Presto

April 30, 1927.
PRESTO-TIMES
Hardman, Veck & Co.
make
a Fine Piano
for every pocketbook
All exquisite instruments
offering unique tone beauty
and durability. All made
and g u a r a n t e e d by t h e
makers of the Hardman, the
world's most durable piano.
Your choice of models priced
to consumers from $375 to
$5000.
55 Years of Fine Piano Making
\ V/«-.' 4- s> f° r catalog and prices
W niC
of pianos
Made and guaranteed by
Hardman. Feck <&fCa
433 Fifth Avenue, New York
Fine Pianos
Makers oj the world's most
durable piano—the Hardman
Schumann
PIANOS and PLAYER PIANOS
GRANDS and UPRIGHTS
Have no superiors in appearance, tone
power or other essentials of strictly
leaders in the trade.
Warning to Infringers
This Trade Mark la cast
In the plate and also ap-
pears upon the fall board
of all genuine Schumann
Planoa, and all infringera
will be proaeouted. Beware
of Imitations such aa Schu-
mann & Company, Schu-
mann A Son, and also
Shuman, aa all stencil
shops, dealers and users of
planoa bearing a name In
Imitation of the name
Schumann with the Inten-
tion of deceiving the public
will be prosecuted to the
fullest extent of the law
New Catalogue on Request.
Schumann Piano Co.
W. N. VAN MATRE, President
Rockford, 111.
W. P. Haines & Co.
Manufacturers or
BRADBURY. WEBSTER
and
W. P. HAINES & CO.
Grand, Upright and Reproducing
Pianos
138th Street and Walton Avenue
NEW YORK
STRAIGHT SALARY
AS TRADE CURE=ALL
blow; then that all his salesmen were lazy and would
not work; complained that they were simply hanging
around at the store, or off idling, hoping to catch
some prospect that belonged to the store, and so to
get a commission. Everybody was wrong from his
viewpoint, and everything was wrong except his busi-
ness management. Of course he was right!
If the Piano Business Lacks Vitality Is It
Change of Policy.
Because of the Commission Plan of
Finally, he went away for a two months' summer
Remunerating Salesmen Instead
vacation, and in disgust he said to the manager:
"Handle the business any way you want. I don't
of Weekly Payments?
care what you do. You can't make it any worse,
and if you can make it any better, go to it." This
man in charge employed three of the men that had
left," three of the "lazy salesmen" that would not
work. He put them on a basis of a weekly salary
Discussion of a Problem Which Has Perplexed and bonus, went to work with these men.in a co-
operative and helpful way. The laziness vanished.
Managers and Store Owners for Time
The grafting on commission was gone. The busi-
Immemorial.
ness began to grow. This wasn't a large store, but
By ELMON ARMSTRONG.
the first month they sold $14,600 worth of pianos.
The next month they sold over $17,000 worth of
The victories that are won in war are due to the business. In other words, the same store under the
fact that the soldiers are well equipped, and all the same conditions with a changed attitude towards the
victories are won by the soldiers that are fighting salesmen increased the business more than 300 per
in the field. In short, the soldiers win the wars. The cent over former volume of business.
success in the development of any business and the
When the proprietor of the business returned and
growth and perpetuation of that business are due to
the salesmen. The salesmen win the victory of com- found the conditions he was big enough in brain to
merce just as the soldiers win the victory for the admit the facts, and was broad enough in vision to
continue the new policy, and to improve on it. His
country.
There is no question about the truth of all of this. business has been successful ever since, although in
There is a difference between a question and a fact. the same town there are other merchants of about
It is a question of just how much business the sales- the same financial strength that are still complaining,
men will get, but it is a fact that salesmen get the still ready to argue against the plan, and still trying
business. We may get away from a fundamental, and to make a success on the "starvation commission
stay away from it a while, but we can not keep away arrangement," and the sitting around the stores, fuss-
from a fundamental and succeed. It is a fact that ing with their salesmen, quarreling about "who the
the piano industry is suffering for the want of busi- commission belongs to," and jealously and, of course
ness. It is a fundamental that business is secured unjustly, criticizing the success of the man who is
through salesmen. It is a fact that better salesmen, going ahead by having a keen appreciation for his
and more of them, will increase the general business salesmen, and giving them a broad and generous
consideration for the work they are doing, and mak-
of the piano industry.
ing the business a success.
