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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
to battleships, and it is considered no reflection on a naval vessel
to say that it is a fecond-class battleship or a cruiser, the grade
is there, and the men who grade them are thoroughly posted as to
their equipments in every way, and they do not misrepresent by
claiming that a cruiser belongs in a first-class battleship grade.
Yes, let us grade pianos, and let them be graded by the men
who make them, and not by anyone else.
LEADING manufacturer remarked this week to The Review:
"I was much interested in reading your editorial in which
you suggested doing away with the whole piano guarantee propo-
sition. It had never occurred to me before, but I believe you are
perfectly correct. We have all formed this habit of giving a guar-
antee, and some of them putting it on a piano so that it looks like
a signboard, and, as you say, after all, what does it amount to?
1 think such suggestions coming from a trade paper are excellent,
and I believe, they are well worth considering and following up."
One of the legitimate functions of a trade publication is to not
only chronicle the news, but to lead in the way of suggestions
which may be of value to the industry which it represents, and in
our opinion this industry has outgrown the guarantee environ-
ment. The statement is well worthy the serious consideration of
piano manufacturers. We have gone beyond the guarantee stage.
The custom is antiquated, and it opens the door to any amount
of petty blackmail. There is hardly a manufacturer in this country
who has not been bothered and harassed by ridiculous claims which
have arisen wholly through the guarantee which accompanies each
sale. In all other lines when a sale is closed that ends it. But
it seems in the piano business it is the beginning of trouble.
We would like to make a national issue of this guarantee
business, and we invite opinions from manufacturers and dealers.
A
T
H E REVIEW advocates a national music trade exposition,
one that shall thoroughly represent this industry which has
made such rapid strides during the past decade.
We have interviewed a number of prominent piano merchants
North and South regarding this matter, and there is hardly a dis-
senting opinion as to the success of an enterprise of this kind if
it were launched in a proper manner. Piano merchants would
make any sacrifice in order to be present at such an exposition
and view the various products from the many manufacturing estab-
lishments. The amount of information which would be supplied
to them after careful examination of the various instruments, would
be worth many times the expense of a trip.
The trouble usually in such cases is that there is a weak spot
somewhere along the argumentative lines, before coming to the
closing argument. Presumably our friend has not impressed upon
his customers the real individuality of his instruments. We should
say, have more faith in them. Such a faith that is bound to sway
the customer, and hold the strongest appeal until the last. While
the final appeal is only one link in the chain, it is a cap to the whole
climax of argument and demonstration which has gone before it.
Now, the reason why probably his customers do not evince a will-
ingness to sign is because he doesn't feel the real interest in his
pianos that he professes.
Now, to sell a piano, a.man must believe in it; believe in its
musical qualities, its exterior beauty, know that the price is right,
and when he has fortified himself with all of these and sticks to
them, he is pretty apt to sway a customer.
M
ANUFACTURERS should not try to vault over the dealer
to the consumer. The dealer is the distributing force in
all lines, and it is an unsound business policy to follow the belief
that public advertising will cause the dealer to take on any par-
ticular line of pianos.
Magazine advertising may be helpful to its interests, but trade
advertising is, after all, most essential, for it is a fact that the
dealer can sell that which he most desires. He has naturally a
personal following who believe in him if he is a man of standing
in his community, and his personal word on piano values will go a
long ways toward convincing a customer—in fact a mighty sight
further with a customer than page display in Nobody's Magazine.
T
H E magazine story tells but very little; it is not impressive, and
there is much of a sameness about the whole system of adver-
tising direct to the consumer so that a certain impressiveuess is
lost. It pays better to advertise, to reach the dealer and impress
upon him the importance and value of a piano alliance than to spend
much money in trying to reach an elusive public. The consumer
is all right. It is for him that all the plays are made, but to reach
him the intermediate play, the play for the dealer, cannot be over-
looked.
There are vast sums of money wasted in trying to reach the
retail purchaser, which, if distributed in trade channels, would be
productive of infinitely better results.
A
H E exposition could be handled mosl: successfully in one of
the larger cities, and it could be made the one great music
trade event of the year. It it were combined with the meetings
of the two associations it would do more to advertise them and
popularize them with all branches of the trade than any method
which might be adopted.
Commercialism of course. Commercialism in its broadest as-
pect, but what is business but commercialism, and what is the basis
of all association work but to secure the best and most advanced
ideas as to the'successful conduct of manufacturing and retail en-
terprises ?
Commercialism, well, then, this is a commercial age, and the
man who fails to appreciate that is liable to be found at the rear
of the trade procession.
MANUFACTURER recently remarked to The Review that he
had concluded to abandon the manufacture of special brand
pianos, and henceforth send out instruments bearing only his own
name.
A wise decision, surely, and it may interest piano men to know
that the American Hardware Manufacturers' Association has given
a great deal of attention to the matter of special brands, and has
carefully considered the position, which, in justice to itself, and for
the benefit of the entire trade, it should take in regard to this trouble-
some subject. The report has been prepared with much care, and
represents the matured convictions of representative manufacturers.
This significant report stated at length the careful investigation
which the committee, composed of nineteen members, have made re-
garding the effect of special brand articles, and they found that
there was a steadily growing practice to substitute the dealer's name
or trade-mark in place of the manufacturers, thus fully eliminating
the maker's name.
I
T
T
N order to succeed, a salesman must have confidence in the in-
struments which he offers. He must know that their prices
are right, are honest, and then he throws into his work a certain
amount of enthusiasm which insures success. Without this sus-
tained enthusiasm there would be no permanent or lasting victory.
A salesman writing to The Review recently says: " I have
difficulty in closing sales. I seem to get up all right in my ap-
proaches and invariably interest people in my instruments, but some-
how I lose a large proportion of sales that I should have made
when I come to get the papers signed. Can you give me any
suggestions?"
I
T is pretty difficult to make any general suggestions in such a
case, but we would assume, however, that our friend per-
mits his enthusiasm to slacken at the end, and in this way loses
sight of the vital part in his work.
HIS practice of creating special brands for the dealer has had
the immediate effect to deteriorate largely thequalitvof manufac-
tured articles. The hardware men say that the whole proposition of
special brands is undermining the soundness of the trade, that it
is bringing about conditions which are most unsatisfactory, and
means the loss and disorganization of the entire industry unless
speedily remedied. They advocate the sale of standard factory
brands, and a discontinuance of irregular private brands which work
serious disadvantage to the trade.
The paper which has been prepared is a strong one, and if the
manufacture and sale of special brands has reached such an import-
ant point in the hardware trade that to-day a committee has been
selected to investigate the report, of how much more importance is
it in the piano industry, where the name of a piano means much
more than it does on some particular piece of hardware, where the
purchase price is comparatively small ?