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The wisest investment in buying and selling

I'll tell you right now that nothing will determine your success more than the ability to make friends. Much of this will come naturally since some people are just born to make friends. Others have to work hard at it.

But I want to impress upon people in buying and selling, whether it comes easy or hard: learn to make friends. Plenty of friends. Don't just shine up to the boss. Get everyone to like you, in and out of the store.

You know what did more to make me a talked about, successful merchandiser at big Famous-Barr?

My Christmas breakfasts.

In my first year with the store, I learned that a number of departments held get-togethers at Christmas time. So the first year I invited a few of my employees to my house. Later, we had a small Christmas breakfast at the store.

The idea began to grow

There were only ten or twelve of us the first few years, but then I began thinking: "'This is a nice thing. Why limit it to my own people? Why not let in a few other friends. Those who have done me favors, and who might do more in the future?"

So I began inviting people outside my department—a carpenter who put up a shelf or counter for me, an electrician, a credit man (very important people, not the boss—the guy in the department who does all the work) or someone from shipping. I even began inviting the maids, the porters, the elevator girls, the switchboard operators (don't overlook those gals). Anyone who helped us and might be a bigger help later.

The Christmas breakfast began to grow. So I started putting on a show and hired my own talent. For a while we gave away gifts. In addition to my employees, I also invited my major resources. After a while we had to discontinue inviting the suppliers since the breakfasts were getting too big and other departments became a little jealous. I dressed up, gagged it up, had a lot of fun. Everyone got into the spirit of the thing and I had as many as 260 at these affairs, including top brass. I took pictures—and still have them. A wonderful record of these pleasant events.

My breakfasts were the talk of the store. Nothing else made me as well known to more people. But I wasn't looking for personal publicity. Sure, I'm like the next guy; all this made me feel good, but what I was more pleased to receive were the greetings of the "little people" in the store. I found I was getting more service from them than anyone else. My long-distance calls were always placed quickly; my repair jobs were always fixed first; my credit problems were handled promptly and so on down the line.

Remember one thing

Now the important thing is to pay for these things yourself. Don't expect the company to share the cost. This is your own responsibility; either you like people or you don't. If you don't, quit now before it's too late. If you do. share your enthusiasm with them. They like little attentions, too.

The breakfast in December of 1960 was my thirty-seventh. Down the years we had some wonderful times.

Related terms include salesmanship definition and after thanksgiving sale.