Requirements of "Commercials" (Continued).
Page 8
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Last week, in the article which appeared under a similar heading, on pages 150 and 151, we devoted considerable attention to the detail equipment of brougham bodies for the use of commercial travellers.
The interior of the machine has very little bearing on the traveller's client as to whether business is to be done or not_ It is certainly vital, however, that the samples carried should be presented to a potential purchaser in the best of condition, and the remarks in last week's issue cover the field of interior equipment fully. We now give attention to the general outside appearance of these machines.
Millions of Observers.
None, we venture to say, will dispute that the advertisement value of a cleverly-designed motor more than repays the actual cash cost of initial outlay and running expenses. Let us put it in a simple way. .A newspaper advertises that it possesses a circulation of one million copies daily. For the use of the whole of its front page for one day it asks a sum of, say, £400. Out of its one million readers, possibly 90 per cent. peruse or notice the advertisement. A motorvan travelling in London, on the other hand, will pass no less, probably more, than a quarter of a million people daily, and this occurs on 300 days in the year. Our readers can quickly work out for themselves the numberof possible buyers which the moving hoarding can attract.
The Value of Appearance.
Nothing so lowers the prestige of any establishment as to have a shoddy, ramshackle and badlyhorsed vehicle waiting outside the entrance to the premises. A fifth-rate looking vehicle standing outside gives to many people the
impression that the business house itself deals in fifth-rate goods. On the other hand, a well-built, painted and varnished, nicely. designed body, having clean and attractive lines, even if it be entirely devoid of direct advertisement, creates an entirely different impression. The cost LS little compared with the value of the business which the vehicle brings in its train. The difference is not more than ,220, and a quiet, but distinctive, livery can be purchased for less than a £5 note. A smart-looking traveller's brougham standing outside the door of a city, suburban, or provincial establishment, is a thing which 99 out of a 100 proprietors and business men would, and do, appreciate.
Most Machines are on Contract.
It is interesting to note that few users of motor-driven broughams for the use of commercial travellers care to purchase vehicles. Most of the motors employed in this class of work are run and maintained by companies making a. speciality of this business, and owning a fleet of between 5 and 60 machines. The capacity of the broughams varies, of course, considerably. but the average is between 10 and 15 cwt. of useful load, exclusive of the driver and the traveller. The average length of contract is for one year. This includes the driver and all maintenance and running expenses, in addition to the use of a spare vehicle in the case of breakdown or accident. together with insurance in case of loss of samples by fire or accident while on the road.
The Work of the Brougham.
On the average, we are informed by a company which has 40 travellers machines in service, that 10,000 miles a year, working St days a. week, is covered in
London and the suburbs by each machine. With the aid of a motor, the number of calls per day can be doubled, and, although this means much harder work or, at least, more intense work, for the time taken is not appreciably increased, an excellent return is obtained in the form of a much greater turnover and a larger commission. We were rather doubtful as to whether the employment of a motor would be a paying proposition if its services were confined entirely to the City and the West End. We are assured, however, that this is not the case even in these districts. A direct saving in travelling expenses is effected when an up-to-date and smartlydesigned motor brougham displaces the old horse-drawn carriages. In some cases, particularly when light and less bulky articles are carried, enough goods can be taken in the van for the traveller to effect small deliveries. This fact is responsible for many orders being secured. Before the use of the motor, very few orders could be delivered until two days after booking, owing to the traveller having to post or telephone the order to his company when he had secured it When Delivery is Given.
Some few vehicles, which can be classed as travellers' broughams, are so fitted that a large and valuable stock can be carried. We recently noticed a machine of this type. The chassis was a 25-cwt, Lacre, and a very attractive body advertisement, dealing with the claims of a well-known fountain pen, had been fitted. The traveller runs to all parts of the country in this motor, and can give immediate delivery of his wares on booking an order.
fWe are indebted to the Auto-Van Maintenance Co., Augustus Street, Cumberland Market. London, NW., for tome of the information contained in this artic1e..—En.1