Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1927 2130

May 28, 1927.
PRESTO-TIMES
FUNDAMENTAL FACTS
IN PIANO BUSINESS
Common Mistakes of Dealers and Their Sales-
men by Which Failure Accrues Where
Should Be Success by Better Sys-
tems of Selling.
A POINTED ILLUSTRATION
Misconceptions of Many Engaged in a Good Business
But Lacking in Knowledge of How to
Conduct It.
The Yardstick Of
Quality
In 1873, as men who have grown up
with the Piano Business know, Max
Tonk started to build Piano Seats and
Stools.
That he built good seats and stools is
proved by the fact that the business he
founded prospered—"You can't fool all
of the people all of the time" you know.
We took the business as he left it to us.
We have held steadfastly to the wise
policies he established.
We have kept step, as he did, with every
forward movement in the industry it
has been and is our aim to serve and
today The TONKBENCH stands, as it
has stood for more than fifty years, as
The Yardstick of Quality in The Piano
Seat Field.
When you visit The Chicago Con-
vention, look at the Benches in
front of the beautiful Pianos in the
displays you inspect.
Many of them will carry the
TONKBENCH Trade Mark.
And remember—
You are inviting criticism, loss of
confidence and dissatisfaction among
your customers when you pinch pen'
nies and fail to furnish a Piano Bench
that matches in Beauty, Quality and
Utility, the Piano of which it becomes
a part in your customer's home.
nng
my
1912 Lewis St.
CHICAGO
Pacific Coast Factory
4627 E. 50th St., Los Angeles, California
By ELMON ARMSTRONG.
It has been said for centuries by the great military
experts that well-fed, well-trained and patriotic sol-
diers are essential to success in battle. It is also the
general opinion of the experts and leaders in com-
merce that well-paid, ably-aided and loyal salesmen
make a success for a business and win its battles.
There is a great deal of responsibility resting upon
the salesmen, and the right kind of salesmen will
assume that responsibility. An institution is judged
by the salesmen that represent it. Therefore, every
representative of this kind should conduct himself in
a manner to have the confidence of the public gener-
ally, and deserve it. The same sacred book that an-
nounced the doctrine "the laborer is worthy of his
hire" also used this language:
"Render value for thy wage in all diligence unto the
Master of thy hire: neither suffer oppression at his
hand nor do unrighteousness for gain."
A Common Misunderstanding.
Some of the piano manufacturers and many of the
merchants may not believe that the foregoing is ap-
plicable to the conduct of the music busines, and I
fear too many salesmen do not give these funda-
mentals to success in life that deep consideration that
they deserve. Every salesman representing a piano
merchant should have a nominal weekly salary and a
bonus at the end of the month based on the volume
of business done, and then that salesman should
work steadily for that piano merchant. He should
systematize his work so that he can accomplish the
most.
I have seen a great many salesmen as 1 have vis-
ited many piano stores in my travels. Outside of the
commission evil, the next greatest factor impeding the
sale of pianos is idleness on the part of the sales-
men. Many piano salesmen sit around stores and
talk, do not go about their work in a systematic man-
ner, and idle away many precious hours.
What's to Blame?
The commission evil has been the cause of much
of this. TJie salesman that gets a nominal salary
weekly, and a monthly bonus, with friendly and
helpful cooperation from the piano merchant, is worth
three times, on an average, to any piano merchant,
what he will earn on a "starvation commission con-
tract." Of course there are some exceptions, but
this is a fact as a general rule, and has been proven
so so many times that it is not a debatable question.
There is no power in selling goods equal to the
plain simple truth, quietly and earnestly told. "High
powered salesmanship." and diplomatic salesmanship,
can be summed up as misrepresentation and decep-
tion. Every salesman should be energetic and give
the piano merchant his entire time and thought.
Two Sources of Success.
One of the greatest successes among men of this
nation made the following statement:
"Next to energy the two greatest things leading to
success are honesty and optimism. Give me a man
who likes the world he lives in, and who has the
capacity to enjoy it. Give me a man who can put his
heart into his work and his play, a man who has faith
in other men and also faith in himself. He must be
able to help others, to stand criticism and profit by it.
but he must have courage to show his employer mis-
takes that are being made in the business. Such a
man, if he has health, will have energy and kindly
judgment. He will have poise. He will command
the respect of all people and will win out."
