Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1912 Vol. 55 N. 21

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THE: MUSIC TRADE
KMEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorlal Staff:
B. BRITTAIN WILSON,
A. J. NICKLIN,
CAKLETON CHACE.
AUGUST J. TIMPE,
BOSTON OFFICE:
JOHN H. WILSON, 824 Washington St.
Telephone, Main 6950.
PHILADELPHIA:
R. W. KAUFFMAN.
L. M. ROBINSON,
WM. B. WHITE,
GLAD HENDERSON,
L. E. BOWIES.
CHICAGO OFFICE:
E. P. VAN HARLINGEN, 87 South Wabash Are.
Room 806. Telephone, Central 414
MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL:
ADOLF EDSTEN.
ST. LOUIS:
CLYBK JENNINGS
SAN FRANCISCO: S. H. GRAY, 88 First St.
DETROIT, MICH.: MORRIS J. WHITE.
CINCINNATI. O.: JACOB W. WALTHS.
BALTIMORE. MD.: A. ROBERT FRENCH.
INDIANAPOLIS, I N D J STANLEY H. SMITH
MILWAUKEE, W I S . : L. E. MEYZK.
LONDON, ENGLAND: 1 Gresham Buildings, Basinghall St., E. C.
Published Every ^Saturday at 373 Fourth Avenue, New York
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION, (including postage), United States and Mexico, $2.00 per year; Canada,
$3.60; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS. $8.50 per inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts, a special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages, $75.00.
REMITTANCES, in other than currency forms, should be made payable to Edward
Lyman Bill.
p i a n n Plan A anil
Departments conducted by an expert wherein all ques-
• WJUTIOIW ailU
tions of a technical nature relating to the tuning, regu-
T * # h n l 4 * 9 l H4>nni*tmj>nfe
lating and repairing of pianos and player-pianos are
ICVHUlUal VC|NU I11ICUI5. dealth with, will be found in another section of this
paper. We also publish a number of reliable technical works, information concerning which
will be Cheerfully given upon request.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prix
Paris Exposition, 1900
Silver Medal.. .Charleston Exposition, 1908
Diploma.... Pan-American Exposition 1901
Gold Medal
St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal. .Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES-NUMBERS 5982-S983 MADISON SQUARE
Connecting all Departments.
Cable a d d r e s s " "Elblll. N e w York."
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 23, 1912.
EDITORIAL
O
NE of the most significant developments in the retail trade
throughout the country to-day is the trend toward quality
leadership.
Piano merchants are realizing that it is quality in pianos rather
than price which places their business upon a satisfactory and en-
during basis. In other words, there is a natural reaction from the
puzzle contest, coupon, commercial piano craze which seemed to
dominate the country for a while.
It is only necessary to examine the list of successful piano
merchants to find that those who have won distinguished success
have been those who have always consistently upheld the quality of
their instruments and have never shown degeneracy in their adver-
tising to the extent of subordinating a quality for a price leader.
Many merchants and salesmen have been at times led away
from the quality position believing that they could increase their
sales by selling commercial instruments, forgetting that it only re-
quires tact and persistence to sell a real good piano in preference
to a cheap one, and it should be always kept in mind that the recol-
lection of quality remains long after the price is forgotten. Thus
every piano bearing the name of an honored manufacturer is a
veritable sales agent for the merchant selling it, and therefore a
stable business is perpetually benefited by featuring and pushing
quality products. The piano merchant having confidence in his
pianos and who holds to his price impresses his customer by his
candor and enthusiasm.
The attitude of many merchants in failing to uphold the
standard of quality has done much to retard their business interests.
However, times are on the mend, and the manufacturers of artistic
pianos throughout the country were never as busy as to-day, thus
testifying to the fact that merchants are waking up to an apprecia-
tion of a policy which has been advocated persistently by The
Review, and that is keeping tfre quality standard flag constantly at
£he masthead.
REVIEW
T
HE necessity of manufacturers making an advance in the sell-
ing prices of pianos to cover conditions which have material-
ized during the past six months, not merely in the matter of labor
but in materials, which in almost every branch have shown an up-
ward trend, becomes more imperative every day. Manufacturers
must get a price for their instruments commensurate with the cost
of manufacture, and arguments must be presented to their repre-
sentatives throughout the country to this end.
Piano merchants have sufficient business foresight and judg-
ment to arrange whereby they will receive a just and fair increase
in prices from the public whose purchasing power has been greatly
augmented through the large volume of employment and the good
times which we are now enjoying.
