Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1912 — Business Instinct [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Business Instinct

Salesman Should Be Good Judge of Values

By T. RAYLE BRUCE

ONE day a crippled lad wandered into a country store and thus accosted the proprietor: “Can I sell you some lead pencils today? I have some nice ones at 25 cents a dozen.” The merchant sold pencils himself, and was therefore not a likely purchaser, but as business was not particularly rushing at that moment he indulged in a little good-natured chaff at the boy’s expense. Ife examined the pencils carelessly and asked in feigued amazement, “What, 25 cents a dozen for these? I have a better pencil in stock that I sell for 15 cents a dozen,” and he reached over to the show case and pulled out a package of pencils for which he had actually paid 45 cents a dozen only a few days before. The boy took them in hand, examined them critically, reached down into his pocket, passed 15 cents over so the proprietor with the remark, ‘1 guess I’ll take these,” and calmly walked out of the store. Xor did the merchant stop him and explain that it was a joke. It was done in such a businesslike way and the youngster had taken it so seriously that he won the other’s admiration and the merchant adfiiitted in telling the story oh himself that it was the best case of business instinct he had seen for many a day. . Ihe crippled boy had a quality in his makeup that meant success, ibis attribute was keen judgment or business acumen. He so quickly recognized the value of the pencils that he acted in his own interest at

onc-e. It is as important for the salesman as it is for the merchant that he should know how to determine values. " : In almost any business you can find employees who have grown gray in the service whose judgment of values has not crown with their rears. Younger ■ ■ ■ . y cr employees, with less, experience, may have it. The -latter have that inestimable treasure, business instinct —the former never will have it. The latter will succeed in a business where buying and selling are the factors; the former will not. The man who has not in him the business instinct I which makes him a judge of values had better get out ■ • of a business that calls for buying and selling and into | another line of work where it is not required.