Twenty Years of Hus'ling
I found no difficulty in buying all the goods I needed on credit,
amounting to several thousand dollars' worth, to be shipped at once, and
to be paid for in from sixty days to four months.
After receiving my stock from New York, I opened up with headquarters at
Mr. Weil's office, Number 57 Washington street, and was ready to start
out on the nineteenth of September. Now came the necessity for greater
hus'ling than ever, as I must be prompt in the payment of my bills, if I
expected to establish myself in the confidence of the manufacturers.
With this thought uppermost in my mind I worked almost day and night,
and I believe I sold as many, if not more, goods in my special line in
one month than was ever sold by any one man before or since. At any
rate, later on, when I had seven agents on the road, not a single one of
them ever sold as many goods in a whole year as I sold the first month I
traveled, after establishing business for myself.
The result was, that before my bills were due I had paid up half of my
indebtedness, and when the balance came due I had the money to pay up in
full, and did so. Thereafter my trade was catered for by the best of
manufacturers.
To give the reader a better understanding of the hard work put in by me
during that first month, I will relate one instance in which I called
one of my customers out at a very dubious hour and sold him a bill of
goods.
It was at Boyne City, where I had arrived at one o'clock in the morning,
after having worked hard all the day and evening before in selling a
couple of very large bills. On reaching there I learned that the only
boat leaving for Charlevoix within the next twenty-four hours was to
leave at six o'clock in the morning; and as I must make that town next,
I determined to rout my Boyne City customer up at once, sell him what he
needed, and take the first boat.
He lived over his store, and as there was an outside stair-way, I went
up and called and rapped loudly on the door.
The dog barked furiously, and judging from the noise, must have knocked
the cook-stove down, and the cat got covered up in a tin boiler and made
a terrible racket; the children began screaming, and my customer's wife
shouted "murder!" at the top of her voice. I stood my ground, and kept
rapping. He grabbed the old shot-gun and yelled:
"Who is there?"
"Johnston."
"Johnston the fisherman?"
"No."
"Johnston from the lumber camp?"
"No sir, Johnston the jewelry-man."
"From Chicago?"
"Yes sir, from Chicago; and I want to sell you a bill of jewelry right
away."
"Goodness' sakes! Can't you call to-morrow?"
"No sir; business is too brisk. I must sell to you to-night so I can
leave on the morning boat."
The whole family got up and came down stairs in the store, and I
finished up with them about five o'clock in the morning, after selling a
large bill of goods.
On my arrival at Charlevoix I found several traveling men at the hotel,
and among them one who was traveling for a wholesale grocery house.
While I was busy arranging my jewelry before calling on my customers, I
heard this man say:
"I had big sales yesterday. I sold a car-load each of rice, nutmegs,
cinnamon and pepper, besides three hundred barrels of flour, and as many
chests of tea."
On hearing this statement I immediately recognized the voice, and
remembered having heard the same story before, somewhere. Upon looking
at the speaker I also recognized his face, and turning to those present,
said:
"Gentlemen, I know this man sold that many goods, for I heard him tell
the same story at St. Mary's, Ohio, about four years ago, and I know
it's true or he wouldn't keep telling it."
Of course he was offended and insulted, and denied the charge; but when
I recalled to his mind the hat trade I made with him and the dollar he
paid me to boot, he laughed, and said he remembered it; but he laughed
more heartily when I told him it was a put-up job, and how glad I was to
get the dollar. I then gave him a nice rolled-plate vest-chain--an
article he very much needed, and which made him feel that his dollar had
been well invested.
When the first of January came I found myself in very good shape, with a
satisfactory profit for my year's work.
I now began thinking about opening an establishment of my own. About
this time Mr. Weil, with whom I still made my headquarters, informed me
that he was going to retire from the jewelry business, and offered to
sell his large safe, all the office fixtures and a large stock of
jewelry, to me, and give me all the time I needed to pay for them. As
his prices were low enough, and terms all that could be desired, I
jumped at the chance, and in a few days found myself in his debt several
thousand dollars.
When I saw his shrewdness in picking me up--a total stranger--and
helping to push me "to the front," and to where he could make good use
of me himself, I could but admire him for it, and felt more than ever
like patronizing him, as it seemed to me like encouraging enterprise to
do so. I have never had reason to regret my dealings with him, and as he
is a man of large means and wide influence, and has repeatedly given me
to understand that he stood ready to back me for any amount, I have
reason to believe that he has no complaints to make of my business
transactions.
After buying him out I rented an office and store room of my own at 243
State street where I am still located, and began a genuine wholesale
jewelry business.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
EMPLOYING TRAVELING SALESMEN--DEPRESSION IN TRADE--HEAVILY IN DEBT--HOW
I PRESERVED MY CREDIT--I TAKE TO THE ROAD AGAIN--TRAVELING BY
TEAM--DECIDING A HORSE-TRADE--MY BOOK-KEEPER PROPOSES AN ASSIGNMENT--I
REJECT THE PROPOSITION--COLLECTING OLD DEBTS BY STRATAGEM.