It behooves every manufacturer to carefully revise his cost
formula so that he may know exactly what it costs him to make
instruments now as compared with say twelve or twenty months
ago.
In this connection every salesman can be of considerable value
to his employer and to the trade at large by helping to sustain
prices. There is no excuse why any ground should be surrendered
to the "price beater."
Piano salesmen have a large amount of "grit," and at a time
when prices are being considered this is a necessary possession, so
as to avoid the temptation to yield a point or two in order to pre-
vent a threatened cancellation of an order, or clench a promised
sale.
ESPITE tariff talk and the effect of a special session of Con-
gress, business activity continues unabated. Practically all
branches of trade are busy and the post-election period has ap-
parently witnessed an increased rather than a decreased volume of
business. The leading distributers report the receipt of large
orders, while at some markets buyers in person have operated quite
freely. The feeling all around is one of optimism.
Bradstreet's says: "Buying for next spring is expanding,
industrial operations are as active as heretofore, railway tonnage
is of large proportions, goods are not overplentiful anywhere, col-
lections are improving, old debts are being liquidated, retail trade
is enlarging, especially in sections where low temperatures have
prevailed; holiday business is growing, the railways continue to
buy material in volume, and, except in a few lines of textiles where
tariff talk is in evidence, optimism is as notable as ever.
"It is significant that immediate business is exceptionally good
and that buyers insist upon prompt deliveries, which tends to em-
phasize the fact that consumption is very heavy/'
D
HE action of several prominent piano houses 1 of Wichita, Kan.,
in stopping the work of a special sales promoter, including
his advertising, through the medium of the local court, is worthy
of more than passing comment, for it shows that where the court
considers a wrong has been done legal redress is possible.
In previous instances it has generally been the practise for the
competing dealers to rush into print with large advertisements
directed against the announcement of the special sale artist. The
advertisements generally cost quite a sum of money and incidentally
attracted the attention of the public to happenings in the trade that
are not altogether favorable to the industry or pleasant to exploit or
to read. Wichita dealers did not even write letters to the news-
papers carrying the offensive advertisements, but simply hired a
detective and presented the evidence obtained by him to the court.
The result was a heavy fine to both the special sale promoter and
the piano house by whom he was engaged.
Irrespective of the merits or demerits of the case, the fact
remains that Wichita dealers took the right course. The internal
troubles of the trade were not held up to the public gaze, but every-
thing was conducted in a legal, and, what proved to be, an effective
manner. Had the decision been against the protesting dealers their
action would have been none the less commendable, but it was not,
and in all events they saved both money and dignity.
T
NOTED preacher has for his maxim: "See things as they
are and do them." These words mean volumes to the pro-
A
gressive retail salesman. The road 'twixt right and wrong is a
sharp, clearly defined path, It can be seen a long distance before
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
you approach it. The mistake which some salesmen make is, that
they will not judge between the right path and the wrong, but trust
to luck, and, as luck is a fickle goddess, very often they choose the
wrong avenue. In the course of a sale, a salesman can see the
proper method to pursue, but, thinking to make a short cut to quick
sales, he strays from the path, cuts the corners, and disaster over-
takes him before long.
The conscientious, honest, painstaking salesman, however, sees
REVIEW
before him only the well beaten path which he knows he must travel
and he sticks to that until he attains his goal. False promises, mis-
leading statements, and exaggerations will go for a little while, and
a fluent talker may bluff his way through for a time, but it is only
a question of time when these inflated, or artificial elements, lose
their force, and he is at the end of his resources', while the con-
sistent, painstaking, honest salesman continues to reap the harvest
of his wise endeavors.
The Value of Retail Organization.
T
HIS is the age when quick action counts, whether it be in the
domain of piano retailing or wholesaling. The old-fashioned
system of "haggling" is not as popular as it used to be, and when
would-be purchasers are impressed with a product, or by a house,
they buy without question—and immediately. An illustration of han-
dling a piano inquiry at long distance with a sale in view is related
by James W. Egbert in the recent issue of Printers' Ink. He says:
"A man in Indianapolis wrote to a New York piano house on
Tuesday in answer to a magazine ad. which offered a booklet.
Thursday morning he was' somewhat astonished to have the book-
let delivered at his office by a salesman for the local dealer who
carried that make of piano. The salesman sat down and went
through the book with him, calling attention to various points of
advantage, and the mail reply received from New York on Friday
morning helped clinch a sale already certain. The prospect had
mailed an inquiry to a Chicago house in the same mail with the one
to New York. The reply came along Friday afternoon—too late.
