PRESTO
August 14, 1920.
JOHN MERRELL WINNER IN
EXCITING SALES CONTEST
GULBRANSEN
REPRESENTATION
The Stability of It
In case of "hard times" what Player lines would
be last affected and least affected?
We believe even competitors would put the
Gulbransen at or near the top of the list!
Remember that " p i n c h " about 6 0 days
after the U. S. entered the war? Short, but
pretty sharp.
In that month or two, a number of Gulbransen Distributors
dropped all other player lines, and concentrated on the
Gulbransen. Not without reason. When they put the
sales force to work on Gulbransen prospects, they got a
response. When they advertised the Gulbransen, they
got results—even though most people did feel a little
panicky.
Let's see. W h a t are some of the things that give stability
to a line? Value; a good money's-worth. Reputation; a
widely known name, a large number of satisfied owners,
past quality advertising, known prices. A large normal
demand; or, one might call it, over-demand, so that even
when cut down temporarily there remains a good trade.
A certain Distributor who conducts a furniture store in
connection with the player business, sold an "outfit" tD a
young couple, who later had some financial bad luck and
could not complete the contract.
They allowed their
furniture to be repossessed, but scraped up enough money
to retain their Gulbransen Player! "That incident* says
the Distributor, "convinced me that the Gulbransen depart-
ment was the safest part of my business!"
A line safe in hard times is sure in normal times.
W e seem now to be getting back to normal conditions.
The ridiculously easy selling condition of 1919 is gone.
Salesmanship is needed and has a chance again. But
intelligent salesmanship wants a salable article—one on
which it can "run up a string" of sales—for the same reason
a billiard expert wants a good table.
One Iowa distributor has sold 1 1 Gulbransens in one family.
"Strings" of six to eight Gulbransen sales among relatives
are not uncommon.
GULBRANSEN - DICKINSON CO.
CHICAGO
Young Salesman in Washington Store of Knabe
Warerooms, Inc., Achieves Highest Results.
The greatest contest
for salesmanship honors
ever seen in the stores of
Knabe Warerooms, Inc.,
Baltimore and Washing-
ton, of which J. H. Wil-
liams is president, was
run during the month of
July.
The men in both stores
were on their mettle to
win, but John Merrell of
the Washington store,
succeeded in beating ev-
ery man in both stores.
It was not just a beating
by a shade, either, for he
went over the top $4,000
in advance of the other
salesmen.
JOHN MERRELL.
Mr. Merrell is a West-
erner by birth; was born in Vinita, Okla., is 25 years
of age and a graduate of the Baycone University of
Muskogee, Okla. He spent seven years in the reg-
ular army, serving during the Mexican punitive ex-
pedition.
Mr. Merrell has only been in the piano business
11 months. He worked at the Washington store
for three months on the outside and because of his
ability was promoted to the position of floor sales-
man, which position he has held successfully ever
ELIZABETH, N. J., HAS
NEW TRADE ASSOCIATION
Large Membership Was Insured at the First Meet-
ing and Enthusiasm Was Marked.
A new association of music merchants of Eliza-
beth, New Jersey, was started in that city on
August 5th. The meeting was called by George L.
Hirtzel, Jr., at the request of E. G. Brown of
Bayonne, state commissioner for New Jersey of
the National Association of Music Merchants. Sec-
retary C. L. Dennis, of the National Association,
explained the aims of the national work in the
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce. Follow-
ing this explanation, the members in attendance
pledged their memberships and support of the na-
tional organization in every way possible. They
were:
S. T. Morrow, 111 First street; Jas. H. James, 244
W. Broad street; G. L. Hirtsel, Jr.. 211 Broad street;
B. McCandless; Elizabeth Talking Machine Co.. 288
N. Broad street; Otto G. Altenburg, Altenburg
Piano House, Thos. Sullivan, secretary; and Mc-
Manus Bros.
Others not in attendance who advised Mr. Hirtzel
of their co-operation in the association work were:
Frank Frick, 925 Elizabeth avenue; Goerke-Kirch
Co., Broad and W. Jersey street; Jos. Flusser, 105
First street; A. Wachman, 171 Third street; Phono-
graph Shop, 84 Broad street; Tapner Music Co.,
Elizabeth and Jefferson avenues; Union Talking
Machine Co., 555 Elizabeth avenue.
Mr. Altenburg was made temporary chairman and
Mr. McCandless temporary secretary. The tenta-
tive name suggested for the organization was the
Music Merchants Association of Elizabeth, New
Jersey. Permanent officers will be elected and the
organization completed on Thursday, September 9th.
SKILLED LABOR SITUATION.
Manufacturers of all kinds of merchandise which
requires a high grade of mechanical skill to produce
have been wondering for some time how, in the face
of the desire of the average American boy to do
only "white collar" work, they are going to keep
their shop organizations complete without drawing
too heavily upon the skilled labor of Europe, says
the New York Times. The feeling is that there
should be more native-born mechanics, particularly
in the trades which border on the arts, but the ques-
tion is how to get them.
PREPARING FOR FALL.
Hahne & Co., Newark, N. J., is taking time by
the forelock and storing playerpianos in anticipa-
tion of a big fall and winter business. The com-
pany has ordered 360 Gulbransen playerpianos from
the Gulbransen-Dickinson Co., Chicago, and the
players will be shipped in carload lots a week apart
in shipment.
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