Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1926 Vol. 82 N. 13

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
VOL. LXXXII. No. 13
REVIEW
Published Every Saturday. Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., 383 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y., Mar. 27, 1926
8lBi
}S.,£ o ft?
Cent*
New Ways of Getting Past the Woman
Who Answers the Door Bell
Canvassing To-day Is Personal Salesmanship Carrying the Selling Message Directly to the Home—The Old
Time Straight Canvasser No Longer Produces Results in the Face of Intense Canvassing
Competition — Making Mistakes One Direct Means of Contact with the Prospect
HE principle of going after business
• where it is instead of waiting for that
business to come into the store, still
holds good in the retail piano trade for those
who have the ambition to concentrate on out-
side selling, to handle it properly, and a desire
to increase turnover.
A retail piano house in New Jersey, which
had been noted for its success in canvassing
and outside selling in that suburban district ad-
jacent to New York where competition is plen-
tiful and keen, has arranged to move to a new
store in a couple of months. The manager felt
that, in going into a new store with new ware-
rooms, it might be well to do a little cleaning
up on the prospect list so that a clean start
might he made in that direction.
Eliminating the Dead Names
The result was that every prospect in the
house, old and new, those who ftad been placed
in the discard as well as those considered active,
were placed on a list and checked up against
the current city directory and telephone book
to see that the addresses were correct. Where
an address could not be checked, the name was
eliminated. The rest were retained. The new
list was then divided into districts and the out-
side sales crew turned loose on the prospects
and the near prospects.
Theoretically, the plan was all wrong, for it
meant that outside salesmen were to devote
their time to work that might be described as
plain doorbell ringing. As a matter of fact, the
campaign brought in close to $20,000 in sales
within a period of a little over two weeks. Some
of the old prospects had bought pianos from
other houses. Others were still undecided. But
a surprisingly large number was found to be
most amenable to reason, either being on the
verge of buying or in a frame of mind that
placed them in a good prospect class. The
main point is that the actual sales were satis-
factory, to say nothing of the possibilities to be
found in the revised list of prospects.
What Life Prospects?
The experiment was particularly interesting
for it reopens the age-old question as to how
long a prospect is a prospect. Some dealers
are inclined to be a bit impatient. They follow
a lead for some time and then feel that, unless
it is of an unusually promising character, it may
be neglected more or less in favor of another
T
who looks more live. In the face of this, a
New York piano house, keeping a careful rec-
ord of sales this year, found that two instru-
ments have been sold since January to individu-
als who had been on its prospect list for a mat-
where the business is is the only
way to do business. The most direct
way of doing that is through the canvasser.
But the old-fashioned canvasser no longer
produces results in selling pianos.
What
does to-day is personal salesmanship, planned
and directed with selling intelligence.
The
article on this page gives some of the meth-
ods which are proving successful with retail
piano houses that use this method and that
use it right. Every one of them has found
it a profit-maker.- Every other dealer can do
the
same.—EDITOR.
ter of nine years, and that a surprisingly large
number of sales were made to those prospects
who had been followed up from periods rang-
ing from three years and up. The experience
of the New Jersey firm would seem to bear
out this finding, because it proved that even a
discarded prospect can develop promising quali-
ties through a change of circumstances or for
some other reason.
There is, of course, a certain amount of
wareroom trade—sales made to people who
deliberately make up their minds to buy
pianos without outside persuasion and who then
go directly to the piano store. But as canvass-
ing increases in other lines of business, it natur-
ally has an effect on this drop-in trade, not per-
haps because of lack of interest in pianos, but
largely because of the fact that other canvass-
ers and outside salesmen have gotten an option
on the money that might have found its way
into the coffers of the piano dealer.
Growth in Canvassing
We find practically every line of business re-
sorting to canvassing and outside sales. The
automobile salesman goes to the home to de-
velop the prospect's interest; so does the sales-
man of electrical appliances and of furniture
and other household equipment. It is argued
that when the music salesman follows this
horde of canvassers into the home, he is going
to meet with strong antagonism from the lady
of the house who has been greatly annoyed and
is inclined to be resentful of the interruptions in
her daily tasks. That in a measure is truer to-
day than it was a few years ago. But at the
same time the proportion of sales made to
those who can find time to be convinced is suffi-
ciently large to eat a sizable hole in the fam-
ily budget, and the piano man has just as much
right to go after his share of this budget as
those in other lines. If he doesn't go after it
there will be nothing left to buy at his store.
Canvassing and outside selling costs money,
but it means turnover and the more successful
the effort the lower the ultimate cost. This
method of selling carries out largely the prin-
ciple that the more points of contact developed
by the salesmen, the more sales are bound to
be made in keeping with the law of averages.