"Something besides mere promptness was responsible for the
sale which was made in that instance. As soon as the inquiry
w ; as received by the New York house, the Indianapolis man was
looked up in Dun or Bradstreet, and if not rated there, the local
mercantile directory of Indianapolis was consulted. When it
reached the advertising manager's desk all available information
about the inquirer was written on it, and the advertising manager
easily decided that it was worth a night-letter to the local dealer.
The latter received the "tip" on Friday morning, and jumped his
best outside man right over to the prospect's office.
"The inquiry to the Chicago house, on the other hand, followed
a regular cut and dried system which treated all alike. Chicago
is much nearer Indianapolis than New York, but the girl running
the system was slow or tired, and the New York mail reply got
there first, to say nothing about the telegram. Moreover, since the
sale was made, the Chicago house has spent more money on follow-
up than the New York house spent on its night-letter.
"The New York piano house simply made use of every auxiliary
which was within reach; the telegraph, the reference books, and
the outside organization of the local dealer. Of course, it is not
possible for all manufacturers to make use of these particular
auxiliaries, but in many lines of business sales are made by influ-
ences which can be harnessed to serve a particular end if it is prop-
erly gone about.
"A great many piano dealers hire forces of canvassers, periodi-
cally, who go about looking for prospects. They do not try to sell
a piano, and are not allowed to spend time trying. They simply go
from house to house, reporting whether the family has a piano, and
whether the person talked to seemed satisfied with it. Two or three
or more outside salesmen follow up the prospects located by the
canvassers, and do the active work of selling. The salesmen are
permanently employed; the canvassers are hired whenever new
prospects are needed.
"The New York piano house mentioned above knew that the
Indianapolis dealer had such an organization, and made use of it.
Indeed, the house in question tries to promote such organizations
among its dealers, and handles direct inquiries wherever possible
by the method described. The dealer's outside force is a valuable
auxiliary, not only promoting sales for the dealer on his whole line,
but enabling him to perform effective team work with manufactur-
ers when occasion arises."
This illustrates the value of organization without which it is
impossible to achieve any great results in business. It matters' little
how small the business, the object ever should be to give immediate
consideration to inquiries regarding sales. And that means not
merely a letter, but to put the entire machinery of the establishment
at work to the end that the sale is consummated.
System, that much abused word, is absolutely essential to-day
if a concern expects to keep in line with the rapid march of the
business army. No man in a growing business can keep a proper
rein upon his affairs, correspondence, contracts, consignments,
orders and accounts unless the business is systematized so that there
may be no delay when action is needed.
Misleading and Untrue Advertising.
I
N the San Francisco Post of November 13 there appeared an
advertisement of the Heine Piano Co. In this advertisement
was the following: "Caution to buyers: Once old, reliable makes
such as Knabe, Chickering and Weber, are not made by any Knabe,
Chickering or Weber, but the names have been bought up, and out
of these names corporations are making money on the strength of
their old reputation.
"Remember that these cannot be had as made by the original
makers. It is the manufacturer of a piano that builds up the repu-
tation—not the man who stencils one and purchases the name."
Such advertising constitutes not only a serious reflection upon
the honesty of an important part of the piano industry, but it is
glaringly malicious and misleading.
The advertiser cautions the piano-buying public against the
purchase of pianos bearing old and time-honored names, the infer-
ence being that the present owners are doing business simply on
the reputation of the past. It is difficult to understand the moral
obtuseness 1 of an advertiser who wilfully distorts facts.
Everyone of the pianos named by Heine is made in the original
factory under the supervision of men who have worked for genera-
tions under the same roof, building Knabe, Chickering and Weber
pianos, and the men controlling the corporations are building pianos
to-day better than ever before in the history of the houses.
Ask any competent critic to compare the products of these
factories of 1912 with any previous year and see whether the in-
struments have deteriorated or not.
As a matter of fact it would be business suicide for any one of
these corporations to build cheap pianos and attempt to sell them
on name strength.
Such a move would only last a little while before all of the name
value would count for naught.
It would be poor business policy and the men in control of
the destinies of these organizations are too far sighted and progres-
sive to consider for one moment any such a plan. On the con-
trary, their explicit orders have been given to make betterments
wherever possible no matter what the cost.
It would interest men of the Heine stamp perhaps to know
that many thousands of dollars are spent annually purely in experi-
mental work to create advanced tonal effects in all of the pianos
made in these several factories.
But what can be said of the men who wilfully distort facts?
It would seem to be a question of law—not of argument.

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