The Fuller Demonstration Manual

[Hartford, Connecticut]: The Fuller Brush Company, 1932. Very good to near-fine. Some rust staining from staples.. Employee Training Booklet for the Fuller Brush Company, providing an evocative view into the life of door-to-door salesmen in the early 1930s: "Thousands of Fuller Men are making good money-- are building a permanent business for themselves-- you, too, can succeed" (p. [1]). Published during the Great Depression, the booklet speaks directly to out of work men looking for an opportunity to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Included the following content: a message from the company president; an overview of the company's history; directions for how to sell door-to-door, down to suggested dialogue and manners ("Take off your hat as you say good morning", p. 23); tips on showing the brushes and "dickering"/negotiating; how to get around customers' excuses for not ordering; suggested daily schedule; "working territory" and saving mileage; tips for visiting wealthy homes and farms; and an article from a housewife titled "Salesmen Who Ring My Bell" with tips for how to win housewives over. Note, of course, the pronouns used throughout the booklet: the salesman is implied to be male, and he always sells to a housewife or to a male servant or doorman. Also includes an illustrated guide to which brush fibers suit which products and why. Ends with study questions for quizzing yourself. Single vol. (6.75" by 4.25"), pp. 95, [1], illus., in original printed grey wrps. (Inventory #: 25003992)