It is found that those retailers who give the
most attention to outside work enjoy a larger
percentage of sales than those who make it a
secondary consideration and who depend upon
store visitors for the bulk of the business, utiliz-
ing the telephone and the mails for arousing
interest.
Reaching the Real Buyer
There are those dealers in the metropolitan
district who emphasize the difficulties in making
. successful canvasses as an argument against
any great amount of effort in that direction. It
is true that such a plan of selling may be over-
done in certain sections where the growing
number of apartment houses with guarded por-
tals adds to the difficulties in congested dis-
tricts. It is found, however, that as the diffi-
culties increase there are those who can dis-
cover ways and means for getting around them.
Not long ago a suburban housewife was
called to the phone to be informed that the
tuner from a well-known piano house would be
out the following day to tune the piano as per
her order. The lady was somewhat surprised.
"I didn't order a tuner," she said. "I'm awfully
sorry," replied the young woman at the other
end of the wire, "but there must have been a
mistake." Then followed a check-up of name,
(Continued on page 27)
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
Blasius & Sons, Philadelphia's Oldest
Piano Merchants, Closing Out Business
Many Philadelphia Houses Exhibit at Eastern Music Supervisors' Conference—Miessner Pianos to
• i
Be Handled by Weymann & Sons—Greniger Takes the Estey Line
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. ( March 23—While here
the instruction of music in the nation's schools,
and there are reports of fair activities in the
has been acquired by H. A. Weymann & Sons,
piano stores, the majority of the dealers are lin-
1108 Chestnut street. The Miessner Piano Co.,
gering along waiting the arrival of the post-
of Milwaukee, heretofore has handled its locaj
Easter days when business usually assumes a
business entirely through a special represeirfa-
more normal trend. Whatever business is to be
tive, selling direct to the schools. Under the
had in the piano trade is that garnered from
latest innovation the piano department of the
special sales drives now being made to promote
Weymann company, of which A. C. Weymann,
an interest in the various makes of the popular-
of the firm, is manager, will feature this instru-
priced instruments or in the higher grade types
ment with exclusive sales rights for Philadelphia
which are always movable stocks at any season
county,
of the year.
Steinway Mechanism Displayed
Closing Out Blasius & Sons Business
The inner works and mechanism of the Stein-
When the accounts of the oldest of Philadel-
way grand piano, which were used by William
phia's piano houses are settled there will dis-
Braid White, Technical Editor of The Review,
appear from the trade its landmark of the pio-
to demonstrate the construction of the mechani-
neer days of piano manufacturing—the house of
cal arrangement of a piano at the recent meet-
Blasius & Sons, now located at 40 South Six-
ing of the American Society of Mechanical En-
teenth street. Since the first of the year all pianos
gineers in this city under the auspices of the
have been removed from the floor and the offices
Wood Industries Division, have been featured
have been concerned with cleaning up the ac-
in special window trim by N. Stetson & Co.,
counts so as to wind up the business.
The
1111 Chestnut street, the Quaker City distribu-
house of Blasius & Sons dates back to 1855,
tors of the Steinway. The display was so ar-
when the firm was one of the leading piano
ranged in the window that the entire inner con-
manufacturers in this part of the country, pro-
struction was visible to the pedestrians on
ducing its own make of instruments. The Phila-
Chestnut street and it attracted many interested
delphia headquarters at that time were located
spectators.
at 1101-1119 Chestnut street, in the heart of
Morsback Exends Lines
Piano Row. The factory, sold in 1918 to the
Louis P. Morsback, head of the stores bearing
Belber Bag & Trunk Co., was located in Wood-
bury, N. J.
Blasius & Sons was founded by Charles
Blasius and the business is now handled by two
of the old-time employes, Charles Keat, for
thirty years with the firm, and George Baker,
Brunswick Shop, of Holyoke, Mass., Wins
for thirty-five years associated with its business.
Plaudits at Demonstration Unique in Its
Both have been active in winding up the com-
Scope
pany's affairs.
Exhibit at Supervisors' Conference
A remarkably successful demonstration of the
Various dealers specializing in or handling
Brunswick Panatrope was given recently by the
musical instruments and publications adapted
Brunswick Shop, of Holyoke, Mass., in con-
for the education of the youth of the nation in
nection with a home talent show which was
public or private schools and colleges were rep-
resented at the Eastern Music Supervisors' Con-
ference held in Atlantic City last week. Among
those who made the Ambassador Hotel, where
the Conference was held, their headquarters
with displays featured while the meetings were
in course were the Victor Talking Machine Co.,
Camden, N. J.; the Oliver Ditson Co., Boston,
Mass.; Ginn & Co., Boston; New York Music
Bureau, New York; C. C. Birchard, Boston;
Aeolian Co., New York; Carl Fischer, New
York; Charles H. Ditson & Co., New York; the
Starr Piano Co., Richmond, Ind., and the Edu-
cational Bureau, Chicago, 111., which repre-
sented several of the larger publishers and
manufacturers of the country.
