The Engineers' Influence on Sales.*
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A Plea for Scientific Organization and "Team Play."
tile sharacteristics of the commercial line are in radical contrast with the pleasure-car business, the inception and purpose of the one being so different from the other as to render obsolete many of the formulated practices heretofore in vogue, conspicuous among which is a too complete reliance upon the individualistic function performed by the salesman. It is at the purpose of this paper to advance anything in the manse of destructive policy, but rather to aid administratiou by the constructive influence of engineering talent in developing a qualified organization, operated by predeter. mined methods, and supervised by continuous analytical serutiny to the end that the administration may assume complete responsibility and precise control of every factor contributing to the efficiency of the sales department. This is distinctly a commercial engineering problem, and demands all the functions of an investigating, creative and organising mind, applied to secure efficiency, or eliminate waste in the mini ate commercial mechanism necessary to introduce new and revolutionary devices.
Who is at Fault?
How frequently it happens that the responsible and thoughtful executive officer is brought up short with the blunt fact, after exhaustive effort, that the utilities which he has been traditionally accustomed to employ for the operation of his basiness are no longer effective! This is usually the ease when the functions which are properly those of the executive have, by custom, been delegated to subordinates, and where change in the character of the business finds the subordinate wanting in the resourcefulness which the iimergeney demands. It requires large mental calibre in such a case to realize that the cause of failure, instead of being charged against the personal equation of the subordinate. is justly chargeable to inefficiency of the administration. This situation has been prevalent of late in the marketing of commercial ears. The salesman who has hitherto been a dependable utility, of supreme importance, has suddenly descended from his exalted position and is found wanting under the stress of new conditions. A search for substitutes, for better materials, hall-marked and guaranteed, brings no satisfactury response, for the reason that the salesman, unaided by the administration through its organization, can 110 hinges render the independent, service which former conditions permitted.
The same is certainly true, although not so conspicuous, with regard to the department of advertising; here frivolity, caprice and the artistic cease to hold sway ; their subtlety fails, and in the cruel, freezing atmosphere of business commonsense they become not only impotent, but ridiculous. T lie magic art of the advertiser is gone, his charm has faded, and, whilst his preliminary play in the new field may be
brilliant and sparkling, the continuity of his effort soon disappears, or exposes a monotony which characterizes its futility.
The Cause and Cure.
A rational investigation will prove that the introduction of any novel business utility, of an economic character, calls fel genius of a high order. If the utility proposes to supersede stone established practice with expense reduction, it calls for the faculty of comparative analysis, which is at least uncommon. If the utility, furthermore, is an article of machinery, mechanical talent, if not engineering ability, is a valuable necessity. To expect the type of salesman usually employed in the pleasure-car field to step into the breach and hidependently to effect the introduction of commercial cars is at least unreasonable; and the continuance of this fallacious practice has led to much disappointment, if not financial loss. There is no question that a great number of vehicles can be sold during the preliminary stages of the industry without any particular effort, but such sales are largely based on the speculation of the purchaser : they offer no fundamental security to progressive continuance, particularly in quantity sales, which is the real anxiety of the manufacturer with large permanent investment at stake. It is this false ev I. deuce of sales, apparently due to the salesman's unaided efforts, which has led otherwise well-prepared executives ti procrastinate in matters of basing their sales' organization upon correct fundamental principles.
To look the problem squarely in the face, there is no marked difference between the installation of a multiple-unit power plant for city merchandise transportation and the installation of a stationary power plant. for any other purpose. It calls for the same scientific training and rare quality of judgment ; the employment of a novice for such an undertaking is as criminally uneconomicin one ease as the other. The application of machinery to merchandise-delivery purposes calls for an accurate knowledge of the work to be performed, an intimate familiarity with the capabilities of the machine and sound judgment in the method of its application. This simply means that the functions of the engineer in the develop. mem of this class of machinery are not completed until each machine is properly selected and properly applied to work within its capacity at the practicable maximum of efficiency. The question at present before the administration of many large truck-manufacturing concerns is, how can they so constitute that department of their organization devoted to sales as to handle the variety of conflicting problems which are certain to come with the development. of the business, and which are of more critical importance in initial undertakings?