While traveling in Northern Michigan I came across a young man clerking
in a dry-goods store in a small iron-mining town, who expressed a desire
to go on the road for me as traveling agent. His employer said:
"Oh, Bert is thoroughly honest and trustworthy, and naturally a capable
fellow; but I think he is rather too unsophisticated to act in that
capacity, as I don't believe he has ever visited a town of over three
hundred inhabitants in his life."
I replied that he was just the sort of chap I was looking for. I wanted
a man who would be likely to listen to my advice and instructions, and
a man of wide experience would not be apt to do so.
I made arrangements with the young man to return to Chicago with me. His
manner at once convinced me that he meant business, and was determined
to succeed. But for all that, and with the most kindly feelings towards
him, I must admit that every move he made, after arriving in the city,
reminded me of myself on my first trip to New York. In fact, with the
exception of the difference in ages, he was a regular Joshua Whitcomb. I
felt almost obliged to lasso him to prevent him from following off band
wagons and chasing fire engines around town. He was particularly fond of
dime museums and the "knock-'em-down and drag-'em-out" Wild-western
plays; and I saw the necessity of getting him started on the road as
soon as possible, before he should become stage-struck. I had two
sample-cases made, and took him on the road with me through Michigan. I
took particular pains to impress upon his mind the necessity of
curtailing expenses, and often reminded him that the occasional saving
of 'bus and carriage fares from the hotel to the depot, when he had
plenty of time to walk, would be no disgrace to him or his House. I
also pointed out the foolishness of spending money with merchants in
treating, or in other words, attempting to bribe them by treating, as
that was something I had never yet done myself, and would not be
responsible for any such expense. I fully believed that the average
salesman lost as often as he gained by this practice. (I still believe
it.)
He was rather inclined to rebel against this, and said he was certain
that it would often become almost necessary to spend a little money in
that way in order to hold trade. I persisted that business should be
conducted on business principles only, and not socially or on the
strength of friendship; and it would only be necessary to call on a
merchant, introduce his business at the very earliest possible moment,
get through as soon as possible, and immediately take his departure; and
if he had any loafing to do, do it at the hotel; and above all, to spend
very little time in trying to become better acquainted. By these
methods, if he didn't make a good impression he would be quite certain
not to make a bad one.
His _penchant_ for telling funny stories made him known to those with
whom he came in contact as "the man of infinite but unpointed jest," so
as a matter of precaution I requested him to always defer telling
stories till his next trip.
I convinced him that all successful salesmen worked from early morning
till late at night, and that a dollar-a-day hotel, in a small country
town, would not be a disgraceful place to spend a Sunday. The result
was, he traveled the first year at a wonderfully light expense, and sold
more goods than the average high-salaried salesman.
He was not long, however, in becoming sophisticated, and was soon able
to roll up as nice an expense account as any of the boys.
The second year after I began business for myself who should call at my
office one day and apply for a position as traveling agent but my old
friend, Dr. Frank, who, it will be remembered, traveled through Ohio
with me selling the "Incomprehensible," and whom I dubbed Doctor after
we set the old lady's ankle. I had not heard from him for years, but he
had been in Michigan all the time since he left me; and in consequence
of having received a letter from me addressing him as Dr. Frank he had
been called Doctor by every one, and so concluded to become a physician,
and had spent one winter at Ann Arbor, in the Medical College,
attending lectures. I hired him at once, and sent him on the road. I
also engaged five other men, later in the season, and sent each of them
out with a large stock of goods. They were all certain of an immense
holiday trade, and were extravagant in their demands for a large stock
to supply it.
I had been prompt in the payment of all bills, and had become quite well
acquainted with all the manufacturers. They called on me in large
numbers, urging me to buy, and wouldn't take no for an answer. Each was
positive that I could not run another month without their special
styles, and as I could buy on long time and sell on short time I could
easily see my way out.
About two months before the holidays, the bottom fell completely out of
the fall trade. My agents began to complain, and each advised me not to
buy any more goods. They were too late, however, as I had bought goods
enough to supply a dozen agents. Their sales amounted to simply nothing.
A day or two before Christmas they began straggling in, one after
another, with their trunks and sample-cases full of goods.
My safe, and every nook and corner of my office, were all filled with
goods; and when my bills became due I had nothing _but_ goods. Two
weeks after the holidays I sent my men out again and kept them hus'ling.
Of course they were bound to sell more or less goods, but it was up-hill
work.
I gave my particular attention to satisfying Eastern creditors, and
managed to do so more by writing letters and acknowledging my
indebtedness, and promising fair dealing, than by making remittances. As
fast as any one of the last five agents I had hired would sell off his
goods I would order him in and discharge him. In this way I reduced my
stock without having to buy but few new goods, and very soon had but two