Panatrope Demonstrated
Before Audience of 1600
Elaborate Starr Co. Display
From the Philadelphia headquarters of the
Starr Piano Co., the Witlin Musical Instrument
Co., 904 Walnut street, there were shipped to
the Ambassador Hotel in Atlantic City during
the recent Eastern Music Supervisors' Confer-"
ence several of the Starr pianos and the Starr
school phonograph.
The Starr Co. occupied
the sun porch of the Ambassador for its exhi-
bition and demonstration. President Ben Wit-
lin, of the company, motored down to the shore
to personally supervise and direct the exhibit.
Among the instruments shown were the Starr
grand and miniature upright pianos and the
especially made school Starr phonograph. Upon
his return trip to the city President Witlin im-
mediately left for Washington, D. C, where he
is to close a big deal with one of the leading
music houses of the Capital City for the sale of
the Starr instruments, announcement to be
made of firm involved at a later date.
Miessner Pianos for Weymann & Sons
Sole Philadelphia distribution of the well-
known Miessner pianos, used extensively for
MARCH 27, 1926
his name at Broad street and Snyder avenue and
Sixteenth street and Snyder avenue, who has
been sojourning in Florida resorts for several
weeks, is back at his desk ready for the Spring
drive for the various instruments which the firm
carries. The firm now has pianos in addition to
the Victor talking machines, formerly handled
exclusively in the Snyder avenue and Broad
street store. There also is carried a complete
assortment of string and band instruments, in-
cluding the Buescher and other well-known
makes.
Rihl Bros., 424 East Girard avenue, has passed
into the hands of the remaining associates of
Albert Rihl, whose death occurred last January,
following a brief illness from pneumonia. The
present owners of the business are Harry Rihl
and his widow, Mrs. Albert Rihl, who will con-
tinue to conduct the business along the same
lines as formerly and plan to extend the sheet
music department. The firm now handles the
Q R S and Imperial music rolls, with a line of
string instruments and the recently added
Atwater Kent and Radiola lines.
Takes on Estey
The Estey pianos have been added to the lines
of Curtis E. Greniger, 6014 Haverford avenue,
who has acquired the music store of Arthur
W. Davidson, at this address, which featured the
Victor exclusively. Since acquiring the busi-
ness Mr. Greniger has extended the lines to the
Estey pianos and piano floor lamps.
While
Mr. Greniger is a newcomer to the music trade,
he has back of him to guide his business the
advice of his son, Charles E. Greniger, long
identified with the industry as manager of the
Linton Store, in South Fifty-second street.
The audience was exceptionally
enthusiastic
over the instrument, as well as in the short talk
describing its features given by H. Emerson
Yorke, special Chicago representative of the
phonograph division of the Brunswick-Balke-
Collender Co.
Havre Piano Go. Opens
HAVRE, MONT., March 19.—The new music store
of the Havre Piano Co. has been opened in the
Joseph Valedon Building, this city, with Miss E.
Panatrope
Demonstrated
Before. 1600 in
Holyoke, Mass.,
by Brunswick
Shop
attended by more than 1,600 persons. Henry
Pueschel, proprietor of the local Brunswick
Shop, spared neither effort nor expense to make
the affair a success, and as a result many hun-
dreds were turned away, due to the limited
capacity of the hall.
A carefully planned program included vocal
selections by Viora M. Dubray, soprano; Nor-
man Dash, baritone, with Marjorie Malcom
Shaw as accompanist. As an interesting variety
the pupils of Miss Hilberger, dancing instructor,
gave several beautiful interpretive dances. The
Brunswick Panatrope opened and closed the
program with a group of well-chosen records.
H. Farmer in charge. The concern will feature
a complete line of Baldwin pianos, as well as
phonographs, music rolls and records.
Miss
Fanner will be assisted by R. Konopatzke, who
will divide his time as tuner and outside sales-
Orpheus Shop Chartered
The Orpheus Music Shop, New York, has
been granted a charter of incorporation recently
with a capital stock of $30,000. The proprietors
of the business are F. Schildkraut, S. Kanarek
and M. M. Barrett.

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