Classic Mode

Presto

Issue: 1928 2172

Page 11 Text:

1 J RES T 0-T IMES
March 17, 1928
REMUNERATION FOR
PIANOJ5ALESMEN
Starvation Commission Basis Established in
Boom During the Great War Now Being
Relinquished by Piano Merchants
Who Obey the Exigencies of a
New Day.
DREAM DUST POLICY
You Can't Keep in Business as a Piano Merchant by
Merely Opening Up in the Morning and
Closing at Night. Wake Up!
By ELMON ARMSTRONG.
In the following article Klmon Armstrong, the widely
known piano traveler, continues the discussion of deal-
ers' methods of financially compensating salesmen for
their work in finding piano prospects and closing sale^.
The other party to the discussion is a prominent dealer
who declines to have his name appear. The latter had
an article printed in Presto-Times on Jan. 14. headed,
"Suggestions to Help the Trade," in which definite
trade-in allowances and definite sums as commissions
were proposed. In the issue of Feb. 18, Mr. Armstrong
replied with' "'Keeping Salesmen in the Piano Trade,"
in which he disagreed with the propositions of the
anonymous correspondent and made suggestions of his
own. It became a hot controversy when the anonymous
one "came back" at Mr. Armstrong in Presto-Times
of March 3 and it is brought up-to-date in the letter
from Mr. Armstrong printed below:
The articles that the Presto-Times has been pub-
lishing regarding the conduct of the piano business
are creating considerable interest in the trade. Piano
merchants will talk a great deal about a matter of
this kind, but they seldom write articles to the papers,
so it is difficult to always determine just how much
interest is being manifested in a matter of this kind.
Rut, traveling among the trade gives one an oppor-
tunity to ascertain the interest felt.
Some of the articles published by the Presto-Times
which I contributed more than a year ago, started
the "talk," and has resulted in a number of changes
in method of conducting business. One salesman
in Denver, Colo., supposed to be of the worthless,
inferior type," read the articles in the Presto-Times
a year and a half ago and wrote a letter to me. The
adoption of this plan led to this ''worthless salesman"
on the "starvation commission contract" basis, land-
ing a job as manager of a large piano store. The
principle of selling, and the conduct of the business
that has been shown by articles in the Presto-Times
that I have contributed on this subject, was incor-
porated in that business and vitalized it. It increased
the number of salesmen in that organization. It
increased the business of that institution, and the far-
reaching effects were felt in the center of the man-
ufacturers.
Multiply That Instance.
It is a very simple business proposition to take
that one instance and multiply it many times in this
11
country through the dealers, to ascertain the stub-
born tact that this will positively increase business,
and therefore pull the piano business out of the "bog
hoe," using common parlance.
Another instance, learned this week, is similar in
nature. A small dealer in phonographs read the arti-
cles in the Presto-Times and began to take an inven-
tory of himself. He made up his mind that he would
quit kicking at others, and find out if there wasn't
some fault in the method he was employing in selling
his goods.
Quit Ostrich Tactics.
He abandoned his old time-worn "dream dust pol-
icy" of working his business and took on a sensible,
just, co-operative plan that has been outlined in the
articles published by the Presto-Times and conceived
that sa'esmen were the soldiers that won the battles of
business. He found in these articles the code for
the general to employ in handling his "soldier-sales-
men. Last year he sold 1,100 phonographs, and busi-
ness is good with him now. Incidentally, instead of
having a loan at the bank as heretofore, he has loaned
the bank $5,000 and taken a certificate for it.
The anonymous correspondent, the party of the
second part in this discussion headed his first article:
"Keeping Merchants in the Piano Trade." This cor-
respondent is looking at the matter from one angle
only, and that is, keeping the merchants in the piano
