Presto

I'RES T 0-T I M E S
and his record through the years for the efficient man-
agement of his department has been outstanding.
Earl L. Hadley, Advertising Manager
Mr. Earl L. Hadley, advertising manager, was an-
other newcomer to make his bow to the Wurlitzer
organization. As director of Cable Piano Company
c'.iain store advertising in Chicago for nine years his
adherence to high advertising standards is well
known. His later radio and refrigeration national ad-
vertising experience should also serve him well in
his new work.
New York Manager Ryan's Remarks
Mr. Ryan. Vice-President and in charge of the
New York store in his closing remarks concerning
future activity stated that the members of the Wur-
litzer family operating the business felt that the time
now was ripe because of the tremendous new possi-
bilities of the music business to put fresh merchandis-
ing plans into their general program for the coming
year. To assist in these comprehensive plans he felt
that the new executives so well known for their abil-
ity and high type of performance would supply not
only the necessary tangible help and direction but
lend great moral support to their coast to coast selling
organization.
Cyril Farny Complimented
Under the guiding hand of Cyril Farny, vice-presi-
dent and general manager, the Wurlitzer Grand Piano
and Accordion factories at DeKalb, Illinois, have been
making a splendid showing. Dealer sales as well as
branch store purchases are showing gratifying in-
creases. Mr. Cyril Farny's talk was one of the most
interesting at the meeting. He told of important de-
velopments and improvements being made in the op-
erations of the DeKalb factory. Displayed at the
conference was a beautiful new Wurlitzer & Sons
Grand Piano—new- excellence of workmanship and
grace of design was discernible even to the casual
observer. Mr. Farny went on to tell of the dealers'
meeting at DeKalb. These dealers, awake to the re-
vival of the piano business, had gathered together
from all over the country to exchange ideas and to
learn of the new things happening at the DeKalb
factories. Upon leaving they presented Mr. Farny
and his associates a formal testimonial thanking them
for their sincerity, their helpfulness, and for the uni-
form high quality found in the pianos they were pur-
chasing.
Gordon Laughead "The Militant"
If there was ever a militant piano man Gordon
Laughead is that individual. As Sales Manager of
the DeKalb operations for many years—a seasoned
traveler—few, if any, are so well qualified to say
"what's what" in the piano business. His remarks
were confined to selling and when he finished there
wasn't a branch manager in the room who felt he
couldn't do a far better selling job with the wide va-
riety of fine instruments found in the Wurlitzer line
of pianos.
The North Tonawanda Factory Makeup
The North Tonawanda factory was well represented
at the meeting. Fine new long and short wave radio
models in beautiful new.cabinets were displayed. Also
the Wurlitzer Simplex Automatic Phonograph, which
is being well received all over the country came in
for its share of attention. Mr. Capehart, factory sales
manager, did himself proud in his selling of the radio
line and the Simplex to the men. Mr. Farny Wur-
litzer also presented for the approval of the managers
a new upright of slightly modern design that is quite
unlike anything that has ever been manufactured.
This model was produced because of the healthy sign
of better piano business and it is a prevailing feeling
that uprights should come in for just as much if not
more consideration than grands.
* * *
Probably the Wurlitzer organization over a period
of time has done as much or more for the advancement
of music generally than any other privately owned con-
cern in America. With its wide spread retail outlets,
and the music studio activity at each point, they have
started thousands of young people on the road to
musical accomplishment. The mere selling of a mu-
sical instrument was not enough. A real obligation
was felt that the purchaser must learn to play. So
beginners' courses were devised and a large majority
of these thousands of students have gone on to private
teachers and conservatories to further their musical
education. Other activity has produced good business
for the instrument department such as the promotion
of small orchestras, neighborhood bands, public re-
citals and contests all of which have been effectively
creating the desire for music in the minds of young
America.
Another decided asset the Wurlitzer Company pos-
sesses is in the daily use of Wurlitzer organs in the
great theaters throughout the country. Announced
from stage and over the radio the familiar statement
"On the Mighty Wurlitzer" means something fine in
music to millions. Two of the most important recent
installations were made in the two new Radio City
Theaters in Rockefeller Center, New York City.
