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Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
VOL. LXIII. No. 8 Published Every Saturday by the Estate of Edward Lyman Bill at 373 4th Ave., New York, Aug. 19, 1916
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conventions in various important industries recently the subjects of advertising and salesmanship
were topics uppermost in the papers presented by leading authorities.
The necessity for a closer appreciation of the importance of these subjects on the part of the
' merchants of the country is obvious.
Advertising is but a highly specialized form of salesmanship, and salesmanship, in turn, is nothing more
than a personal, applied form of advertising.
Success in the modern field of merchandising depends almost entirely upon the proper application of
the science of advertising, coupled with constructive salesmanship. The merchant of to-day who disregards
the theories and the proper use of these two mighty commercial forces is almost without exception..predes-
tined to failure.
It is indicative of the trend of modern business towards co-operation and harmonious competition, that
the brightest men engaged in business to-day, men who have devoted years to the study and the application
of both advertising and salesmanship, are willing and, in fact, are eager to impart to others those basic rules
which they themselves have learned through long experimentation.
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There has been no trade convention of any importance held during- the past few years at which a major
portion of the program was not devoted to a discussion of the problems of advertising and salesmanship
existing in the trade. This has given the smaller merchant, no matter what his particular line may be, an
opportunity to learn easily those basic factors of success which have been worked out by the leaders in every
department of commercial activity, and it has also afforded the small merchant a wonderful opportunity
greatly to enhance his chance of permanent success by applying those fundamental principles to his own
business.
The trade press of to-day, in reporting these conventions, gives without exception as much or more
space to the discussions of salesmanship and advertising which occur at these gatherings, than it does to the
actual news happenings of the convention. More than that, all the really progressive trade publications
carry as a regular feature a department devoted to the problems of salesmanship, departments similar in
purpose and scope to the Salesmanship Section which appears in this issue of The Review.
Despite these many opportunities which are offered the average merchant whereby he may improve his
methods of doing business, there are still too many who read everything that is said and written along these
lines, and who agree that it is true and timely, and yet do not apply the principles of better advertising and
better salesmanship to their own business.
Success cannot be achieved in any line as long as the "let George do it" policy is in vogue. There are
many, even in the music trade industry—critical ones at that—who like to preach about what the other
fellow should do, but rarely take stock of their own shortcomings.
They overlook the fact that their own house ofttimes needs cleaning, and they themselves are, perhaps,
lacking in the requisites of progressive advertising and progressive salesmanship.
Conventions come and go, but they are of no purpose unless the men who attend them, and the men
who read about the proceedings, act upon the suggestions made, when they are proven practical, and can be
adapted to good purpose in their own business.
Tt isn't so much what we read that counts as what we retain.and digest, and this is eminently true when..
it comes to utilizing the modern business ideas which are brought to the surface in conventions and other public
gatherings.
When a business man is public spirited enough to tell his brethren how he has won success by the adoption
of certain ideas, and thus enlightens others how they may follow and do likewise, he is conferring a.benefit on
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on page 5)
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