Salesmanship's Responsibility for the Future

Abstract

T BELIEVE there is entirely too little ap1preciation of the contribution that salesmen have made to the success of America. Shortly before the Big Depression, a book was written by a New York banker, the title of which was American Prosperity, Its Causes and Its Consequences. A slightly over-simplified synopsis of that book is that the author believed that the industrial revolution had reached full bloom and that since industrial prosperity was synonymous with American prosperity, that since production was now by machines rather than by men, there was no possibility of another depression, Mass production meant products at such a low price that everybody could afford to buy them and buying them would keep everybody busy. That was before I929. In 1932 or I933 a sequel was written to book by the same author, stoutly defending his premise and reminding you that one of the steps in his chain of continued prosperity was selling. According to gentleman the cause of the I929 depression was that salesmen had gone softhad quit work-had forgotten how to sell, and thereby colild not keep the production lines busy. His simple and, to me, rather probably solution to the depressive condition we were still in was for salesmen to learn how to sell all over again. I have a lot of sympathy with that viewpoint. Recently I was handed a News Letter from Dartnell. In referring to the appointment of Arthur D. Whiteside to head up the War Production Board's Office of Civilian Requirements, they told of statements made by Mr. Whiteside on February 23 before the Sales Executives Club of New York. Either Mr. Whiteside has some peculiar slants or his talk was misunderstood. He stated, according to quotation, that this country's greatest economic troubles have resulted from salesmen. Apparently he contends that only in the automobile industry had salesmen and their managers been able to maintain the equation between production and consumption. He blamed the depression upon overselling and swollen inventories. Blaming the depression on the salesman confirms my previous reference, but blaming the depression upon overselling and swollen inventories, or tying that in with the criticism of selling is not criticizing salesmanship but is criticizing the lack of salesmanship and is the meat of the entire situation. That socalled salesman who persuades a distributor or dealer to stock up and then does nothing to assist that distributor or dealer in selling to the ultimate user certainly does not belong in my club. That salesman who undertakes the responsibility of selling to the ultimate consumer has never contributed to a depression except to relieve it. Fuller Brush salesmen, Holeproof salesmen, Electrolux Vacuum Cleaner salesmen, National Cash Register salesmen never created swollen inventories. Do you wonder that I get irritated at statements inaccurately expressed criticizing salesmanship when what they