Page 47 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

And this belief seems to be justified by his results. His success is due to the
plan he uses which is so simple and practical that it is surprising others have
not tried it.

“The plan,” explained Mr. Horner, “is to call upon the best merchant in town.
I give him about two hundred coupons to start and also some printed signs for
the windows, circulars to he given store customers, and a sample premium
for display purposes. The merchant gives out these coupons with five-, ten-
or twenty-five-cent purchases, and when the customer has saved up a certain
number, she is given a premium. The success of the premium as a business
stimulator depends upon its quality—it must compare favorably with items of
the same sort which are sold in the store and it must be something the
housewife wants but feels she can’t afford to buy at the regular retail price.
Offering premiums that do not meet these requirements won’t develop much
business for you. I usually suggest electric clocks or silverware. The clocks
come in radio, mantel and wall-clock styles and have proved to be
particularly good business stimulators.

“When the clock premium idea gets under way, I secure a surprising amount
of repeat business from the stores. Frequently they re-order twenty-five or
thirty clocks at a time. After the clock premium has been used for a while, I
suggest that it be followed by another premium, such as silverware. A good
quality silverplate can be given in the same way as the clocks, and those store
customers who have had clock premiums, begin saving for silverware. This
keeps them trading at the store and builds up a steady business for the
merchant.

“I call back upon each merchant several times, not only to keep him friendly
but to show him the right way to use the premium. I have found practically
no objection to premiums by the merchant. The idea, as every merchant
knows, is essentially sound and about the best sales stimulator he can find.
Many merchants, I point out in my sales talk, have found that the use of
premiums saved their business from suffering serious losses during the worst
periods of the depression. The public’s popular acceptance of the premium
principle bears out this contention and helps me close orders. I call on the
smaller towns exclusively. I don’t object to cities, but it takes too much of my