The Dearth of Salesmen.
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The Editor, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR.
[1,445] Sir,—I wish to endorse " Adsum's very pithy remarks respecting •' The Extractor's '' complaints as to the shortage of salesmen for commercial motors.
It is curious to note the amount of care which a manufacturer will bestow upon the article he supplies to the public, and to compare it with the comparative light-heartedness with which he will allow sny glib-tongued young ignoramus the responsibility of explaining its virtues to an incredulous public. I meet a fair number of representatives, and find there are very few who can boast of any practical knowledge in the manufacture of the article they represent, or the conditions under which their goods are used. The result of this policy is that the salesmen are learning more and more to rely solely upon the aid of a well-oiled -oiled tongue to secure orders, and the public is paying less attention to official representatives and learning to rely more upon examples they may come in touch with. Again, salesmen are instructed that their one duty is to sell ; they therefore confine their attentions to those who are in the market for their articles, and, having effected a sale to a customer, they promptly leave him, in search of fresh quarry. The idea of keeping in touch with a customer, and making him feel that in the event of the purchase turning out unsatisfactory the salesman will straighten out the difficulty, has become old fashioned. The work of selling goods is performed in a superficial manner, and only attracts men who are content with work of a superficial nature, hence the dearth of good men. Until manufacturers grasp the elementary fact that any article they make is worthless to their business until it is in the hands of a customer, I am not hopeful that they will care to spend the proper attention upon it after sale.—Yours faithfully,
"A LANCASTIIRE CARRIER."