Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1928 2170

March 3, 1928
P R E S T 0-T I M E S
12
same rates of percentages on sales made to "drop
ins" as on other sales. Furthermore, prospects orig-
inating in the store or by phone or mail, coming to
the firm during the salesman's "turn" on the floor,
are allotted to that salesman to work at full per-
centages.
Weekly Drawing Account.
Last but not least, the weekly drawing account
advanced against commissions to be earned is not
less than $50 to $75, with complete settlement every
10th and no reserve fund required, but if one is
maintained by the salesman, the firm pays him 6 per
cent interest per annum twice a year on his reserve
fund. The commission plan of remuneration is a
success in many prominent lines that are far more
successful and profitable than the musical instrument
industry.
The Kansas City firm he refers to as a nationally
known institution and says are opposed to commis-
sions and the commission p!an, is unquestionably a
very honorable, reliable, successful firm. But, they
dominate their field by means of heavy advertising
and a control of the best known piano name in the
world as their leader. This makes a difference,
doesn't it? This firm can easily secure the services
of salesmen on their own terms, even on a straight
low salary without commission or bonus. They
probably have more applicants for positions than
they can use and the writer is under the impression
their force is not overly large, because their clientele
"buys" in spite of salesmen's efforts.
It is generally known that the great majority of
merchants in this and other lines, strive to employ
salesmen at the lowest rate of salary, or salary and
bonus they can induce the prospective salesman to
accept. The two main objects are, keep overhead
down and keep the percentage cost of each individual
salesman low. Merchants boast of a low percentage
cost of individual salesmen. My ten-eight plan is just
the opposite of the prevailing custom or rule. I
figured what is the highest percentage our house
could afford to pay a good, bad or indifferent sales-
man for good service.
Years of experience with actual figures before me
show that in this field with a house like ours, and its
many advantages to salesmen, that ten per cent in
the piano department and eight per cent in the pho-
nograph and radio department is "top" in order to
enable the firm to make a reasonable profit after
INDIANAPOLIS DEALERS
TO MEET NEXT WEEK
Plans for Increase of Membership and Other
Matters on Schedule—Geo. Slater
Held Up—Other News.
The Tndianapolis Music Merchants' Association will
hold their regular annual meeting on March 6 at
the Indianapolis Athenaeum. The purpose of the
meeting is to increase the membership of the asso-
ciation, and create a feeling of good fellowship. The
meeting will be called at 6:30 by H. G. Hook, presi-
dent of the association and after the singing of "Indi-
ana" and the "Gang's All Here," there will be a real
supper served. Before any speeches or discussions
the organization will sing "Side by Side," with Frank
Wilking at the piano. One of the attractive features
will be the dessert of frozen cream in the shape of
musical instruments. Then the meeting will continue
and round table discussions will constitute the re-
paying all overhead items. In order to check the
salesman from giving away profits, we drew the plan
up in such a way that the salesman penalized himself
for mediocre or poor service, and yet any fair-minded
individual, or jury of fair minded individuals, can
readily see that even this feature of the ten-eight plan
is fair to all concerned.
Changed Conditions.
It is very apropos to call attention to the fact that
times, methods, styles, costs, profits, habits, living
conditions, desires, etc, have materially changed
since "such men as George P. Bent, H. D. Cable,
W. W. Kimball, Chas, Kohler, George Foster, W. B.
Armstrong. C. A. Smith and a number of others
who blazed the way to success" made their records.
A very enlightening analysis could be made of each
one of these gentlemen's "old-time methods," but
time and space forbids, further than to say the firm
two of these gentlemen are at present associated with
hire many salesmen on straight percentage plan w T ith-
out any drawing account, and W. W. Kimball was,
in the writer's judgment, the daddy of the percentage
plan in the piano industry.
-
;
mainder of the program. The last feature wiil be
the ever famous old favorite, "Auld Lang Syne."
Dealer Held Up.
George W. Slater, one of the road salesmen of the
Starr Sales Corporation, has been the victim of a
hold-up gang. Mr. Slater on returning to Indian-
apolis on Saturday night around midnight was held
up on Ohio street just east of Pennsylvania street,
while on his way home and relieved of $220 in cash.
He was badly beaten about the head and was left
lying in a semi-conscious state on the sidewalk. He
was one of the 52 persons held up on Saturday night
in this city.
