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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
CATALOGUES AND SALESMEN ARE MUTUALLY HELPFUL
An Interesting Disquisition on This Subject—The Catalogue Like the Trade Paper Introduces
the Salesman, and Where the Latter Has Faith in the Values He Offers He Wins Success
—How the Catalogue Paves the Way for the Sales Department.
"In these days of keen competition selling
merchandise is considered an a r t of the most
technical character. No longer is the commer-
cial traveler a 'drummer.' He is a 'professional
salesman,' and entitled to the same courtesies
and respect due other professional men. He
must be aggressive, have a wide knowledge of
human nature, a clear insight into the general
trend of business affairs, and, above all, know
his own business thoroughly. He must bear him-
self with dignity and be morally clean and
irreproachable.
"Time was when the 'drummer' who could hang
on the longest got the order. Not so to-day.
The salesman must know when to quit, and the
one who knows the best is the one who brings
in the most orders to his house. He should
be persistent, but not impertinent. He should
talk value and price to a certain point, then
quit. If he be given a small trial order, he should
show a proper appreciation of the favor. Most
things have a small beginning, and if the house
is all he represents it to be the trial order will
be the means of bringing many more.
"It is, of course, desirable to get as large an
order from the dealer as the latter's capacity will
warrant, and the salesman should try for big
gross results as well as for big net results. He
should aim for as large orders as may be prac-
ticable. But when he finds that the trial order
is the best that he can get he should accept it
gracefully, concealing any feeling of disappoint-
ment from the customer, and endeavor to leave
two vivid impressions upon the latter's mind:
First, that the trial order will be as carefully
and expeditiously handled as the largest and
most important order from a permanent cus-
tomer of the house would be; second, that the
salesman himself is convinced that a new account
thus tentatively opened will grow apace.
"In the final analysis the salesman is meas-
ured by the results he attains. That is, by the
amount of business he brings his house and the
reputation he gives it. Honest, intelligent and
unceasing effort, coupled with loyalty to his
firm and confidence in his goods, is almost cer-
tain to bring success to the average salesman."
There .are few industries where the catalogue credited, because the customer must conclude
is used to better advantage than in that devoted either that the prices quoted in the catalogue
to musical instruments. Hence The Review, are disproportionate to the values offered, or else
time and time again, has emphasized the impor- that the goods, having proved unsalable for one
tance of issuing literature that is always first- reason or another, are being closed out at any
class, both from typographical and literary view- price that can be obtained for them. The cus-
points. The best-written publicity is often spoiled tomer, instead of feeling that he is getting a bar-
by poor cut work and vice versa. It is the ex- gain, feels that he has narrowly escaped being
cellence of the whole that makes the impressive imposed upon, and he resents what he considers
and satisfactory catalogue—one that acts as an an attempted imposition. The salesman, so far
advance agent for the house and helps the sales- from benefiting himself, cheapens his service to
man who must always follow up this excellent his house, and, if he is working on commission,
suffers pecuniary loss by decreasing the amount
trade missionary.
This brings to mind a rather interesting article of money from which his remuneration will be
on the subject of catalogues helping salesmen determined on a percentage basis. There should
which appeared in. that bright magazine, Sales- be no special discounts given by the salesman
which are not freely given through the catalogue.
manship, and which is worth reading:
"In our business we aim to keep salesman
"A question often asked is this: 'Can a mer-
cantile house issue catalogues and employ sales- and catalogue on an equal footing, pulling to-
men profitably, rendering the two mutually help- gether for the interests of the house, and we
ful and co-operative?' An experience of many never permit one to disparage the other in the
years enables me to answer in the affirmative. eyes of our customers. As I said before, we have
In the first place, the catalogue serves to intro- found the two mediums of marketing merchan-
duce the salesman, and when he reaches the pros- dise most valuable and have experienced no diffi-
pective customer he finds that his house is al- culty in working both in harmony. We believe
ready known; that an acquaintance has been that in this way greater success can be achieved
struck up through the medium of the catalogue. than if we used either means alone.
"Most buyers, and especially the ones who own
The salesman, on the other hand, by means of
personal conversation with the customer, gets his the stores or shops whose patronage is solicited,
ideas, and thus attains a knowledge of the needs feel instinctively the disposition of the salesman
of the trade, which is invaluable in making up toward his firm, and if the latter's honor and in-
the catalogue and enables his house to rank tegrity are not upheld in a forceful and con-
vincing manner the chances of securing an order
ahead of all others in the same line.