It is a deplorable fact that many piano merchants
and salesmen regard it as one of the "tricks of the
trade" to secure business by deception, and often
by outright lying. I have heard piano salesmen boast
of closing sales through some fabrication, some de-
ceptive lie, some unjust, dirty trickery, and I have
heard the merchant for whom this salesman worked
commend him for such a course. Is it possible that
a business that fundamentally has so many wonder-
ful things to recommend it, a business with the
essentials that should make it the most honored, the
most respected of any business in the world, has to
be prostituted by such practices?
Co«t and Profit.
There is a misconception as to the actual cost of
pianos, on the part of many salesmen. Salesmen have
a general idea of the invoice price of pianos, and
many of the average salesmen feel that that is the
"cost" of the instrument. To illustrate this false con-
ception 1 will relate the following:
A salesman once told me that he had just sold a
piano and made the piano merchant $200.00. He
said: "I sold this instrument for $350.00. but I could
have made him $100.00 if I had sold it at $250.00."
I asked him the terms of the sale, and he told me
$50.00 as a cash payment, and $10.00 a month. I
figured a little while and told him that, probably, if
the sale was paid out in the usual way the piano
merchant would clear on his investment 15% each
year on that deal, plus the interest on the contract.
In his zeal the salesman questioned my statement and
laughed in a derisive way. But when 1 gave him the
following figures which were verified by a certified
public cost accountant:
General invoice of piano
All the many overhead costs, 40%
$150
60
Making a total of
$210
Plus freights, drayagc, timing and de-
livery
$30
The Merchant's Mistake.
The salesmen thus found that the cost to the mer-
chant to sell that piano and deliver it in the house
was $240.00 and not the assumed $150 that he had in
his mind. Then when he found that the averagt
terms of 30 months lengthened out to about 36
months before the piano was paid out, due to lapses
for one cause or another by the purchaser, and that
if 15% were added each year for this investment of
$240, the merchant would just about get that amount.
To be accurate, if figured on this basis, it would be
necessary for the instrument to be sold for $348
on those terms for the merchant to realize, over a
period of three years, on this transaction the sum of
15% net margin annually.
This salesman was astonished to find that his ob-
sessions for ten years were all in error. He had been
ten years selling pianos and didn't know that it was
a busines? of small profits.
Fundamental Needs.
The piano industry of the country today is suffer-
ing for the want of volume business. Salesmen can
get that volume. The right arrangement of employ-
ment and the proper handling of salesmen will bring
about this result. When the piano merchant has done
his part of the work it is up to the salesmen to be
honest, to be energetic, to serve the merchant in a
conscientious way, to put in full time at work, to
change his attitude from "pulling back" to that of
going forward. There are many methods of securing
business that the salesmen can employ. All these
methods are contributory.
The fundamental thing in the solution of slow
business, at the present time in the piano arena, is the
employment of good, conscientious, loyal, faithful,
steady working salesmen. The other class doesn't
deserve a position with the piano merchant. Wipe
out forever this commission evil, cut out the "starva-
tion commission contracts." Give positions to good
salesmen, pay them a weekly salary, a monthly
bonus, take them whole-heartedly into your work,
cooperate with them, and you will find a change in
the business; you will find an improvement, and you
will see the light that will show the golden dawning
of a grander day.
ROY BURGESS WITH WURLITZER.
Roy C. Burgess, formally of the Continental Piano
Corporation, has been added to the sales force of the
Rudolph Wurlitzer Company and will represent fac-
tories of both the Wurlitzer Grand Piano Company
at DeKalb, 111., and the Rudolph Wurlitzer Manu-
facturing Company at North Tonawanda, N. Y.. in
the southern states. Mr. Burgess has a wide ac-
quaintance in the piano trade and his new connection
is a good one, in which he will, without doubt, do
good and successful work. A good salesman with a
strong house behind him is a never-failing combina-
tion in piano business.
CHOOSES BRAMBACH EQUIPMENT.
"Last week Underwood and Underwood, one of the
leading photographers of New York, were called upon
to produce a manual for a correspondence course in
salesmanship. One of the chapters called for an out-
line of the retail piano salesman and his approach to
the prospect. Knowing the quality of the sales pro-
motion literature furnished the dealer by the Bram-
bach Piano Company, Underwood & Underwood
asked permission of Gordon C Campbell -to feature
the Rrambach selling aids in this picture.
