It is of first importance to ascertain reliable facts both about men and selling schemes before employing either. Once a manager has facts before him he can draw sound conclusions and use his judgment, but not before. Then he can formulate his sales organization with some degree of confidence. The easiest way to solve any problem is to collect and array the facts; and often to put them down on paper is to clarify the mind in forming a judgment on them. Changing Conditions Conditions change, in some businesses very quickly, in others more slowly, and here a watchful eye is necessary. The decline of many an important business has been traceable to a lack of foresight in this direction.
A year or two back a large wholesale company paid dividends for the year amounting to Euro: 100.000,00. It dealt in a finished article, which was also the raw material of another industry, and was sold both to manufacturers and to the public through the trade. The company employed thirty travelers, and had a number of large customers. About that time it lost one of its best customers, and had to build up new business in a period of special difficulty. During the next two years the profits were insufficient to pay the preference dividend. There were several directors, each of whom had spent a lifetime in the business. leia todo o artigo
