PREST 0-T I M E S
May 19, 1928
NUMEROUS CHANGES
IN QULBRANSEN FORCE
The Assignment of Active Men in Various
Territories and Additional Accessions of
Energetic Representatives
Strengthens Sales.
THINGS SAID OR SUGGESTED
THE LOST VOICE.
Seated one day in the wareroom,
I was weary and out of whack;
In my mind just wond'ring idly
Why sales were so slim and slack.
'Twas selfish to sit there loafing,
With others hot on the chase.
While never a prospect entered,
The curse to lift off the place.
A voice in the lonesome wareroom
Spoke up with a chesty roll,
Disturbing the awesome silence,
Thrilling the depths of my soul.
"In me see the prompt-cash buyer;
My friend, let your words be few!"
It stopped with a sudden silence
As soon as the speech was through.
I listened again, but vainly,
That cheery remark to hear,
That came from the unseen prospect
And entered my eager ear.
It may be sometime or other
I shall hear that voice again,
Or it may be that I was dreaming
Or sampled too much—ahem!
* * *
It depends upon your inclination whether you would
rather witness the picking up of delegates in the presi-
dential primaries or of hot grounders at the baseball
parks. But remember that the boy with his eye glued
to the main chance picks up the stray piano prospect.
* * *
When a piano man bottles up his wrath there is
trouble brewing. Get a ticket on the convention
special to New York and borrow the corkscrew.
* * *
WHAT O. P. HAZZARD
TELLS.
O. P. Hazzard of the Louisville branch of the
Baldwin Piano Company, who recently celebrated his
fiftieth year with the piano company, tells a story
of his first piano sale which should be of value
for comparison to the earnest sales department
youngsters today. It recalls a day when the element
of hardship often was added to that of uncertainty
in the piano prospect quest.
He was with the Cincinnati headquarters at the
time, half a century back, when a letter from a
farmer in the state of Illinois asked for a piano
catalog and prices. "Mr. Wulsin suggested that I
take a chance, go see him and try to obtain his order
for a piano," said Mr. Hazzard. "Taking the first
train for Illinois, arrived at my station and found he
lived two miles from depot by road; could see his
home on the prairie across field. By tramping it and
climbing fences, I soon reached his home."
The prospect hospitably invited him to dinner, and
Mr. Hazzard recalls with pleasure the rugged ap-
petite with which he did justice to that he-man's
meal. He talked piano between bites and did equal
justice to the subject and the food. Before they got
to the hot apple pie the prospect was convinced of
the excellence of the piano presented, and while they
waited for the coffee to cool, the farmer, to the ac-
companiment of cheers from the delighted children,
signed the order on the dotted line.
Making the sale was an affair of social joys; the
dirty work came when he delivered the piano. It
had rained for two days and was still raining when
he arrived at the station in the corn belt.
"I found him at the depot with wagon and two
large mules, with one man to assist the driver. Load-
ing the piano, we started on our journey, the cus-
tomer and myself riding horseback following the
wagon," said Mr. Hazzard. "In this day of cement
highways, smooth gravel roads, and automobile
trucks, delivering the goods seems like a pleasant
game compared to the strenuous stunts of old days,
similar to my first job. I had often heard the boast-
ful claims of Illinois for its rich alluvial soil deposit.
I found it all that, and of an unplumbed depth. The
roads evidently were meant as samples of the rich-
ness. After being stuck and dug out a dozen times,
we took down a bit of fence and finally reached our
destination by w T ay of the fields.
"But morning compensated for every hardship.
After a good breakfast, I gave them some music and
told all I knew about piano; received the customer's
check, and rode back horseback to depot, reaching
Indianapolis one of the proudest boys that ever lived.
Next morning, turned the check over to Mr. Wuslin,
who patted me on the back and congratulated me.
"This is only an experience which thousands of
other piano men have had. People who traveled
through Illinois years ago will remember the mud
before tiling and drainage was made."
* * *
"Does Zon Redpaint still carry on his piano business
in Whooperville?"
"Well, the piano business isn't so you could notice
it, but the way he still carries on is a caution."
* * *
It takes a smart man to draw a piano scale, but any
chump can draw conclusions about it.
* * *
Every man is the maker of his own fortune, but no
two agree as to what fortune is.
* * *
The great advertising trick is to keep up a sustained
interest.
W. E. HALL'S RETURN.
W. E. Hall, who was with the Pease Piano Com-
pany for twenty-six years, and has held other prom-
inent positions in the selling field, expects to return
to the wholesale piano game in a very short time.
The Gulbransen Company, Chicago, has made a
number of additions to and promotions in, its sales
organization. The new men to join the staff are
Howard Weber and E. E. Stout. Mr. Weber has
been assigned to the territory embracing Virginia,
Maryland, North and South Carolina, Delaware and
District of Columbia.
Most recently Mr. Weber has been with the John
Church Co. in charge of nine stores and before that
in charge of three stores for Lyon & Healy. Pre-
vious to that he made an excellent record with the
Mathushek & Son Piano Co. of New York as man-
ager of the retail store there and three Jersey stores.
In all he has had twelve year's experience in the
music business. His home is in Baltimore. He states
that he was attracted to the Gulbransen proposition
on account of its one price and high-class policies.
Owing to the background that he has, he will be
able to serve Gulbransen dealers in a particularly
intelligent and valuable way. In taking over this
territory, Mr. Weber succeeds Al Lucas, who has
been promoted to a place in the sales department at
Chicago headquarters.
Stout in Cook County.
E. E. Stout, in the piano business for the past
fifteen years, the last five with the Rludolph Wur-
litzer Co., has been ippointed to represent the Gul-
bransen Company in Cook County. The sound busi-
ness methods of the Gulbransen house, states Mr.
Stout, attracted him to it, and he is enthusiastically
bringing the story of the Gulbransen business-build-
ing program to the dealers whom he contacts in Cook
County.
Other changes in Gulbransen organization are
transferring of W. G. Karmann from the Texas-Okla-
homa-Arkansas territory to the states formerly in
charge of W. J. Eden, who has resigned. These states
are Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado.
Karmann in Texas.
The Texas territory, which Mr. Karmann reluc-
tantly leaves owing to the many splendid contacts
that he has built up there, will be turned over to
Howard Hill, who has been working in Georgia, Mis-
sissippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee.
Mr. Hill has been in the music business for many
years as retail salesman and later as store manager.
He has done some very constructive work in the
retail Held before joining the Gulbransen Company,
and especially with Gulbransen dealers in the terri-
tory mentioned since his connection with the firm.
This change is in the nature of a promotion for Mr.
Hill in view of the splendid service he has rendered.
The duties of J. E. Albineau, who has been covering
Iowa, have been enlarged to include Minnesota also.
The Gulbransen Company has been and is strength-
ening its sales organization in numerous ways,
through the medium of both personnel and plans, with
a view to improving service to its dealers. Many of
the merchants, for their part, have likewise enlarged
their selling forces, have improved their own approach
to the public and in other ways are adopting the
recommendations which the Gulbransen Company is
presenting at the regional sales meetings.
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. Tt 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.
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