Great Depression companies that survived: what were sales techniques that were used to save these companies?
I’ve read a lot about the Depression, and haven’t (as far as I recall) seen that question addressed as you pose it. My guess is that a far fewer proportion of purchases at that time were discretionary; most people spent their money on essentials, and under those circumstances the only sales technique that’s likely to work is price-cutting. The rise in importance of sales and advertising really started in the late 1950s in the USA, when people had money to spare and the expectation of a growing economy. All the techniques you mention were used at the time, but I don’t believe there have been any studies on whether how they were used had a bearing on company survival. But it is a very interesting question, nonetheless – I wonder whether anyone else will know.
