HARVESTER WORLD Vol. 22 May 1931 No. 5 THE MAN WITH THE HOE HAS STRAIGHTENED HIS BENT BACK AND COME INTO HIS OWN. HE HAS TAKEN POWER AND MACHINES, EVER MORE SAVING X 8 3 X OF TOIL AND LABOR, OUT AMONG X 8 3 X \CENTENNIAL THE NATURAL RESOURCES McCORMICK/ of t h e THAT ARE HIS BIRTHRIGHT AND REAPER SET UP THE NEW DOMAIN OF EN­ LIGHTENED AGRICULTURE. Keep out in front, Don't hesitate— Keep making calls/ And DEMONSTRATE I A GOOD SPRING TONIC Demonstrations spotlight the good points of a that machine to a great many other similar farm machine, influence selected prospects, and cause and operating conditions in his trade territory. orders to be signed. Frequently successful demonstrations induce Whenever a Harvester salesman or blockman the prospects to sign on the spot. And every or a McCormick-Deering dealer concludes a such result does much for the demonstrator. successful demonstration, he has automatically It proves effectively that an ounce of demon­ increased his ability to sell goods. And the more stration is worth considerably more than a he demonstrates and the more he improves his pound of talk in clinching sales. Such proof demonstration technique, the more successful peps him up and multiplies his confidence in the he will be in writing business. demonstration route to more sales. While a successful demonstration is building ' 'Demonstrations are the best sales tonic in the up a prospect's confidence in a machine, it is world for our own organization and for the stiffening the demonstrator's confidence in his dealer," declared Branch Manager C. M. Hunt, sales ability. Minneapolis, Minnesota, in referring to the While a successful demonstration is giving a demonstration idea on his territory. "When farmer something to think about, it is giving the our men put on a demonstration along with the demonstrator something concrete to talk about dealer the sales reports show it, not only right when prospecting between demonstrations. away but for a considerable time afterward." While a successful demonstration is opening Demonstrations should figure prominently in the eyes of a prospect to the adaptability of every dealer's sales program, not only as an the machine to his operations, it is suggesting excellent spring tonic but also as nourishment to the demonstrator the wide adaptability of for improvement of the entire year's business. HARVESTER WORLD HERE'S WHERE YOU SELL YOURSELF ON THE SALES-GETTING SALES ANALYSIS SYSTEM By L. L. FAIRBAIRN business; that where installed and close to home, and as far as getting followed it may make all the differ­ business is concerned turn up our ence between good business and poor toes. At the very time we should be business for many dealers this year and working the hardest to figure out RkECENTL. Y I had an oppor­ for years to come, but particularly in ways and means to get business we arc tunity to sit down with a real sales- this year 1931- Is that idea all likely to be doing the least. analyzing dealer and get the low-down boloney? "Well, there's one thing sure now: on this sales analysis system that "Not by a sight," he came We don't have to look any longer or appears to be turning the sales tide back with somewhat startling em­ any farther for the ways and means. this year wherever tried. The branch phasis . '' You can put it stronger than This system supplies the ways and manager had told me about this dealer. that. You can say, as was said three means; all we have to do now is work! "He's a restless kind of individual," years ago about service, that this This sales analysis system—that's a the b. m. had said, "always on the go. system is going to mean the difference good name for it—can't be improved, But if you can get him to sit still long between staying in business and going to my way of thinking. It's simple; enough to talk you'll get something out of business for some dealers if there's no bookkeeping, no bother, worth printing, all right." things keep on for another year or two to it; and it certainly is a bear for Well, I was successful finally in like they have been. results. It's earned a permanent place getting a conversational half-nelson "Here's the way it looks to me," he in my sales program, good years or on my friend and leading him off to a went on with a gesture of finality. bad. I'll say this: I'll get twice the corner where vve could get down to ' 'When times are good and the farmers business this year, using this system, business and, in effect, analyze sales are buying, lots of us fellows skim the that I would have got without it. And analysis. cream and are satisfied to think we in a good year I'll put on whatever ' 'Harvester World has got the idea, have done a good job of selling. I'll extra sales help is necessary to keep I told him, "that this system repre­ admit it in my case anyway. Then my territory thoroughly analyzed just sents one of the most important and when times change and the farmers the same as in a poor year. A dealer constructive things the Company has are not buying like they did, a lot of should always know the sales possi­ ever done to help the dealers get us quit driving in the country, stick bilities of his territory from year to year, regardless of how much business he is doing in anv one year. "Well now," I said, writing furious­ ly to keep up with this enthusiastic outburst (and missing half of it at that), "you've got some definite reasons for blowing this system up. You've found the system to be all you say it is through actual experience with it. Can you give Harvester World some of those reasons? What would you say, for a start, is the most important thing the system has done for you?" He was all set with his reply, and leaned forward to say impressively: "It got me acquainted for the first time with the real sales possibilities of my territory. Why, before I got the HARVESTER WORLD May, 1931 master list of names and commenced memory and good luck to get back to the information on the card is such studying that map I didn't know any­ see that fellow at the right time, and that wc can always start in and thing about my district, compared to lost out because I had no alarm clock continue from where we left off the what I'm learning now. Why, there to get me there on time. Put down time before. If we quoted any prices were nearly 200 farmers in that district that tickler file as the missing link that or terms on anything the time before, who might as well have been living makes this system perfect. we've got the facts all handy on the in another state as far as their business "Next, you get your selling activi­ back of the card. That makes smooth with mc was concerned. With this ties on record, and a nice, handy, sailing for dealer or salesman; wc system you get a periodical complete easily understood record it is. Lots don't ever get tripped up. personal contact with your trade that of dealers have kept different kinds "And you get all this information you can't possibly get with old- of prospect records before, but this at your finger ends without any fashioned canvassing methods. system, while it is the best prospect bookkeeping! Bookkeeping always "The rest is up to you. When you record you could want, is primarily a gave me a headache. That's all been visit a farmer and find out what he is sales proposition. I can sit down with done away with in this system. Fill­ doing and what he has in the way of my map, prospect record, and cards ing out those cards in the country is equipment to do it with, it's up to you any day or any month and see exactly easy—just as easy as it used to be to to figure out what he needs in order where I stand in my canvassing. I make a lot of memos in a notebook. to do a better and cheaper job. Here's can see whether my salesmen are Half the time you couldn't find the the point: A dealer may figure that as doing a good job or a poor job. I can memo you were looking for, either. a salesman he's nothing to write home see what we've already done and what "And when you've got a card com­ about. But that dealer, if he follows remains to be done. And believe me, pletely filled out on a farmer, you're this system and contacts every farmer there is always plenty still to be done. done. All you have to do then is to in his trade territory at least once a But without this analysis of sales sec that it is up to date when you call year, will sell more goods in a year possibilities I wouldn't have any idea on him the next time. than the high-powered fellow who at all where the weak spots and the "I usually fill out these cards drives 50 miles an hour all over the holes were in covering the territory.