Frank Davis, manager of the Baldwin Piano Com-
pany, reports the sale of one of the Baldwin grands
to Loews State Theater on Pennsylvania street. The
instrument will be used in the orchestra pit exclu-
sively.
New Assistant Manager.
William Huttie has been appointed assistant to
Wm. McCreery, wholesale representative of the
House of Baldwin in the state of Michigan, accord-
ing to Frank Davis, manager of the local House of
Baldwin.
On Sunday afternoon Feodor Chaliapin, one of
the world's greatest artists, sang at the Murat Thea-
ter, the concert being given under the auspices of the
Ona B. Talbott Fine Arts Enterprises. Chaliapin was
accompanied by Max Rabinowitch on the Baldwin
concert grand. The attendance was unusually large.
Visitors in the city during the week were: Mr.
Furbush of the Schaff Piano Company of Hunting-
ton, Ind., and Ed. Stout of the Wurlitzer Company.
GOING TO HONOLULU.
Geo. P. Bent had a visit last week in his Los
Angeles home from R. O. Foster, head of Foster &
Waldo, music dealers, Minneapolis, who was accom-
panied by Mrs. Foster. Mr. and Mrs. Foster were
en route to Honolulu to remain a month.
BUYS IN OAK PARK, ILL.
George M. Heinze has purchased Hafner's Music
Store at 189 South Oak Park avenue. Oak Park, 111.,
at which place a complete line of radios will continue
to be on display as well as Brunswick records and
sheet music. For the time being, it is said, there will
be no change in the trade name.
Just One of
Nineteen
Beautiful
Designs of the
Schiller Line
Style M. Jacobean Schiller
If You Are Meeting With Sales Resistance Let Us Help You.
SCHILLER PIANO COMPANY
Factory and General Offices:
OREGON, ILL.
Chicago Offices: 932 Republic Building
New York Office: 130 West 42nd Street
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/
March 3, 1928
13
PRESTO-TIMES
GULBRANSEN PLANS
TOLD TO DEALERS
Impressive Display of Pianos Is Attractive
Feature of Regional Meeting of Repre-
sentatives at Robert Fulton
Hotel, Atlanta, Ga.
The public of Atlanta, Ga., has been given an
opportunity to see a beautiful display of pianos dur-
ing last week by the Gulbransen Company, Chicago,
at the Robert Fulton Hotel. The exhibition was in-
cidental to a regional dealers' meeting of the Gul-
bransen organization, in which the merchants of eight
states participated. For several days prior to the
opening of the exhibition and during the course of
it, advertising of the Gulbransen display appeared in
the local newspapers.
Dealers came from as far away as West Palm
Beach and Tampa, Fla., from Mississippi, Alabama,
Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennes-
see and many points in Georgia itself, to meet with
their fellow-merchants to. discuss the new and broader
principles of conducting the piano business, now
being expounded by A. G. Gulbransen and his organ-
ization.
The meetings of the dealers, held Thursday and
Friday, were in charge of John S. Gorman, vice-
president and sales manager of the Gulbransen Com-
pany. He made a very strong presentation of the
broad policies that Mr. Gulbransen now has upper-
most in mind, to broaden the scope and volume of
the piano business as a whole, to put the retail piano
selling machinery of the country in such condition
that a strong battle for business can be made in com-
petition with the newer industries competing for the
family income.
Ways and means of sound financing of retail piano
business were presented by L. W. Peterson, credit
manager of the company. His counsel and services
proved of particular value to the merchants who
attended the Atlanta sessions.
Gulbransen Advertising
The Gulbransen advertising program, fitting in with
the general sales plan of expansion and modern in
its conception, was outlined to the dealers by Walter high standards of Mr. Gulbransen's ideals of manu-
Kiehn, advertising manager of the company. Full facturing and piano selling; therefore, be it
Resolved, That we, the southeastern Gulbransen
details were given of the continuous National Adver-
tising line-up for the year, the newly-issued adver- piano dealers, extend to the Gulbransen organization
tising material, the dealers' part in the promotion and our heartiest thanks for the very beneficial discus-
a carefully worked-out plan of direct-mail-sales-tieup sions they have brought forth at each session.
Resolved, further. That we very heartily commend
to which the dealers subscribed 100 per cent.
In addition to the three members of the organiza- especially the attitude toward cooperation among all
tion mentioned, Howard Hill, salesman for the com- piano manufacturers and dealers toward advancing
the general interest and efforts toward putting pianos
pany in southeastern states, was on hand.
in all homes and institutions.
