4/10/25 S. H. Higgenbotham's letter to EC:
RADIUM APPLIANCE COMPANY
M. A. MILBACH, M. L. DEGNEN, ALFRED E. GWYNN, JOHN R.
DUTCHER, S. H. HIGGINBOTHAM
MANUFACTURERS OF DEGNEN'S SOLAR SEAL BRAND RADIO-ACTIVE
THERAPEUTICAL APPLIANCES AND PREPARATIONS LOS ANGELES, CAL.
FOR PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS
RADIO-ACTIVE BODY PAD (for increasing metabolism and
improving circulation)
RADIO-ACTIVE THROAT PAD (for treatment of laryngitis,
tonsillitis, voice-strain, etc.)
RADIO-ACTIVE DRESSING (for post-operative cases which do not
yield readily to first intention healing)
RADIO-ACTIVE CEREBRO SPINAL PAD (for reduction of blood
pressure.)
RADIO-ACTIVE SPECIAL APPLIANCES (manufactured to order.)
Mr. Edgar Cayce,
Dayton, Ohio
My dear Mr. Cayce:
We thank you for your recent letter and we are today writing
Mr. [
287] explaining why he had never received the appliance
he ordered by telegraph. He overlooked giving his street
address and as we had no previous correspondence with him
we sent the package to General Delivery, Columbus, O., where
it lay for over a month unclaimed, and we just recently sent
postage for its return to us. We have no record of ever
receiving a letter from Mr. [
287] for if we had done so, we
would have given it our prompt attention. However, today
we have forwarded a pad via parcel post C.O.D. $17.50 to the
address you furnished us, and we trust he will receive the
appliance promptly and have Mrs. [
2646] begin its use.
Radio-activity is a remarkable treatment, since it acts
directly on the most important nerve centers and the blood
stream, stimulating the circulation to greater activity,
eliminating congestions and poisons from the system and
furnishing an improved blood supply to the various organs of
the body. The blood is the life of the body, and anything
that improves its activity and quality, would naturally
bring about a reaction toward health. We find there
are practically no conditions of ill-health that are not
favorably affected by this radio-active treatment when
given a fair trial.
As you are doubtless interested in the handling of these
pads, Mr. Cayce, we are enclosing herewith a 4-page letter
explaining in some detail how we wish you to gradually work
into the business. You should find many opportunities to
recommend this wonderful healing medium that Nature has
supplied us with, and your discount is most liberal. We have
credited the order to Mr. [
287] to your account, and at the
expiration of trial should the results be satisfactory, as we
feel confident will be the case, we will mail you our check
for the discount as is our usual custom.
We are also sending you a roll of literature under separate
cover and would be very glad to hear from you further.
Sincerely yours, [signed] S. Higginbotham D [SHH:FGD]
Your request for more definite information regarding the
exclusive sale of our appliances, including territory,
methods of sale, discounts, etc., is taken with much interest
as we are as anxious to have the first class men as you are
to have a first class line, and we want to feel that you are
the right man, so for that very reason we are trying to make
it easy for us to get together on a sound and safe basis.
That is why we wanted you to first sell a pad - just
to convince you beyond any doubt that our goods are as
represented; second we want you to sell several more, placing
them on various cases to further prove to you that they are
in big demand after once introducing them in a community.
One pad sells another and you will see how easy it would be
to sell a great quantity with the proper effort behind it.
It is not the sale of these few appliances we are interested
in but it is the only way we can convince you of the vast
possibilities in our line. You want to sell our goods if you
can make money, and we want you to, and you also want to feel
that if you are successful you will be protected, which is
perfectly natural and right. We, too, feel the same, that if
we assign an exclusive territory we are assigning it to the
proper party, and we are only too glad when we find the right
man. Show us you are the right person and you may go as far
and fast as you like.
Now, I will gladly give you this information but please keep
it confidential, as it contains our best discounts. But,
would it not be much better and a safer plan for you to try
out our proposition with an option, for several months, on
the territory you wish to see just what you can do before
going into the details of a contract; as a contract to be
of any value must contain obligations on both sides, and it
certainly would be unfair to you to submit such a contract
and ask you to sign it before you were thoroughly convinced
and satisfied with results. You can see we are making the
conditions so reasonable that you need not lose time, money
or present position until you are positively sure of your
move - you would just gradually grow into the business
without any obligations.
