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SALESMANSHIP
A Complete Section Devoted to Piano Salesmanship Published Each Month by The Music Trade Review
Getting the Customer's Feet on the Player Pedals
The Initial Step in Selling a Player-Piano Is to Get the Customer to the Point Where
He Will Operate the Instrument Himself—Some Mistakes Salesmen Must Avoid
the present moment, with the country in a state of simply
A T stupendous
activity, the prospects for an enormous player
business seem to be extremely bright. It is hard to see how
salesmen can fail to sell as many player-pianos as they can get
hold of; but perhaps it is not always as easy for the salesman
himself to realize that. It is a curious fact that whilst the
principles, if they may so be called, which have ruled the selling
of pianos seem never to excite any particular controversy, those
which have to do with the sale of the player-piano are as yet as
little agreed on as is the answer to the famous question "Who
struck Billy Patterson?" The reason is not far to seek. The
player-piano involves the production of music by the owner,
more or less directly, as part of the reason for its purchase, and
the greater part. If it were only to be a piece of furniture that
occasionally might be played, there would be no sense in buying
a playing mechanism.
The one and only certainty about a prospect who comes in
to look at a player-piano is that he, or she, wants music but
cannot manipulate the key-board. Within this wide fact may
be found very many gradations of musical taste, from the crud-
est jug band reactions to the most refined love for the works
of the masters. Some day the salesmen will wake up to the
fact that no effort has ever yet been made to corral the really
musical non-piano-playing element in this country. But this
can be talked about some other day.
When a prospect comes in and looks at a player-piano, it is
plain that the very first thing to do is to get that prospect seated
on the player bench, with his or her feet on the pedals. But
before this can be done, the salesman must give some prelimi-
nary demonstration. Yet right here is one of the most tricky
chances of error in all the business.
When one is engaged in showing a prospect how to insert
the roll, etc., two points at once present themselves. What is
the title of that roll that you, Sir Salesman, are inserting? Did
you pick it out because you like it, or did you ask the prospect
what kind of music he or she prefers? If you did the first, then
you are not demonstrating to the prospect but to yourself. Yet
it is not you who is to buy the instrument!
If that prospect is consulted about the choice of music and
says "O! any kind," or "I like all sorts," then the salesman knows
that popular music of the "popularest" sort, as it were, measures
the range of appreciation. So it is safe to turn on the very latest.
Those who know better will state their wants. Yet even here
common sense must rule. An old lady may be shy about indi-
cating tastes, but it is safe she does not care for anything too
noisy. One must use discretion.
Of course, those who know what they want will ask for it.
Even then it is well not to be too cocksure. The salesman must
not suppose it safe always to put on a good classic merely be-
cause it is asked for, for his hearer may know too much, far too
much, about it; and the salesman's demonstration may fall
down hard. It is a safe rule never to play a long classical piece
except it be definitely asked for; and not even then if there is
any way of getting out of it gracefully. Hand-played rolls should
always be used in demonstrating such music on ordinary play-
ers, unless the salesman is really expert and the listener capable
of appreciating good playing. In the latter case, the straight
cut roll is the thing; for it shows the listener what he, or she,
may do with that same player-piano.
When these two points—the choice of the roll and the work
at the pedals—have been thought out, we find another of equal
interest and importance. The reason for exercising much care
in one's work at the pedals is that the prospect will instinctively
shy off from anything that looks like work, or knowledge, or
study, or even trouble of any kind. It is a strange fact that men
who will spend hours of their spare time learning automobile
engineering in order that they may do the dirtiest and most dis-
agreeable work around their car, will refuse even to look at a
player-piano if they think there is anything to learn in the opera-
tion of it.
Yet there is something to learn about the operation of the
player-piano, unless indeed the straight reproducing instrument
is being sold. And it is the task of the salesman to manoeuvre
things so that the interest of the prospect is aroused over the
results he can get, instead of being damped by thoughts of the
trouble he must take.
The one and only way of assuring this result is to use music
which does not require special manipulation of anything save
the foot-pedals. Using a hand-played roll means that the tempo
lever can be left untouched. Then the use of the automatic
sustaining pedal device renders unnecessary yet one more manip-
ulation ; and so the hands need have nothing at all to do. Of
course, the result is not artistic, but to be artistic is to frighten
the vast mass of people right away from the player-piano. They
shy off instinctively if they see anything that looks like skill.
One may not be able to understand why there should be
this horror of having to do anything, in regard to the player-
piano, while there is just the opposite feeling about the auto-
mobile. But facts are stern things.
Getting the prospect to the player-piano may usually be
brought about if the idea that pedaling is a difficult matter can
only be taken away from the prospect's mind. To pedal the
player with one foot is often a good thing, or to do anything
else that will kill the notion of great skill being necessary. On
the other hand it is not only permissible but even desirable to
show how easily the dynamics of the piece may be controlled by
a judicious kick at the right moment. It is only necessary to
put on a military march and give a little kick on the pedals at
the beginning of each one-two-three-four. The moment the pros-
pect does this for the first time, the sale is half made.
"Get the prospect to the pedals, and do it quick." That is
the advice of a player salesman who has sold player-pianos to
every kind of person under the sun; and whose sage reflections
form the foundation of these remarks.