In former articles that I have written with refer-
Strong Salary Argument.
ence to the need for a reformation in the plan of
selling pianos, I have dwelt upon the fact that the
The merchant who is paying a nominal weekly
selling work in the piano industry is in a benumbed or monthly salary, with an equitable bonus, to his
and weakened condition. I have stated, as a fact, salesmen, has many advantages in his favor. First,
one of the fundamental causes for that condition. the men are getting pay for every day's work, and
For many centuries Solomonic wisdom has been ac- they can therefore be directed to go and do things.
knowledged, and old Solomon said:
Their time belongs to their employer, and they can
be required to work constantly a certain number of
"The Laborer Is Worthy of His Hire."
The piano salesman is laboring for the piano mer- hours. They can be controlled and the general man-
chant and the piano manufacturer. He is the sol- agement of their efforts can be brought into unity
dier that must win the battle. When the piano sales- with the entire selling force. The salesman under
man takes the piano out of the piano merchant's such conditions will have more confidence in himself.
He will be more potent as a salesman. He will
store, it makes room for an order for the factory.
Unless the salesman disposes of the stock the piano have a warmer interest in the success of the house.
He will feel a greater responsibility and will have a
merchant will not send orders to the factory.
It is clearly evident that the foundation of the greater desire to hold his position. He will be in-
activities of the piano business ultimately go to the clined to turn his prospects in to the merchant, and
great selling organizations that vitalize the business to cooperate with the merchant in the sale of goods.
But on the "commission plan" alone the same sales-
of 'the industry; that in the end make profit for the
piano merchant and keep the factories busy. There man will be keeping prospects from the house. He
is no question about this. It is a fact. This is not will be in conflict with other salesmen. He will be
deceptive—being forced almost to do so. He will
an idle "dream-dust" theory.
Many of the piano merchants are to be commended. become discouraged, and indulge in idleness. So
Many of them are the finest men that ever "stood in many conflicts will arise that he will believe that he
is being grafted upon and in return will "graft
shoe leather." They are in a business that should be
the most exalted of any in the world of commerce. back." He will expose his commissions to the buy-
And it is up to the piano merchants, each and every ing public, and often drive customers away.
Cure for Sick Trade.
one, to make the business as a whole what k should
be. It is a fact that many of the piano merchants
There are so many arguments against the "starva-
are spoiled. The manufacturers have fed them at tion commission plan"; it has been so unsuccessful
the breast of renewals, given them longer terms after years of trial that it is time for the piano mer-
than any other industry in the world, and as a whole chants to wake up and give deep, serious considera-
have patted them, aided them, supported them, and tion to the development of their business. It is time
found them, in many instances, less loyal' and less for the piano merchants to begin paying out money
grateful than any other class of merchants in any line freely to that department of their business that vital-
of industry. I may incur the displeasure of some izes it, that is indispensible to their success. Many
piano merchants by making this- statement, but the are making this change—and succeeding.
business offices of the manufacturers of this country
The piano industry is "sick" in this nation—North,
will give evidence of the truth of this statement.
South, East and West. The symptoms are shown in
A Mental Obsession.
the piano stores, shown by the piano purchasing pub-
The after-war prosperity that was shared by the lic, and are felt by the factories of this country. The
piano merchants gave many of them a mental obses- principal cause of this condition is due to the fact
sion of which they have not yet been cured. Slowly, that there is not enough consideration given to sales-
but surely, they are finding that piano salesmen are men. They are not supported sufficiently. They are
very essential to their success. Slowly but surely not cooperated with. They are not paid enough
they are driven from the pernicious "starvation com- money. They are not taken wholeheartedly into the
mission arrangements" to a more equitable, just and business by many merchants.
fair compensation to the salesmen. Many of them
However, a great many are now taking hold earn-
have all the time had a keen appreciation of the estly with their salesmen. If every piano merchant
work done, by their salesmen.
in the country would seriously go at this question
Let me give an example of how business can be in earnest, and courageously put his hand in his
vitalized by the proper handling and paying of sales- pocket and get good salesmen, and aid them and
men, and this is based on an actual occurrence. In work with them, the piano business would be vital-
a period of three months a certain store employed, ized through the country. The factories would be
on a "starvation commission arrangement," eleven doing more business. There would be more pianos
sold, and much of the complaint and pessimism
salesmen. At the end of the three months they had
one of these eleven salesmen left. During this time would pass away.
business was dull, and the merchant complained about
dull times. He said people did not want pianos. He
C. W. Lindsay was recently reelected president and
said the piano business had received a solar plexus manager of the C. W. Lindsay Co., Montreal, Canada.
STRONG SALARY ARGUMENT
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/