Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1924 1972

PRESTO
May 10, 1924.
MUSIC TRADE AND
KELLY=PAIGE BILLS
Attitude One of Protest Against Proposal to
Raise $110,000,000 for Postal Salary Raises
by Increasing Parcel Post and Third
Class Rates.
legislation, which would nullify the work of Post-
master General New's committee and prevent a scien-
tific adjustment of the question.
if postal salaries are to be increased (and it would
seem that this should be done) the increase will be
safer, surer and more equitable if it is made after the
report of the committee investigating the facts in the
cease.
To hastily pass through a measure tripling parcel
post rates would not of necessity produce the re-
quired fund, for it must be obvious to all thinking
people that such an increase must mean a decrease
in the volume of business handled and consequently
a reduction in the total.
SOME OF THE REASONS
FOR "MIESSNER"SUCCESS
Why C. W. Browne, of the "Little Piano with
the Big Tone," Makes a Good Represen-
tative of the Milwaukee Industry.
Piano men, and especially dealers who represent
the Miessner, "the little piano with the big tone,''
know that the vice-president of the Milwaukee indus-
try, C. W. Browne—or "Brownie," as his friends
familiarly call him—is a good talker. He is even a
good public talker, which is something unusual among
piano factory representatives and salesmen. Mr,
Trade Urged to Write to Congressmen Protesting
Browne, while not a ''veteran" in the traveling end of
Against Hasty Legislation That May Prevent
the piano industry, has been doing much of it for a
Just Settlement of Quest'on.
year or more., in the Miessner interests, and he under-
Its Wonderful Attraction for Children Told in Con- stands his subject from both general and special
points of view.
Every music dealer should be interested in the
vincing Way in National Magazine.
drastic proposal in Congress to raise $110,000,000 by
Better still, so far 'as the Miessner and its cus-
a 200 per cent increase in parcel post rates and exces-
"Children Love Good Times and the Straube," is tomers are concerned, Mr. Browne is an enthusiast
sive increases to publishers and third-class mailers.
the caption to the interesting picture illustrating the in the remarkable quality of the little instrument
The music dealer is affected as well as the music advertisement of the Straube Piano Co., Hammond, from Milwaukee. One day last week the Miessner
trade journal by the terms of the proposal. The Ind., in the Saturday Evening Post of May 3. The Piano Co.'s vice-president happened to be in Presto
general opinion in the music trade is that it is v not
picture gives a convincing idea of the ease of op- offices when a prosperous dealer called. In a little
equitable. The trade paper can give the dissatisfac- eration of the Straube playerpiano and the accom- while, the matter of national conditions intruded into
tion publicity, but every music dealer can personally panying text instructs the reader with facts about the the piano talk. The dealer said something about hav-
write to his representatives in Congress and enter a exclusive features of the Artronome player action. ing seen Mr. Browne in khaki during the war, and
protest against the proposed hasty legislation
The display is a strong appeal to parents. This is also of having heard him address a gathering of piano
salesmen on the ever-interesting topic of why and
Every Phase Affected.
said:
how to sell small pianos. When the war was touched
Every person engaged in industry, whether worker,
"Music is children's birthright. With the Straube upon, Mr. Browne produced a slip of blue paper bear-
Imancicr, or manager, will be affected by the legisla- they may have lots of it, the kind they enjoy best. ing the crest of our Uncle Sam and the signature of
tion introduced into Congress this session by Con- Anyone can quickly learn to play it expressively. Be- one of his servants in the financial departments.
gressman Paige and Congressman Kelly. Although it sides the Straube may be adapted instantly for hand
"Here's a memento of the war in which some appre-
is generally conceded that at the present time costs playing. Its beautiful tone, exquisite touch, make it
ciation
of the days that are gone is evidenced," said
of distribution are too high, these bills will add as an ideal instrument for the children's music lessons.
the Miessner representative. And he was properly
much as 200 per cent to one of the generally used
"The Melo-Harp adds a note of charm. Simply by proud of it. It was one of the soldiers' bonus checks
methods of distribution—parcel post.
pressing a button one may command a soft harp-like for a good amount.
The object for which this increase is advocated is tone of surpassing sweetness. Your dealer will glad-
But Mr. Browne's special enthusiasm next to the
of such a nature that it is probable that the bills will
ly explain all the exclusive features of the Straube little piano itself is the dynamic quality of the head of
be enacted into a law unless all people concerned pro- and how you may easily obtain one.
the Miessner Piano Co. To him there is nothing else
test against such hasty action.
"It's such a marvelous instrument! Almost magic.
