Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
T H E NEW YORK
THE
MUJIC T^ADE
VOL.
LIV. N o . C.
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 1 Madison Ave., New York, Feb. 3,1912
SINGL
$ !.OS
0 P
P E I R S VE°AR ENTS
Difference Between Assistance and Insistence
T
H E difference between assistance and insistence is very material, and to my mind the selling idea
is to assist the customer and not to insist. In- other words, to be attentive and let the man
whom you are endeavoring to sell do some of the talking.
I have heard some piano salesmen rattling on with their arguments like talking machines.
No particular or convincing point was made, but just sentence after sentence bubbled up from depths
which seemed inexhaustible in their supply of vocal pyrotechnics; and yet when they had completed, what
had the customer learned?
Nothing—a perfect maze of statements hurled at him in such a vigorous manner that he had neither
time nor inclination to digest any of them.
He had prices, quality, names—everything—all a mass of word jugglery.
Now, the world of trade has moved up a notch or two and salesmanship as well has advanced as a
profession, and the trained men of the craft permit their customers to do some of the talking while they
listen.
They know that the selling idea is assistance and not insistence.
That one point should be fixed in the mind of every salesman, no matter what he may be selling.
The selling of pianos, either wholesale or retail, requires ability, persistence; in fact, a number of
good qualities, among which may be instanced intelligence of a high order.
We are all salesmen in a degree—lawyers, doctors, editors, merchants—all impress upon the public
certain ideas, certain qualities which they possess, and they are selling their wares—some physical, some
mental and intellectual.
Some, of course, have higher ideals, and none of us are ever different than our ideals.
Then, too, as our ideals are invariably shaded and colored by our present day experiences, there should
be little difficulty in understanding why the ability to direct our lives along the best possible lines should
be so valuable an asset to any of us.
In plain, matter-of-fact language; a habit is so lightly fixed that it may be quite easily changed; but,
as each repetition adds to its strength, it does not take very long to give this habit firm root in our nature.
If a salesman falls into the habit of studying his customer, of learning the force in the logic of argu-
ment rather than the weakness in the absurdity of abuse, he will become much more valuable to himself
and to those who employ him.
The term salesmanship has been defined as follows: "Salesmanship is the manner, method and art
of most economically affecting the exchange of an article for money to the equal and permanent satisfac-
tion of buyer and seller' 1 ; and it's an art which is much talked about and but little known by many men
who pose as salesmen, but who have not learned the elementary steps in the profession.