceries, the best in the country, coun-try, and our prices arc as low as any house in the United States. Can't I sell you some of these goods 7" How much vutltl you buy from this man 7 Very little, probably, for how would you know that his line was the "best in tho country," or his "prices as low as others," if he did not describe de-scribe the goods nnd give the prices 7 So in writing advertisements, n description nnd a price, displayed so that they will attract tho eye. will bring more business. A statement that John Jones has received a big shipment of high grade rocking chnirs thnt nrc being sold execp-tionnlly execp-tionnlly cheap" will not nrousc your desire for n chair ns will, "Lnrge, roomy rockers, golden onk, with leather upholstering, nnd curved to fit bncks a regulnr $7 seller, now selling at $5.r0." This description helps you to vistinli7i the chair nnd you can see how fine it would look in that vacant space in your living room. The "exceptionally cheap" of the first statement may be correct In your ense, but to your neighbor the price may seem high. Putting the price nt $r.fiO reduces the term to a common denominator. No sales arc ever lost by announcing price mnrks for if tho prospective customer hasn't the monev he could not buy nnywny nnd you have saved the time of a clerk In answering inquiries. First of all tho advertisement should be attractive so that It will catch the eye and hold the attention of tho reader. Then it should say something should argue with the reader why goods should be pur chased at vour store. Then it should appeal to the imckotbook, the utility standpoint or the pride of the prospective purchaser. Give a little time to the preparation of your advertisements for the local papers. If the mail order house enn nfford to spend huge sums for trained men or nntlonnlly successful manufacturers manufac-turers and sellers enn do tho same. It should bo worth a little time on your part to studv out how a large percentage of your Income Is being spent. Don't only speed up your advertising, but give some time to proper window dlsplny again using plain price marks and the arrangement of goods in the store. Read your trado journals and the suggestions sent out by manufacturers and sec how some retailers arc retaining the trade of their territory against tho mall order houses. It Is ocrfectly true thnt brains nnd printer's Ink will bent tho mnll order house every time but the brains must be active nnd the printer's print-er's ink rightly used. Take a lesson from the mall order man himself'. Studv his literature. Kind out why it appeals and then make yours do the same. With the natural advantages of knowing his customers and being on the ground floor the retail merchant can discount tho sellers in Chicago. Don't snv the mnll order business Is n necessity nnd enn't be competed with. Remember that the mall order or-der man is just a common mortal who has used his brains while the majority of his competitors have kept theirs merely ns hat foundations. |
