How Periodicals Are Sold in England, Germany, and Australasia
FIRST a good man is selected who is successful as an agent, and who has plenty of energy, and some ability to organize. The largest part of his work is with regular agents. He selects men and women who are willing to devote the whole or a large part of their time to selling papers, and supplies them with a club of from one hundred to three hundred copies a week to start with. The agent is located in a large town, and is assigned a definite territory. He is given a commission on the papers sold, which usually makes the work self-supporting. The agent goes from house to house through his territory, covering as much as he can in one week, and places on his list the names of all those to whom he can sell a paper. The next week he goes over the same ground with his new club of papers, and endeavors to make arrangements with all who have taken the paper for one week to take it regularly for one, three, or six months. This method is continued until the agent has a list of from two hundred to six hundred regular subscribers to whom he can deliver the paper every week. Some of these subscribers are constantly dropping out, and new ones are being added. Many papers are also sold on the streets, and in shops and stores, but the most of them are sold from door to door. Some of the advantages of this house-to-house work with our papers may be mentioned as follows:— 1. It is an excellent school for personal training in practical missionary work. Nothing could give one a better experience in meeting people, and in learning how to do good gospel work from house to house. 2. The agent is brought into touch with many thousands of people, and by meeting the people week after week they become mutually acquainted, and the agent can reach many homes from which he would be repulsed at first. 3. A club of papers handled on this plan has been often shown to be the most satisfactory way for Bible workers and ministers to begin their work in a new place. It brings them rapidly into personal touch with the people, and enables them to search out quickly those who are looking for light. 4. Three or four periodical workers can work most effectively in connection with tent or hall meetings. When such a meeting or when a camp meeting is to be opened in any place, it is well to send periodical workers there from one to three months before the meetings are to begin. With a thorough knowledge of the town, and with more or less personal acquaintance with all the people, these workers become invaluable as assistants, and they often develop into the best kind of Bible workers. These agents, as they go from door to door with their papers, can personally invite the people to attend the meetings, and they are able to secure the attendance of hundreds who would not otherwise go. 5. Every conference ought to have a great army of workers going from door to door among the people. If much attention were given to practical work from house to house, there would not be such a dearth of laborers as we now see. We would like to give further particulars by correspondence to any who would like to introduce this method of work.