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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
All of these changes cause one to think that within the next
decade there may be material modifications in the treatment of the
piano business both wholesale and retail.
B
USINESS men these days are not unwilling to furnish to
established mercantile agencies statements of their financial
conditions, but naturally they hesitate about giving out confidential
matter which relates directly to their business when they entertain
a suspicion that the information imparted may not be used fairly.
Piano men particularly are not prone to give out inside in-
formation relating to their affairs which possibly may be used to
their disadvantage later on. They realize that there are certain
matters which should be treated in the most confidential manner
between themselves and those who have a direct interest in their
business, and from whom they ask credit, but they do not propose
to place their secrets in the hands of those whom they do not con-
sider have a right to become possessed of the knowledge asked.
I
F every employe knew the money value alone, to say nothing
of the pleasure and satisfaction value, of being loyal to the
house which employs him, there would be more loyal men in every
business.
We are too apt to look at our individual interests and overlook
the fact that the pay envelope contains each week remuneration
based upon the results of our labor and thoughts produced for the
house which provides it. It does not take very long for the head
of an establishment, or a manager to single out loyal men under
him, and if he is of the right sort he is going to see that such men
are put in line for the best there is in the establishment.
There is no question but that the concern places a higher
estimate upon the man who can be counted upon in storm as well
as in smooth sailing than upon the fellow who sells goods but who
does so with an eye to how it will affect his gross sales account,
and not with a care as to how it will affect the net profit account
of the house that employs him.
OW pianos that are poorly sold do not mean a profit to
the merchant, and if salesmen would consider the fact that
good sales—that is, paying sales—mean a greater remuneration
for them, they would all do better. Of course we find occasionally
concerns who do not deserve loyalty from their employes, because
they do not show a sense of appreciation either for labor, or patron-
age. They are bent upon accumulating, without considering the
wear and grind. They are too utterly narrow to appreciate the
services of loyal help, and those who are in such position would
better seek positions where service is not based upon the amount
of business that can be pulled regardless of how it is pulled. To
be loyal to such firms who encourage misrepresentation is a hard
and bitter pill for a conscientious salesman to swallow, but the man
who would lie to his trade and to firms and encourage his assistants
to do likewise is courting ruin. No doubt of it. He may succeed
for a while, but in the end he will be found out, and there never
was a time in the history of this industry when good, straightfor-
ward arguments in selling, pianos are better appreciated, or should
bring a salesman better results, than to-day.
N
ECEPTION has no place in successful merchandising. Every
man, firm or corporation to succeed in business must deliver
the goods every time. Making fair promises which are but partly
kept explains the finish of many business men. Information spreads
too rapidly in these days for deceptive practices to remain long un-
der cover. We have seen illustrations of that in the career of retail
piano merchants, who for a time pursued a dishonorable course,
but their finish came as the natural sequence to such methods.
Knowledge arrives too quickly in these days for illicit practices to
remain long under cover. Publicity and truth soon lift "the lid"
and it is all off with the man of shady methods.
There is no reason why it should be necessary to distort facts
when competing lines of instruments are referred to. We know of
an instance recently where a lady visited a certain piano store, and
the salesman took occasion to speak in the most condemnatory terms
concerning well-known instruments carried by a rival house. He
even descended to the point of abuse as far as stating that the con-
cern had no standing financially, and that the instruments manufac-
tured had deteriorated so in value that they were hardly recogniz-
able as the W
piano of years ago.
D
9
T
HE lady's curiosity was excited and she determined to inves-
tigate the truth of the salesman's statement. She visited the
store where the instruments were kept which had been maligned,
talked with one of the salesmen who spoke in courteous terms re-
garding the rival establishment and asked the lady to examine his
own instruments. This she did, tested them in every way, and
made the purchase of a piano before leaving the store. She, how-
ever, took occasion to call back at the other wareroom and express
her opinion in forcible English to the man who had descended to
the mire of abuse.
Abuse of a competitor counts for naught in these days, for
when a man finds it necessary to devote a good deal of his time to
the abuse of a competing house, suspicion is at once aroused in the
minds of the people who listen to this abuse that it might be
inspired through jealousy. At least good manners and abuse do not
altogether form a strong element of business success.
O
NE man says there is a dearth of good salesmen and managers
in this trade. There is plenty of room at the top and it is true
that the higher up you go in any profession or industry, the less
competition you encounter, and strange to say the smaller the com-
petition the greater the salary.
A salesman is closely related to the manufacturer and he is an
important factor in the business. But in order to make the most of
his opportunities he should perfect himself in his particular line.
It was not so very many years ago that the present president
of the Steel Company worked for ten dollars a week. Other men
have worked for a like salary, and they are still working for such
a paltry wage. The difference is in the man. One realized that
knowledge is a cornerstone upon which a successful career could
be constructed, and he determined he would know his trade. The
other man didn't care much about business so long as he could get
along through the week and get his salary when Saturday came.,
and still there are people who say that it is luck that wins out.
. Luck!—nonsense. It means that one man was ambitious and
used his brains, and the other man did not.
I
S the term "baby grand" becoming obsolete in this trade, having
been replaced by the term "smaller grand" which applies to all
the grands of lesser creation than the parlor size?
Apropos of the term "baby" used in trade nomenclature the
following is related by a well-known furniture man who says:
"The feminine mind is more argumentative, the male mind more
judicial. Women make mighty good advocates, but poor judges.
Let them once get an impression, no matter how erroneous, and it
is hard to disabuse them of it.
"I want to recall a little instance in point. Not so very long ago
one of my clerks came into my office and informed me that there
was a lady in the store who wanted to purchase some articles in
'baby' mahogany. Thinking that he must have misunderstood her,
I went out and saw her.
" T want to buy a rocker in "baby" mahogany,' she began.
" ' "Baby" mahogany!' I exclaimed. 'My dear madam, I never
heard of it. I don't think that there is any such thing.'
"She gave me a disdainful look, and pointing to a piece of fur-
niture made from Tuna mahogany, exclaimed, 'There, there it is!'
"I tried to explain to her what Tuna mahogany really was, but
some one had told her that mahogany was light in its infancy and
dark colored after a tree had reached its growth, and the impression
had become so fixed that I was unable to shake it. That woman
to-day has me sized up as an ignoramus who ought to be dealing
in prunes instead of furniture."
T
HE demand for piano players continues unusually brisk, and
while the player has ceased to be a novelty, it continues to be
a large and growing factor in piano selling. One of the largest
dealers recently remarked to The Review that he was in thorough
sympathy with our prediction made months ago that the selling
force of the piano players was beyond calculation. The player
has come to stay, and as time rolls on there will be modifications
and improvements, for progress never halts. That the player of
the future will be better than the player of to-day is acknowledged
by all who know of the wonderful evolution which has been steadily
going on in the player field since the inception of these business
stimulators, but the player of to-day seems to meet fully all present
requirements.