[_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 are four steps in this process. The
commodity must be
(1) Institutionalized
(2) Publicized
(3) Distributionized
(4) Internationalized