AT the semi-annual sales meet

ings of Pratt & Lambert, Inc., held last month, the company's salesmen were told that this season's advertising investment would show an increase over last year. The campaign will center upon the familiar "hammer test" for the company's varnish, and a compelling illustration of the test will appear eighteen million times, it is said, in the course of the campaign.

Stripped of all embellishments, these are the facts regarding the coming advertising. Pratt & Lambert might have primed the salesmen with enthusiasm regarding prospects for greatly increased business that was bound to come as a result of the advertising. They might have stated that sales were to continue "as usual" that all the men would have to do would be to go out and take the orders. But the difficulty is that the men had been out in the field and knew conditions about as well as those in the offices. Maybe some salesmen have to be heartened up after a run of bad luck which makes them see through blue glasses, but even then, optimism must have truth backing it up or it won't permanently stiffen the men's backbone.

"There is too much optimistic hot air handed out to salesmen," is the way W. P. Werheim, advertising manager for Pratt & Lambert, puts it. "I believe if you can give a salesman the facts frankly." he continued, "emphasizing the bad as well as the good, that he will always rise to the occasion and make the best of the situation as presented."

In line with this belief the need for the greatest economy of time and expense was impressed on the men in the same meetings at which the increased advertising was made known. The importance

of greater efficiency and more intensive cultivation of their fields was likewise emphasized.

The chief reason for the lack of undue optimism on the part of the company is the falling off of new building operations which called for the use of varnishes. Salesmen were conversant with this fact and instead of passing it over quickly the company set out to show how the business lost in one direction might be regained in another.

SUMMARIZING SALESMEN'S OPPOR

TUNITIES

The new opportunities which were brought out at the August sales meetings are summarized in the "Propeller," a house-organ circulating among the company's salesmen and salesmen of its jobbers.

"There has been a falling off in total gallons of architectural varnishes sold," it is said, "and it's not probable that building will improve greatly in the next few months. But you get more per gallon-don't forget that. And it might be possible for you to get a greater share of the work than you have been getting by working your territory more intensively and with a greater determination to get all the business you possibly can. Keep in mind, too, that many salaried workers whose expenses are growing faster than their incomes, are doing their own painting for economy's sake. These people buy through your dealers and they buy the best. There is one man on the P. & L. force, the sales in whose territory have more than doubled, though the total figured in gallons is hardly more than half as large as last year. Increased prices on all goods, coupled with a special selling effort on the higher grades, brought about this very desirable result."

There is an opportunity for new business in the shipyards being built, the Army camps and new hospitals. These are all pointed out. Note the conservative tone of the following paragraph, which indicates sales if they are worked for hard enough:

"Shellac is high. Enter Krystolac, the best substitute for certain purposes so far developed. The

market waits for it with open arms. Of course, it takes demonstration, salesmanship and shoeleather-but the opening is there!"

Prospective increased dealer sales because of the prosperity of the great home-owning middleclass are not overlooked and then it is shown why dealers should protect themselves especially well just now because of the possible freight-car shortage:

"By October 1, there will be more than 1,500,000 men in the military service of the United States. Troop movements will be constantly taking place; and when Uncle Sam's armies move, trade and commerce stand aside. It takes 6,229 cars and 336 locomotives to move one field army of 80,000 men. Supply an army of a million and a half with transportation on this same basis, and you have put into use three-quarters of the passenger cars, oneeighth of the locomotives and a large part of the freight equipment of the nation. Nearly a hundred and twenty thousand freight cars alone would be needed. Of course, these troops will not all move at once, but it is very easy to see what a stupendous congestion of shipping will take place as these movements become more frequent. Many timid dealers will be caught napping, with a sudden increase of consumer demand and nothing to sell.

"Shouldn't those facts have their bearing on your sales to dealers? You bet they should!"

Another outlet which should show increased business, it is pointed out, will be found in the sale of Effecto Auto Finishes. Each year more cars are kept in service through the winter, and

"a rusty car in the fall will be a wreck in spring." Moreover, as Mr. Werheim states it, "If automobile business is affected and production falls off, that should not affect the sales of Effecto, but might increase them, as people will economize more and will repaint cars more, doing the work themselves to save money."

One is apt to think-after reading of the new markets opening up for varnishes, the increased price per gallon, and the advanced wage-scale of ultimate purchasers -that perhaps the pleasant facts of those salesmen's meetings outweighed the unpleasant ones. There was no attempt to gloss over the disappointing features of the company's situation, and it is more than likely that because of the frank admission that there are such features, the salesmen will do everything in their power to make them negligible when their sales sheets are turned in.

Collier Advertising Co. Adds to Staff

E. R. Evans will join the plan and copy staff of the Collier Advertising Company, St. Louis, on September 10th. He has been vice-president and general manager of the Scott Publishing Company, of that city and before that was with the National Merchandising Company, the Boyce publications and St. Louis newspapers.

Other recent additions to the Collier staff are Lew Burnham and G. M. Gasser, respectively in charge of the copy and rate departments. Mr. Burnham has been associated with the Western Advertising Company, of St. Louis, for two years, and had previous connections with other agencies.

Mr. Gasser has been associated with St. Louis agencies.