Briefly, our exclusive contract calls for a small amount
of advertising according to the size of territory, and the
purchase of a certain quantity of appliances per month. This
amount is better determined after you have operated several
months.
Our best discounts for various quantities are as follows:
Goods bought with the guarantee privilege of returning for
credit or exchange:
Less than 1 Dozen 33 1/3%
Lots of 1 Dozen or more 40%
" " 3 " " " 45%
" " 6 " " " 50% f.o.b. L.A.
If you wish to take care of your own come-backs and re-sell
the few you would have at a reduced price, we can make the
following discounts:
Less than 1 Dozen 40%
Lots of 1 Dozen or more 50%
" " 3 " " " 60% f.o.b. L.A.
" " 6 " " " 65% f.o.b. L.A.
Our come-backs are about 5%. In other words, when we sell
100 pads we figure about 5 are returned for their money. You
will see that it will pay you to purchase in 3 or 6 dozen
lots without the guarantee.
We will gladly furnish goods to you in the above quantities
and at the discounts quoted, and supply a liberal amount
of literature, while you are trying out the line. After
a regular contract has been signed, we withdraw all our
advertising from your state and allow you a discount on any
sales that we might make in your territory and turn over all
the names of those who are selling the appliances in your
district.
The local agent sells from his home through various plans
which we furnish and gradually builds up a nice little
monthly income from satisfied customers recommending them.
To these people we allow a 25% discount. Then we have the
county distributor to whom we allow 33 1/3% discount. The
state distributor deals entirely with handling both the local
and county distributors, and that of placing our goods with
physicians and druggists, to whom we allow a discount of
25%. Our best discount you will note is 65%, which will give
you sufficient margin to profitably handle the distribution
through the above mentioned channels.
The state distributor should have an office in a large city,
advertise in the Sunday papers and as often as he deems
necessary during the week. There will be many personal calls
at the office, and ten chances to one it is a sure sale, as
the guarantee is so strong that anyone sick cannot afford
to not try one of our pads. The mail inquiries would be
answered by sending copies of our regular mail order letters.
We furnish the letters to copy. You can advertise for
agents, although you will have many people who, being
benefitted, ask for the agency and a great many sales
result from their assistance.
After you have sold a sufficient quantity and have some
strong testimonials, you are then fortified to go after the
druggists and physicians. We are making a window display for
the druggist which creates a great deal of interest; and we
also furnish them with literature to give out. They sell
both with and without our guarantee.
Our line presents, not one, but several great big
opportunities, every one of which is sufficient to warrant a
real hustler devoting his entire time to the sale of it. We
built our business on selling our Standard Pad, as this was
the only article manufactured and sold for a number of years.
We have now sold over 80,000 of them, receiving thousands of
unsolicited testimonials covering almost every known ailment,
and many requests for the agency of the appliances from
people claiming to be cured of diseases, who had given up all
hope of ever becoming well again.
Now, just think for a moment, if we could build such a large
business on our Standard Pad, what the opportunities are now,
since we have a complete line; in fact, to our knowledge, we
are today the largest manufacturers of radio-active health
appliances in the world. Think what the exclusive rights in
a larger territory, such as an entire state, will mean to you
with such a line. For instance, the sale of the appliance
which we have mentioned, through a mail order business
secured through newspaper advertising, from both mail and
personal calls. The Radio-Active Sta-Put Truss sales alone,
with someone specializing in advertising this one article,
will make a large business in itself, as there has never
as yet, to our knowledge, been anything offered in a truss
that would actually aid in the cure of rupture, prior to the
Radio-Active Sta-Put Truss. The Prostatic Appliance also
could be specialized upon by someone advertising this article
exclusively to men over fifty years of age troubled with this
complaint. Then the Lenses - think of the wonderful field
for these. Our Radio-Active Salve. The Face and Throat Pad
properly handled will also yield a handsome income. And now
comes the great big money-maker, that of placing our pads
and trusses with the drug trade. We are working on a sales
campaign giving the druggist a window display to help him
sell these appliances. The sales from this one source alone,
in an entire state, would be all that one could look for. We
hope to be ready for the drugstore distribution within a few
weeks.
Now, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Put out some
pads and then figure just how many you could sell in a year,
always keeping in mind the higher priced pads mean larger
profits, the drug trade, physicians and the satisfied
customers who recommend and unconsciously sell to their
friends, not mentioning the many other good selling
articles of our line.
