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The Buying Motives and Decisions
of Present Day Piano Selling
by EDDIE REYNOLDS
Reynolds Piano Company
Jacksonville, Fla.
W
HEN a customer enters your
store, there is only one thing
he sees, and that is dollar signs
$$$$$$ floating around by the thou-
sands. If you. as a salesman, are cap-
able of selling the Buying Motives
which create the Need for a piano, then
the many $$$$$$ gradually vanish from
the prospect's eyes.
Throughout your presentation if you
have been receiving favorable commit-
ments on the four Buying Decisions
with the little yeses, then you should
expect the big YES.
Already I know what you are think-
ing; but let me assure you, the writer
is not a "by the book salesman." How-
ever, I do believe you must have some-
thing basic to build your sales talk on.
Humbly, may I say, this Old Catfisher-
man has a simple method which has
really helped.
In my travels in shopping piano
stores, I would say many of them should
be called "lumber yards," because the
greater part of the sales presentation
consisted of posts, soundboards, cases,
metal plates, felts and what have you.
Some even insisted on removing the
front board, so they could show me the
unsightly parts of the piano. Surely
there are times when you have to men-
tion these features, but not until you
start to sell the Source, which I will ex-
plain further on in this article. Just
think, did you buy your car because it
had so much steel, iron, rubber and
etc.? No! But you did buy your car
because some Buying Motive created the
Need in your mind. Does the insur-
ance man tell you about the kind of
paper the policy is written on?
Inasmuch as I am not the world's
best piano salesman, I had to have
something to cling to. I am reminded of
the young man who told a dealer he
was the world's best piano salesman;
and if given a job, he would prove it to
the dealer. After five weeks on the job,
the world's best piano salesman had not
written the first order. When ques-
tioned by the dealer, he said, "I have
changed my mind. I am not the world's
best piano salesman, but I am the sec-
ond best in the world." "What made
you change your mind?" asked the
EDDIE REYNOLDS
dealer. "Well," said the salesman, "The
fellow who sold you these darn pianos
you are trying to get me to sell—he was
the world's best piano salesman."
Smile, even if you have heard it; I
must fill up this space with something.
In analyzing many other items sold
by specialty salesmen, it is not difficult
to see they have more Basic Buying Mo-
tives to talk on. Also their advantages
are more forceful than ours to create
the Need. But after a piano is sold, we
will hear the many values of the instru-
ment in the home for years longer than
any other item sold. This in proven by
the amount of business we receive from
our satisfied users.
However, this old country boy is in
the business he loves, and will now pro-
ceed to explain my simple formula:
THE COW' DOESN'T GIVE THE
MILK, YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT.
BUYING MOTIVES
1. Satisfaction of Affection; 2. Satisfac-
tion of Pride; 3. Economy.
BUYING DECISIONS
1. Need; 2. Source; 3. Price; 4. Time.
(Mention advantages, prove each one.
and ask for commitments)
As you already see, this is very sim-
ple; and I will assure you, that after a
person decides to purchase a piano
there are only four major decisons they
can think of. True, there may be plenty
of sub-titles, but it is impossible to find
one that is not based on one of the four
listed above. Prove this to yourself by
trying it. This old piano peddler is so
sold on it that I will bet my glasses it
will work, (can't see without them.)
You will notice that the majority of
the advantages we point out in the pro-
cess of creating the need for the piano
are derived from the first two buying
motives; whereas the third (Economy)
is the greatest for salesmen selling other
lines, it is our weakest.
During my huntin' and peckin' this
copy I am very timely interrupted by my
secretary who hands me a leaflet issued
by the Certified Public Accountants As-
sociation entitled "Accountants Make
You Money." This is an appropriate
example of why I say the above.
The following is a brief illustration
of the many advantages we have to sell.
Any one of these might register enough
on your prospect to ring a bell on one
of the Decisions so you may proceed
with the close.
1. What the Piano Means in the Lives
of Children—
a. Opens the door for mental develop-
ment; b. Will make a child more
popular; c. Develops their personal
charm and culture; d. Develops self-
expression; e. Provides them with a
means of pleasure that endures for
life.
2. The Piano for Mental Advance-
ment—
a. Improves the mind; b. Develops
the memory; c. Discloses dormant
talents; d. Increases general culture;
e. Furnishes conversational topics.
3. The Piano for Social Advance-
ment—
a. Adds to one's appreciation of all
arts; b. Classes one among the cul-
tured; c. Promotes popularity and
many new friends; d. Curbs self-con-
sciousness.
4. The Piano for Entertainment—
a. Is an uplifting influence; b. Adds
romance to one's life; c. Brings add-
ed beauty to one's surroundings; d.
Affords pleasant diversion; e. En-
ables one to entertain friends easily.
5. The Piano for Physical Advance-
ment—
a. Improves one's nervous condition;
b. Promotes rhythm of movement; c.
Increases self-control; d. Soothes
affliction.
6. The Piano in the Home—
(Turn to Page 28)
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, FEBRUARY, 1952