John H. Patterson's unfinished autobiography released after 103 years
The Father of American Salesmanship is the first full biography of John H. Patterson in nearly 100 years. Now available at Carillon Park's Museum Store.
John H. Patterson's unfinished autobiography released after 103 years
The Father of American Salesmanship - The Unfinished Autobiography of John H. Patterson
Carillon Historical Park is proud to announce the release of a unique book 103 years after it was started. John H. Patterson was writing his autobiography filled with his own accounts, speeches, and writings when he unexpectedly died in 1922. One-hundred years since Patterson’s death, this never-before-published manuscript was found among the estimated three million artifacts gifted to Carillon Park by NCR.
The Father of American Salesmanship is the first full biography of John H. Patterson in nearly 100 years. Filled with personal insights and rare photographs, the book is a wealth of information about the life of one of the twentieth century’s most successful businessmen.
In 1879, Daytonians James and John Ritty put their invention of the cash register into production, and it proved to be a financial failure. The cash register was a product no one knew they needed. But John H. Patterson recognized an incredible opportunity, and his efforts over the next four decades would earn him the title “The Father of American Salesmanship.”
In this book, Patterson discusses in his own words his early years, and how those experiences led to realizing the potential in the cash register. He explains his late nineteenth-century struggles with potential customers and their suspicious employees. He describes his own labor and production problems, leading to his introduction of revolutionary clean factory and workforce initiatives. He reveals his development of the first formally trained sales force, guaranteed sales territories, marketing initiatives, and his use of flipcharts, photography, and primitive emojis in sales lectures…what he called, “teaching through the eye.” Along the way, he shares his thoughts on everything from city manager-led local government to kindergartens, health, diet, religion, higher education, and flood prevention.
“The Father of American Salesmanship” is available now at Carillon Park’s Museum Store, and is a must-read for anyone with a connection to NCR, business, sales, history, leadership, or public service.
