f introduction to
people who are absolute nuisances (it is hard to refuse any one who asks
for this sort of letter, but often kindest for all concerned) and then
they send in secret another letter explaining how the first one came
about. This really throws the burden on the person who least of all
ought to bear it, the innocent man whom the first one wanted to meet. No
letter of presentation is justified unless there is good reason behind
it, such, as for instance, in the following:

This is Mr. Franklin B. Nesbitt. He has been in Texas for several
months studying economic conditions, and I believe can give you
some valuable information which has resulted from his research
there. He is a man upon whom you can rely. I have known him for
years, and I am sure that whatever he tells you will be
trustworthy.

It is a common practice for a business man to give his personal card
with "Introducing Mr. Mills" or "Introducing Mr. Mills of Howard and
Powell Motor Co." written across it to a man whom he wishes to introduce
to another. This enables him to get an interview. What he does with it
rests entirely with him.

_Sales letters_ are a highly specialized group given over, for the most
part, to experts. Their most common fault is overstatement or
patronizing. The advertisements inserted in trade papers and the letters
sent out to the "trade" are often so condescendingly written that they
infuriate the men to whom they are addressed. It is safer to assume that
the man you are writing to is an intelligent human being. It is better
to overestimate his mentality than to underestimate it, and it is better
to "talk" to him in the letter than to "write" to him.

Sales letters are, as a rule, general, not personal, and yet the best
ones have the personal touch. The letter is a silent salesman whose
function is to anticipate the needs of its customers and offer to supply
them. In this as in any other kind of salesmanship it is the spirit
which counts for most, and the spirit of genuine helpfulness (mutual
helpfulness) gives pulling power to almost any letter. The one which
presents a special offer on special terms specially arranged for the
benefit of the customer wins out almost every time, provided, of course,
that the offer is worth presenting. There is no use in declaring that
all of the benefit is to the subscriber. It would be very foolish if it
were actually true. Once a man went into a haberdashe