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TheDirect Way to Sales
Old and Tried Methods of Door-bell Ringing and Canvassing Salesmen
Still Found by Many Retail Music Merchants to Be the Most Direct
Method of Creating Sales Volume—How Some Dealers Do Canvassing
Fourth Article
ever, that this form of selling is becoming a However, there are excep-
H E R E is a very wide divergence of
stronger factor every day.
opinion among leading music houses of
tions to every rule, and there
iThe representative of this firm who was in- is one national firm espe-
San Francisco regarding the value of
canvassing at all. Some of the music houses, terviewed cited a case that had come to his cially that, from all appear-
notably two, have thoroughly systematized attention only the previous day. H e had been
ances, has made it success-
called on by a high-grade canvasser represent- ful."
methods of canvassing and find this line of
endeavor successful. Some music houses say ing a product of General Motors. He knew,
A Letter From Ogden
that the method seems better adapted to the of course, that this product is nationally ad-
The following letter makes
vertised, but he was very much impressed by an interesting addition to the
Eastern States than to the Pacific Coast.
the type of man who called as canvasser. last of this series of articles
Kohler & Chase
This music firm, which celebrated its Diamond He expressed the belief that the general type on canvassing methods with piano merchants:
of salesman in this canvassing work is con- "I have been reading with interest your
Jubilee last year, has a complete system of
canvassing which seems to "bring home the stantly improving, as it takes a good type of
article in The Review of the 'Direct Way to
bacon." The following statement was given man to get an audience with the people it is Sales.' We heartily agree with you that the time
out by Kohler & Chase in response to a re- desired to reach. Many other business lines, when a music store can operate successfully
quest for a description of their canvassing such as insurance and real estate, are operating by depending on their call in business is past.
with the assistance of canvassers and the
methods:
One of our mottoes is 'Don't spend your time
"In canvassing we have what is known as a Eastern music house with which he is connected wondering why a black hen lays a white egg—
district manager. Each manager has six can- here has been using canvassing successfully get the egg.'
vassers under his direct supervision. The work for years.
"In the town we divide the territory evenly
is laid out each morning by the district man-
Sherman, Clay & Co.
among our salesmen and they call at every
ager. The canvassers are requested to be at
Sherman, Clay & Co. have no canvassers. home and take a musical census. We have a
the office at 8 a. m. for instructions and return It is claimed that they tried this system a
to the office at 5 p. m., when they turn in their year or so ago, but did not consider it suc- sheet printed that takes in all the questions
prospects and show just what they have ac- cessful. They have outside salesmen, trained that relate to music in the home. We make
complished during the day. The canvassers and experienced in the piano business, who do the canvass very thorough by having the men
are not permitted to sell or talk sale. They some canvassing, but the house does not employ call back to all homes that they have not
contacted. The advantage is of not only having
are simply for the purpose of locating where canvassers in the ordinary sense of the word
a good, wide list of prospects at all times,
pianos are needed, the approximate ability of
Wiley B. Allen Co.
but we also have information as to the number
the people to pay and what piano each prospect
Speaking for the Wiley B. Allen Co., James of pianos in town, the number of children
should have.
J. Black, treasurer of the company, stated:
studying vocal and piano and the people who
"The canvassers have certain questions to
"We employ no canvassers at all. The Wiley have phonographs and other musical instru-
ask which are used by the district manager to B. Allen Co. has centralized points where
ments.
arrive at an opinion regarding what piano each branch stores are established. The Santa
"A good portion of our business is done in
should have, in his opinion, and the amount
Clara Valley has a branch store at San Jose; the outlying sections of the State. We handle
each should pay. Each day the district man- the Sacramento Valley has a branch at Sacra-
this by having all of our salesmen equipped
ager follows up the work of the day before,
mento; the San Joaquin Valley has a branch
with Ford trucks with Bowen piano loaders.
in this manner keeping in close touch, working
at Fresno. These and other territories with We make it a rule that every salesman should
out prospects secured. If the district manager
centralized branches are worked with crews leave the store at all times with something on
finds what he considers a prospect that he him-
that operate direct from these various stores, his truck. They start through the country
self sells to, special salesmen, kept for that
under the sales manager of each branch, but canvassing every home, looking for oppor-
purpose, call on this prospect to close.
we do not employ house-to-house canvassers. tunities to demonstrate their merchandise. This
"In other words, we used the 'turnover' sys- Trained salesmen go into these territories and
tem on prospects originally found by the can- secure prospects through having previously gives us the opportunity of selling a great many
player-pianos, as the average farmer is not
vasser and we believe that we get at least
dealt with the store, through music teachers, dead as far as player-pianos are concerned.
the greater proportion of sales made from
the recommendation of customers, etc.
It also gives us a very good mail order busi-
prospects thus secured. This canvassing is, of
"Canvassing on the Pacific Coast has not ness in player rolls. We feel that canvassing
course, only one of the methods used by Kohler
proven successful to the majority of the music is the only successful way to merchandise
& Chase in selling pianos."
houses. We understand that these canvassing musical instruments in these times and can
A National Piano House
methods have been worked successfully in the say that we heartily agree with all the dealers
East, but such Eastern methods as working who have stated their experience in regard to
At one national music house interviewed it
was stated that it uses canvassing in conjunc- with a crew of several canvassers and then house-to-house canvassing.
tion with other means of developing business. sending a salesman to close cannot be said
"Hoping to see more of this in The Review
As the San Francisco house is only a branch to have worked out profitably for the majority MI a very short time, we are,
of this nationally known concern, it was not of the Coast music merchants. It has been
"Yours very truly,
considered advisable to speak for the entire tried and failed. What works well in one
"GLEN BROS.-ROBERTS PIANO CO.,
organization. It was stated emphatically, how- territory is not always successful in another.
"By Ray D. Harriger, Sales Mgr."
T
Z ESTABLISHED 1862
L^UTEH
NEWARK. N. J !
ONE OF AMERICA'S FINE PIANOS
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