Presto

13
f»RESXO
February 5, 1920.
"BEST BASIS OF EMPLOYMENT"
Piano Merchants at Wednesday's Session of Annual Convention Hear This
Topic Discussed in More or Less Formal Manner
THE PHILADELPHIA PLAN
The provision for readjusting salaries every four
"The Philadelphia Plan" was set forth by Florence
,T. Heppe, Philadelphia, when he read his paper on months eliminates all controversies about salaries;
"The Best Basis to Employ Salesmen." The pay- they must go up or down—hence there is constant
ment of salesmen, branch managers and collection diligence.
clerks was treated as different problems and clearly
Paying Collection Clerks.
worked out by the Philadelphia man.
In the Philadelphia plan of paying collection
When the amount of total sales expected each clerks all accounts are arranged and grouped accord-
month is 150 times the weekly salary, the Victor ing to the kind of merchandise purchased. On each
floor salesman receives $35 per week, plus a month- group a certain percentage of the lease balances is
ly bonus of 2 per cent on the amount of records expected monthly. For example, you may demand
sold—paid only if the total monthly sales of ma- 5 per cent on players, 6 per cent on pianos, 12 per
chines and records exceeds $5,250. Under the same cent on Victrolas. If the clerk collects this per-
sales requirements another salesman receives $32 centage during the month on the accounts under his
per week, plus a monthly bonus of 2 per cent on supervision, he receives a bonus of $12. If he col-
the amount of records sold-—paid only if the total lects a total of 1 per cent more on the total of his
monthly sales of machines and records exceeds accounts, his bonus is $20, or whatever you choose
to set.
$4,800.
Where the amount of sales expected each month
Paying Managers.
is 100 times the weekly salary, the outside salesman
In the plan of paying branch managers, a man-
receives $45 per week, plus 1 per cent weekly on ager is first given an adequate salary. He also re-
net weekly sales, plus a monthly bonus of 1 per ceives an annual bonus calculated on the relation of
cent on monthly sales if they exceed $4,500. Another the total cost of the merchandise and expenses to
receives $38 per week, plus 1 per cent weekly on net the volume of sales. As an example the following
weekly sales, plus a monthly bonus of 1 per cent on bonus might be arranged:
monthly sales if they exceed $3,800, and another
Two-tenths of 1 per cent if cost of merchandise
receives $32 per week, plus 1 per cent weekly on net and expense equal 82 per cent or less.
weekly sales, plus a monthly bonus of 1 per cent
Three-tenths of 1 per cent if cost of merchandise
on monthly sales if they exceed $3,200.
and expense equal 81 per cent or less.
Adjusting Salaries.
Four-tenths of 1 per cent if cost of merchandise
Salary is adjusted every four months. On Jan. 1, and expense equal 80 per cent or less.
May 1, and Sept. 1 the salary is revised to equal
A deduction should be made from the "bonus"
1 per cent of the average monthly sales for the pre- equal to four-tenths of 1 per cent of all amounts in
ceding 12 months. This is the most important arrears on collection accounts.
feature.
This plan makes it necessary for a manager to
"Net sales" are the net amount less all trade keep down his expenses, keep up his sales and have
credits and repossessions.
his collections up to the minute at all times. It
The store supplies the majority of prospects, pays restrains him from making excessive allowances for
transportation and hotel expenses and gives each instruments in exchange and induces him to sell
salesman a specified district in city or country.
them at the highest possible prices.
MR. DREHER'S VIEWS
Henry Dreher, of the B. Dreher & Sons' company,
Cleveland, O., provided the business session on
Wednesday with one of his short and pithy con-
tributions to the discussion of "The Best Basis Upon
Which to Employ Salesmen." It sparkled with the
aphorisms which characterize the Cleveland piano
man's convention talks. Mr. Dreher spoke in part
as follows:
"The best basis upon which to employ salesmen"
is a problem answered before it is given. An aphor-
ism old as the hills says, "The laborer is worthy of
his hire." Another says, "Honor to whom honor is
due." Many others but emphasize the theory that
the best plan for employing men is to pay them
what they are actually worth and this can be the
only answer to the problem.
No Room for Drones.
The salesman who expects to share in the financial
success of his employer without "making good"
might better apply for some other position where
"brawn" and not "brain" seems to be the only re-
quirement. The up-to-date piano establishment has
no room for drones. The man who joins the sales
force of a piano store enters a school from which
he never graduates. There is always something to
learn, even for the oldest of us.
The university of hard knocks has a very large
class in the piano trade and wise is the student in
this school who, profiting by the frequent knocks
and bumps, finds himself gradually lifted to the
smooth plane of salesmanship where his experience
tells him just what to do; just when and just how
to do it. Salesmanship calls for a high standard
of fine qualities absolutely necessary to success:
personality, tact, diplomacy, aggressiveness, stick-
to-it-iveness and withal the power somehow to in-
spire that confidence which ultimately brings the
signature to the contract.
There is such a diversity of individual character,
initiative or talent, if you please, in a given number
of salesmen, that it is not always possible at a
glance to distinguish the "sheep" from the "goats"
and only in the test of time will it develop as to
which men will pull down the plums in the way of
sales that are the measure of the salesman's suc-
cess.
You know there are salesmen who, for instance,
;f sent out after a prospect arrive at their destina-
tion, find the customer has recently purchased else-
where and immediately look around for the next
train back home; while the live wire with his eyes
wide open looks around for new material and often
comes home with "wool in his teeth" in the form
of another sale instead of the discouraging report
"sale lost: bought elsewhere."
