Brewer Chronicles - Washington Co. School of Business

 

I got the business bug when I saw an ad for Cloverine Salve on the back of a comic book. It showed an array of possible rewards for selling a small number of salve tins. My lust for the Carbine BB gun and wrist watch had me hooked.

It looked easy enough. That turned out to be misleading, but my rewards have been beyond imagination. I also became a distributor for American Seed Company for selling flower and garden seeds.

It taught me a lot about seasonal merchandising and order management. Fall and early winter are not great times to sell seeds, but most of the market practically disappears after March.. Likewise, it is always a good idea to have a lot of Cloverine Salve during corn harvests and during the cold weather. In order to meet the needs, I had to estimate the demands at least 3 months in advance. This meant that I had to ride my bikes through the Northern Washington County hills (have you noticed how far apart the houses are?). I really learned to appreciate Richard Elliott delivering Grit throughout Walnut Ridge.

Oh, did you notice that most of the sales and deliveries occur during the cold and bleak months in Indiana? I learned the art of cold calls to stranger's homes out of breath and rosy cheeked to show them the catalog of possibilities. Looking back, it wasn't my sales technique, but their pity that made most of the sales. Relatives (especially aunts) were usually a good source for sales.

American Seed Company always included some 'surprise' products that needed to be sold as well. I was never able to convince anyone to buy the Kale seeds (I probably still have them). I owe a special thanks to the wonderful people that helped me with those items.

I learned the value of treating customers right. After the first year, it became apparent that many wondered when I would take orders and have my inventory again.


My first reward was a pocket watch. Although it looked nothing like that picture, it was priceless to me. Just like my diploma from the Washington County School of Business.