September 12, 1925.
15
PRESTO
FLAGSHIP "IRWIN" HAS PREMIER GRAND
The Lyon & Healy
Reproducing Piano
A moderate priced reproducing piano,
beautiful in design and rich in tone.
Write for our new explanatory Chart,
the most complete and simple treat-
ment of the reproducing action.
Wabash at Jackson - - - Chicago
Builders or Incomparable
[[PIANOS, PLAYERS°MREPR0DUC1N6 WAN05
THE BALDWIN
CO-OPERATIVE
PLAN
will increase your sales and
solve your financing problems.
Write to the nearest office
for prices.
CINCINNATI
INDIANAPOLIS
LOUISVILLE
INCORPORATED
CHICAGO
DALLAS
ST. LOCI8
DENVER
NEW YORB.
SAN FRANCISCO
The Best Yet
Graceful lines, rugged construc-
tion, moderately priced. It's the
very best commercial piano from
every standpoint.
Style 32—4 ft. 4 in.
WESER
Pianos and Players
Sell Readily—Stay
Sold
Send to-day for catalogue, prices and
details of our liberal financing plan
Weser Bros., Inc.
520 to 528 W. 43rd St., New York
Julius Heilner, commodore of the Colonial Yacht
Club, of New York City, recently selected a Premier
Baby Grand piano for his flagship Irwin. Mr. Heil-
ner is a prominent New York business man, president
of the Princess Corset Company, Fifth avenue, and
identified with various other industrial institutions.
The cabin cruiser Irwin is a beautiful vessel, at-
tractively appointed, and notable for the many long
cruises it has taken. Commodore Heilner made the
following remarks in commenting on his recent
choice:
"The Premier Baby Grand piano was selected by
me for use on my yacht Trvvin because after careful
investigation I find it an ideal instrument, both as re-
gards quality and durability. I felt that its construc-
tion would stand the unusual atmospheric conditions
to which a vessel of this kind would be subjected.
Am glad to say that the Premier has been the cen-
ter of attraction on my yacht and greatly admired be-
cause of its fine combination of good qualities. That
I highly endorse this attractive small grand is em-
phasized by its occupying a position of honor on the
flagship Irwin."
REQUIREMENTS FOR
MUSIC TRADE SUCCESS
cheap and the very expensive ones. The
quoted before said:
"The medium-priced piano is the dealer's best bet
when he strives to increase his turnover by more
energetic methods of selling. The man dependent on
the cheap piano is so busy figuring on quantity turn-
over that he disregards the smaller sales of the higher
priced pianos with legitimately better profits. On the
other hand, the man who features the high-priced re-
producing piano is enamored of the higher profit per
instrument and gets into the habit of figuring on a
unit basis."
The Principal Ones Are Sales, Says Trade
Veteran, But He Wisely Names Some
Means to That End.
A well-balanced line of pianos and watchfulness of
the overhead are the principal accompaniments to a
profitable business, according to a music dealer whose
success entitles him to voice an opinion. But when
asked what is the most important thing in making a
music business successful, he promptly replied,
"Sales."
Every dealer admits that the most important con-
sideration in the trade is that of sales. And at first
glance it will not be seen that overhead of a store has
a close relation to the distribution of the goods. In
many stores where the overhead is admittedly too
high money and energy are directed away from the
main purpose of the stores—to sell more goods. The
conservation of profits has a direct bearing on the
means to stimulate sales, and if money is unneces-
sarily spent in one way, the apportionment of money
to necessary purposes is curtailed.
Energetic selling work is the first requirement for
increasing the turnover. But there are many things
in the methods of a store that discourage bigger sales
and they all have to do with the question of over-
head. Incompetent salesmen on salary naturally fall
down on the expectation of the manager and their
remuneration, little or big, adds to the sum of the
overhead. A service force, perhaps, may be insuffi-
ciently employed through weak publicity for the de-
partment, and in a way becomes a liability. The
advertising may be badly placed or the copy prepared
with poor judgment and so fail to effect the com-
plete purposes of music store publicity.
The size of the overhead may be made to govern
prices and here is something that has a close bearing
on sales—the turnover. The turnover plainly has to
do with the system of marking the goods. Prices too
high will discourage the sum of sales; prices too low,
fixed without considering a too large overhead, will
naturally result in an annual profit of low visibility.
The marked prices certainly have a close relation to
the adjustment of the piano and playerpiano lines and
to a net fair return.
The adjustment of the piano lines is a very impor-
tant consideration. It is possible for pianos to con-
flict one with the other. As a manager said recently:
"A badly assorted line is like a family divided
amongst itself." A well balanced line is a continual
source of satisfaction. It insures an even ratio of
distribution with a just division in the expenses of
selling.
In distribution, the expensive pianos, players and
reproducing pianos are not considered from a quan-
tity standpoint, but with many ambitious houses their
wider distributon among a selected class of prospects
is a noticeable and admirable effort. The question of
overhead therefore hinges on the rapid turnover of
the great mass of instruments found between the very
EXPORTERS WARNED BY
COMMERCE BUREAU
Government Expert Advises That Proper In-
vestigation of Customer Should Be Made
Before Signing Arrangement Contracts.
Foreign commerce is full of pitfalls for the unwary
and too-trusting American exporters, and Bureau of
Foreign and Domestic Commerce issues a warning
that may have a beneficial influence. The bureau re-
minds the exporting manufacturer that the problem
of distribution abroad presents various aspects,
Rivalry of foreign agents in the distributing field h
an element of potential trouble for the inexperienced
American exporter. In recent months there have
been several instances of conflicts arising out of this
rivalry.
For this reason it appears to be advisable to issue
a warning to American manufacturers who have con-
tracts under which the exclusive selling rights in a
territory are given to a distributor for a period of
time, says Commerce Reports. They should see:
First, that no such arrangement is made without a
thorough investigation.
Second, if it is experimental, that the principal docs
not bind himself for a very long period.
Third, that every such agreement provides for a
lawful method of cancellation under certain eventu-
alities.
Fourth, that no new arrangement is made while the
older one is still in force.
As a matter of good business practice, the manu-
facturer should not be too ready to listen to a man
who tells him that his agent is not doing as well as
he might, but that he, the informer, could do better.
A man who desires to displace another very seldom
has an unbiased opinion as to the manner in which
the present incumbent fills the position.
Incompetent or not, a distributor has a basic right
not to be displaced in a manner contrary to the agree-
ment.
When a manufacturer finds that he has made a
mistake in the selection of the agent, and if the
defect is not of a character that cancels the agree-
ment automatically, he should take up the matter
frankly wjth his distributer and then proceed to make
his new arrangements after having obtained a valid
release.
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