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-TIMES
TRADE ETHICS
IN LOS^ ANGELES
May 28, 1927.
to confuse the public and lead to believe that instru-
ments of famous makes may be purchased at less
price than the manufacturers themselves could sell it.
E. Palmer Tucker's View.
The writer called at the office of the Wiley B.
Allen Company, 720 South Broadway, Los Angeles,
Window Display in the California City Chal- who are the Coast representatives of the famous
Mason & Hamlin piano, introduced himself to E.
lenges the Critical Eyes of Presto-Times
Palmer Tucker, manager, and after explaining the ob-
Correspondent, Who Marvels at
ject of his call and detailing to him the circumstances
Conditions.
of the Mason piano which was on exhibition in the
Barker Bros, show window, expressed surprise that
such was the case, and Mr. Tucker replied:
"Yes, I know it—that has been going on for some
Interviews with Several Prominent Local Houses time." When the writer further suggested that some
drastic remedy be taken to correct such lack of trade
Prove That Big Department Store's Methods
ethics, Mr. Tucker said: "Well, what can you do?
Do Not Meet with Approval.
If we make objection and report same to the piano
trade association they will only say, 'That is a piano
By GILBERT BRETON.
row,' and that would be the end of it."
It is many years since a more flagrant breach of
The only remedy that could be suggested would be
piano ethics has been enacted, and it occurred in Los to ventilate such practice in the trade papers and
thereby create moral pressure which would prevent
Angeles, Cal., during the past week.
A representative of Presto-Times passing the corner such unprofessional practice in the piano trade.
of Figueroa and Seventh streets had his attention
Other Opinions.
called to a very attractive display of grand pianos in
Wishing
still
further
to learn the sentiments of
the piano department window of Barker Bros., one
other dealers on the subject of Los Angeles piano
of the most up-to-date and progressive department
ethics, the Presto-Times man called upon several
stores on the Coast.
The window contained a beautiful Sohmer grand, prominent members of the trade with the following
a Brambach baby grand, and a baby grand in brown results.
E. A. Geisler, president and secretary of the
mahogany stencilled "Mason, New York," price $485.
Knowing that no grand piano of the famous Mason Barker Bros. Music Co., the Steinway & Sons agents,
said: "We never place any stencil pianos in our
& Hamlin Company, of Boston, could be retailed at
such a ridiculous price, the writer entered the store window, as in fact need not be said, and wish to go
and proceeded to the piano department to investigate. on record as distinctly condemning the practice."
J. Fitzgerald said: "You can quote me as saying
He learned that it was not the famous Mason &
Hamlin of Boston, but a "commercial" piano made in that the practice of exhibiting instruments bearing
the names of famous instruments on any other than
New York City.
those of the actual makers w r ould not be counte-
The "Mason" Piano.
nanced. I am surprised that a firm of such promi-
On inquiring as to the Mason piano which appeared
nence as Barker Bros, should be dealing in stenciled
in the window, the salesman said: "Yes, we sell a pianos, and still more that they should use mislead-
large number of those pianos," and when astonish- ing tactics in their sales.
ment was expressed at the extremely low price—
Other News.
$485—the salesman said: "Well, they are just as
Henry Lowell Mason, president of the Mason &
good as those that cost $1,600 to $1,800, the same as
Hamlin Company, of Boston, Mass., passed through
the other dealers charge elsewhere," and went on to
Los Angeles en route to the East from San Francisco
say that people nowadays were not paying fancy
prices for names on pianos; they judged more by the and paid Wiley B. Allen Company, their agents here,
a pleasant call recently. He was entertained by E.
cases and the style and the color of the wood!
The impression was given that a purchaser was Palmer Tucker and expressed himself highly pleased
getting a genuine Mason & Hamlin grand piano, with the outlook for the coming season, and for the
made by the Mason & Hamlin Piano Company, the very high position the Mason & Hamlin grand pianos
president of which is Henry Lowell Mason—an in- had achieved, being exclusively used by the artists of
strument of enviable reputation extending over a the Los Angeles Opera Company in their perform-
period of three generations—for less than one-third ances at the Philharmonic Auditorium.