The Kelly Rill is concerned mostly with increasing For out of it comes such wonderful music—jolly little just like the combination of musician, composer,
the salary of postal employes—a very worthy cause tunes, rollicking play-time songs, and sleepy little teacher, orator, organizer and manager to be seen, in
for which considerable agitation and sentiment has lullabies, long 'bout Sand Man time! Mother is never unusual combination and well balanced proportions,
been worked up. Under pressure of this sentiment at a loss for means of entertainment when there's a in President W. Otto Miessner, by whose idealism
and enthusiasm the "little piano with the big tone"
and agitation, the bill will most likely be passed be- Straube in the home."
has made its place in the trade and world of music.
cause strong pressure will be brought to bear on
Idealism is not yet extinct in industry, and Mr.
congressmen in its behalf.
Miessner is one of the men of the piano who prove it.
What Paige Bill Means.
The Paige Bill proposes to raise the money for the
NO PLACE TO GO BUT OUT.
payment of these increases in salary. But instead
of making a careful and scientific analysis of what
B. R. Brassfield, manager of agencies for the Wiley
would be just and equitable, the bill proposes to Kieselhorst's Piano Exchange Title of Second Store B. Allen Co., San Francisco, combines vacation joys
saddle the entire expense heavily upon industry by
with the pleasures of his daily work. His interesting
of Owner in Busy City.
arbitrarily increasing postal rates which in some in-
job is visiting the stores representing the line of the
stances are three times as high as at present in
Kieselhorst's Piano Exchange, Alton, 111., was San Francisco firm and his transit from place to place
existence.
formally opened last week in a most desirable loca- is a delightful motor jaunt. The automobile has its
advantages in that Mr. Brassfield is enabled thereby
Postmaster General New has pointed out the folly tion on West Third street.
to reach places not served by railroad. Last week he
of proceeding in this manner because his department
During
the
past
month
I.
A.
Kieselhorst
has
had
returned from a trip through the northern part of
lias been conducting investigations into costs with the
the
new
store
nicely
decorated
and
has
converted
it
the state where he says business in music goods is in
object of making readjustments in postal charges on
excellent shape.
a scientific basis. He advocates that no change in into a very attractive business place. A number of
combination
record
and
player
roll
rooms
have
been
the rates be made until the report of his department
installed, each having soundproof walls, and in addi-
is received, probably in July or August.
tion to pianos the store will have a complete stock of
A LIVE SPECIAL SALESMAN.
Q R S player rolls and Okeh records.
,
What Postmaster Recommends.
The W. F. Frederick Piano Company, through its
This recommendation of Postmaster General New
Miss Etat Haynes, formerly connected with the sales director, Joe B. Kelly, recently closed a success-
is commended to business men and the public gener- Kieselhorst store, has been installed as manager. ful piano sale in Meyersdale, Pa. Mr. Kelly has gone
ally as a sane method of solving the question, and
The new store will be operated in addition to the to the W. F. Frederick Piano Co. store in Cumber-
readers are urged to write to their congressional and
Kieselhorst Victrola and Brunswick Shop on State land, Md., where his live salesmanship is sure to
senatorial representatives protesting against hasty street.
accomplish results.
UNJUST TO BUSINESS
STRAUBE PLAYER PIANO
LOVED BY YOUNG FOLKS
J. A. KIESELHORST OPENS
NEW STORE IN ALTON, ILL.
TAKE IT TO THE PROSPECT'S HOME AND SELL IT
With a BOWEN LOADER it's as easy as any other pleasure trip into the country, and a sale is almost sure to result—and it
will advertise your store while doing it.
.
-
Shipped on approval to responsible dealers.
Price $110.00 for the Loader complete, including springs and cover.
BOWEN PIANO LOADER CO.,
Winston-Salem, N. C.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
10
PRESTO
CONVINCING WITH
SALES MANUALS
Printers' Ink Makes Analysis of Many Meth-
ods of Conveying the Facts That Result in
the Customer's Name on the Dotted
Line.
THE GULBRANSEN WAY
Makers of the Registering Piano Credited With Per-
fect Sales Method Which Convincingly Presents
Main Arguments by Text and Talk.
How sales arguments are presented in sales man-
uals was the object of a survey made by Printers'
Ink recently, the results of which are presented in an
article by E. B. Weiss in the number for April 10.
The article is an analysis of sales manuals collected
from houses all over the country and it is very grati-
fying to the Gulbransen Co., Chicago, that its sales
manual was declared the most effective of all those
reviewed. The article in Printers' Ink is reprinted:
The primary function of the sales manual is to pro-
vide the sales force with selling talk. But there are
many methods of convincingly portraying the more
important sales arguments. The plan decided upon
can make the main talking points graphic and more
easily remembered or it can bury the information in a
maze of poorly arranged and poorly presented ma-
terial.