Here is something to think about - we advertise in every
large city in the United States and all our sales result
from such advertising. The point is this, if it pays us
to advertise, depending solely on the inquiries and sales
through the mail, surely it will pay you, for where one
person will answer our advertisement through the mail,
several will call at your office or home. Where we depend
only on our letters making the sale, you would have a
personal talk, which would result in a larger average of
sales. Then too, you can advertise just as cheap as we can,
so don't you see that you would have about ten chances to our
one of making the sale. You could talk up the XX or $30.00
pad, and in many cases sell a $50.00 or $100.00 pad, whereas
we depend solely on our sales letter which features the
$17.50 pad. In other words, you should sell ten pads to
our one in the same territory, you being on the ground.
Some may ask why you do not trust them with a pad, and
if it is what you claim, they will pay later. This seems
quite fair and reasonable when you first hear it, but let us
analyze it a moment and see. Suppose a party tries one of
these pads and is satisfied to keep it; the days roll by -
ten, twenty and thirty days, and still he has not paid for
it. Then you begin sending bills. Cannot you see what an
expense this would lead to? This is only one of a dozen such
things that happen to those who are honest and intend to pay
but neglect to, not mentioning the ones that would not pay.
Also, some want one for a sample, or on trial without pay.
If so, ask them how in the world could they sell an article
and ask for the money in advance when they themselves want
the first pad on trial without pay? (Never allow a pad to go
out to anyone without receiving the full price in advance).
You will note that our letter and order blank specifically
states that we must have the money with the order and we send
a signed guarantee that we will refund the money if the party
is not satisfied with the results during the trial periods.
What more could one want? (Note: This is a real guarantee;
no evasions. Remember, we have sold over 80,000 through the
mail with this guarantee).
When you sell the pad with the money back guarantee you must
positively live up to your own guarantee in that you must
return their money at once and without question if the pad
is returned within the trial period.
Remember, the fellows who make the big and easy money are
those who have the vision to see a future in an article and
the courage to tackle it a few months before the other fellow
wakes up to find it too late. We hope this letter contains
all the information you wished and that you will join us in
sharing the pleasures and profits of this business with a
tremendous future.
We are sending you a small roll of literature, under separate
cover, to assist you in making sales.
Sincerely yours, RADIUM APPLIANCE COMPANY
[signed] S. Higginbotham Sales Manager [SHH:FGD]
6/02/25 S. Higginbotham's letter to EC:
[Same letterhead as previous Par. R6]
Mr. Edgar Cayce
Dayton, Ohio
My dear Mr. Cayce:
We take great pleasure in enclosing herewith our check for
$5.83, discount on sale of X Pad to [
287] and we only regret
that the amount is not much larger. Not having heard from
Mr. [
287] we presume he has received the usual benefit from
this remarkable radio-active treatment and we trust you
will find many opportunities in your work to recommend this
appliance. The terms are so liberal that there is no reason
for anyone not giving the pad a fair trial; for if the
results are not entirely satisfactory during the trial
period, the pad is simply returned and we refund every penny
of the money. You probably realize that the returns are very
few, otherwise we could not continue to allow such liberal
terms. In fact, the majority of people are so well satisfied
with their pad they would not part with it for many times its
cost.
A VIGOROUS CIRCULATION is one of the main essentials for
good health - and since it is the special function of the
Radio-Active Solar Pad to stimulate the circulation to
greater activity, furnishing proper nourishment to the nerves
and tissues and eliminating congestions and poisons from the
system, you can easily understand the good results in
practically all cases. It acts beneficially on the system
from the very beginning and you need not hesitate to
recommend it to anyone in poor health - for a better
circulation is ALWAYS necessary for better health.
We shall be pleased to hear from you often, Mr. Cayce, and
trust we may receive some nice orders in the near future to
our mutual advantage. With every good wish for success,
Sincerely yours, RADIUM APPLIANCE COMPANY
[signed] S. Higginbotham D Sales Department [SHH:FGD]
2/26 GD's note: Mr. [
287] and Mrs. [
2646] obtained Physical
Reading for their daughter, Mrs. [
1866].
2/28/27 See
2646-7.
Edgar Cayce Readings © 1971, 1993, 1994, 1995 by the Edgar Cayce Foundation