"It will be seen that the catalogue paves the are very much lessened.
"The salesman must have faith in the values
way for the sales department, and in return the
salesmen help to build up, strengthen and ex- he offers; otherwise he cannot have the degree
pand the mail-order branches of the concern. A and kind of enthusiasm which is communicable
catalogue which is compiled from a mere theo- to the persons he wishes to sell. His faith must
retical knowledge of the trade and its require- be based on something more substantial than
ments, or which is based on an experience of con- the mere wish to believe in the goods he sells,
ditions which no longer exist, is likely to prove and this is a matter in which many salesmen
a poor business-getter. The catalogue which is are short-sighted. They want to make money;
MASON & HAMLIN ORGANS.
made up from the advices of salesmen, however, the goods offer them the means of making
is likely to prove satisfactory and successful to money; not to believe in the goods would be to
Two Mason & Hamlin organs were recently
the highest degree. The salesmen, being in ac- doubt their merchantableness, and to discount
tual contact with the trade, are able not only to the chance of profit in them. This would be installed in Lawrence University, Appleton, Wis.,
give accurate advices of current conditions in courting discouragement at the outset, and most through the efforts of Ross, Schefft & Weinman,
the market, but to forecast with a fair degree men shrink from discouragements. They would the company's agents in that city.
of accuracy the conditions that will obtain in . rather put blind faith in their proposition and
trust to luck. Salesmen may be enthusiastic
the future.
"DISTINCTIVELY HIGH GRADE"
"The catalogue, no less than the salesman, under these conditions, but they find it harder
must be 'up to the standard' in all the essen- to impart their enthusiasm. •
"The salesman does well who-insists on being
tials of good salesmanship. It must have a per-
sonality, and that personality must be such as to thoroughly taught, before he starts out to sell
impart to the recipient confidence in the house any firm's goods, just what their points of ex-
by which it is issued. In short, the catalogue cellence are, so that he can put intelligent faith
must possess all the excellent traits of character in them—the sort of faith • that customers in-
that are demanded in the salesman, for in reality stinctively recognize as justifiable and which
the catalogue is a salesman. Every statement communicates . itself to them. Even if many
it makes is in black and white, and there is no of the salesman's reasons for such faith are
irrelevant from the dealer's point of view, so that
excuse for misunderstandings.
"The catalogue and the salesman must work they are not included in the selling talk, they
in perfect harmony. In no instance should the are not to be ignored; they contribute their share
salesman be permitted to undersell the catalogue, to the sum total of the salesman's knowledge of
as the moment that is done confidence in the his proposition, and give to his assurance an in-
house is destroyed. This cannot be too strongly fectious quality. A salesman of the right type
emphasized. There are doubtless, in every line may give the customer only three reasons for be-
of business, some salesmen who feel that in un- lieving in the merit of his goods and still make
derselling their house's catalogue they are doing the customer feel the force of thirty other rea-
a good turn to three parties at once. First, they sons of which he has not spoken. He commu-
imagine that this process is equivalent to extend- nicates their force in some indefinable way while
ing a favor to the customer, since he gets the delivering the force of the three reasons to which
is the greatest success of the day.
goods he desires at a lower price than he might he gives verbal expression.
It possesses a scale of rare even-
"It is absolutely essential that the salesman
expect to get if he relied on the catalogue; second,
ness, atone of remarkable sonority
they fancy that the house enjoys a degree of have perfect confidence in the integrity of the
and richness, with a quality that
credit reflected by their own liberality, and is house he represents, else he cannot be successful
is highly orchestral. Our latest
therefore more sure of the continued patronage in booking orders. It is impossible to instill Into
styles of Grands and Uprights
of the customer; third, they feel that by under- the minds of others a lasting confidence which he
mark a decided advance in the art
of piano-making. We court inves-
selling the catalogue they benefit themselves by himself does not feel. He must be loyal to the
tigation. Some territory still open.
getting business in greater volume and more house he represents and use every endeavor to
advance its interests. Anything less than his
rapidly than they otherwise would do.
CHRISTMAN SONS, M>nul«,ct»rcr.
"It will be clear to every manager, and to very best is a curtailment of his own ability and
FACTORY AND OFFICE:
• WA11EROOM8:
most experienced salesmen, that this line of rea- a corresponding decrease in his real worth as a
869-873 East 137
35 West 14th St.
NEW Y O R K
soning is untrustworthy. The house is dis- salesman.
She CHRISTMAN
STUDIO GRAND