It is because the importance of according this phase
of sales manual construction is quite generally under-
stood, that Printers' Ink has been receiving numerous
requests lately for an analysis of what is being done
along this line.
Accordingly, a study of the various devices em-
ployed in different manuals for this purpose was
made. Here are the findings:
The Analysis.
Perhaps the. most interesting of all plans unearthed
in this investigation is that used by the Gulbransen-
Dickinson Company, Chicago, manufacturer of the
Gulbransen piano. This company had found that
one of its dealers far outdistanced alt other Gulbran-
sen retailers in his annual sales volume on that piano.
11 was curious to know the reason and some one
was sent to secure a complete report relative to his
methods. The investigator induced the retailer to
explain his selling plan in detail. In addition, the
merchant actually staged a sale so that the reporter
could secure a verbatim copy of his sales talk. Most
important of all, the dealer was asked, and consented
to pose for a number of photographs picturing his
actions at various times while the sale was being
made.
With this background, the company is in a position
to introduce its manual by saying in the foreword:
"Without any qualification, the statement can be
made that the method of demonstration of the Gul-
bransen, outlined in this manual, is selling more Gul-
bransens than any other plan. It is being success-
fully practiced not by one man in an organization, but
by entire organizations; not in one city, but in many
cities."
Importance of the Foreword.
When a manual is given a send-off such as this it
makes a more impressive start than might otherwise
be the case. In other words, the sort of bow a man-
ual makes to its readers is quite important in deter-
THE
W. P. HAINES & COMPANY
PIANOS
THE PIANOS OF QUALITY
Three Generations of Piano Makers
All Styles—Ready Sellers
Attractive Prices
GRANDS
REPRODUCING GRANDS
UPRIGHTS and PLAYERS
AVAILABLE TERRITORY OPEN
W. P. HAINES & CO., Inc.
138th St. and Walton Are.
New York City
story back of the story told in the book, if it is at all
interesting or impressive, should be related in the
foreword for it lends added dignity to the sales
arguments and in that way makes their actual presen-
tation more effective.
It should be mentioned at this point that the Gul-
bransen-Dickinson manual is distributed among re-
tailers and dealer-salesmen. However, inasmuch as it
is designed to increase selling efficiency, the audience
to which it is directed is not of great moment. The
same appeal which causes a retailer or a retail sales-
man carefully to read a manual and practice what it
preaches will prove every bit as convincing when used
in a book of instruction distributed among manufac-
turers' or wholesalers' salesmen.
The Conversational Form.
The natural thing to do, when a manual is based on
information obtained in the manner related, is to have
the text written in conversational style. That is ex-
actly what Gulbransen did. As a result there is noth-
ing artificial about the manner in which the sales
arguments are presented. It is really a case of one
salesman talking to another and the language pol-
isher was not given an opportunity to perform his
duty of eliminating a word here, substituting a word
there and improving the language generally. Instead,
the text reads as one would expect a retail salesman
to talk.
For example, the manual begins with a complete
absence of long-winded introduction. "If I may, I
want to show you, first, what a wonderful piano we
have in the Gulbransen." There you have the open-
ing sentence. The start is almost abrupt. But most
retail selling talks are shorn of unnecessary trim-
mings and the company wanted the book to read true
to life.
Making It Plain.
This thought is worthy of elaboration. The sales
argument, no matter how good it may actually be,
which is placed before the Salesman in a language as
foreign to him as Greek, falls flat. It loses SO per cent
of its effectiveness. This does not mean that the ar-
gument should be served in language which the sales-
man can adopt without a change of a word. But
it does mean that, unconsciously, the salesman-
reader is thinking, "Would I say it like that?" If
his subconscious mind replies negatively the sales ar-
gument is weakened considerably.
This is the way Gulbransen circumvented this com-
mon pitfall. The manual has reached the point where
the salesman is explaining to the customer the prin-
ciple of the Gulbransen Instruction Roll. He is say-
ing:
"We have here, in Gulbransen Instruction Roll
Xo. One, a song you have, no doubt, heard many
times. It is 'My Wild Irish Rose.' You see the
words are written on it. The end perforation, on
the right, in this piece represents the tune. This first
hole for the word 'If,' the next for the word 'you,' etc.
Now. if we sing the words, we sing the tune. Don't
we? Well, then, if w 7 e accent the w r ords, we accent
the melody and will be playing it as a piano solo.
The only thing you have to know is whether those
end perforations that represent the words are coming
under the Melody Indicator or not. They are coming
under it. Are they not?
