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cTErade "Renew
Published Monthly
FEDERATED BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS, INC.
420 Lexington Ave.
New York
Music
Industry
Serving
the Entire
Vol. 88
December, 1929
No. 29
Single Copies
Twenty Cents
Annual Subscription
Two Dollars
ontact the Secret of
Tveproduc er Sellin
HE writer recently called at a beautiful
home and at the door was greeted by a
colored maid who was rather indifferent.
I inquired for Mrs. Doe and was told
that Mrs. Doe was resting but she would take*
my card in. I presented my card as requested,
and after a few minutes was invited in. Mrs.
Doe asked if I had waited very long, as the
bell was out of order. After chatting for a
while about various things, the conversation led
b?.ck again to the doorbell, and she made the
suggestion that the batteries were dead. I lo-
cated a portion of the wire and followed it to
the basement, where we found that the little
daughter had put up a swing on the beam and
disconnected the wires. I connected the loose
wire, and when we tested the doorbell, found
that it rang perfectly.
Now this only shows that contact is what we
need. The bell was there, the wires, and all
equipment—all T needed was to make contact.
T
Fred Colber, a Firm Champion of the Repro-
ducing Piano
By ALBERT E. LORNE
Manager, Oakland, Cal., Branch,
Sherman, Clay & Co.
On my last visit to New York I interviewed
a great many salesmen, not only in piano stores,
but in competitive lines. As a matter of fact,
I spent three days steadily talking with sales-
people, and from all sides the piano men were
asking that eternal question, "What is the mat-
ter with the reproducing piano business?" Sev-
eral of the men said that the reproducing busi-
ness was a complete ruin; that they never got
calls on the floor any more for reproducing
pianos. I asked these men if they ever thought
of going on the outside for reproducing busi-
ness, and the answer was, "What's the use 0
They don't w.ant them and won't buy them."
In my opinion it is ridiculous to think that a
fine healthy business has been so easily forgot-
ten and neglected. Let's stop feeling sorry for
ourselves, and go out and stir something up—
do something different—and make some new
contacts, just as the writer did with the door-
bell.
We have in the past two years enjoyed a
marvelous reproducing business, and especially
in the fine and beautiful custom-designed pianos;
but, true enough, we have to resort to some of
the things that the Frigidaire men do, the ori-
ental rug men, and the automobile salesmen;
that is, do a little hard work and create a
desire for their product. I recently went into
our Central National Bank Building and on the
fifteenth floor met a young man who has been
connected with a fine jewelry firm in this city
for some years. "Hello, Al," he said. "Hello,
Jimmie. What are you doing?" "I am in the
jewelry business for myself now." "Where is
your store?" I asked. "Right here. This is my
office, salesroom, etc." Just think of it! Away
up on the fifteenth floor is his office and store
- -and he is retailing silverware. Now this man
has no chance of any drop-ins; he does very
little advertising, just a small space in the news-
paper which probably costs him about $8.00 per
ad. He has no cut prices, but is doing a legiti-
mate business; but he is making contacts in
new and original ways. For instance, he hunts
Albert E. Lome
up the newlyweds, new homes, mothers' clubs,
etc., creating contact and making use of it, and
is enjoying a fine business. It is not a new
idea; it is just using old ideas.
Why can't it be done in the piano business? t
It can and it is, right here in our own home
town. We are making contacts in all sorts of
ways, going out after the people, not waiting
for them to come in and ask for pianos. And
when the connection is made, we keep the bell
ringing until the call is answered by a signature
on the dotted line!
This is the whole story of the up-to-date
music business; in fact, this is the entire story
of the music business since time immemorial—
contact, and what is done after the securing of
contact.
If nobody wants to get on the other side of
the street, that side of the street will be de-
serted. Speaking definitely of the reproducing
business, we hear the squawk from ocean to
ocean, "What's the matter with the reproducing
business?" The question should be, "What's
the matter with the people who should be
working in the Duo-Art and reproducing field?"
{Please turn to page 55)