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PROSPECTS ARE
EASY TO FIND
WITH THESE DIRECTORIES
I
T is generally recognized that the success of
the average retail music business lies in the
calibre of the prospect list, for beyond the
merchandise itself that list is its chief stock in
trade. There has much been said regarding the
importance of canvassing or direct selling to the
home as the best medium of stimulating business
and it has been demonstrated in many sections of
the country that this is the most logical means
of building sales volume in competition with the
numerous other products that go into the home.
However, there are many other phases of selling
besides canvassing to be considered by the music
merchant, particularly in the larger cities and in
congested areas, among them an up-to-date and
effective mailing and telephone list that will en-
able him to put over effective direct mail cam-
paigns.
In the development of a worth-while prospect
list there are several important matters to be con-
sidered, chief among them being the calibre of
people to be solicited, which can best be judged
by the localities in which they live. The dealer
who seeks to dispose of reproducing grands or
other types of high-priced instruments would not
logically make his solicitations either by mail or
phone, or in person, in the slum districts or that section so
often described in small towns as "the other side of the track."
If on the other hand he desires to reach the large foreign-
speaking population that exists in practically all cities and
sell to them large bulky player pianos which give the im-
pression of offering much for the money, he dees not want
to waste his ammunition on the residents of more exclusive sec-
tions who seek instruments of more refined appearance. In
short, he must select and classify his prospect list particularly
for direct mail work in a manner that will enable him to
make a special and effective appeal tc each class and not waste
his efforts on a general campaign that will not impress any
one faction particularly. Whether the dealer uses the mails
or the telephone for contacting his prospects in between visits
of his salesmen, he must not forget that either process is ex-
pensive in the long run and should therefore be made as effec-
tive as possible.
A favorite source of prospects is the telephone directory
and this is logical because various national investigations have
shown that although only one-third of the families in the
country have telephones, those families buy two-thirds of the
advertised brand of goods. To select residents of any one
section out of a telephone directory, however, is a time-con-
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW,
A p r i l , 1931
SPECIMEN PAGE OF TELEPHONE ADDRESS DIRECTORY
suming task, or rather was until the telephone company began
some time ago the issuance of street address directories which
supplement the regular listings with the names and numbers
of subscribers listed in the order of street addresses. Such a
directory offers the dealer the means for reaching the residents
of any street or section quickly and efficiently.
These address directories not only prove invaluable for
direct mail purposes, but also are ideal for checking house
to house canvassing campaigns, for checking credit informa-
tion through neighborhood tradesmen, and for numerous other
purposes. The directories are listed as a special service to
subscribers and an extra charge is made for their rental, a
charge that is distinctly moderate in view of the convenience
afforded. At the present time these address telephone directo-
ries are available for New York City, including separate vol-
umes for each of the five boroughs; Buffalo, N. Y.; Boston,
Mass.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Philadelphia suburbs; Pittsburgh,
Pa.; Louisville, Ky.; St. Louis, Mo.; Cleveland, O.; Balti-
more, Md.; Washington, D. C.; Atlanta, Ga.; Birmingham,
Ala.; New Orleans, La.; Memphis, Tenn.; Jersey City,
N. J.; Newark, N. J.; and Paterson, N. J. The service is being
extended steadily and it will be well for dealers to keep in
touch with it.