A Great Display.
Resolved, further, That we extend our thanks to
The display of Gulbransen was made in a setting the management of the Robert Fulton Hotel for the
of unusual attractiveness. A suite of three rooms delightful service and courtesies extended our con-
on the mezzanine floor of the Robert Fulton Hotel vention.
was occupied and the "salon" character of the exhibit
As a feature of the meetings, the Gulbransen Com-
was carried out by the Period models, color duco pany was host to the merchants at two luncheons,
pianos and new styles brightly lighted through the Thursday and Friday noons at the Robert Fulton
use of floodlights and surrounded by new advertising Hotel.
signs and furnishings.
Exhibit at Fayetteville.
Chief among the items displayed were the Louis
It is of interest to learn that a similar Gulbransen
XVI grand, the Autograph model combination regis- salon is to be presented to the public of Fayetteville,
tering and reproducing piano, Art model Minuet in N. C , through the courtesy of the McFadyen Music
mahogany, Art model Minuet in deep verde green, Co. Plans are set for exhibiting the new types of
4 foot 6 inch reproducing grand, high-lighted walnut
Gulbransen instruments to the people in a very
Minuet model, Symphony model in beautiful walnut wide area in the vicinity of Fayetteville. Multiplied
and others.
many times, exhibits of this sort will bring to the
In an advertising way, there was shown a set-up of
people of the nation, with full force, a consciousness
the new window display, in which field of operation of the beauty-appeal of the new types and styles of
the company has inaugurated a monthly service. pianos, and particularly the highly-developed Gul-
Other new features were a Color-Glo sign of the bransen line.
bright orange-letter type now coming into wide popu-
larity; a Motograph sign with moving belt and an
THE LOS ANGELES WAY.
illuminated tire cover, the latter another unique
The music program, which has been organized by
feature.
Glenn M. Tindall, supervisor of musical activities
Presents Resolution.
The feeling on the part of the dealers toward Gul- for the Los Angeles Playground Department, calls
bransen principles and policies and the unsefish work for a total of 238 musical groups during the present
that the company is doing in the interests of the calendar year. Toy symphony orchestras, radio clubs,
piano business as a whole and in engendering a better singing games and a variety of other musical organi-
spirit among competitors, is shown in the text of a zations are outlined for the thirty-five playgrounds
resolution presented to the dealers by B. F. Mann, now operated in the southern California metropolis.
of the B. F. Mann Furniture Co., of Brunswick, Ga.,
and unanimously adopted by them. This resolution
STRAUBE PUBLICITY.
was as follows:
The Straube Piano Co., Hammond, Ind., has issued
Whereas, The Gulbransen organization has con- a very instructive blotter for the trade, which shows
ducted a very helpful two-day discussion on piano the great size of the big factory and lumber yards
selling and piano problems and especially as to the of the company in the Indiana town.
WESSELL, NICKEL & GROSS
Manufacturers of
MOVING TRUCKS
for
PIANO ACTIONS
HIGHEST GRADE
ONE GRADE ONLY
PIANOS
The Wessell, Nickel & Gross action is a
guarantee of the grade of the instrument
in which it is found.
45thSt.,10thATe. &W46lh.
NEW YORK
-
Orthophonic Victrolas
Electric Refrigerators
457 W. 45th Street
Write for catalog and prices for End Trucks, Sili
Trucks, Hoists, Covers and Special Straps.
JULIUS BRECKWOLDT & SON, INC.
DOLGEVILLE. N. Y.
Manufactured by
Self-Lifting PianoTruck Co,
Manufacturers of
FINDLAY, OHIO
Piano Backs, Boards, Bridges, Bars,
Traplevers and Mouldings
J BRECKWOLDT, Pres.
W. A. BRECKWOLDT, Sec. & Treas.
THE! O S. KELLY CO.
Manufacturers
PRESTO BUYERS' GUIDE
TELLS ALL ABOUT ALL PIANOS
of
Migri
Grade
PIANO PLATES
SPRINGFIELD
-
-
OHIO
THE COMSTOCK, CHENEY & CO.
IVORYTON, CONISJ.
IVORY CUTTERS SINCE 1834
MANUFACTURERS OF
Grand Keys, Actions and Hammers, Upright Keys
> —
Actions and Hammer , Pipe Organ Keys
Piano Forte Ivory for the Trade
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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