In determining upon the solution of this question, three prominent factors suggest themselves for combination in the proper manipulation of such a department : first, the administration, through a properly-qualified business executive, should assume responsibility for the entire operation and conduct of sales; second, this executive should be supported by the services of a competent commercial engineer; third, the salesman on the firing line should not be depended upon exclusively to make sales, but should be regarded more particularly as an aid to the administration, to be utilized by it for personal communication with prospective purchasers. Correspondence, literature and advertising are simply auxiliary stimulants.
The Transportation Engineer., It will unquestionably be recognized that the activities of such a working trio provide opportunity for the most-efficient team play, and for a co-operation of varied ability, which is certain to produce effective results. The man who has specialized as a competent business executive is not likely to be very conversant with technical matters, nor to desire to act alone in the capacity of salesman, except in those matured cases where the critical necessity for securing the business demands the influence of his executive ability. The engineer is likely to prove neither a good salesman nor a satisfactory executive; yet upon him will devolve the entire burden of producing the diversified ammunition to be made effective in the hands of both the executive and the salesman. The salesman, aided by the resourcefulness of the engineer, and directed intelligently by the executive, both of whom he can regard as his partners in each of his transactions, becomes a very different functionary than when left to act alone and become largely the victim of chance, discouragement and inconsistency. This plan of action places responsibility upon the management for the success of every operation, and incidentally the efficiency of subordinates. Instead of entire reliance and dependence being placed upon a corps of disconcerted salesmen for the success of the enterprise, they become of secondary importance and can be dispensed with or replaced without the disorganization, demoralization or loss of investment in their special education, usually incident to such changes. Operating over a large territory, there is the advantage of having the expensive talent concentrated at headquarters, and readily available to any particular district, bringing to bear on each case the accumulated experience gained over the entire field.
Responsibility of the Executive.
The' particular responsibility of the executive, aided by the engineer, will be to determine upon the general plan of campaign, and to decide in advance upon the execution of every important detail of operation under the best-possible conditions. This necessarily calls for providing the organization with equipment to effect this purpose, as well as a code of instruction for the performance of each section of the department, which will effect a. true co-relation of reciprocal effort. Nothing will so much insure success as universal preparedness, not nnly in the predetermination of each move in the cycle of sales operation, but of advance provision in literature, documents and form correspondence to cope with any contingency likely to arise. The same holds true of the periodic advertising and circularization. No campaign should be undertaken in this direction without the entire series of material being on hand at the start, with means provided for supervision and the checking of results over the predetermined schedule of issuance or publication. It will further devolve upon the executive to keep under observation and to record the performance of each of the practices which it puts into effect, modifying or augmenting the original instructions as intelligent study of each case may demand. The same scrutiny should be extended to the performance of individuals under its direction, as well as the results, direct and indirect, obtained from their efforts. This application of executive attention to the details will not only elevate the entire organization into useful activity, but will develop the particular qualifications and general efficiency of the personnel under the chief's command.
Commercial Engineering.
The duties of the commercial engineer will be practically to perform all the detail and routine required to keep the executive operating at its highest efficiency. This will call for qualifications not usually manifest in engineers devoting themselves to machine design and construction. He should keep his technical inclinations well balanced by a broad knowledge of the application of business principles and commercial
practices. He should be conversant with transportation operation and cost under all circumstances, and should acquire those habits of mind which will enable him to regard mechanical equipment from the standpoint of ownership. His aid in the preparation of effective literature requires not so much a high degree of literary ability as a concentrated effort in the direction of producing reasonable contrasts between the advantage of the new equipment to be installed as against the equipment which it supersedes. He must possess that educational faculty which can present in plain language the critical conceptions which he desires to impart, and should so scientifically compose the material for advertising as will make evident mature judgment in the control of this powerful engine of commercial force in the conduct and expansion of his business. It is in the province of efficiently utilizing the complete energy of this latter industrial device to perform its psychological function that the analytical mind of the engineer should predominate. The principal duty of the engineer will be carefully to analyse the conditions prevailing in those cases where it is desired to introduce machine equipment for transportation, and among the first provisions in making these investigations should be steps to verify the resulting figures by the responsible representative of the prospective purchaser. This will insure that correct information is being used as a foundation for comparison, and that there will be no subsequent contradiction, or distortion of fact, to defeat a presentation of economical substitution. There is a marked advantage in possessing this authenticated information, since it insures to the investigator a definite basis for demonstratiNg economy. An analytical study of the work to be done, or how it is at present performed, will often afford a great advantage over the purchaser who is not usually qualified critically to examine his own operating conditions. It should be a fundamental purpose of the engineer to provide his cooperating salesmen with serviceable information of a bookkeeping or monetary character entirely devoid of technicalities, with perhaps the exception of performance data; in fact, his presence in any sale transaction should be a guarantee to the censorship or complete suppression of technical discussion, by insuring this his co-operators will be unrestricted in the exercise of their complete ability to negotiate the business, and in terms which are completely understood both by themselves and the intending purchaser. In generally seeking for stimulating means to promote business, the engineer should be ever on the alert to utilize to advantage those methods which have been effective in other organizations engaged in the introduction of industrial apparatus.