"Well, then, release the treble lever, only, and pedal
a little. Hear the melody being accented? Now,
here we have no words, so pinch both levers together
and you have the accompaniment soft. Here are the
words again, so open the treble lever for them. Fine!
Hear that? You did that beautifully."
All the while this running fire of talk is continuing,
the prospect is seated before the piano. He is finger-
ing the various keys and devices as the salesman talks.
Bearing this in mind—isn't the conversation honest-
to-goodness dealer talk?
Sounds Natural
Notice, how naturally the conversational style gets
across argument after argument. There is nothing
forced. The sales arguments just seem to become
part of the mental equipment of the reader without
effort. And all because the reader and the text meet
on a common ground—the sales floor of a retail store.
Nor did the Gulbransen-Dickinson Company stop
here. Fully two-thirds of the pages contain large-
size photographs posed by the dealer and presum-
ably a professional model who poses as the prospec-
tive buyer. The photographs are exceptionally well
done. They are as unassuming as the text. Each
picture visualizes, directly or indirectly, a vitally im-
portant sales argument and presents it photographic-
ally so that the talking point must necessarily be
permanently impressed upon the reader.
VISIT LYON & HEALY.
Among the dealers who visited the wholesale de-
partment of Lyon & Heajy, Chicago, last week
were: Bert Forth, Montgomery, W. Va.; Ben Pol-
lach, Whiting, Ind.; G. M. Adams, Adams Music Co.,
Ft. Worth. Texas; Mr. W T eiffbrod, Richland, Ind.;
Mr. A. Bell, East Chicago, Ind.; Mr. Brown, Mat-
toon, 111.; Mr. Cardinal, Kenosha, Wis.; Wm. Jule-
mati, Antioch, 111., and A. E. Nye, West McKinley,
Illinois.
NEW ILLINOIS BRANCH.
J. H. Rhodes, Hillsboro, 111., opened his new music
store at Litchfield, 111., recently. Mrs. Louise Hood
Rahmeyer, prominent in music circles in Litchfield,
is manager. The new store is located in a desirable
part of State street. Mr. Rhodes handles the Gul-
bransen, Adam Schaaf, and other pianos, the same
lines he sells at his Hillsboro store.
May 10, 1924.
MORE STIMULATION FOR
DEALER AND SALESMAN
Way to Piano Sales Pointed Out in Baldwin
Bulletin in a Way That Is Practical.
"Price is not a factor. There are more Rolls-Royce
cars on Fifth avenue than Fords," says a bulletin of
the Baldwin Piano Co., Cincinnati, prepared for the
inspiration of dealers and salesmen.
"The quality of the Baldwin may be assumed from
its continued use by the great masters who, for the
sake of their art and their prestige, will use only the
best," the bulletin continues. ''Direct stimulation of
sales by dealer includes canvassing and local adver-
tising; development of a live, likely mailing list and
the regular distribution of appropriate literature; sell-
ing talks to your salesmen; effective use of display
material, booklets, etc., prepared by us for your use.
One or two Baldwin sales will cover the entire cost
of your local work. Indirect stimulation of sales by
dealer includes cultivation of your local musicians,
music clubs and music teachers, boards of education,
etc., co-operation with theaters, concert halls, etc.
Remember that one enthusiastic musician may place
dozens of pianos in homes where otherwise the se-
lection would be at random.
"Actual sales to only a small percentage of those
able to buy an artistic piano in any community will
amount to a wonderful business. And what a de-
sirable business it will be—better prices, shorter
terms, more profit."
LATE FACTS GATHERED
IN THE MUSIC TRADE
Brief Items of Activities in the Business Collected
in Many States.
The Frick Music Store, Richmond, Ind., of which
Roy Emrick has been manager, is moving its goods
to Eldorado, Ind.
The Strand Music Store, Albany, N. Y., purchased
the property at the southeast corner of Quackenbush
street and Broadway and plans for a modern struc-
ture to be erected upon this property have been made.
This is an extremely valuable corner.
The Diggles Music Co., Sacramento, Calif., reports
a lively business in the Public Market Building, Thir-
teenth and J streets.
Papers of incorporation have recently been filed
for Miller's Music Store, Inc., Salem, Mass., which
will deal in musical instruments and merchandise.
WESER
Pianos and Players
Sell readily—Stay sold
Great profit possibilities
Style E (shown below) our latest 4'6"
Order a sample to-day.
Liberal advertising and
cooperative arrangements
Write for catalogue
and price list
Weser Bros., Inc.
Manufacturer*
520 to 528 West 43rd St.
New York
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/

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