Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
piano merchant, and that is that success is facturer may create a foreign demand for
not easily won by the department store, his goods, but it does not of necessity fol-
and that in order to make any business a low that his business must be transacted
paying venture, hard work, perseverance directly. The manufacturers do not often
and good management and money must be extend credit to the merchants abroad, and
used in generous quantities.
because of that the export merchants and
Now what does good management con- foreign bankers still transact a large share
of our existing export trade. It is sur-
sist of as far as pianos are concerned?
In buying the right instruments and mised by many who are competent to
selling them right, that is, in their proper judge, that as time goes by these foreign
class. Doing business as nearly as possi- credits will be largely extended, and in
ble on the one price basis. Doing good that way our country will be in a better
advertising and plenty of it. Having a position to compete with trade from other
thorough understanding of the demands piano manufacturing countries than it
of the trade, and catering intelligently to is at present.
their wants. Never abusing competitors.
Judging from the reports which have
Never knowing so much but that some- reached us concerning the musical exhibits
thing more can be learned. Incidentally at Paris, we are of the opinion that the
having a good share of confidence in one's Russian piano manufacturers intend to
own ability and cultivating the idea that reach out for piano conquests in other
your pianos are every bit as good as, if not lands. In the construction of their instru-
a trifle better than, some others.
ments they have shown an astonishing ad-
These are some of the cardinal princi- vance, and it cannot be successfully dis-
ples.of good management. Combine them puted that there are excellent pianos
with hard work and perseverance before to-day made in Russia. It will pay to keep
spoken of, add to them character which in our weather eye on our Slav neighbor, for
itself forms a credit and there is no power he is going to figure more largely than
that will keep such a piano store from ever before in international piano affairs.
being successful.
HARD WORK NECESSARY.
\
X
/
E
very frequently hear statements
CONCERNING EXPORT TRADE.
made, while listening to trade dis-
\ N examination of the reports of our ex-
cussions
anent certain individuals who
port trade shows that as far as this
have
become
prominent in music trade
particular industry is concerned, it has not
reached a position which may be said to be affairs, that they have been extremely luckj
an important one when compared with and fortunate.
That may be, but our experience teaches
other lines of manufactures. One reason
us
that the men of this industry, whether
for this lies largely in the fact that the
American piano manufacturer has not as in the manufacturing or the retailing de-
yet paid serious attention to the develop- partment of the business, who have suc-
ment of foreign trade. He has not built ceeded in accumulating a goodly amount
pianos according to the tastes and eccen- of this world's chattels have been more
tricities of residents of other countries. than lucky. They have not been merely
Thus far he has sent abroad the American silent onlookers waiting for the whaiel of
product pure and simple, and it has not fortune to turn a prize for them, but they
taken popular hold in other lands than our have been workers, and no man ever yet
made any progress in anything connected
own. This will come later.
with indusft-ial or commercial life without
The American merchants and manufac-
understanding that the cornerstone of
turers have developed a great deal of en-
everything in this world that is successful
ergy in securing foreign trade in late
is—hard work.
years. In Europe, in South America, and
The piano manufacturer or merchant
in the far East we are constantly gaining
ground. Direct representation, right there who succeeds, understands not only the
on foreign ground, has had a great deal to meaning but the application of the word
do with it. This comes either through es- hustle. Brains bring forth ideas, work
tablishing agents, or traveling salesmen. fosters and develops them. A man may
The American manufacturer can now know be capable of advancing some really good
just where his goods are going, as he could ideas without the ability to take off his
not always when selling through the local coat and work to develop those ideas, but
luck—nonsense, it is intelligent work.
commission merchants.
One thing that the American is warned
by competent authority to be very careful
about is the selection of agen ts abroad. The
success or failure of future trade possibili-
ties depends largely upon this. A manu-
ANENT ADVERTISING,
A PIANO manufacturer recently re-
marked: "I believe in advertising
in all seasons for wholesale trade. For
the retail business it always pays to weigh
advertising according to the seasons, but
I believe that the summer is one of ttie
best periods to advertise in trade publica-
tions. Dealers have time to read, and I
am confident they do read nearly all of the
advertising matter which reaches them.
They do a powerful lot of thinking along
business lines too."
There is no mistaking the fact that the
unconscious influence of an advertisement
can be just as powerful on the individual
as the salesmen's direct arguments, pro-
vided the advertisement and the pianos
are right, and a well displayed advertise-
ment published in influential trade publi-
cations in the dull season is carrying on
educational work which will be felt when
the busy season begins.
THE AGE OFSPECIAUSM.
""THIS is in truth the age of specialism,
and concentration of energy meet*
with better returns when placed upon a
particular line than divided over several
departments of industry. When we scan
the music trade field as a whole, it must be
admitted that the men who have converged
their energy and work have met with bet-
ter results than those who have divided
their forcefe over large areas.
What percentage of branch stores in this
industry have been profitable?
A small percentage indeed. The spe-
cializing of energy is one of the pronounced
features of modern development. This is
an essential part of all education; it is part
of the education which deals with practi-
cal matters. The trained piano salesman
is a specialist. The progressive piano
manufacturer is a specialist. The success-
ful piano dealer is a specialist. The pub-
lisher of a trade paper is a specialist. All
manufacturers of parts of the instruments
are specialists. In each of these callings,
and in all others having to do with the
complex affairs of our modern liffe, men
must have a knowledge of the particular
phase of work in which they propose to
engage with any hope of marked success.
The business man recognizes the need of
this trained and specialized intelligence^
It is coming into wider demand as com-
petition throughout the world grows more
universal and relentless.
T OCAL business has been completely
paralysed in St. Louis, owing to die
car strikes which have obtained to such an
alarming extent in that city. A recent
talk with some piano merchants of that
city reveals the fact that they view the
trade in a most despondent way. St. Leuis
piano merchants have suffered severely, as
well as merchants in all other lines. Th»
season, through labor troubles, has been a
decidedly off one for the commercial cem-
ter of the Southwest.