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4uac1rade Review
Published Weekly
BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS, INC,
420 Lexington Ave.
New York
Magazine
Vol. 88
Number
June 8, 1929
No. 23
Single Copies
Ten Cents
Annual Subscription,
Two Dollars
How I Climbed
The
Saks Ladder
By ZONA F. BROWNE
Sales Manager, Heine Piano Co., San Francisco
CAME to San Francisco when I was only
eighteen, with my mother, and shortly after
I found it necessary to take up some kind
of occupation. My mother had been a
phenomenal saleslady so I naturally inclined to-
ward selling.
One day, soon after we arrived in San Fran-
cisco, we were walking down Stockton street
and saw a sign in the window of the Heine
Piano Co.: "Lady Wanted to Demonstrate
Pianos." As I had studied music most of my
life and at that time aspired to a grand opera
career, I thought that a piano store would be
as nearly perfect an environment as possible,
so I applied for the position, and
a few days later went to work at
a small salary with a very small
commission, and I mean "small"
as there were many salesmen em-
ployed at that time and there is
always a strong feeling of com-
petition.
I first started to work in the
sales manager's office doing a tele-
phone canvass, using the phone
book and calling one telephone
subscriber after another, some-
thing like this:
"Hello, Mrs. Jones! This is Miss
Browne, with the Heine Piano Co.,
a friend of yours informed me you
were interested in a piano."
I usually got an answer: "Oh,
no! I have a piano."
Then I would say: "Aren't you
thinking of exchanging it? Yours
is quite an old piano, isn't it? We
now have the agency for Such-and-
Such pianos, and I could make you
a good allowance on your old in-
strument. What piano have you?
etc."
I
Our sales manager was quite an elderly
gentleman, and naturally could not "get around"
so fast as I could. Our office was on the mez-
zanine floor, and from my desk I could see
members of the public coming into the store
before they reached the front door, so I'd run
down the steps, meet the customers and take
them to the piano floors. Our pianos were
displayed on the second and third floors. I
was supposed to entertain the customers until
a salesman could take them. As I had natural
sales ability, it did not take long to get into
the knack of selling pianos.
From the time our store opened in the morn-
Convention Reports
ing, till it closed at night, I was always "on
the job." I had fully decided to learn the piano
business and make good.
After four years on the floor of our main
store, I was given the management of one of
our local branch stores here in the Mission
district. This store was a success from the
start, and when our five-year lease expired I
took a six months' vacation, to continue my
vocal studies in Chicago and New York, before
returning as sales manager in our main store.
I am more interested in working with sales-
men who are new to the piano business, rather
than with experienced salesmen, as the begin-
ners show more enthusiasm. I
find that women, as a rule, are
more conscientious workers, but
it is much harder to teach them to
"close"; in fact, we have no other
piano women with us, at present.
One most important point is not
to "oversell" a customer. Many
salesmen do this, in order to make
a showing and swell their volume
of business, but I think a sales-
man should get acquainted with
the prospective buyers, find out
their financial condition as quickly
as possible and then sell them a
piano within their means. Later,
this could be exchanged for a bet-
ter one.
Quite often when we receive a
letter from an out-of-town pros-
pective customer, I jump into my
car, drive into the country and
close a deal from a catalog. I con-
sider this not only recreation, but
feel more satisfied with myself. I
am always at my desk at 9 a. m.,
and also make a point of being
(Concluded on page 21)
This issue of The Review carries the full
and complete account of the National
Music Industries Convention, including
the meetings of the Music Industries
Chamber of Commerce and affiliated
associations, held at the Drake Hotel,
Chicago, this week, as well as of the
Radio Trade Show and the meetings of
the Radio Manufacturers' Association
and other radio trade bodies, held at the
Hotel Stevens, Chicago.
.