Next time you don't-forget-your-receipt at Duane Reade, thank John Patterson, founder of the National Cash Register Company. Starting in 1884, Patterson led a campaign to put a cash register in every store across America. It wasn't easy: Clerks feared for their jobs, and the price of new technology was high. But Patterson anticipated these objections and supplied his sales team with trendy pyramid diagrams designed to quell all fears. He even asked an engineer to raze an office complex overnight, just to show his staff that willpower can literally... More >>>