PRESTO
March 3, 1923
CHRISTMAN
—It's the instrument you
want to sell your friends
JUST AMONG US
GOOD PIANO MEN
A Series of Articles Drawn from Practical
Experience in Store and on the Road
Selling the Goods and Noting
How Others Do It.
By MARSHALL BREEDON.
The First Touch Tells* 9
Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.
CHRISTMAN
STUDIO GRAND
Wonderful Little Piano but 5
feet long but as powerful as a
Parlor Grand. Your trade will
be delighted with it.
CHRISTMAN
REPRODUCING PIANOS
Remarkable in their distinctive
qualities of master interpreta-
tion, case designs and exclu-
sive features. Made in both
Grands and Uprights.
Enhance Your Future Prosper-
ity By Investigating
the
Irresistible Appeal of
CHRISTMAN
GRANDS, UPRIGHTS
PLAYERS
and
REPRODUCING PIANOS
..i...
Christman Piano Co.
597 East 137th St.
New York
USEFUL AND USELESS.
Piano men on the road often meet other travelers.
I f we are observing, and perhaps a little bit thought-
ful, we soon classify the others and ourselves as well.
There are only two classes of traveling Piano Men
m the world. They are the "Useful" and the "Use-
less." A salesman will do mighty well to reflect
seriously on that. The other men we meet on the
trains and in the hotels are classified in those two
grades. A man can easily be a perfectly "Useless"
salesman and yet sell pianos.
The "Useful" class consists of those whose work,
besides maintaining themselves, do good to others,
help the factory by selling only profitable goods to
reliable accounts, and never attempt to load up a
friendly dealer.
The "Useless" class, large unfortunately, consists
of absolute drones that do nothing at all, and relative
drones whose work, concentrated exclusively on their
own welfare, does good to nobody else. Merely tak-
ing orders, hit or miss, and letting the salesmanager
or the factory go hang.
A successful traveler does not always sell a raft
of pianos on every trip. He may actually work a
complete route with little results, and still be of
great value to the house. Of course he cannot fail
to ge orders on every trip, but the good salesman
knows when to sell and when not to sell. The abil-
ity to differentiate between the right time and the
wrong time is the mark that clearly shows which is
the "Useful" and which the "Useless" piano traveler.
* * *
THE RETAIL CUSTOMER.
In Boston, not so vecy long ago, we listened to a
lecture given by a noted sales expert. He was the
salesmanager for a very big and great line of gent.'s
hats. In the course of his carefully prepared address
he made -this statement:
"Your customer is your enemy."
He was talking to a group of salesmanagers, and
after hurling that bombshell he went on to explain
in this wise: "Your customer is your enemy because
he is always trying to get the best of you. Make
no mistake! The man or women who is doing the
buying intends to skin you out of your honest price
\\ it can bt done!"
There is food for thought in that statement.
We, in the course of our knocking around, have
observed many retail piano customers. Once, in
Hamberger's big piano department, in Los Angeles,
we heard a customer say to a salesman:
"What is the price of this grand?"
"$1,250.00."
The customer drew confidentially close: "I vill
make it for you a bargain," he said; "1 vill gif you
$1,150 cash money."
Can anyone say that this customer was not in
reality an enemy.
Perhaps, then, the retail customer is an enemy,
but he is a good enemy and one the salesman must
out-general. If the piano salesman knows the cus-
tomer is his enemy the salesman will or should be
ready to counter every punch of the other and then
come back with something stronger. This is not
difficult to do if the salesman is on the job and is
alert in his treatment of the situation.
* * *
THE RENTER.
Us Piano Men frequently have dealers ask us
about securing pianos for rent. They want these
pianos small and cheap, and on very long terms. Of
course it is fine for the dealer if he can get them that
way, but usually such fine things just can't "be did."
There is more than one kind of retail renter.
The first is the man who actually intends to rent
and who makes a specialty of renting. In Oakland
there is a man who has an average of over 600 pianos
...out. oj^xent. This accummulatiou-has been the result,
of many years of renting, and now is, of course,
better than a gold mine.
In Fresno is a dealer who, during the last six or
eight years, has accumulated some fifty-five pianos
which he rents and will not sell. As fast as he can
afford it he adds more pianos to his renting list.
