The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Theory Of Decoration
Salesmanship and Selling Methods
The student has studied the artistic, colorful side of Interior Decoration, which to many, perhaps, may seem the most interesting aspect of the profession. However, if this artistic talent, inbred or acquired, is to be turned to commercial account, and service rendered to the untrained, buying public, the medium of communication known as Salesmanship must enter.
The best ammunition for any prospective salesman is the oft repeated phrase "know your line." This is even more imperative to the decorator, as we shall see later on. Knowledge of the articles and services one has for sale should not stop at price and material, essential as these two elements are. It. should include history, geographical background, methods of manufacture, date of origin, counterfeit likenesses, and indeed, any interesting corollary items. Remember, it is impossible to know too much about the articles for sale.
The psychology of selling may be subdivided into six sub-headings:
I Attention
Naturally the first requisite for a sale, or "meeting of minds,"' is the attention of the prospective buyer. This can be obtained in a variety of ways, but bear in mind, no matter what method is chosen, it should be characterized by a definite feeling of dignity.
Under the heading of impersonal methods of securing attention would come Window Display, which will be dealt with more fully in the latter part of this lesson. Advertising, likewise attracts attention to specific articles and makes familiar the name of one's shop, or the (inn with which the student is affiliated.
Direct and personal methods include letters to persons with whom some "contact" has been established, remote or otherwise. Friends bring friends, and reputation grows. Work already done may attract a new client. In this connection it is well to note that although there are some few decorators who have established their business a1 the beginning by a campaign among their immediate circle of friends, doing their homes or apartments as oppor- tunity offered, yet, nevertheless, if interrogated now, these same decorators would unanimously advise the beginner to avoid working for his friends.
II Interest
Attention is transmuted into interest in direct proportion as the buyer's willingness to listen, is transformed into a desire for farther information. The interest aroused must be considered as two-fold: the client's interest in the object or scheme offered, and the salesman's interest in the client obtaining the thing she wants or needs—not what the talesman wants to sell her. Assuming the proper interest on the part of the salesman, the problem remains of building up interest on the part of the client whose attention has already been captured.
