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Show TRUTH about ADVEITfSlQ By CHARLES B. ROTH HIGH-PRESSURE SALESMANSHIP A SALESMAN, 10 years ago unscrupulous un-scrupulous but successful, came in to see me today with his troubles. He no longer makes sales. I asked him what he thought was the matter. "That's just it," said he. "I don't know. I give 'em the works but they don't buy." This man is a salesman of the old school a worshipper at the shrine of high pressure pres-sure salesmanship. His methods no longer long-er make sales. He thinks he's losing his grip. That Is not the trouble. The truth Is that high-pressure salesmanship Is out, is dead, is obsolete, is without power to make sales in these ' I f 1 J days of greater edu- charies Rotb cation. People haven't changed, but they have become better educated in the higher education of taking care of themselves and their money. The process which brought about this education is newspaper advertising. It used to be possible for a glib talker to take almost anything out to sell, no matter how worthless or inferior, and by sheer high-pressure selling to "clean up." Eut not now. Even the lov.iicst buyer knows th;jt certain claims are untrue, and that the price asked for certain items is excessive. These things he knows because advertising, his refuge against false claims, told him EO. The average customer today is much better informed than even professional buyers were 20 years ago. The housewife knows which foods contain vitamins, which contain vegetable oils, which contain ex-rjensive ex-rjensive ingredients and the like. She knows the effect of this or that product. prod-uct. She is never, therefore, at the mercy of the high-pressure artist who seeks to rob her by giving her less than others and charging her more for it. Advertising In the newspapers, which she consults regularly, has built Into her life an expert knowledge knowl-edge of values and prices and qualities. quali-ties. These make her an extraordinarily extraordi-narily well Informed person. He who would sell the average customer must come with good value, val-ue, a fair price and high quality. Otherwise he won't get even a hearing, hear-ing, because we have something now with which to compare unknown un-known or new grods and we are quick to reject those that do not measure up. Much more than a selling aid for business is advertising. It is an educational system which is making Americans the best-educated buyers in the world. It is an economic system sys-tem which is giving American) more for their money every day. tt Ch;rlf s B. Roth, |