It is evident that the Wurlitzer Company intends
to capitalize more intensively on the splendid founda-
tion laid down by the early endeavors of its founders.
With a firm belief for the future of the music busi-
ness the organization has been quietly working away
for the past year strengthening various division -
weakened in the early days of the depression.
The Chicago Herald and Examiner in its Sunday
issue at the time of the convention gave an interesting
account of the gathering, using these headings for
the various interesting descriptions presented. Por-
traits of Rudolph and Farny R. Wurlitzer, vice-presi-
dents, and managers of many of the leading Wur-
litzer branch stores were given in the Herald and
Examiner account of the gathering.
The Chicago Wurlitzer branch was the host of the
big dinner at the Medinah Club, bringing R. R. Mac-
Inerney, the general manager of this branch house,
into very active operation all through the sessions.
The Herald and Examiner dubbed Mr. Maclnerney
as "a happy host."
* * *
ACTIVITIES AT DE KALB FACTORIES
A visit to the Wurlitzer piano factory at De Kalb,
Illinois, a few days ago, and. incidentally, a "look-in"
on the piano accordion factory, quickly confirmed
numerous quasi-complimentary references that are
passed around here and there about how they keep
pushing along trade and, consequently, keeping up
factory output at De Kalb, suggestions that a visitor
to the De Kalb factories who gets into the workshops
and along the workbenches will find to be borne out
by activities as he sees them and by figures and
records in the offices and accounting room.
Following quite an extended worthwhile conversa-
tion with Cyril Farny, general manager of the Wur-
litzer Grand Piano Factories, that gentleman closed
his remarks like this: "Well, to abbreviate my story
and further impress upon you what we are now do-
ing and planning to do in keeping this good-sized plant
humming with productive activity, we have recently
added several men to our traveling force. Irving
Hogrewe is now covering New England and the At-
lantic Seaboard territory; Mr. Glidden, who has been
closely associated with agency and distribution work
at the factory and office, will be on the road for sev-
eral months at least. Mr. Howe is doing effective
work here and there and General Sales Manager,
Gordon Laughead, spends much of his time away
from the office. All in all we have at this time five
men out in the field and every one of them produc-
ing. This explains clearly how it comes about that
we are so far ahead of shipments of a year ago and
explains also how it is that orders for sixty-eight
pianos have been received by us today. We are opti-
mistic and confident of continued good piano trade
and we feel certain that the Wurlitzer Grand Piano
Company is getting its share."
NEW PIANO HOUSE AT SEATTLE
The new piano house at Seattle, the Mann Piano
Company, 225 Yesler Way, has begun an activity that
is encouraging and believes that the piano business
will continue to improve. In fact Mr. L. M. Mann
says: "Business prospects are greatly improved for
the remainder of the year. It really seems as if every-
body that does not have a piano is in the mood to
buy, and all that is needed is to get things moving
in the industrial world so that people will have either
their old jobs back or new ones, and piano selling
will then be very easy."
The Mann Piano Company is carrying a complete
line of Haddorff instruments and are making a special
run on the Bush & Gerts product. They have been
featuring the Bush & Gerts harpsichord piano and
with marked success. They consider this piano the
best attraction and best seller that they have ever had
in stock. They have been using the harpsichord as
a leader and it has attracted many people and many
prospects that finally purchased full sized and expen-
sive grands.
Mr. W. E. Gillespie, Pacific coast representative of
the Haddorff Piano Company, has been very instru-
mental in getting the Mann Piano Company into
active operation.
ANOTHER NEW SCHILLER MODEL
DO YOU SELL PIANOS OR JUST
KEEP THEM?
By Gordon Laughead, Sales Manager
Wurlitzer Grand Piano Factories
Any improvement observed now in the piano in-
dustry is due to one thing only. Some dealer or his
salesman has suddenly made up his mind that grand
pianos can be sold. What small success enjoyed by
the several factories, including ours, is traceable to
the following sound rule: IN ORDER TO SELL A
PIANO YOU MUST F I R S T THINK THAT YOU
CAN SELL A PIANO.
