Music Trade Review

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PLAYER SECTION
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 29, 1919
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"The Ladies-Bless 'em"
Being a Dissertation on the Simple But Often Overlooked Fact That When a
Salesman Is Attempting to Sell a Player to Anyone Save a Misogynistic
Bachelor He Should Get the Lady in the Case Interested in the Instrument
At this time of year, the problem of Christmas
sales is naturally in every one's mind, unless in-
deed it be argued that this year the conditions
forbid any thought of how to make sales. It is of
course true that the demand at the moment ex-
ceeds the supply, but it is equally true that this is
only a temporary state of affairs which cannot
for long continue. The problem of making sales
will be with us again very soon; and meanwhile
we are very foolish if we lose sight of it.
Enter Madame!
One thing is plain, and that is that men rather
than women are the prime movers in initiating
the purchase of a player-piano. The relation of
women to our instrument is peculiar. In general
they seem to have a sort of instinctive dislike for
it, based no doubt upon a survival of the idea that
polite keyboard strumming is peculiarly a femin-
ine accomplishment and that to invade the ama-
teur territory with a man-made and rather blatant
machine is very dreadful. A woman pianist of
distinction was telling the writer the other day
that at home her mother keeps the doors closed
when daughter practices. Mother feels that to
"make so much noise" on the piano is not quite
lady-like. Poetry, she feels, is much more so.
One might add, so are posts; but this would be
a digression.
Instinctive Antagonism
Well, it is a sort of survival of the feeling with
which we have to deal. Women In general don't
take quickly to the player-piano. They don't like
it; until they have had it with them for a while.
The men on the other hand, are usually much
more enthusiastic; but by the same token are very
bad judges. The problem in front of the salesman
is to combine the two tendencies and make each
work with the other.
Co-operation
The clever salesman should realize, at the start,
that when a sale is to be made, the co-operation of
husband and wife, or of the masculine and fem-
inine elements of the family, is essential. If the
husband persuades the wife against her will, she
will dislike the player-piano, will refuse to take it
seriously and will in consequence never hear any
decent music from it. That means that the hus-
band will in turn find himself discouraged, will
soon stop buying rolls and will lose interest.
A Friend at Court
On the other hand, if the interest of the wife
can be secured, tactfully and without attempts to
argue, the player-piano will come into the family
as a friend. The children will be encouraged to
use it in connection with music study, the father
will be persuaded to try and play it expressively;
and the whole family will be pleased. This means
that others will be urged to buy and that music
rolls will be regularly purchased.
Eliminating Prejudice
It is hard enough to persuade a man when he is
prejudiced; it is almost impossible to persuade
a woman in the same circumstances. The only
possible method is indirect. If a salesman is wise,
he will never, when he finds a disapproving
woman, attempt to talk at her. He will do his
talking to the man and his demonstrating to, or
at, the woman; he will demonstrate for and at
the woman. He will, above all things, play softly,
simply and easily. He will choose simple, old-
fashioned music for the first attempt. He will
refuse to play loud and noisy music until he has
elicited from the woman a comment that the play-
er-piano then and there under exhibition is a much
nicer player-piano than she thought any player-
piano could be; or words at least to that effect.
A Horrible Example
Salesmen in general make a very great mistake
in their manner of demonstrating. A short time
ago a salesman was showing off a player-piano to
husband and wife. Husband knows not one note
from another, as the saying is; but he is a sensible
fellow with a real, though quite uncultivated, love
for music. Wife is a singer, very musical but
also very brisk and up-to-date. Wife was not
opposed to a player-piano, but she decidedly "had
to be shown." The old piano in the house was no
longer satisfactory and the question was "player-
piano or new straight piano, which?"
The salesman who first tackled these young
people when they came to the store which had
been recommended to them, talked mechanics and
construction enough to interest friend husband.
Then he started to demonstrate. Husband was
sold, anyway, on the player idea; but wife was
very sceptical. It was sticking out all over her,
scepticism with a big S. Well, what does friend
salesman do? He jams in a roll of the very (shall
we say) chemise-iest dance stuff, and proceeds to
rush it off at top speed and with all the power he
can put into it. The din is terrible. Wife shakes
her head; and when the roll is rolling up, can be
heard whispering "O! I don't like this piano at
all."
Sold!
Unabashed, friend salesman goes on with more
atrocities. He jazzes it and rags it and shimmies
it, or at least makes the piano do all this, till it is,
metaphorically speaking, blue. Wife's face is a
study. She very obviously is not being sold. At
this very moment up comes some one else whom
both husband and wife know quite well. Ani-
mated conversation. Newcomer manages some-
how to get seated on bench. Starts to play the
Rosary. Suggests that wife sing it. She does
so. Delighted. Tries another roll, soft and sweet
stuff. "What, can you play like that on a player-
piano? How do you do it?" Sold!
Now this is a true story. The writer of these
paragraphs was a witness of the whole interesting
affair; and he was led to believe that here was a
splendid illustration of the right and the wrong
way to sell a player-piano. The women have to
be satisfied if it be possible. If the woman is not
satisfied, there will be trouble before that sale is
paid in; sure as sure. On the other hand, the
moment the wife is satisfied, all is well. There is
scarcely ever the slightest trouble about anything
in the home, when the lady is satisfied.
This paramount consideration, one should think,
would be kept by every salesman at the very fore-
front of his work. He will never forget, if he is
wise, that, in this country and in matters musical,
men pay but women buy.
AMPICO RECITAL IN SPRINGFIELD
L. M. Pierce Co. Has Attractive Program at
Recital for Business Women's Club
SPRINGFIELD, MASS., November 24.—A most pleas-
ing Chickering-Ampico recital was given here
last week by Miss Florence M. Eaton, manager
of the roll department of the L. M. Pierce Co.,
for the Springfield Business Woman's Club. The
warerooms were well decorated with potted plants
and with the shaded light effects, made a very
attractive recital hall. The program arranged by
Miss Eaton was greatly appreciated by her audi :
ence. It consisted of numbers by the best known
composers and the world's greatest pianists, re-
produced marvelously by the Ampico piano. A
group of selected songs by Miss lone E. Clark,
soprano, a member of the Pierce organization,
added much to the pleasure of the evening.
DEVICE FOR VARYING AIR-TENSION
WASHINGTON, D. C, November 24.—The Cable
Company, Chicago, 111., are the owners through
assignment by Alfred Swensen, Cicero, 111., of
Patent No. 1,321,860, for an automatic musical
instrument. This invention relates to automatic
musical instruments, and more specifically to a
device for varying the degree of air-tension pro-
duced by an air-pump. Among the objects of
the invention is that of providing a device of this
character which shall be simple in construction,
efficient in operation, and easy of adjustment.