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THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LYMAN BILL, Inc.
President and Treasurer, C. L. Bill, 373 Fourth Ave., New York; Vice-President,
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Assistant Treasurer, Win. A. Low.
J. B. SPILLANE, Editor
RAY BILL, B. B. WILSON, BRAID WHITE, Associate Editors
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EDWARD VAN HARUNGEN, V. D. WALSH, E. B. M U N C H , L E E ROBINSON, C. R. T I G H E ,
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p
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Vol. LXX1II
NEW YORK, JULY 23, 1921
No. 4
THE NEED FOR CONFIDENCE
B
USINESS confidence is urged by the Sell Now League through
its chairman, J. Mitchell Thorsen, business manager of the Cos-
mopolitan, who makes public a statement from one of the members
of the league committee, J. H. Tregoe, secretary-treasurer of the
National Association of Credit Men, who says:
"Immediately following the signing of the armistice we were
cursed with overconfidence and are now retarded by underconfidence.
Business in its personal elements rests for success on confidence..The
nation has a bad case of nerves. It should be removed and can be
removed by the proper psychological attitude. We must have confi-
dence in the nation itself.
"It isn't the time for idleness, for laziness, for waiting, but the
time for real application, for stimulation, for the expression of our
firm beliefs and for the restoration of confidence. As soon as we
have restored confidence to prices and brought peace to the world the
wheels of industry will turn and we shall see one of the finest periods
of prosperity the nation has ever enjoyed."
SALESMANSHIP THE GREAT ESSENTIAL
ALESMANSHIP is unquestionably the most important factor
in the successful reconstruction of business, the campaign for
which is now under way. It has been given a pre-eminent position
by the different leaders of the Nation who realize that sales must be
made before the factory wheels can turn, hence the great burden
rests on the shoulders of the salesmen of America to keep the plants
of the Nation busy the coming Fall. And salesmanship to-day calls
for a type of men who can conceive ways and means of working out
the great problems that confront us.
Thousands of dealers to-day are postponing the purchase of
goods simply because they haven't been convinced that it is wise for
them to buy now. They must be convinced to the contrary—they
must be made to realize that it is their duty to place orders and keep a
fair stock of goods on hand to meet the demands of the public, but
more particularly to enable the manufacturers to make up stock in
S
REVIEW
JULY 23, 192!
sufficient quantities to supply the needs of the dealers later in the
year, when business shows a greater degree of activity.
A rather timely comment along this line was that which ap-
peared in the current issue of Printers' Ink Monthly from the pen
of Win. Maxwell, vice-president of Thos. A. Edison, Inc., who
pointed out that "During the past five years the sales sense of the
Nation has gone to sleep" and along this line he further remarked :
"During the next twenty years, at least, salesmanship is going to be
the most important of all professions. The very salvation of the
world depends upon better salesmanship—and the nation that serves
best and sells best will be the most prosperous in this new world.
Yankee salesmanship used to be on a par with Yankee inventiveness.
Too much Government in business, the ease with which merchandise
sold itself during the inflation period, and numerous other causes
seem largely to have robbed us, as a people, of our sales instinct."
FEDERAL AID FOR BUSINESS MEN
T
H E suggestion made by Secretary Hoover of the Department of
Commerce to the effect that the powers of the Federal Trade
Commission be revised with a view to making that body of more
constructive service to business men in advising them what constitutes
violation of the various laws on restraint of trade, rather than as
at present of simply harassing business interests for alleged violation
of such laws, seems to be a move in the right direction.
There has been ample evidence in the past of the fact that vari-
ous industries have not hesitated to go as far as the law allows and a
little further in fixing prices against the interests of other industries,
individuals and the country at large, and it is proper and right that
they should be punished. The fact remains, however, that price dis-
cussions are absolutely necessary in many industries, and at times
these discussions have been declared in violation of the law despite
the attempts of the organizations to keep within legal limits.
If, as suggested, the powers of the Federal Trade Commission
can be revised to enable that body to really assist business men in
looking after their interests through trade associations it will mean
the end of much expense in investigation and litigation on the part
of the Federal authorities and a chance for business men to know
to what limit they may go in organization work. It will, in fact, be
a great forward step in the much-heralded co-operation between
Government and industry.
NOW COMES THE OFFICIAL "GREETER"
A
P R O M I N E N T Western retail music house has just hired a com-
petent former saleswoman to act as an official "greeter" and has
by that action presented an idea that should interest other progressive
concerns in the trade. The "greeter" in this particular instance is
charged with seeing to it that every visitor to the store is received
cordially, made to feel at home and otherwise insured of a welcome
that is calculated to promote regular patronage. And regular patron-
age is particularly valuable just now.
Having been a saleswoman, the "greeter" in this case is quali-
fied to meet visitors properly and, not being charged with the actual
work of selling, is free to see to it that the customer is accorded the
proper attention even before the salesperson can take charge. The
idea is not exactly original, for similar positions are maintained in
other lines of trade, but it is new in the music trade, and should find
favor, especially with those big establishments where the visitor is
called upon to pass some distance into the store before coming in
contact with the salesperson.
The average customer naturally likes to receive attention and if
properly welcomed at the door of the store, and directed, if not
escorted, to the proper section where the desired articles may be
obtained, soon gets the feeling that his, or her, trade is worth while.
It keeps the customer interested, too, while waiting for some busy
salesperson to find time to give the visitor attention.
Another store in the West has worked along different angles. In
this case a woman has been employed for some time making a close
inspection of the facilities of the store where she is employed and
then visiting similar establishments in the same and neighboring cities
with a view to getting ideas regarding improvements that may be
made in her own establishment. This is the proper idea if the retail
store is to be kept well in line with the others of its class. It means
knowing what the other fellow is doing and then trying to improve
upon that work.