Functions of the Salesman.
Aside from the ordinary essential qualifications of the salesman, his success as a working unit of the prescribed system will depend largely upon the extent to which lie can be effectively made use of as the connecting link between the organization and the purchaser. That he must be supplied with concrete information and condensed data goes without saying. Complete and instantaneous responses to inquiries render him invulnerable and create a confidence in his ability to command his position. He should be systematically advised of the progress in sales which his department makes, as well as advertising issued, and should act as an emissary to secure information of the effect created by correspondence, circular distribution and other means of communication of which lie may not be a part. He should he particularly serviceable in getting into personal contact with the party in each case who is certain to have the purchasing power, and should be adept in learning whether there exists the disposition or the ability to make the purchase desired. Advance information of this character is of great value as insurance against special expenditure made for effecting any particular sale. In order that proper decision and decisive perseverance may he exercised, the salesmen must constantly collect data as to the tendencies of their prospects, their methods as regards purchases, the peculiarities of their organization, the respective influences of each of their executives and the general difficulties peculiar to their businesses. There should be constant and complete communication between himself and his organization, so that he may be assisted as well as assist in the conduct of every prospective sale.
Qualities of the Salesman.
In presenting his case to new prospects, he should create he impression that he is a solid, intelligent man, with plenty of energy and perseverance, and well versed in the purposes of his mission. Perseverance in the direction of convincing the purchaser of the utility and economy of the machine he
Ins to sell, without introducing technical discussions or in% alious contrasts with the products of others, is an art very rare and very valuable. The educational ability to make his prospects realize the advantage to be gained and the progress made by the use of his device can be cultivated with reasonable practice; an aid to this purpose is the reading of current literature on transportation, now so prevalent, and directing e same to the attention of his prospects. Digesting current advertising, assimilating arguments and collecting facts for
use in the manipulation of intelligent, agreeable diseussion is often a valuable accessory. It should he his purpose in these discussions to leave something to the imagination it the purchaser, so as to develop expression of his views and thus insure a better conception of his particular habits of mind, to more completely master his rase. Concentration upon the ultimate purpose of the interview and a vigorous personal selling effort are more likely to be productive of the desired result than any discussion of strictly-irrelevant matte:'. luilt.ss the latter is resorted to as a necessary link to {2t1I'I. a subsequent interview, Conference Method of Handling Business.
As stated in the earlier part of this paper, the salesman should not be altogether depended upon to secure the business or close the sale. He should be aided occasionally by the personal presence of the executive or the engineer, who may be able more completely and correctly to diagnose the case at a single interview, In developing quantity-installation business, which is unquestionably the most desirable, it should he borne in mind that the purchaser is usually represented by the best brains which his organization can provide. The ordinary purchasing agent and even minor executives are eliminated, and business must he negotiated with the active head of the institution. Few salesmen acting alone can cope with a situation of this kind, and it calls for the concerted action and presence of the executive, the engineer and Ae salesman. The strategic advantage of this conference method of handling large business prospects is too evident to require comment. Perfect team play, with each member performing his respective function, will bring about quick decisions and a progressive business.