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20
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, FEBRUARY, 1HO
One Price
(Continued from page 17)
an intensified conflict between the immediate
buyer and the long range economics of the
situation. Any one customer, even as you and
I, is willing to be served at a loss, but our
customers as a whole demand, in effect, that
they be served at all costs plus a sustaining
profit. Let me repeat. The individual is will-
ing to be served at a loss however great, but
the group demands service at a profit. The in-
dividual speaks and acts, but the group con-
trols and says, "serve us at a profit or die".
Or perhaps what this inarticulate group is
really saying, if we but have ears to hear, is,
"Serve us at a fair and equitable profit and
you may live and grow". While it is the in-
dividual that must be served,—and it is our
hope that at least in this country the individ-
ual will remain the most important thing on
earth, we can not forget that it is the "sum
totals" of sales and expenses which control
our final net gain. A business is sustained by
its customers as a whole. The conflict between
the individual and the totals, therefore, is our
concern, and I submit that in justice to every
other customer, each customer should pay and
receive his equitable share within the limits
of an efficient and practical operation. The
customer has a right to demand our lowest
price, and should never be blamed for trying
to obtain a concession where a well known
"one-price' policy does not exist, but like most
of us, most customers are satisfied when they
are convinced that they are to pay no more
than any one else.
Equity and Cutomer Confidence
The free competitive system has performed
much socially desirable service in spite of the
occasional selfishness and short-sightedness of
some competitors, but failure now to continue
our progress to higher ground would be to
miss on of the greatest opportunities of our
age. A business is intrusted with freedom of
choice, with time, with place, and with a share
of the community's labor and productive re-
sources. It enjoys opportunity to profit with
protection of its property and contracts; there-
fore the privilege of doing business carries with
it many obligations, not the least of which
is equity to each customer. In our necessity
to earn from the whole we can strive to give
to each all that can be given to any. Certainly
our most trusting customer deserve, and should
receive without asking, the best which we have
to offer. To exist, the total of our obtained
prices must be adequate; and, to attract and
retain the full confidence of our customers
and our communities, those prices must also
be fair and equitable.
MUSETTE
subject of purchaser's Christmas
card
Among recent letters received by
Winter & Co., New York, was one from
Miss Bertha Mills, Pasedena, Cal., who
said:
"For sometime I have been intending
to tell you how much I am enjoying my
little Maple Colonial Musette, purchased
Clinic
(Continued from page 19)
piano is to go in, so we can determine whether
the piano in our mind should be a grand or a
vertical, whether it be a large room, small
room, to feel this customer out, to get some
sort of an expression. After all, he hasn't
shown any preference. We have to make that
preference for him. The next is to find out
whether the piano is to be purchased as a
piece of furniture or as a musical instrument.
If it is for a musical instrument, we want to
build up the appeal for the particular pur-
pose. If it is for themselves, we have a very
definite appeal. If it is for a child, you have a
grand appeal. We can build up beautiful
stories about being able to play fine music or
being the life of the party—you have all seen
that ad, "They laughed when I sat down to
play"—but you can also build this up to some
sort of an appeal to these people, to this pros-
pect, as to just why they want this piano.
"I personally would take this customer im-
mediately to the finest piano that I had to
play, to bring out the quality and tone, to
stress the quality in workmanship, and natur-
ally, the price question will come in. When
they are told the price of this very fine piano—
it is never hard to get a person by flattery. If
the price is more than the customer will want
to pay, he will sort of edge out of it in some
manner. He may say, "Well, it is a little more
money than I want to spend." I think then
you have a solid basis on which to take this
customer. You can always come back and
give another shot, "but you can't really weigh
(Turn to page 22)
a little over a year ago. Perhaps you
will be interested to see how the Musette
was made the center of interest on my
Christmas cards this year, inspiration
The Christmas card was hand-tinted
for which doubtless came from various
advertisements of the Winter Com- and most attractive as may be seen in
pany!"
the accompanying illustration.
Blake Plays Santa Claus at Annual Party
These are terms familiar to regulation, but
if we regulate ourselves and serve with effic-
iency and equity and courtesy, we deserve the
greater credit, and we may thereby not only
remain free, as we hope to be, but may also
become enfranchised in our public's goodwill
for still greater service
The Question
There are many problems in business, and
the whole world is full of problems today
which demand a stout faith in the right and
in ourselves, but I know of no business prob-
lem which is more important than finding a
satisfactory price policy. It needs to be more
than satisfactory,—it should be fundamentally
good. The "one-price" plan takes effort, fore-
thought and "long purpose", and these are
qualities that require conviction from within.
Therefore, it is for each of you to answer for
himself the question, "Does it pay"? Let me
close with this quotation:
"No man is fit to win who has not sat down
alone to think, and who has not come forth
with purpose in his eye, with set lips and
clinched palms, able to say 'I am resolved what
to do'."
—Bulwer
The Annual Christinas Party of Charles D. Blake & Co.. Boston
The Annual Christmas Party of
Charles D. Blake & Co. of Boston,
wholesale and retail piano merchants
since 1869, was held on Monday evening,
December 18, 1939 at their Washington
Street store.
Starting with a reception at 5 :30, the
party was attended by all company em-
ployees and many representatives of the
various piano factories. A roast turkey
dinner was served.
After dinner, gifts were distributed
to all present by Charles M. Blake, vice-
president and treasurer of the company.
A program of entertainment was pro-
vided.
Among the distinguishd guests were
Clarence Pond, president Ivers & Pond
Piano Co., Alexis Mahan, Ivers & Pond,
Rolla A. Burke, W. W. Kimball, Henry
Behning, Kohler & Campbell Inc., W. J.
Pfund, Weaver Piano Co., A. L. Jewett,
Starr Piano Co., and Harold Merriam,
A. Merriam Co., South Acton, Mass.