On canvassing I came across a house owned by a party in Illinois. The tenants told me that they would like to have electric lights but that the owner was too tight to install them, saying it was no use taking the matter up with him.
Well, I had handled such cases before and found to my advantage that it was best never to give up until I had given the matter a fair trial. I inquired if they (the tenants) would be so kind as to give me the owner’s address. This they could not do as they always paid the rent to a man who lived a little farther up the street and had all their dealings with him. So I called upon this gentleman but could not get any satisfaction from him, any more than the name and address of the owner.
When I returned to the office I decided to write him. This I did, explaining all the advantages of electric lights and especially dwelt upon the expense of redecorating on account of dirty ceilings caused by the gas, also (as the present tenants were expecting to build a home of their own), the advantage of getting better tenants with the installation of electric lights.
I waited for a reply but none came. About two months later, bright and early one morning, I received a telephone call. “Hello, is this Mr. Rodenhuis? Yes. Well this is Mr. Blank, of Chicago. I received your letter in regard to wiring my house at Union Ave. If you wish you can go over the house and mail me a proposition, and if interested I will take the matter up further.”
But I said, “Mr. Blank, let me come down before you leave and take the matter up with you personally, which I am sure will be more satisfactory.”
He said his train left at 9:00, and it would be impossible.
I said, “Mr. Blank, how long will you be at the house?” He replied, “I will leave at 8:30 sharp.”
I told him I would be there in fifteen minutes, and this would leave fifteen minutes for us to go over the matter if satisfactory to him. He agreed.
Now the house was about two miles from the office, so it meant some quick action. I called a contractor over the ‘phone and asked him to meet me on the corner with his machine at once as I had something of importance to attend to. This he did. I immediately explained the whole situation to him, and there being no motor cop in sight, we arrived at the house at just 8:20 A. M. Mr. Blank was already beginning to get nervous, but he rushed us through the house, told us what he wanted and said to give him a proposition all complete with fixtures ready to turn on the lights.
During the ten minutes while going through the house I was busy explaining the advantages of electric lights, the saving on wall paper, as I noticed practically every ceiling in the house was black, also the better class of tenants he could procure. At 8:30 A. M. he left us.
I followed him to the machine, showing him where he ought to install electric lights, and in the meantime my friend, the contractor, was estimating the wiring. When this was done we hurried to the railway station. I was not going to let my man get away from us, as negotiating by mail did not appeal to me.
On the way to the station, I made out a contract, selected fixtures from a catalogue, added this to the wiring estimate and had everything ready for signature when we arrived at the station.
Our man was just stepping out of the machine when we pulled in. I jumped out of our machine before it came to a stop and made for the man, but he said he had no more time as he must secure his ticket.
It was about a 5 minutes’ walk to the ticket office so I insisted on talking to him. While we were walking I showed him cuts of the fixtures. I told him that business was a trifle dull during the summer months and if he was ready to close up now, I would make him a rock-bottom proposition, which would save him money. He asked me what price I would make and I told him.
We arrived at the ticket office and he again told me he had no more time but would write me, but I said, “That is not the proposition, if you want to save $10.00, sign the contract now.”
Well, he said some more about leaving, etc., but finally decided in his mind that he wanted the lights and probably thought there was no getting rid of me, so he signed the contract, ordered his man, who looked after his property here, to make the cash payment and see that all was done according to the contract.
I thanked him, shook hands, and he was off, just one minute before the train pulled out and I had gained another customer for the company by a little quick action and thought.