The Story of Ginger Cubes/Chapter 9

by Christopher Morley

Layout 4

IX.

[Enclosure, sent by Mr. Ribstone to Mr. Russell, being a letter from the Gray Matter Advertising Agency.]

My Dear Mr. Ribstone: Obviously you intend, ultimately at any rate, to have a nation-wide, or even world-wide, distribution for the Ginger Cubes. You are going to need a large merchandising staff. I wish to enlist your interest in our newly created Department of Salesmanizing. Let us train your representatives before they go on the road, and instil into the personnel just those qualities of enthusiasm and confidence that go to make not mere salesmen, but Ambassadors of Commerce.

I solicit the pleasure of convincing you on this topic; in the meantime let me briefly state the nutshell of our theory.

In our Salesmanizing School, which is really a kind of Graduate College of the Selling Arts, we seek to drive out from the student all negative and minus thoughts, ideas of possible failure, business depression, etc., and to substitute robust energizing concepts, positive and plus in their nature. Many a man has come to us doubtful about his own selling abilities, doubtful about the general condition of trade, doubtful about economics and literature and even theology. When they leave us, after a three weeks' course under Mr. Harvey K. Tidaholm, they have pronounced convictions.

You wish to have your product—the Ginger Cubes—marketed swiftly, cleanly, universally. There

"I will confer with you as soon as I am reurbanized"

 

are four steps in this process. The commodity must be

(1) Institutionalized

(2) Publicized

(3) Distributionized

(4) Internationalized}}

To bring this about, your representative personnel must be

(a) Humanized
(b) Stabilized	=SALESMANIZED
(c) Energized

It is on such matters as these that Consumer Preference and Dealer Convictionability are based.

I should like very much to have our Mr. Harvey K. Tidahohn discuss this matter with you. I know that your reaction will be enthusiastic.

Yours faithfully,

GEO. W. GRAY,

Technical Director, Gray Matter Advertising Service.