John C. Monning, manager of the piano de-
the price of the genuine Mason & Hamlin piano.
partment of the Wiley B. Allen Company, has re-
Other Great Names.
ceived a very handsome brochure, containing an ad-
dress of Henry Lowell Mason, well-known litterateur
The writer again glanced in the window as he went
out and saw other grand pianos on exhibition, and and piano critic, on the occasion of the seventieth
said to himself: "What would happen if William birthday of the Mason & Hamlin piano. The meeting
was held in Jordan Hall, Boston, and the audience
Steinway, Hugo Sohmer, Ernest Knabe, Albert
Weber, Jonas Chickering, or even W. W. Kimball consisted of the most prominent of that cultured
saw pianos with simply the name "Steinway, Boston, musical city.
Mass.," "Chickering, New York," "Knabe, Boston,"
Radio Station KFXB, located in the Commercial
or "W. W. Kimball, Boston," each and every one Exchange Building in Greater Los Angeles, is broad-
not appearing with the location of its place of manu- casting a system of piano instruction. They claim
facture.
that anyone of ordinary musical intelligence can at-
The fact of exposing for sale and for public ex- tain a musical education free of charge.
Frank Anrys, general manager of the Wiley B.
hibition pianos bearing the name of a famous maker
without giving its factory location or the corporate Allen Company's interests, was in Los Angeles Mon-
name of the manufacturers can have only the object day on a business trip, conferring with E. Palmer
ABUSE OF FAMOUS NAMES
H.G.MELVIN IN CHARGE
OF PORTLAND OFFICE
New Sales Representative of Western Piano
Corporation's Branch Is Calling on Trade
in West and Northwest.
Beeman P. Sibley, president of the Western Piano
Corporation, recently announced from the head office
of that organization in San Francisco, the appoint-
ment of Harry G. Melvin to the Portland branch,
which will now be under his direction.
Mr. Melvin is well-known to piano dealers in the
West, particularly in the Northwest. Eight years ago
he left Illinois and formed connections with the Wiley
B. Allen Company. He had been in their service
until his recent change. , Thoroughly experienced
both in retail and wholesale piano sales the Western
Piano Corporation's new salesman is expected to be
a great asset to his employers. In a recent interview
Mr. Melvin said:
"I feel that I can help the dealers solve
their piano needs to good advantage, and will at all
times cooperate with them in every way possible. I
am personally acquainted with most of the boys in
the Northwest and am sure that they will be glad to
know I am connected with the Western Piano Cor-
poration as their Northwest Representative."
Dealers throughout the Northwest will receive
calls from Mr. Melvin as quickly as he can get around
to them. He says that he is going to see every one
of his dealer friends within a short time no matter
how remote a place their stores may be located in.
A TIMELY CORRECTION
ABOUT THE CABLE DISPLAY
Will Have No Exhibit at Hotel, but "Radiano," Will
Be Seen at Warerooms.
Chicago, May 21, 1927.
Editor Presto-Times: May I express the thanks
of The Cable Piano Company, and also the inventors
and owners of the "Radiano," for the article which
you printed in your current issue, describing the
"Radiano" and stating that it would have its first
public exhibition in our warerooms during the coming
convention.
May I, however, call your attention to the fact
that The Cable Company will have no exhibit at the
Hotel Stevens. Pursuing our long established cus-
tom, we will exhibit only at our own warerooms, at
Jackson & Wabash. Knowing your desire for com-
plete accuracy in all statements appearing in your
paper, I thought I would call your attention to the
above, while acknowledging our appreciation of your
article.
Very truly yours,
GEO. J. DOWLING,
President.
Tucker and J. C. Monning in relation to spring busi-
ness. Mr. Anrys expressed himself highly pleased
with business conditions and predicted a great out-
look for the Mason & Hamlin piano for the coming
BOWEN PIANO LOADER HELPS SALESMEN
Outside Salesmen must be equipped so as to "show the goods." The season for country piano selling is approaching. Help your sales-
men by furnishing them with the New Bowen Piano Loader, which serves as a wareroom far from the store. It is the only safe
delivery system for dealers, either in city or country. It costs little. Write for particulars.
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/

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