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The Jfusk J/iaJ
REVIEW
Established 1879
CARLETON CHACE, Editor
Alex H. Kolbe, Publisher
A. C. Osborne
Alexander Hart
Associate Editor
Technical Editor
V. T. Costello
Terry Ruffolo
Production Manager
Circulation Manager
Published monthly at 510 Americas Building, Radio
City. 1270 Sixth Avenue, New York 20, N. Y.
Telephone: Circle 7-5842-5843-5844
Vol. 113
MAY, 1954
No. 5
phone follow-up system which has been used for a
great many years, which we might call a particularly
modern thought. "There is one thing that I have
learned," said one of the salesmen, "in this modern
day and age, and that is, if a salesman is to call a
person at home in the evening, which becomes neces-
sary in many instances in order to talk to both the
husband and the wife, one must be particularly care-
ful in regard to the time that this is done, and you
will be surprised to know the reason. However, it is
a very logical one. Since the advent of television,
many people spend their evenings watching their
favorite program, and if you happen to call up at
the time they are absorbed in watching one of their
favorite programs, you are liable to get the receiver
slammed in your ear. So, it behooves every sales-
man when he wants to call someone, to do it on the
hour or the half-hour or perhaps at a time when he
may feel that a commercial is being presented." This
was the opinion of a man who has been selling pi-
anos, to our knowledge, for the last 30 years, and
as he said, he learned this little knack from hard
experience. The salesman who had been selling pi-
anos for only a short time offered the suggestion
that more attention should be paid to interior decor-
ators and more influence should be secured among
national magazines which publish photographs of in-
teriors of homes, to have a piano shown in living
rooms.
Business-As We See It
I
N its April issue, the REVIEW published an ar-
ticle by Curtis B. Kimball of the W. W. Kimball
Co. entitled, "The Working Salesman Will Find
Piano.Business Good During 1954." The manager of
one of the largest piano departments in the east
marked this article and passed it
around among salesmen in his de-
partment. At the next meeting of
the staff, there was considerable
discussion about some of the sug-
gestions that were made in the
article. We happened to stop in
to this establishment a day or two
after the meeting was held and
we listened in on a discussion
among four of the salesmen on
the floor, three of whom had been
CARLETON CHACE
in the business for a great many
years, and one a newcomer who was shifted from
another department into the piano department. It
was most interesting to hear the reaction of these
two different types of salesmen all of whom are en-
deavoring to promote sales to the best of their
knowledge. On the whole, all of them agreed with
many of the suggestions which are made in Mr. Kim-
ball's article, but in the course of the discussion
there was one new element in regard to the tele-
10
What Are Your Suggestions?
T
HE Promotion Committee of the National Pi-
ano Manufacturers Association held a meeting
in New York recently and discussed many
plans for action in order to stimulate piano sales at
the retail level, which in turn would stimulate piano
production at the wholesale level. Although many
suggestions were discussed, many of which had been
received by James V. Sill, Chairman of the Commit-
tee, during his recent travels throughout the south-
eastern part of the country, when he called on deal-
ers, no concrete plan has as yet been decided upon
and the committee is very anxious to receive other
suggestions before formulating any permanent plans.
The subjects considered at the meeting and which
will be considered at future meetings are retail ad-
vertising, financing, music education and sales train-
ing. This is a matter which concerns the entire piano
industry both wholesale and retail, and in view of
the fact that the committee is interested in sugges-
tions, we feel quite certain that they will welcome
any ideas that can be sent to them from anyone who
has the interests of stimulating piano sales at heart.
We suggest, therefore, that if any reader of the
REVIEW feels that he has some ideas regarding what
should be done, he should send his suggestions to
J. V. Sill, 140 Maple Ave., Wilmette, 111.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, MAY, I9E4