Growing up in Louisa – Selling
Weekly feature . . . by Mike Coburn
Way before this writer was born, people from all over the world had figured out that selling things was a way to make a good living. In the beginning, they had to grow or make items, but as industries developed new supplies of merchandise made trading profitable. Some industrious folks put together amazing operations that would allow the accumulation of wealth beyond belief. Many others worked harder and made less. Towns and great cities developed around pockets of industry. Men that saw beyond current conditions visualized a bright future. Those men made decisions to invest the little they had, often failing with their first attempts, but their stubbornness to fail changed their lives and those of others. They made a difference.
Most merchants rose out of someone seeing a need and then finding a way to supply that need. This basic idea explains how commerce works and how a capitalistic system flourishes. The extreme example is history’s ‘robber-barons’ who started their fortunes by investing in oil, railways, steel, real estate, banking, automobiles, coal, or various other commodities that would supply the needs of industry and the public. Some took an advantage by creating monopolies and thereby controlling prices. They ruthlessly squashed competition to guarantee extremely high returns on their investments.
Others opened retail establishments that weathered well for more than one hundred years as demand for goods grew. Sears & Roebuck, J.C. Penny’s, Montgomery Ward, or other catalogue dealers, made it possible for even rural America to order whatever was needed. These growing sales created the need to find way to both increase markets and then to ‘fulfill’ contracts. Spinoff businesses shipped and delivered the goods. Railway lines, river boats, truckers, shipping companies, and longshoremen came into demand. In turn, with fresh cash in hand, they too placed orders that increased the demand for more and more. The world’s standard of living improved. My point is to honor those who helped with this endeavor. This summary of historical events leads me to write about salesmen we remember from our time.
Two firms that come immediately to mind where famous for sending out salesmen to sell ‘door-to-door.’ The famous ‘Fuller Brush’ man and equally appreciated, “Jewel Tea Man,” were regular visitors in our small town and frankly, in my home. I know that many families looked forward to a weekly or monthly visit from these gentlemen. Even the kids would sit quietly and watch as big satchels full of samples, or pictures, were unfolded in front of their eyes. The excitement of seeing these wares were not lost on the housewives or the kids.
Each salesman drove a special panel truck complete with company logos. These were filled with new merchandise, samples, and the most recent catalogues that promised products carried in their warehouse. I know the adults in my family showed their excitement when either of the two pulled up in front of the house. I remember jumping up from the porch swing and hollering “Jewel Tea Man,” loudly to announce his arrival. Everyone would run to the front room as he sat to show his line of goods. These fellows rarely left without an order, even if it was a tiny one. I remember that Jewel Tea carried Hall China and dishes that featured a famous ‘Autumn Leaf’ pattern that I would see in nearly every home I visited. Those are still sold, including some original ones on internet auction sites.
Thinking of other examples, I remembered when my Great-Aunt Shirley took up selling Compton’s encyclopedias as a ‘side job’ she could do after school and during summer vacations. Her teaching degree didn’t earn her enough money so the extra funds earned by her marketing efforts was welcome. I think her success was colored by her assurance to parents that the books would be a great resource for the children’s education. This wasn’t taken lightly because they knew she was a high-school teacher and understood the importance of education. While I don’t doubt that she trusted and believed in her product, she also had monetary motivations to indorse the set of encyclopedias she was trying to sell. Desperate times lead to taking desperate measures.
When I was young, I remember my grandmother talking about the old days, perhaps before my mother was born, when ‘tinkerers’ traveled about selling or repairing various items such as pots and pans, skillets, toasters, and other appliances. In the earliest days of our little town, these fellows were the only source for many household needs. Over time stores in the area opened with large signs that read “General Merchandise.” Some weren’t exactly ‘general stores,’ such as small community grocers were, but they carried larger items such as furniture, coffins, farm tools, seed, and even wagons.
During our day, there were many peddlers that roamed the streets selling various things. Some sold ‘snake oil,’ remedies, or salves, alleged to cure nearly any illness. Some marketed shoes, boots, or other articles of clothing including corsets, and other unmentionables. Some sold cleaning supplies for home or shop. They sold vacuum cleaners, sewing machines, silver-plate flat wear, Stanley tools, locks and the like.
We dealt with insurance salesmen, and others that sold various items such as Schwan’s home delivery of food stuff. In those days, various farmer’s or their wives would sell butter, milk and eggs to their regular customers. Some retailers and producers lobbied for new laws that made direct marketing of unprocessed dairy products difficult, or impossible at this level. Their reasoning was quality control, health issues, and handling. The price of milk went up, of course. About the only way now to get raw milk now is to buy a cow. That won’t work in my neighborhood.
I can’t help but remember the movie “Music Man” and the ‘professor’ who sold vintage Gary, Indiana a lot of band instruments and uniforms. One scene took place on a passenger train with a car full of door-to-door salesmen. He was a little shy on musical training, but ‘Seventy-Six Trombones’ marched the streets as the professor was vindicated. This was the heyday of traveling salesmen.
Girls, I know you remember “Avon Calling!” Selling perfume, makeup and hair products was a lucrative business for some. How about Mary Kay? I still see pink Cadillacs all about. I remember the long central counter at Ed Land’s Sundry on the corner of Lock Avenue and Madison, had a little jewelry, but lots of ‘ladies’ products including hair color and hygienic supplies. Frankly, I spent most of my time looking through the Hallmark Cards, “They will know you sent the very best,” and magazines nearby. The hot nuts were good as were the Whitman’s Samplers. You can guess what I bought mom for her presents.
It would be years later when multilevel marketing methods were used. At the same time things were being sold at demonstrations, such as house parties. Some of these businesses became very large, but the products themselves seemed less an issue than one’s organization. That doesn’t give me confidence that the products could stand on their own and not have an inflated price so to provide many levels of commissions. The few products I did buy from these resources were good, but while the sale was nice, it seemed the ‘organization’ under the seller was more important.
The millennial generation are ordering their goods and services from their smart-phones between text messages to friends. They do their on-line banking the same way and do a big part of their reading on the little screen. Some have explained to me that they don’t have time to ‘shop’ so simply ordering is much better for them. Besides, by avoiding having to go into the stores, the ‘point of sales’ displays no longer cause them to overspend. We are seeing a metamorphosis that will wipe out all the history that I’ve described above. Frankly, the old way was fun and a little romantic in a way. It was a chance to actually see friends, sometimes bumping into that ‘special one’ that we would later marry. Considering we couldn’t see their ‘profile,’ it’s amazing we met.
The old idea of finding out what people want or need, and then providing those needs will always apply. It’s the issue of marketing yourself as the source for those ‘best sellers,’ and your method to fulfill orders that will make the difference. Often, the real supplier will ‘drop ship’ for you if you can obtain the order. Nice! No longer will people sell door-to-door, or schedule visits to our homes such as in the past. Rather, we will study the best practices of the day to create a web presence that will be easily accessible and reliant.
There are examples of very young entrepreneurs, some under twelve years old, that are already making absurd profits in web-based sales. They never actually warehouse or ship any product. The trend is that marketing and sales will be done by internet sellers who have no investments in inventory, buildings, or employees. They will work with larger firms who have the infrastructure and who will benefit from having more sales. They are glad to send merchandise to the customers of their web-partners and split the commissions. After all, the big warehouse companies and the web-sellers both benefit. The rest of us will do the real work, either delivering those products, making them, or maybe inventing new things that hopefully will go viral and then be marketed by others. Sweet! There’s a lot of money to be made by those who know how to sell on the web. As for me? I’m okay with that. They send me just what I want, when I want it, and at great prices. I kind of miss the Jewel Tea guy, though.