Selling lamps over the counter is a very easy thing. But to sell that customer a carton or two and get him so interested in your lamp sales talk that he will come back, is another matter. That’s where hard thinking enters.
Then again, how can new customers be gotten? People who are accustomed to get their lamps at any one place are hard to win over. Frequently, I have had customers approach me as one did in September last. Said he, “I have just rented a house on Morris Avenue. I would like a few MAZDA lamps for my fixtures.” Here was an opportunity to render real service. I carefully went over his fixtures and told him what lamps he needed. And then came an idea “like a flash.”
It was this:
How about other empty houses in our street and neighborhood? I immediately proceeded to get a few shipping tags as follows:
for these Fixtures
Call Bell 418
Manning Co.
Ask for John.
4 25-W. Lamps
Manning Co.
2925 Atlantic Ave.
Phone Bell 418
I put them on fixtures on all the houses that I found empty. I also kept a record as to each need and when the call came (and they did come, thick and fast) I knew just what lamps to send. The whole plan worked like a charm. As a matter of fact, our contract has grown from $300.00 to $2700.00 in just 2 years.
