Now You See It, Now You Don't!

TellZall's object for December is the Fuller Brush Man

Forty years ago, a knock on the front door during the day was not all that unusual. Far more women worked in the home then than now, and companies had sales forces that went door-to-door, showing their products and making sales to this sizeable market.

Perhaps the most successful was the Fuller Brush Company. Alfred C. Fuller (1885-1973), born in Nova Scotia, came to Boston as a young man, hoping to make his fortune. In 1905 he found work with the Somerville Brush and Mop Company, which had been started by one of his brothers. Alfred discovered that he had a "gift" for sales and that he could gain the confidence of housewives by demonstrating the various brushes in their homes. He also found that they often had ideas for improving the product.

The following year, Fuller, together with a sister, started his own company in the basement of her home. Fuller would go door-to-door during the day, demonstrate his wares, take orders and deposits, and then return home to make the brushes, which he would then deliver. The products actually were sold before they were made, a novel and cost-efficient system.

Fuller found that his business was growing too large for a one-person operation, and he began to recruit a sales force. Fuller representatives had to purchase their own sample case, stocked with products, and were assigned a territory. The charismatic Fuller offered training and tips, but had difficulty finding the right type of person. In 1909 he began advertising in magazines for salesmen. The investment paid off, and by 1910 he had 260 dealers.

Fuller emphasized positive thinking and developed a sales structure that promoted supervisors from the ranks of successful salesmen. By 1910 annual sales amounted to more than $1 million. That figure grew to $15 million by 1923.

In 1921 the Saturday Evening Post magazine coined the term "Fuller Brush Man," and it quickly became a part of the language. Like Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, Fuller became a folk hero who had risen from humble beginnings to become a self-made millionaire.

In the later 1920s, Fuller's sales fell, primarily because he had difficulty getting salesmen. The Great Depression, which began in 1929, actually saw an increase in business. By the outbreak of World War II, sales had returned to previous levels. During the war, the company produced for the military.

Post-World War II prosperity saw the company continue to expand. Fuller Brush had become such an institution that two movies - The Fuller Brush Man (1948) and The Fuller Brush Girl (1950) - placed lead actors Red Skelton and Lucille Ball in the role of Fuller salespeople.

But times were changing. Many wives began to work outside of the home. Television advertising and shopping centers were on the rise. Companies that relied upon door-to-door sales, including Fuller, suffered. All too often, the knock on the door was not answered.

The Fuller Brush Company survived and still offers a cleaning product line that includes brushes. Sales today, however, are done via mail order, online, and through the UVC television network.

http://www.fullerbrushman.com/aboutus.htm