Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, FEBRUARY, 1941
Combination
Business
Phonographs... Records...
Radio - Phonographs
The Value of Skillful Use of
Direct Mail in Selling Records
By Daniel Webster
Successful development of record sales
in large volume is created by most deal-
ers through the skillful use of direct mail.
Since most piano dealers have recently
opened record departments in order to
stimulate store traffic and increase their
contacts with the public, creation of a
record mailing list should work towards
this same objective. In other words, it is
fundamental that mailed solicitation
should reach far beyond the piano met
chant's regular accounts and seek to bring
new people into the store.
This means building a list of record
prospects hand-tailored to fit the dealer's
ultimate objective, which is to sell more
pianos. Increase of phonograph sales has
been so tremendous in the past two yean*
that the retailer cannot afford to carry all
owners on his mailing list. Most economi-
cal results will come from the specialized
lists with complete information on every
name.
Looking beyond his files of past and
regular customers, the dealer will find
ready to hand several sources of new
names. First in importance to the piano
merchant come those who are interested
in music. This will suggest the local music
clubs, concert subscribers, church choirs,
music teachers with their students and
dancing schools. If the dealer makes a
practice of selling tickets to local musical
events through his store, he should get
the name of every such purchaser. This
activity will put him in touch with most
serious music lovers. If he will offer each
group some simple aid in their work, he
will find them very willing to cooperate
by lending him their membership lists.
Since a very large proportion of pianos
are bought by parents for the use of their
children, special emphasis should be
placed on this market in record promotion.
Often the record department is the most
attractive part of a music store to
youngsters. A smart record clerk can dig
out plenty of valuable information for your
cards from their purchases which you can
use in selling their parents.
Contact with all youth educational or-
ganizations, from kindergarten through
high school will provide you with the
names of those who own phonographs.
Contests are often invaluable to elicit this
information. By offering free records as a
prize, the dealer is sure to attract those
who own and play phonographs.
Vital to this record mailing list is the
information you can put on each card.
Scatter-gun mailing is wasteful. Each
piece should be aimed exactly and that
can be done only if you have all the
range data. You can get the necessary
facts only by constant vigilance on the
part of everybody in the record depart-
ment, but it pays big dividends. One of
the simplest ways of garnering informa-
tion is to make out a sales slip ior every
record sale, listing the customer's name
and the records purchased. In spare time
this data can be transferred to the cards
and the customer classified.
Every card should bear a classification
key, indicating the customer's preference
in music. Usually, this is carried under
such heads as "Dance," "Popular,"
"Symphony," "Opera," "Band" and "In-
strumental," specifying which instrument
in the latter classification. Regardless of
what kind of mailing pieces you send out,
or how your addressing is handled, these
keys will unlock new profits. For instance,
if you are mailing manufacturers' release
folders, the person who is doing the ad-
dressing can use a red pencil to circle the
numbers of special interest to the indi-
vidual.
The record customer's card should
have, in addition to the name and address,
the phonograph owned, other musical in-
struments owned, type of music preferred
and a notation of records bought by artist
and record number.
Invaluable information about record
buyers can be gleaned from stunts to
bring listeners into the store. Of growing
importance in this activity is the rental
library plan, by which records are loaned
by the day or week. Another is a store
19
concert, which can be scheduled for any
night of the week usually slow in store
traffic and invitations sent to selected
prospects. In this case, care should be
taken to match the type of music and the
prospects invited.
All of this work sounds extensive for a
record department, but actually it more
than pays for itself in business created and
in furnishing leads for the piano salesmen.
Unique Promotion
for Radiola " 5 1 5 "
Announced to RCA tube and equip-
ment distributors and service dealers by
means of an unusual promotion stunt
coupling the legendary "5:15 train" with
the model number of the instrument, the
new Radiola Model 515 is being greeted
with a flood of orders, according to John
C. Marden, Radiola Sales Manager of the
RCA Manufacturing Co., Camden, N. J.
List price of the new instrument is $24.95.
The Radiola, 515. is a G-tube, 2-band
instrument housed in a modern style wood
cabinet. Distributors handling the Radiola
series of table model receivers first re-
ceived a toy train, accompanied by a tiny
banner reading "Here comes the 515."
Few days later they received a special
record which, with appropriate railroad
sound effects, urged the distributor to
"get aboard" the 515. Then came actual
samples of the receiver timed to arrive the
same day as a letter telling of the effective
sales promotion aids prepared for it.
The Radiola 515 provides excellent
foreign reception and unusual perform-
ance on the standard broadcast band. Its
smart appearance is enhanced by the use
of matched walnut veneers and horizontal
grille rails across the front of the cabinet.
The attractive horizontal dial is placed at
a 45 degree angle for easy reading.
It has two built-in antennas—one for
domestic reception, and the other for
foreign turning. Its many other features
include one stage of R-F amplification for
greater sensitivity and selectivity, a per-
manent magnet dynamic loudspeaker,
2-point tone control, automatic volume
control, and a plug-in and switch for
phonograph attachment.
Wood on Extended Southern Trip
John J. Wood, Sales Manager of the
Ansley Radio Corp., New York, is on an
extended business trip through the South
and Middlewest, where he will call on the
many Ansley Dynaphone dealers and dis-
cuss promotion and sales plans for this
line of reproducing instruments. Mr.
Wood will be back at the factory in the
early part of March.
B. F. Miessner in Florida
B. F. Miessner, head of Miessner In-
ventions Inc., Millburn, N. J., is now in
Florida where he will remain until the
latter part of March. He reports among
other things, splendid weather, lots of
tennis and good fishing.