ACCESSORIES AGENTS CAN SELL.
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Our Agent Contributor Points Out That There Is a Big Market Amongst " &tall " Users for Extra Fitments.
By " Vim."
ASOMEWHAT common superstition in the circle of garage salesmen is that it is more difficult to sell accessories to commercial-vehicle users than to private motorists. This superstition has undoubtedly arisen from the fact that owners of large fleets usually prefer to buy anything they decide to fit to their vans or lorries direct from the manufacturers, who, tempted by quantity orders, are sometimes prone to undermine the confidence and enthusiasm of local retailers by "giving a bit off."
One cannot blame such purchasers for buying as cheaply as. possible (although their remarks, as interested parties, are very enlightening when their own businesses are hit by such unsound practices); but one has the right to say that, in the end, this cutting-out of the retailer puts up the price of the goods as a whole. However, we will not go into this now, but will content ourselves with one undeniable effect—that past experiences of hours devoted to pushing useful ,accessories amongst owners of fleets, only to see their orders placed elsewhere, has made garage salesmen think thatetheir time can be spent more profitably in other diFections.
But, leaving the fleet owner out of the question, as a problem for the future to solve, we still have the small user to deal with, and I have found him a most valuable, if discriminating, customer for accessories of genuine utility. Give me a business man to deal with, provided I have something good to sell, and you can. have the private motorist, say I. He, at any rate, .does not imagine that you enjoy discussing the latest device described in the motoring journals from a purely academic point of view ; he understands front the start that you are out te sell him the article, and, if he does not want to buy, he says so. A day's round of interviews with the " toughest " of business men is more likely -to bring in orders than a week spent in the company of the most genial of motorists prepared to chat about their hobby as long as you are willing to give advice.
What accessories are there that small users require? Surely that is not hard to answer. What proportion of vans and lorries owned by local trades7 men are fitted with mileage recorders, to take only one example? Literally, thousands of such vehicles have no appliance whatever for registering the distances they travel, and yet this class of instrument is a primary requisite for any vehicle employed in commerce, and, therefore, supposed to pay its way. Whether combined with a speed indicator or as an independent instrument, a mileage recorder should be fitted to every van or lorry on the road, and there can be but very few business men who will not perceive the force of this contention if it is mentioned to them in the correct manner of salesmanship. Of mileage recorders, many makes and many types are available, and it is not for me to say which is best, but it is desirable to warn garage salesmen against selling on price alone. Durability is the quality that matters, for it is a serious offence to persuade a man into the opinion that he is a fool to himself if he permits his vehicle to run about the streets without metering the distance it travels, and then to sell him a meter that breaks down after the first thousand miles.
With the coming of the short hours of .daylight, electric lighting offers several possibilities to the
eeterprising salesman. Apart from,selling complete lighting installations, including the work of fitting them, extra light points for vehicles already equipped with dynamos and batteries are good lines to push. A roof lamp, placed inside a van, saves the driver any amount of bother when picking out parcels, and consumes very little current if provided with an automatic break in the circuit, so that the light must go out when the doors are shut, in case the driver forgets to switch off. To the best of my knowledge, no special device for this purpose is on the market, but a pair of rubbing contacts, which only engage when the doors are open, can easily be made in any repair shop.
Remarkably few tradesmen's cars have the names which are painted on their sides illuminated. This can usually be done in a sightly manner, and without great expense, by utilizing dashboard inspection lamps, as sold for illuminating instruments. These lamps shed their rays through a slit in the metal hoods which enclose the bulbs, so that the light covers a wide 'but "thin" area ; they are, therefore, particularly suitable for illuminating the sides of a van without causing annoyance to others.
To cope with the additional demand on the aecumulatorsimposed by extra lights for advertising purposes, it may be necessary in some instances to fit accumulators of larger capacity than those usually carried, but the comparatively small outlay required would be well worth any tradesman's while to make. As a rule, however, no change is necessary. Bulbs of quite low candle-power answer satisfactorily, assuming that the writing on the vehicle has been boldly executed, and that the paint and varnish are in a pretty good state, because their rays are well concentrated on the object.
Collision buffers, or " bumpers," are another type
of fitment that all commercial-vehicle owners ought to buy. They are in common use in America, and are now slowly and surely being taken up here. It may be true that they detract from the appearance of a private car, although I do not agree, but that consideration can have no weight where business motors are concerned. Bumpers prevent damage to radiators, and even more serious accidents; they, therefore, are better than an insurance policy to users who rely on their transport to keep business flowing.
Of a similar nature are the stopping-and-turning warning signals now on the market. It is indisputable that a large proportion of accidents occur through overtaking vehicles being unaware of the intentions of those in front. Personally, I always have a nasty feeling in traffic that I shall be " biffed ' in the back by the man behind if I have to pull up to avoid running into a pedestrian or the car in front ; while turning out of a stream of traffic always offers risks; because I know that the driver in the rear may not see my hand signals.
But I will not go through the whole eatalogueiof accessories to show what" small " commercial-vehicle users are open to buy if approached with courage, for I am sure that the present reader is as competent to judge of this as I am. I have tried merely to give him that courage, plus a few hints. Talking about catalogues and hints, let me give him one more of the latter, which has to do with the former. Do not try to sell to business men from a catalogue; show them actual articles, and your prospects of getting their orders will go up a hundredfold.