ence in the integrity and good faith
of the stand operator is a decided asset, and no effort spent in
cultivating such confidence is wasted.
Every successful roadside stand operator has built his business on honest
dealing and a personal interest in seeing that the buyer is satisfied.
This contact between the owner of a small business and a buyer is one that
can be capitalized to a very great extent. It is one of the handicaps
which a chain-store organization has to face and one that must be
developed by the person who wishes to establish a permanent and
satisfactory business in this merchandising field. Very often the sale of
farm products can be supplemented to the advantage of the stand by
offering small ornamental plants or by the display of pet animals,
particularly for the younger members of the traveling public.
_Success Factors._--A definite program of advertising can be developed
with many original features that apply directly to the type of business.
If the operator has pride in his products he will be glad to have his name
on every package of commodities that he sells. This is good sales
propaganda even if it only indicates the confidence of the seller in his
products and his willingness to stand behind them. Besides that, however,
it creates a knowledge of his name or the designation of his farm or stand
among purchasers who will then have a means of identifying it to their
friends. A small leaflet, describing the products that are offered for
sale and the intention of the operator to give the customer service, can
be put in each package at very small cost with good results. It is also
possible to prepare leaflets dealing with methods of cooking or of
preparation of the commodities sold that will build good will on the part
of customers.
The most successful operators, again, are those who do not depend upon
casual visitors for their trade but who make of the casual visitor a
regular customer and one who will speak a good word to others. In other
words, genuine effort must be made to identify the location as a place to
which buyers will wish to return as they do to any other place of business
that gives satisfactory service. In this way the operator distinguishes
himself from his fly-by-night competitors who exist during a week or two
when surpluses of commodities are available at low prices and who have no
thought beyond that of the immediate sale.
Wherever possible, the attention of the passing consu
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