Frequently a spirit of antagonism to the credit department exists among the salesmen. This condition indicates a decided lack of that coöperation so necessary to the success of any business. The credit man who possesses tact can overcome this antagonism, if he will but drop his cold-blooded attitude and meet the salesmen on a friendly basis. If he will cultivate their friendship, the salesmen will respond with information of great value to him. Naturally the information secured from a salesman differs from that received from other sources. About the class of information that can be expected is provided in the blank shown in Fig. 3. This can be printed on a standard size card. [Illustration: Fig. 3. Salesman's Customer's Report Blank] =Retail Credit Reporting Agencies.= In many cities, merchants have formed associations for the exchange of ledger experiences. Some of these associations have been very successful, but the chief difficulty has been in sustaining interest and in securing the necessary information. This lack of interest seems to be general in mutual associations--every man seems afraid that he will give more than he receives. [Illustration: ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AT THE PLANT OF STUDEBAKER BROS. MANUFACTURING CO., SOUTH BEND, IND.] Out of the merchants' association has grown the retail credit reporting agency--the exchange of information being conducted as a private enterprise. The expression, _exchange of information_, is used advisedly, for the service of these agencies consists mostly of reports giving the experiences of other merchants. To quote from the prospectus of one of these concerns: Our company does for the retailer what Bradstreet and Dun do for the wholesale dealer. We arrive at the result, however, in a different way. We give accurate information as to how people pay their bills, regardless of their financial standing. This information we get from merchants and professional men by means of a thorough canvass of our entire territory. We visit all people doing business, whether our subscribers or not, and in this way secure the names of all consumers in business or private life. We are thus able to tell the grocer how Mr. _B._ pays his butcher, his tailor, his hatter, his doctor, and every other trade or profession he deals with, and each of these in turn is furnished with the same kind of information from the grocer; thus we establish the exact credit standing of Mr. _B._ with the entire trade of the city. Acting upon information thus furnished, every merchant or professional man in the city knows from the most reliable and trustworthy source to whom he can safely give credit and whom he should refuse. For example, we here give a specimen rating with an explanation of the same. "John Doe, carpenter, 187 Broad St., _5G 2F._"