Xow he has a very nice little income from these, and
it will grow bigger soon.
Then there is the dealer who advertises pianos for
rent but who wouldn't rent one on a bet.
The other day.one of the highest salaried retail
men in Los Angeles remarked that for the past five
years his firm had advertised pianos to rent at $2
per month. But, it had not rented a single instru-
ment in all that time! How come? This method is
used simply as a leader to draw the sucker in. Then
they land on him with both feet for a sale.
The first two dealers are perhaps justified in ask-
ing the traveler to try and get them low prices and
better terms. The second type of dealer is merely
trying to cash in on his bunk advertising and cer-
tainly should not be favored at all.
SCHAFF BROS. CO. SHOWS
TW0=T0NE CASES IN NEW YORK
Many Dealers in Eastern States Take Opportunity
of Seeing Striking New Styles.
A display of the Schaff Bros Co., Huntington,
ind., at the store of the Kimberlin Piano Co., 117
East Thirty-fourth street, New York, opened last
week, is for the purpose of showing the new two-tone
case finish the Schaff Bros. Co., is featuring. A. B.
Hart, representative in the east for the Schaff Bros.
Co., is in charge of the exhibit.
The two-tone finish is shown in Schaff Bros. Co.'s
Style 40, Venetian, in walnut and the Avon style in
oak. The exhibit is in response to a great number of
inquiries by eastern dealers interested in the Schaff
Bros. Co.'s line. Mr. Hart has sent invitations to
dealers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and
Pennsylvania and many have already viewed the
styles in the store of the Kimberlin Piano Co., while
others have expressed their intention to avail them-
selves of the opportunity announced by Mr. Hart.
SALES OF AUTOMATICS
INCREASING RAPIDLY
Nelson-Wiggen Co., Chicago, Finds Sales of Instru-
ments Doubled During February.
The Nelson-Wiggen Piano Co., Chicago, a com-
pany organized only last summer for the manufac-
ture of automatic pianos, is finding business better
each month since the production and shipping began
a few months ago. The February sales have doubled
the record of January, and indications are that the
increase will still progress in the next few months,
according to Oscar Nelson, president of the firm.
For a new manufacturing concern, the volume of
orders now being received is more than encouraging,
and advertising and canvassing promises to bring
the amount of business to a still higher level.
Attractive circulars describing the different mod-
els of coin-operated instruments manufactured by
Nelscn-Wiggen are now being mailed to the trade,
as a supplementary method of bringing these pianos
to the attention of progressive piano dealers over the
country. Inquiries are received daily concerning the
Pian-O-Grand, the Dance-O-Grand. the Harp-O-
Grand, and the Banj-O-Grand, which are being made
by this company at present. The Banj-O-Grand,
the latest model designed, is proving a rapid seller,
even this early after it was announced. The addition
of attractive circulars will cause a considerable en-
largement of the amount of business done, it is be-
lieved, and enthusiastic plans are being made for
the future. The Chicago market is being worked
by a personal representative and salesman.
W. O. BAKER PROMOTED.
W. O. Baker, of Centralia. Mo. who recently took
charge of the John N. Taylor Music Co. store,
Moberly, Mo., has been promoted to the position of
private secretary and personal representative of John
N. Taylor, head of the music concern. His head-
quarters is in Columbia, Mo. J. B. Ralston of the
Columbia store has been sent to Moberly to take
charge of the company's store at that place.
EMPLOYMENT SITUATION.
"Employment conditions in Illinois are excellent,"
says the monthly report of the United States employ-
ment service. "It is estimated that 90,000 more are
at work than at his ime last year. Demand for com-
mon labor is good. An immense building program,
continuation of road building, and with no strikes in
the coal mines, all indications point to continued in-
dustrial expansion."
KANSAS FIRM REORGANIZES.
The Dodge City Music Co., Dodge City, Kans., re-
cently underwent a reorganization following the sale
by E. M. Olson of his interest in the firm to Oscar
Drake and R. M. Rath, of Hutchinson, Kans. In-
corporation with with a capitalization of $30,000 was
effected.
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