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**TOH, LENOX
RMFW
THE
flUJIC TIRADE
V O L . L V . N o . 11.
Published Every S a t u r d a y by E d w a r d L y m a n Bill a t 3 7 3 F o u r t h Ave., N e w Y o r k , Sept. 14, 1 9 1 2
COPIES. 10 CENTS.
b SINGLE
l
$ioo
PER YEAR!
Merchandising
P
LANS that are outlined early usually mature best: Many merchants delay business plans for fall
to such an extent that they are apt to lose some of the finest results of seasonable trade.
Business problems should be solved now instead of later, for there is but a portion of Sep-
tember left and with October looming up it is not wise to delay placing orders until too late or
until a time when the delay may be expensive and annoying.
Merchandise stocks must not only be assembled in warerooms and in the different departments
before trade actually opens up, but selling and operating plans must be formulated that will further the
movement of goods.
Plans for stimulating trade must be not merely outlined, but must be completed and problems of
administration and systematization must be worked out; also the personnel of the sales and operating-
forces must be looked into as well as important items relative to the store's physical accommodation.
Merchandising, selling and operating plans are.never good until they are well matured.
They cannot be devised and applied simultaneously to fit the problems of selling. Therefore, the
farther ahead the average merchant can look, the clearer his survey of the road and the smoother his going.
Already much of the merchandise in many lines of trade which will form the basis of business later
on has been bought, and it is quite time that piano merchants obtain an accurate line on the fall campaign
while September is still on the calendar.
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Now is the time to get the whole machinery of business into careful working order, and now is the
time to begin getting up steam to run the machinery—that is, if full merchandising speed is expected
when the flood tide of business actually reaches us.
A careful survey of business possibilities in the local fields should be taken at this time. Has the
population of your city and town increased within the year? Since last fall has any material change
taken place in the population with direct reference to the absorption of pianos and player-pianos? Has
the percentage of high-class trade increased?
Are there many newcomers to your city whom you have not canvassed directly in order to acquaint
them of your store—its line of instruments and its service?
All of these things require minute consideration and should be looked into with a view of meeting
every new circumstance of trade with force, precision and directness.
Then, again, have you a clearly formulated idea of how your store measures up with other stores in
your vicinage with special reference to competing lines of pianos?
If you have failed to do this, now is the accepted time to analyze the situation.
The piano merchant with keen foresight should see to it that the individual members of his sales
force obtain an intimate knowledge of the various lines of instruments which he handles.
Every salesman should acquaint himself thoroughly with the different grades of pianos and how they
fit into different selling plans.
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Every salesman should understand the kind of advertising put forth daily, not only by the establish-
ment with which he is associated but by others in his vicinage, and the proprietors should.see to it that
there is no haphazard advertising.
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Space in newspapers may be a source of great loss at any time unless that space is wisely used.
There are many things to consider in the fall campaign, but the ones which I.have outlined are well
worthy of the careful consideration of readers everywhere, for we should remember that securing a profit-
able business is largely a matter of being equipped to handle it when the proper time comes, in response
to well directed efforts to stimulate business. Being in full readiness to handle fall business is pre-emi
nently a matter of foresight and planning ahead.
There are in the business world of America too many men who do not give the whole business situation
the careful study which it deserves.
They go at it in a haphazard way with plans perhaps not varying from
those of years ago, thus forgetting that the world is constantly changing;
and the business man who fails to adjust his machinery with the changing
times will be thrown in the scrap heap of trade failures unless he remodels
his plans so that they conform to a 1912 setting.