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This is the
ace
and
the
Yeleph Ofli
By CHAR
only the name and
address of every
prospect we have.
We use it for fu-
ture calling and
T all started over a bet—but there isn't any for mailing general direct mail advertising.
gamble to the telephone business for the
"But these fifty prospects are recorded in ;i
W. L. Pace Piano Co. of Houston and cross-file. Each salesman fills a daily report
Beaumont, Texas, any more. Some time blank. The girl in the office takes the report
ago Charles A. Pace, president of this firm, from these blanks and fills a prospect card that
bet an employe that he would pick up the tele-
phone directory, call the first ten names listed,
and get at least one piano prospect. Business
firms being execpted, the first ten names with
residence numbers were called. The first name
called gave Pace a definite appointment for
calling. Out of the ten, five definite appoint-
ments were obtained, seven prospects obtained,
and three sales eventually made.
This piano retailer admits that he was lucky
in this instance—as later experience has proven
that no such sales record can be maintained
through telephone contact. But he is likewise
convinced that a lot of new business may be
had by a consistent use of the telephone.
Pace says: "The telephone is the best method
of getting contact for the piano dealer these
days. There is a lot of lost motion eliminated
and a lot of selling cost saved by a systematic
method of telephone soliciting. The piano busi-
ness is a fine business—and one where a profit
can be made. But it is a business where sell-
ing costs, fixed overhead and repossessions must
be reduced. Our telephone selling has accom-
plished a great deal in all these ways."
Charles A. Pace
.Continuing, Pace says: "Too often a dealer
accepts his overhead as being fixed. We have
cut our overhead by using fewer salesmen, and is filed in the timely file. On this card is
yet getting a larger volume of business from recorded the information gained from the tele-
telephone contact. The location of a piano store phone contact. The name, address, business
is not so important, especially if one is not address, telephone, date, instrument wanted,
catering to small unit sales, such as records, price quoted, terms proposed, to be taken in
small instruments, etc. We bring prospects to exchange, remarks, standing of prospect and
our location, which is removed from the down-
town section, by making telephone contact."
The W. L. Pace Piano Co. divides the tele-
phone directory into sections, allotting each
salesman a section to prevent overlapping. Mr.
Pace explains, "Of course, telephone contact is
more valuable when following leads, but just
ferreting for prospects by calling right down
the telephone directory list gives good results.
We find that from an average of two hundred |
Salesman's §
and fifty names called we get fifty prospects.
From fifteen to twenty definite appointments | Daily Report 1
will be made at the time of the first call, the
| of Prospects |
others of the fifty prospects are called later or
contacted in person.
1
and Sales 1
"An average of the two hundred and fifty
names called shows that two hundred of them
are killed without making any record or recall-
ing until some time in the future when we may
run through the directory again. The average
of fifty prospects from the number is indexed
into the master file. This master file contains
I
other things are recorded on these prospect
cards. The ones with definite appointments
are naturally followed up immediately; but
many prospects contacted by telephone express
a desire to be called again or to be followed
up at a future date. This information is recorded
and placed in the file under the date that it is
to be used. Each day the girl checks her file
and distributes the cards to the individual sales-
men making the first contact, often months be-
fore."
There are three telephone lines running into
the Houston store of the W. L. Pace Piano
Co. Salesmen use this method of selling daily.
This piano merchant says: "It's easy for the
men to spend three hours of an afternoon fol-
lowing up these leads or appointments for home
calls, while many prospects are brought to the
store. The real test of a salesman comes in
his telephone selling. Just commonplace tele-
phone soliciting by a girl will not work success-
fully in a high-class business like that of
piano selling. Our salesmen do their own tele-
phoning. The only time a girl will make a suc-
cess in piano selling is when using her for a
house-to-house canvasser. In this latter in-
stance the woman can enter more homes than
a man.
"Our salesmen are perfectly frank and honest.
The first thing they do is tell their name, the
company they represent and what they want.
In this way the prospect does not feel that un-
fair advantage is being taken of her. Of course,
the first impulse of many is to answer, 'Not in-
terested,' and hang up. But a good salesman
can forestall this in most instances by agreeing,
'But, Mrs. Smith, you'll be interested in this
pretty little piano we have just repossessed—
a very pretty design; and one on which we can
save you
dollars.'
"The prospect may protest, 'But we have a
piano.' In which case the salesman inquires
as to the kind and how long it has been owned.
SALEBMAN
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DAILY SALES REPORT
NAME
ADDRESS
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PMOMI NO
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