No industry ever had a more receptive market than
ours at the present time. Every woman of the present
generation of home makers and every girl of the
coming generation of home makers, has definitely
decided to at some time possess a grand piano. Our
market is great and by comparison our efforts are
puny, small, and somewhat feeble.
A few large merchants, otherwise quite respectable,
are using the "Credit Manager's" advertisement and
the fraudulent "Balance Due" blind classified adver-
tisement to sell pianos. Such methods are not the
spirit of the times. The "Credit Manager's" adver-
tisement must convince the intelligent public that
about two-thirds of the grand pianos sold are almost
immediately repossessed.
The fraudulent "Balance Due" blind classified ad is
full of dynamite for any dealer, corporation, or em-
ployee using it. In the consummation of a sale
through this method at least three divisions of the
Federal Postal Laws are violated, in addition to two
laws which are on the statute books of most states.
Five law violations, each a penitentiary offense, to
make one piano sale. In the face of this danger one
large middle western dealer claims to have sold five
or six hundred pianos over fourteen states, often
operating beyond a thousand miles from his main
store.
How can pianos be sold? How would you do the
job? First you must take some of the army of am-
bitious intelligent young men who are each year
graduated from our public high schools and colleges,
selecting men who are sincere in their desire to work.
These men offer the finest material to train.
Part of the decline ten years ago in our industry
was because we depended entirely upon veterans to
do the job. 1 am considered one of the "young men"
in the piano industry, but June marked my twenty-
fifth year; almost twenty of these years have been
with our DeKalb plant.
What can you do with a group of trained young
men? The answer is slightly "moth eaten" but still
good. BY TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF
YOUR STORE'S NATURAL CONTACT W I T H
T H E PUBLIC.
1. Your daily mail should be looked over carefully
for piano prospects, no matter if the general subject
of the letter is about something foreign to pianos.
2. Intelligent solicitation of the people w r ho ordi-
narily visit your store to buy sheet music, to buy
small instruments and supplies or to call for the pur-
pose of paying bills.
3. The public who call because they know you
carry a variety of fine pianos fairly priced.
4. Your greatest opportunity is with the outside
public. First with those who use pianos, the music
schools, teachers, public schools, theaters, radio sta-
tions, churches, clubs, hotels, convents, and colleges.
Secondly with the public who desire pianos for their
homes but do not call at your store.
This new trained army of young salesmen should
call upon all of this fourth classification.
Despite the recent depression, many merchants and
their executives are still too "Private office minded"
and too "advertising solicitor conscious." These men
ought to get out and get acquainted with the 1934
piano buying public. The Wurlitzer Grand Piano Fac-
tory organization believes that IN ORDER T O
SELL A PIANO YOU MUST FIRST THINK
THAT YOU CAN SELL A PIANO.
The Schiller Piano Company of Oregon, 111., are
just now placing on the market the latest model of
their 4 ft. 9 grand. This is known as style CL. a
Louis XIV design. They have already issued colo-
nial and period, models of this scale and now comes
the French model of the Louis period. Tt is surely
an attractive production of factory superintendent
Cyrus Jones and is sure to become a favorite. Sev-
eral special Schillers of their 5 ft. 6 grand scale have
recently been turned out on special orders. A spirit
of optimism and surety of progress in the piano trade
is manifest at the Schiller plant.
A DEFINITE PICK-UP IN TRADE
E. G. Richardson, vice-president of the Richardson
Piano Case Company, Leominster, Mass., who has
recently made a tour visiting the piano manufacturing
industries, said to a representative of Presto-Times in
Chicago that he found some considerable increase in
the piano case business and noticed with the piano
trade in general that there was "a small but very
definite pick-up, more particularly at the present time
in small upright cases. The increase is not all that
w r c would like to see but at least things are slowly
going in the right direction."
Dale Dickey recently started a music business in
the Wentz building at Warren. Ohio. Mr. Dickey
will carry a full line of small goods and musical mer-
chandise and expects to develop a piano business as
rapidly as possible.
The Roussellot Music Company, 1426 North Twelfth
street, Milwaukee, Wis., still say that the manufac-
turers' forced sale continues. The Roussellot Com-
pany has long represented the Kimball piano and
they are pushing sales very actively.
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/