So getting down to the "gist" of the matter, we
are sure that with a good line to talk about and a
good house to represent, the enthusiastic salesman
who works with a vim and vigor upon a sound and
satisfactory working basis will make good while
the "sloth" will surely be a dismal failure. But the
basis of employment must be equitable and fair for
both the employer and the employee. Each sales-
man should receive a weekly salary that will enable
him to live comfortably; to dress in keeping with
his dignified calling and to provide him with some
of the pleasurable enjoyments in life so that he may
keep pace with influences tending to broaden his
acquaintanceship and to enlarge his field of opera-
tions.
Furnishing Incentives.
Add to this salary a percentage or commission on
sales made and you furnish the incentive to bring
out the best that is in the man and to cause him
to stick to a sale as long as there is a ray of hope
for closing the deal. This percentage might be
made payable at the end of each year as a bonus
and I believe that with the plan properly worked
out, no better solution of the problem could pos-
sibly be devised. Therefore, if you will accept my
suggestion, it is that the salary and commission ar-
rangement properly systematized for mutual benefit
is in my opinion the best basis upon which to em-
ploy salesmen.
WEST AFRICAN IVORY COAST.
During the year 1918 the foreign or over-sea trade
of the Ivory Coast, French West Africa, amounted
in value to $5,586,685. as against $4,987,086 for 1917,
$4,031,922 for 1916, and $6,700,956 for 1913. The
volume of trade in 1918. therefore, shows an increase
over 1917 amounting to $599,599, and over 1916
amounting to $1,554,763; but a decrease amounting
to $1,114,271, as compared with 1913. On the whole
the colony has greater reason to be satisfied with
the year's record than has French Guinea. The in-
creases over 1916 and 1917. however, are due almost
entirely to the war.
NEW YORK GIVES
THOUGHT TO MUSIC
City-Wide Scheme of the National Bureau for
the Advancement of Music Crowned with
Wonderful Success in Metropolis
This Week.
"Give a thought to music." This is the slogan of
New York music week, which opened Tuesday. At
work and at play, in the theatres, schools and
churches, in the libraries, settlement houses and
public institutions and in the great industrial plants
music played a prominent part this week.
Music week was the idea of the National Bureau
for the Advancement of Music. It was intended to
give the public an idea of the musical activities that
are being carried on in industrial plants and in pub-
lic and private institutions.
In five hundred churches in and near New York
the first musical activities began on Sunday. Ser-
mons were preached on the effect of music on re-
ligion. Ninety per cent of the churches in Greater
New York are giving special musical programmes
this week. In Sunday schools special attention is
being paid to singing.
Music week has the indorsement of the National
Association of the Motion Picture industry, and the
motion picture theatres devoted more time to mu-
sical programmes than in other weeks.
Schools Respond.
In the public schools nearly a million school chil-
dren celebrated the opening of music week Mon-
day morning with a song. In many schools
there were daily musical entertainments. George
Gartlan, director of music in the New York schools,
is actively associated with the music week move-
ment. Glee clubs gave concerts, school orches-
tras were heard frequently and soloists of talent
among the pupils appeared.
Among the important musical events in the col-
leges was a performance of a Bach oratorio by the
Columbia University chorus.
Free Entertainments.
Numerous free musical entertainments were
scheduled for the week. Four festival concerts were
held by the Aeolian company in Aeolian Hall, tak-
ing place Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at noon
and one tomorrow (Friday) at three o'clock in the
afternoon. Among the artists who appeared are
Percy Grainger, Guiomar Novaes, Alfred Cortot,
Serge Prokofieff, Mine. Marie Sundelius and
Maurice Dambois.
In Carnegie Hall a comparison piano recital was
held by William Knabe & Company Tuesday after-
noon. Mischa Levitzki, Leo Ornstein, Beno
Moiselwitsch and Arthur Rubinstein appeared in
person in Ampico recordings.
Many of the regular musical organizations were
exceptionally active during the week. The Metro-
politan Opera Company gave a special matinee per-
formance of "Madam Butterfly" on Thursday. The
Philharmonic Society gave five concerts, including a
special evening of light music in Aeolian Hall for
this evening (Thursday) for members only.
Singing at Plants.
Many industrial plants held sings. At least
twenty large factories opened Monday morning's
work with singing. Several hundred concerns that
heretofore have paid little attention to music agreed
to start choruses among their employes. This sort
of singing has long been going on in department
stores and other businesses where large numbers
of employes were available. Lord & Taylor's and
Wanamaker's have done much to popularize music,
and they will continue their work during music
week.
And so we see how the metropolis responded to C.
M. Tremaine and the Bureau for the Advancement
of Music, and other cities, remote from the Atlantic
Coast, caught the same inspiration and there has
been music everywhere.
OPENS NEW BRANCH.
J. A. McNabb and L. A. Bedard of Mt. Vernon,
111., have leased rooms in the Dorris building, Frank-
fort, 111., where they will open an up-to-date music
store this week. They will handle a full line of
pianos, playerpianos, phonographs, records, player
rolls, musical instruments and a full line of up-to-
date sheet music. The building has been remodeled
and demonstration rooms provided. Mr. Bedard
and L. W. Stern will remain in management of the
new store.
L. E. Detrick, for many years connected with the
Cable Piano Company, Cincinnati, is now in charge
of the music rolls and records department of the
Starr Piano Company in the same city.
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