trade, and from the angle of being sure that the mer-
chant doesn't pay the salesmen too much of his profit
It is good as far as it goes, but it doesn't go any
farther than simply looking at a conservation of the
profit for the merchant. From that simple angle it is
sane, safe and conservative, but it embraces too little
of the '"Great Problem" that confronts the piano
business. It is altogether probable that 8 per cent
and 10 per cent is enough to be allotted to the sales
fund, as he contends.
Keeping the Business.
But, the big question is not only "Keeping the Mer-
chants in the Piano Trade," but to keep the business
done by the merchants going full blast. They could
keep in the piano trade, and many of them are doing
it today, by opening their store in the morning and
closing it at night. They could keep offering 8 per
cent and 10 per cent commissions only, and many
of them are doing it, and if the anonymous corre-
spondent will investigate that side of it, and learn
a little more of that angle of it, he will know why
these fellows that are "keeping in the trade" are not
doing enough business, and why the piano business,
as he admitted in a former article, is in "a deplorable
condition."
This anonymous writer is all right in his one
thought, but he cannot lead the orchestra by playing
the violin on the E string only, and his 8 per cent
and 10 per cent plan alone hasn't developed business.
It has been "weighed in the balance and found want-
ing. Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin!
In his last article this anonymous writer begins to
get nearer a broader conception of the big problem.
He is in favor of a weekly drawing account for the
THE JEWETT PIANOS
Reliable Grand, Upright and Player Pianos
JEWETT PIANO CO., Boston Factories: Leominster, Mass.
WALTER LANE RESIGNS
OFFICE OF PRESIDENT
Plans Long Rest and Is Succeeded by C. L.
Beach as Head of the Bush & Lane
Piano Co., Holland, Mich.
Walter Lane, president of the Bush & Lane Piano
Company, Holland, Mich., has resigned from that
office but will continue on the directorate. Ill health
has forced him to refrain for a time from active work
and necessitates the rest promised in a long vacation.
But his advice will be depended upon when any con-
WALTER LANE.
struction problems arise in the factory. Mr. Lane
has a nation-wide fame as a piano expert.
At the election last week, C. L. Beach was chosen
to succeed to the office of president and other officers
elected were: W. H. Beach, vice-president; C. V.
Hungerford, secretary, and E. P. Stepham, general
manager. As factory manager Mr. Lane is succeeded
bv O. W. Schantz.
salesmen. That is very good. But does he know
how many piano merchants are sitting in the stores
behind big mahogany desks, anxiously expecting some
customers to come in and buy. Does this anonymous
writer know that all such merchants are saying: "I
want some salesmen." And when they come he
throws out a "starvation commission agreement" that
with no weekly salary or financial cooperation and'
agreement" that is as promptly thrown down as
it is offered? After this occurs that gentleman lights
his cigar and begins to talk about the worthless,
trifling salesmen," and "what is the matter with the
piano business?"
The Real Problem.
The problem is not to keep the piano men in the
business only as suggested by the anonymous corre-
spondent. He is "in" it now, and "in it bad." The
problem is to vitalize the whole business. The prob-
lem is for both the manufacturers and the merchants
(Turn to next page)
POOLER ANOS
GRANDS AND UPRIGHTS
Established Reputation and Quality Since 1873
P?A D NOS N G
FACTORY
OFFICES AND SALESROOM*
1020 So. Central Park Ave.,
319-321 So. Wabash Ave..
Corner Fill more Street
New Adam Schaaf Building.
CHICAGO, ILL.
Dealers and Their Salesmen Find
•D
PRESTO BUYERS' GUIDE
A Great Help in Closing Sales.
Fifty Cents a Copy.
CAMBRIDGE-A
BOSTON - MASS.
GOLDSMITH
ADAM SCHAAF, Inc.
REP
FACTORY - OFFICES
•D
Players and Pianos
Have Every Advantage in Quality and Results
to the Dealers
An Investigation Will Prove It
GOLDSMITH PIANO COMPANY
1223-1227 Miller Street, CHICAGO
I ILj
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/

