should be conducted. The emissary from the house has in his hands the very corner stone for laying a solid founda- tion for credit, if he be able to advise soundly and sensibly as to how the business should be handled, and can thereby create an immense store of good-will for the house. Prac- tical assistance along the lines of conducting sales, aiding the debtor to install an efficient method of keeping his books, helping him to make his collections when due, re- arranging his stock, fixing his window displays, assisting him in his advertising, lending assistance unstintedly in every way wherever needed, all contributes to the making of a business man out of a storekeeper. He who becomes a business man will not require much selling of credit; he will of his own volition seek and maintain a sound credit rating. And too, when he becomes a business man, his purchases will increase, resulting in better business for the house, while the credit risk has diminished.
Selling Credit through Letters.
The selling of credit through correspondence is infinitely more difficult than it is through personal contact. The credit man may conscientiously endeavor to educate the debtor along the lines of better credit and find it a dis- heartening task. Frequently his letters are scrupulously ignored and he carries on a one-sided correspondence. The salesman’s personality is an opening wedge in his dealings with the customer, and while the correspondent may inject personality into his letters, they may be laid aside as soon as perused, and be quickly forgotten. Unlike the sales- man, he is unable to first strike a greater or lesser degree
