Tuesday 4 March 2008

Salesmanship for Bespoke Tailors Part One Training

(The Modern Tailor Outfitter and Clothier Vol III)

Training the Sales Man
There is no royal road to success as a salesman. Proficiency can only be attained by hard work and by carefully watching an experienced man whenevr opportunity arises. The first necessity is a good working knowledge of the cloths to be sold. The tyro should learn to distinguish by sight and touch the various types of cloths and to know the uses for which each is suitable.
An appreciation of the quality of the different grades will come later, together with some acquaintance with dyes. A salesman should learn all he can about various processes in themanufacture of cloth, and should lose no opportunity of talking to woollen merhcants and travellers, whom he will find always ready to give valuable information and advice.
In addition to acquiring a good working knowledge of cloth, the buddding salesman should study the prevailing fashions of dress in order that he mayu be able to advise his customer as to the correct clothes for any particular occassion. For this purpose a careful study of photographs of well-dressed men in the weekly society papers will well repay the time expended on it, and will show slaesman what is being worn by the leaders of fashion.
Thus equipped with the knowledge the salesman will be enable to meet his customer with that degree of assurance which inspires confidence. Confidence of the buyewr in the salesman is the essential foundation of successful business, and the customer should be made to feel that he can rely on the sound advice of his tailor as to the cloth, style and colour which will best become him.

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