September IS, 1928
PRESTO-TIMES
12
methods of piano salesmen in trying to switch the
customer to another make.
"If I were in the piano business I'd sell advertised
goods; people believe in advertised goods; they have
(Continued from page 9)
no faith in non-advertised things nowadays. Nothing
of persons loving music, and wishing to play, who
is sold until it is sold at retail. Selling pianos is the
only hold off from buying the foot power piano due
manufacturers' problem."
to the dislike of the mechanical type of music they
Mr. Boykin Speaks.
bring forth."
A short business session was held at 1 p. m., Mon-
That the sale of these musical instruments has been
day, at which time addresses were made by Edward
killed through the desire of the merchant to speed
C. Boykin, executive secretary of the National Piano
up sales, was a belief expressed by this speaker, who
Manufacturers' association, New York; R. E. Taylor,
offered as a solution the inducement of really learn-
ing to play the foot power piano as a promise of new Cleveland, president of the Ohio association; Corley
Gibson, president of the Autopiano Co., New York,
life in the business. "Educate the public in the
and John S. Gorman, of the Gulbransen Co., Chicago.
musical possibilities of the instrument, teach them self
expression, and you have answered the problem of the
Mr. Boykin stressed the need of publicity for the
fundamental appeal of the piano as a home musical
piano. He urged the dealers and manufacturers to
instrument," said Gibson.
get the word "piano" before the public at every
opportunity.
Mr. Taylor advocated the idea of
Frazier Reams on Installments.
placing music among the recognized studies in public
"It was a piano salesman who started the install-
ment plan idea in his business, and all one has to do and parochial schools, as a major subject.
During the afternoon session Mr. Taylor appointed
today is look about in any industry which caters to
a resolutions committee, consisting of A. L. Maresh,
the home to see that he really started something."
Cleveland, president of the Cleveland Music Masters'
This according to Frazier Reams, trust officer for
the Commercial Savings Bank & Trust Co., who Association, chairman; William W. Smith, president
of the J. W. Greene Co., Toledo, and Harry Barry,
spoke at the convention, was the start of the method
Greenville.
which is tying up the American income, but at the
same time allowing Americans the pleasure of own-
Speakers at the afternoon business session Tuesday
ership while paying.
were Frazier Reams, trust officer of the Commer-
cial Savings Bank & Trust Co., and F. B. Beinkamp,
"The music merchant today has two commodities
Cincinnati.
to offer the public," said Reams, ''good musical in-
struments, and credit. His keenest competition comes
The Resolutions.
from without the business, from salesmen of other
The Resolutions Committee offered a long list of
products sold on the installment basis. There is a
resolutions, all of which were adopted as read. These
tremendous, burden placed upon a sales organization
included thanks to those who so generously contrib-
today, for merchandising is a bigger problem than
uted to the enjoyment of the conventioners; to the
production."
service of the Hotel Commodore Perry; to the golf
association for the use of its course and club house;
Mr. Harper on Salesmanship.
"Salesmanship" was wittily and ably handled at the to E. C. Boykin, John S. Gorman, Delbert L. Loomis,
afternoon session on Wednesday by Harry B. Har- Frank Bayley and others for their messages; to the
per, manager of the Chicago branch of Air-Way music trade press for sending representatives to re-
port the proceedings; to the manufacturers and job-
Electric Appliance Corporation. He said in part:
bers and to other organizations for "making this one
"My experience with piano salesmen has taught me
of the most interesting and instructive conventions
that there is no such thing as good salesmanship in
the piano business," and related a number of his ever held in the music industry."
experiences with piano stores and so-called piano
The resolutions also thanked Henry C. Wildermuth
salesmen in Philadelphia, in Bradford, Pa.; in Chi- for his local work as chairman of the Arrangement
cago and towns in New England to prove his point,
Committee; thanked Robert E. Taylor for the zeal
and created a great deal of laughter and affirmative
he had shown and his work during the year of his
nodding throughout the room as he related the silly presidency.
THE CONVENTION
A Hot Time in the Old Town.
The entire period of the convention was a time of
most distressing heat. This intensity of torridity was
broken on Tuesday night by a teriffic thunder storm
which broke down telegraph wires in the city of
Toledo and caused the fire department to go scream-
ing through the streets. The weather was described
by a gentleman who had traveled in Africa as Nairobi
climate.
Next Convention at Columbus.
The association decided to hold its 1929 convention
at Columbus on September 9, 10 and 11.
It was decided to continue the publication of the
Monthly Bulletin of the association.
Some minor amendments were made to the by-
laws.
It was voted to appoint an auditor at a salary of
$50 a year.
Using Mutual Insurance.
A representative of mutual insurance companies got
the floor—Frank Harrison of Columbus—who ex-
plained the benefits accruing from the system in use
by members of the association.
Before he made his speech Mr. Loomis read a
letter from C. J. Roberts, president of the National
Association of Music Merchants, in praise of the Ohio
association.
Many Pianos Are Junk.
Charles Deutschmann, ex-president of the National
Tuners' Association, made an interesting address. He
said there were 1,500,000 pianos that should be
junked.
Ohio Association Has 437 Members.
It was reported that at the Cleveland convention
last year the association had 487 members. At the
convention this year 26 new ones were admitted,
making the membership of the State Association at
the close of the sessions 437. Mr. Wildermuth was
champion name-getter for new members, and presents
were given him and others for getting new members.
Mr. W.'s present was a box of line new neckties.
Arleigh Dora Attends.
Among those seen at the convention were Arleigh
Dom, formerly Q R S man, now in the gravestone
business at Cincinnati.
J. Enimett Shaw, Oakland, Cal., announces that he
is trading under the name of the Allendale Radio &
Music Shoppe, 3026 Thirty-eighth avenue.
Just One of
Nineteen
Beautiful
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Schiller Line
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SCHILLER PIANO COMPANY
Factory and General Offices:
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Chicago Offices: 932 Republic Building
New York Office: 130 West 42nd Street
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