Page 12 Text:

March 17, 1928
PRESTO-TIMES
12
to sell more pianos in our country. The problem is
to increase the business as a whole.
There is much discussion on this question that the
Presto-Times is agitating. Just now comes a letter
to me from another prominent merchant and the gist
of that letter is, that he states that one of the weak-
nesses of the piano business is "incompetent, poorly
paid salesmen." He states that such salesmen are
dragging profits down, and slowing up business, and
he states positively that the cause is "the commission
plan" of employing men. He has tried both plans,
and has lately adopted the plan of a weekly definite
salary, and a monthly bonus. He has applied that
plan with the same salesmen, and immediate increased
results have been obtained.
Profitable Plan Necessary.
The way to "keep the piano merchants in the busi-
ness" is to have a plan of conducting it that will
make it profitable to the piano merchants. The way
to get more salesmen in the piano business is to have
a method of employing these salesmen that will make
it more profitable to them. The way to increase the
piano business is to make it profitable to both the mer-
chants and the salesmen. The "starvation commis-
sion plan" has been tried out, and the results of its
nefarious influence are before the industry today.
IF
We Make
Over One-half the
GRAND PLATES
Made by Plate
Manufacturers
There
Must Be
A Reason!
The
0. S. Kelly Co.
Springfield, Ohio, U. S. A.
Mr. George Dowling of the Cable Company was
right in his statement, let us go back to Solomonic
wisdom from the "Old Book": "The laborer is
worthy of his hire." Let us keep the piano merchant
in business. Let us keep the old factories humming
with plenty of orders. Let us inaugurate a method
of employing salesmen, that will fill up the depleted
rank of piano salesmen, and bring this grand old
industry to that high mark where it belongs.
Kill Starvation Commissions.
The starvation commission contract is responsible
for more dead timber and slow business than any
other one thing. It is a slimy snake that subtly crept
into the business of the manufacturers and the mer-
chant, and spread its poisonous virus right into the
vitals of the industry. If a nominal weekly salary
and a monthly bonus is found with the right kind of
salesmen to run near the figure of 8 per cent and 10
per cent, as suggested by the anonymous correspon-
dent, and probably that is enough, "so mote it be."
But let us lose sight of that one feature of the case
and put the business under the proper methods to
vitalize it.
For Instance—
Let's look a little bit farther than just the ques-
tion of 8 per cent and 10 per cent as the basis for
marketing goods. Most of the piano merchants are
themselves to blame for the deadened condition of
the trade. They foolishly adopted the starvation com-
mission plan during the war in boom days. The war
is over. Times have changed. Many of the piano
merchants are changing to fit the times. There are,
however, quite a few that are sitting in their stores
grumbling at the salesmen and hopelessly waiting
for "something to turn up," instead of changing their
methods, cutting out their old commission contracts,
and adopting a sensible policy that will "turn up
something," and not wait for "sumpin to turn up."
CONN ARTISTS IN CONCERT
Radio Events Conducted by J. F. Boyer Continue to
Hold Interest of Listeners.
The Conn Ltd. artists' concerts and tlks on musicl
instruments every Sunday afternoon over station
KYW, Chicago, continue to be of absorbing interest
to radio owners. Many of the instruments for band
and orchestra have so far been treated in a manner
in Mr. Boyer's lectures to enlighten his hearers on
their construction and characteristics.
Before the series is finished all will have been die-
scribed by him and their functions demonstrated by
the experts. Last Sunday the trumpet headed the list
of instruments and its place in the band and orchestra
and capabilities generally were told. The construc-
tion of the trumpet, how to learn to play it, production
of tone were told. Solos, quartets and instructive
numbers made up the program of musical enter-
tainment.
The C. G. Conn Ltd. brass quartet, made up of
Conn office and factory men, gave several fine selec-
tions. The Conn house can draw on its own employes
for any kind of performers and is able to get together
soloists, quartets of full band or orchestra on short
notice.
KREITER
The Leading and Most Popular
Pianos and Players
Grands, Players, Uprights and
Reproducing Pianos
The Results of Over Forty Years'
of Experience.
Kreiter Pianos Cover the Entire Line
and no Piano Dealer who tries these in-
struments would supplant them by any
others. A trial will convince.
Kreiter Mfg. Co., Inc.
310-312 W, Water St., Milwaukee, Wis.
Factory: Marinette, Wia.
E. Leins Piano Co.
Makers of Pianos and
Player Pianos That Are
Established L e a d e r s
Correspondence from Reliable
Dealer8 invited
Factory and Offices, 304 W. 42nd Si
NEW YORK
The Heppe, Marcellua and Edouard Julos Piano
manufactured by the
HEPPE PIANO COMPANY
are the only pianos in the world with
Three Sounding Boards.
Patented in the United States, Great Britain,
France, Germany and Canada.
Liberal arrangements to responsible agents only.
Main Office, 1117 Chestnut St.
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
IMPORTANT RADIO STATEMENT
Commander E. F. McDonald, President of Zenith
Corporation, Announces Important Facts.
Commander E. F. McDonald, president of .the
Zenith Radio Corporation, Chicago, announced this
week at the Vanderlfilt Hotel, New York, that his
company now owns and controls all patents covering
the new and revolutionary automatic broadcast re-
ceiver. Commander McDonald said:
"Despite all rumors to the contrary, I hereby con-
firm the fact that the Zenith Radio Corporation and
no other radio company has acquired complete control
of the H. N. Marvin Automatic Radio patents and
has also purchased the A. J. Vasselli automatic radio
patents.
"I believe that this automatic is the greatest devel-
opment since the advent of broadcasting. I had hoped
that there would be no further radical development or
changes in radio. This automatic development, how-
ever, is too great to be ignored.
It is hoped that Zenith can be in production of
these automatic radio sets by June; but the automatic
field, I believe, is entirely too large to be monopolized
by one company. It is the intention of the Zenith
Radio Corporation to license its competitors under
its automatic radio patents.
NEW AUTOMATIC MUSIC.
The Automatic Music Roll Company, 1510 Dayton
street, Chicago, has issued its April bulletin of rolls
for electric pianos. The new rolls are evidences of
the company's ability to pick the popular numbers
and group them in the most effective way. Many of
the tunes now heard on the best bands and orches-
tras are included in the new April rolls.
The LEADING LINE
WEAVER PIANOS
arand«, Upright* and Player*
Finest and most artistic
piano in design, tone and
construction that can be
made.
YORK PIANOS
Uprights ard Player Pianos
A high grade piano of great
value and with charming tone quality.
Livingston PUnos— Upright* an A popular piano at a popular price.
Over 70.000 instruments made by tbii company are sing-
Ing their own praises in all parts of the civilised world.
Write for catalogues and state on what terms you would
like to deal, and we will make yon a proposition if you arr
located in open territory.
WEAVER PIANO CO., Inc.
Factory: TORK, PA.
Established 1870
CHRISTMAN
UPRIGHTS, GRANDS, PLAYERS
AND REPRODUCING PIANOS
THE FAMOUS "STUDIO GRAND"
"The First Touch Tells"
(Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.)
The Original Home of Studio Pianos,
Upright, Players and Grands.
CHRISTMAN PIANO CO., Inc.
597 East 137th Street,
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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