Music Trade Review

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12
( Salesmanship )
THE MUSIC TRADE
department's success or failure. A profit paying roll department
must be operated by selling rolls. A roll department must carry and
advertise the complete catalog stock of some first-class manufac-
turer, for this reason:
"You can mail to every roll buyer a catalog with your address
and imprint, stating that any number or title that they may select
will be found in your stock. This will enable you to fill an order
right on the spot. You do not have to tell your customer that you
will have to send for it.
"Roll departments properly managed pay large profits. The
REVIEW
selling of player rolls is proving very successful among many of the
large dealers by using the following system:
"Saleswomen are employed who canvass the city, carrying sam-
ples of the new monthly cuttings, for which they take orders and at
the same time establish a regular route list of customers. Many
player-piano and piano prospects are picked up during their travels.
I suggested this plan a few months ago to a large Middle Western
dealer and during a recent visit to his store I was informed that
three saleswomen employed at a salary of $1.50 a day each were
netting the firm a substantial profit."
The Difference Between Salesmen and Distributors
T a recent dinner in New York, J. H. Shale, general manager
have made terms that would have meant substantial payments each
A
of the American Piano Co., stated that there were just two
month, and a quick cleaning up of the contract.
classes of men selling pianos—piano salesmen and distributors, the
distributor being one who sells prices and terms while the salesman
sells quality goods on a basis that gives his house a profit, aiming
particularly towards cash sales.
Mr. Shale's comment is worthy of more than casual considera-
tion, for he not only knows whereof he speaks, having had wide
experience, but he has touched upon a point that has caused dis-
tress to more than one wareroom manager who is called upon to
separate the distributor from the salesman.
As has been said before in these columns, the salaries of sales-
men depend upon the amount of profit they can earn for their house,
for salaries must of necessity come out of the profits. The more
profit the salesman can bring into the concern through his own effort,
just so much greater is his own earning capacity.
There are men in every line who are inclined to follow the line
of less resistance. They have a thorough understanding of the mini-
mum terms their house will accept, and they adopt those terms both
as a minimum and as a maximum, the theory being that the lower
the terms the easier the sale. There are many piano purchasers
to-day who are making small payments on pianos, stringing their
instalment contracts out three and a half to four years, who, had
they been properly approached by the salesman, could and would
To make money capital must be turned over frequently. Cash
and short time also enables the piano house to get back its capital
quickly, realize a profit, and turn over the capital again to win fur-
ther profits. When the capital is tied up on a long time contract
even at the usual interest it is not available for the business until
the greater part of the contract is cleaned up. The salesman who
urges the customer to pay cash by pointing out to him the interest
and annoyance he can save by so doing, or who, if a cash payment
deal is not possible, holds out for large payments and accepts the
minimum only as a last resource to keep the customer from walking
out of the store, is the man who is making the profits, and he is
making them two ways—for himself and for the house.
Repossessions as a rule are not made from people who make
generous first payments and follow up with large monthly instal-
ments, for it is not long before they have sufficient equity in the in-
strument to have it replevined. Repossessions are made from the
class of people who insist on low terms and long contracts and where
the year's payments do not represnt more than a fair rental for the
piano. When pianos come back the salesman must naturally share
his part of the loss. It is not much more than boy's work to sell a
low priced piano at minimum terms. It is a salesman's work to
persuade the prospect to make a fair contract for a good instrument.
IT PAYS THE SALESMAN TO STUDY HIS CUSTOMER'S HABITS
COME IN.FARMER
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