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SEPTEMBER 5, 1925
THE
MUSIC TRADE
11
REVIEW
Is It Necessary for the Successful
Salesman to Be a Pianist?
Both the Type Which Can Play the Piano and the Type Which Is Unable to Have Been Successful in
Selling Pianos at Retail—Where Ability to Play Can Be a Detriment to Closing Sales—
Adequate Musical Background a Necessity to Good Selling Is General Opinion
"For that reason, I generally play only a few
ROM time to time speculation arises percentage of contracts from the persons he
bars
of some appealing music, and then stop
interviewed
in
the
salesroom,
whereas
another
among music store proprietors and floor
managers as to what types of salesmen salesman, who demonstrated by playing a few and ask him how he likes the piano. From
are apt to be most successful in the retail piano simple chords, but who spent most of his time his answer I can usually tell a good deal about
business. The discussion generally centers on on his feet delivering good, sound sales argu- him and what he wants to buy, and can plan the
whether or not it is essential for a piano floor ments was more than tripling the sales volume rest of my demonstration accordingly. As
salesman to be able to play the piano com- of the improviser. The trouble seemed to be soon as possible I get him talking about the
petently in order to interest the more musical that the musician-salesman sidetracked the in- piano itself, but if he is musical I play a bit
customers in buying an instrument. There are, terest of the customer from the instrument to of Chopin or MacDowell to show off the tone
of the instrument. It is only rarely that I
perhaps, as many sales managers opposed to the sublety of his harmonies, and left no real ever see fit to talk extensively with a customer
reason
in
the
prospect's
mind
for
buying
the
employing musical salesmen as there are favor-
about music, but often it affords a good wedge
ing it, and their reasons pro and con, based on piano. If anything, the patron probably was for getting better acquainted with him. Even
made
to
feel
that
the
piano
would
never
sound
personal experience, are invariably amusing.
as good as that in his own home under his own here, the important thing is to know when to
Gaining the Buyer's Confidence
stop and get the name on the contract, for
Anyone listing among his acquaintance a fingers, which was anything but a healthy at- after all that's the main thing you're after."
dozen or more managers of piano establish- mosphere for closing a sale.
Status of the "Commercial" Salesman
The criticism with this particular man, then,
ments of any size knows that at least half of
The
alternative of whether to employ the com-
them are without any real musical background was that he was tempted to play too long for mercial or musical salesman generally narrows
his
own
amusement
and
for
the
plaudits
from
or dexterity at the keyboard and rose from the
down in the dealer's mind to the question of
ranks to an executive capacity in spite of this his customer-audience. He is now selling au- which type is best suited to sell to his particu-
tomobiles,
by
the
way,
and
making
a
success
lack. These men represent the highest develop-
lar clientele. This, of course, is not the easiest
ment of what is generally referred to as the of it, possibly for the fact that he is dealing thing to determine, for any piano store enjoy-
with
dashboards
rather
than
keyboards,
and
is
commercial salesman, and owe their success
ing a drop-in trade is apt to be visited by all
largely to their ability to gain the buyer's con- forced to obtain his musical entertainment types of customers from the immigrant buying
after
work.
Undoubtedly,
if
he
had
taken
the
fidence and the knack of selling themselves
his first player-piano to the concert artist.
rather than winning the customer by a clever trouble to master a few convincing sales points Roughly though, it requires but little thought
for
the
particular
instruments
he
was
selling,
demonstration.
to convince the small merchant, whose bulk of
It would be indiscreet to mention the names as he most likely has in his automobile sales- sales are in player-pianos, that efficient com-
room,
he
would
have
made
a
splendid
piano
of piano sales executives of the "unmusical"
mercial salesmen will fill the bill for him.
variety, but the writer could personally name floor man.
Establishments such as the piano salon of
Trick
Is
to
Know
When
to
Stop
Playing
at least six of the heads of leading piano estab-
the John Wanamaker store in New York, the
"The
trick
in
putting
over
a
suitable
musical
lishments in Greater New York who hardly
Knabe Fifth avenue warerooms, the Mason &
know a tonic chord from a dominant, and would demonstration of a piano," said A. G. Love, Hamlin store near Thirty-second street and
floor
manager
of
Hahne
&
Co.,
Newark,
N.
J.,
probably imagine that Meyerbeer was a malt-
many others generally have a strong leaning
drink. Yet these same men command some of "is in knowing when to stop playing and start for the more musical types of floor men, in
talking."
Mr.
Love
is
a
splendid
example
of
a
the biggest incomes in the retail piano field
order that the demonstrations will bring out
for the reason that they can step in at any happy combination of the musical and com- the full potentialities of the tone of the,instru-
mercial
type
and
claims
that
he
uses
both
tactics
time and clinch a hard sale on the floor, when
ments. These houses, with their patronage of
any of their men needs assistance in closing a on practically every floor deal. "When I walk music students, teachers, critics and many of
through
the
wareroom
with
a
new
customer,"
contract.
the biggest artists themselves, need men on
On their own statement, all of these managers he stated recently, discussing this topic, "I try their staff who can talk in the customer's own
to
study
him
and
determine
whether
he
is
pri-
admit that they would prefer to combine with
language, so to speak, in order to be able to
their commercial selling an adequate musical marily looking for a real musical instrument or satisfy their needs.
simply
a
piece
of
furniture.
background. They feel that the ability to play
the piano well is part of the stock-in-trade of
a first-rate piano salesman. In their personal
experience, they can all recall instances where
A COMPLETE LINE
sales have been lost by their inability to play
to suit the floor prospect, who was unusually
sensitive to musical effects.
Too Much Music is Bad
There have been several instances in the East-
ern trade, however, which show that there is
such a thing as a salesman being too fond of
music. A few years ago the Griffith Piano Co.,
of Newark, N. J., employed a talented young
man as floor salesman on the strength of his
ability to improvise on the piano. With the
Factories-—Neiv York and
high grade of pianos handled by this house at
his disposal he was sure to captivate the most
^jRADBUg^
Leominster
y ™
diffident customer, and be a constant source of
tffij?*^
,
,^*«T»V
x^g
Divisions — Bradbury Pianos
jealousy to some of the other salesmen, who
i«>»/?QTFR> V
Webster Piano Co
^
might be demonstrating grands in another part
of the floor by aimlessly pounding single notes
or empty sounding chords.
It was found after a considerable period that
the talented chap was not getting a reasonable
F
Grands, Uprights, Player Pianos
Reproducing
Pianos
NAM
Attract the
Most Critical
Customers
AMCO BENCHES
415 W. Superior
Chicago
Stn«t
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