Presto

17
P R E S T O-T I M E S
October 1, 1929
A PIANO MAN'S
RADIO SUCCESS
George S. Wille, of Canton, Ohio, Foresaw a
Great Aid to His Piano Trade in Radio
and Became a Pioneer in
Working It.
By REX McCONNELL.
George S. Wille, head of George S. Wille & Co.,
Canton, Ohio's foremost radio-music store, has been
a seer of visions and has had the courage to back
them up for the past twenty years.
Wille is credited with having foresight in being the
first Canton music merchant to put in radio along
with musical merchandise. This was seven years ago.
It was somew T hat of an experiment at first and was
eagerly watched by many leading music merchants
in the Middle West. Today Wille's Music Store
does the largest volume of radio business in the Can-
ton area, and many of the ideas he has applied to
make radio merchandising an outstanding success
are original with him.
With the advent of radio popularity several years
ago Mr. Wille gave the issue much thought and
while music stores in general were slow in taking on
radio, Mr. Wille concluded at that time that radio
rightfully belonged to the music store and that the
lines would not conflict. Department stores, electrical
shops and hardware stores immediately took on radio
and it was generally thought that sales would be
largely confined to this type of stores.
Puts in Radio.
Only a few months elapsed until Mr. Wille discov-
ered that he had the right hunch and that radio
would fit well into the music business. He immedi-
ately fitted lip a section of his store for radio, and
added complete equipment for radio service, giving
over much of his new store section to the display of
the sets then on the market.
Mr. Wille might have gone along doing just an
ordinary volume of rad : o business but having deter-
mined to give the city of Canton a complete radio
itime to the selling of radios for the Wille concern and
store, he stressed this merchandise even greater thai
the music merchandise lines which had been hi: pnother class of salesmen, who work on a straight
leaders for many years. In a very short time Wille's [commission basis.
The regular salesmen for the Wille concern have
store became radio headquarters for his section of th(
city and the high-class clientele he had developed in Itheir own prospect lists and from these and others
picked up from those who come into the store to
his music business soon became prospects for radic
make inquiries, do nicely in twelve months' time.
and his radio volume in less than two years soon
'Straight commission salesmen must keep stepping
topped that of piano and talking machines sales.
along at a lively gait in order to make themselves
Always an aggressive merchant, Mr. Wille then set
to work on new methods of radio merchandising andl |jfa fair living and little attention is given this class of
ideas that the other fellow had failed to develop, a salesmen for it depends on their own initiative just
with the result that within a comparatively short time, ~ how much money they make.
Wille's Music Store became known throughout this^ \
The Part-Time Salesman
area as one of the leading and dependable radio (
The part-time salesman is original with Mr. Wille
stores.
From the first successful merchandising of radio and has been responsible for the movement of a large
volume of merchandise each year. These men are
sets Mr. Wille built up a reliable service department
usually employed in an industrial plant where they
and an efficient sales department. This phase of his
come in contact with scores of workmen in the course
business he operated independently of the music sec- of a week's time. It is commonly known among
tions and his costs, maintenance and profits were
the workmen that this particular man has extensive
always available from a separate set of books.
knowledge of radio and they naturally inquire of
Belongs to Music Business.
him when radio is the issue. From the inquiries and
Asked how he made such a success of radio in a tips from others, this part-time salesman picks up his
music store Mr. Wille said, "First of all I was thor- prospects, takes them into the store after working
oughly sold on the idea that radio was a part of the
hours, gives demonstrations and closes his own sales.
music business and immediately set about to establish
It is a nice thing for the factory worker and it adds
radio on the same merchandising business as musical greatly to the yearly radio volume for the Wille con-
merchandise.
cern.
"At the inception of radio merchandising several
"I will say," said Mr. Wille to Presto-Times corre-
years ago there was much propaganda that radio spondent, "that I am well pleased with the arrange-
would hurt talking macfcnffe sales. Perhaps it did, but
ment and regard this phase of radio selling as entirely
not for long. Soon n£w models of talking machines satisfactory. This group of salesmen can be main-
were worked out by engineers of the leading concerns tained at practically no cost to the store and in the
and it wasn't long until combination sets came into slack season the^e is no need for worrying for these
the market. Radio continued to hold its own and men are employed otherwise and when the season
will so long as manufacturers continue to keep up on arrives are ready to renew their efforts among their
the newest developments and pass them on to the
fellow workers."
buying public."
A music store which has the artistic arrangement
Success has crowned Mr. Wille's efforts largely be- and the acoustical properties of a concert hall, where
cause he has given much thought to the merchandis- it is possible to hear radio reception without the in-
ing of radio, by trained salesmen. He conducts his
terference of noisfi.has been opened by the Wille
sales department on a somewhat different basis from
Company at G+^V^jand avenue and Sixth street, N.
many stores.
W , on which Mr. Wille has taken an extended lease.
Three Types of Salesmen.
Almost double the floor space of the North Market
Three distinct types of salesmen are hired by the street store is available in the new location.
Radio cabinets in large number are displayed on
Wille concern and the plan has proven very success-
ful, he added. There is the regular full-time sales- the main floor of the new store, along with talking
man, who is employeditn a salary and commission, machines and a few pianos. The greater part of the
the part-time salesman who devotes only a part of his merchandise is placed on the second floor. This has
Choose Your Piano As The Artists Do
Through Generations
Have Come Ludwig Ideals
HE Ludwigs, the Ericssons
and the Perrys created,
nearly a century ago, the stand-
ards to which the Ludwig has
been built. Their ideas and ideals have been car-
ried forward by the pjesent generation and today
the direct descendants of those early builders of artis-
tic pianos are the men directing the destiny of the
Ludwig Piano.
T
THE BALDWIN PIANO COMPANY
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NEW YORK
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The Famous
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Write for catalogue
(Foremoat American Planlat) write* t—
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fhe distinctive features of
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BOSTON, MASS.
MATHUSHEK PIANO MFG. CO.
IS2nd Street and Alexander Arenue
NEW YORK
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