Music Trade Review
Issue: 1919 Vol. 69 N. 6 - Page 5
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AUGUST 9,
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
1919
Building Business With the Aid of Prospect Cards
The Value of the Prospect Card System Interestingly Explained in the
Following Informative Article, Written Specially for the Review by R.
Franklin Mundorff—Invaluable as a Source of Authentic Information
Many and many a time the average person
and piano dealers have been noticed carefully
jotting entries upon a baseball or automobile
race score card, working diligently and heat-
edly to keep the score card efficiently right up
to the minute that the result might be instantly
arrived at the minute the event has been con-
cluded, or that its progress may be correctly dis-
covered at any time during the contest. The pros-
pect card of the piano dealer may, and it may not,
have the same intense interest that a sporting
event may have, but it should command the same
care and diligence that the piano dealer may be
able at any time during the day, week or month
to tell just what progress he has made in the
race of selling a certain instrument to a certain
individual or firm. It is a race, for his purpose
and intent should be, without competition, a
race against time to close a deal as rapidly as
is possible, utilizing all generalship of sales-
manship in keeping from the prospective pur-
chaser all indications of hurry and yet make
every effort to finish the race of making the
sales before the competition arrives upon the
line. In nearly 99 per cent, of the cases a
dealer has competition and making a sale re-
solves into a race against the field of competi-
PROSPECT CARD
SMITH, BARNES & STROHBER CO.
Date
Name
Address
Salesman
City
Occupation
Com.to
Exchange
Instrument Wanted
Style....
Terms
Amt.__
Pric*..
___Pr**..
REPORT
THIS CARD MUST BE FILLED OUT AND
RETURNED TO OFFICE OF MANAGER
The Salesman's Card
tors, which calls forth as much, if not more,
generalship of salesmanship.
Various methods are employed by as many
various dealers or firms, many are good, many
are mediocre and a few are, indeed, poor. Among
the poorest systems that a dealer can employ
is that of trusting to his memory or permitting
his salesmen to form the habit of trusting to
i77ie f>est/cnou)/t
murioatname
their memory. Yet it is surprising the num-
ber who use such a method, either partially or
wholly. The prospect card should be kept as
carefully and as accurately as a dealer keeps
his books and should be up to date and carefully
filed so that at all times he has at his finger tips
PROSPECT
CARD
exceptionally well posted in regard to every de-
tail of his establishment.
Upon the salesman's card the sales manager
jots any suggestions or instructions he might
have for the salesman in regard to this indi-
vidual sale or the fact that he wishes to discuss
DATE
NAME
INSTRUMENT WANTED
ADDRESS
EXCHANGE
BUSINESS ADDRESS
PHONES-RES.
GIVEN BY
BUS.
COMMISSION
OCCUPATION
CAR
SALESMAN
LINE
DATE OF
REPORT
CALL
AGAIN
Mvtm/urFF^
Prospect Card Kept on Fil
entire information regarding all prospects. This
not only helps him to more efficiently direct his
sales force, but places before him its entire ac-
tivity in the selling field and its performances.
The Kansas City branch of the Smith, Barnes
& Strohber Piano Co., under the management of
W. J. Simonson, has installed and employs one
of the most accurate and efficient systems of
handling the prospect cards. The company has
two forms printed, as shown by the accompany-
ing illustrations. One card is first made out by
the salesman securing the prospect and he makes
all entries in regard to the nature of the pro-
spective sale and the work that he has accom-
plished in securing it. This information is
tabulated upon the card used for the office, the
office card being filed in an alphabetical in-
dex. The salesman's card is filed by the sales
manager in a numerical file, indicating the day
of the month upon which the salesman must
do further work on his prospect.
At the end of each day the salesman turns his
prospect cards into the office of the sales man-
ager with the full information of the day's work
written upon it and this is transferred by the
sales manager to the office card. The sales man-
ager thus comes in direct personal contact with
all the work accomplished by his sales force
during the day and is thereby keeping himself
in Sales Manager's Office
the prospect with the salesman before further
work is done. The salesman then has the ad-
vantage of going to the file and finding just
what calls he must make that day and just what
prospects he may expect in the store on that
date, or, in fact, on most any day of the month.
The salesman is not required to carry this
information, which, indeed, is important knowl-
edge, in his mind, or trust to his pocket note-
book. His memory is fully protected by this
system and he is secure in the knowledge of his
working grounds. This system is at all times
up to date and the file is never cluttered with
old and practically worthless prospects to be
discovered some six months later to be given
to the sales force in an effort to straighten
out the tangle and revive any possible business
tl.at might have been overlooked. A prospect
that has any value at all is never neglected, but
given the proper attention at the proper time,
and a card is never taken from the file and
placed in a "dead" index until it is positively
found to be of absolutely no future value. And
as quickly as sales are consummated these cards
are taken from the index and give room for
the newer prospects, thus keeping the file alive
at all times. The piano dealer can punch his
own meal ticket so long as he has the prospect
card up to date and eternally before him.
FOREIGN TRADE OPPORTUNITY
LIVE ISSUE OF THE AEOLIAN
The following trade opportunity appears in
a recent issue of the Commerce Reports; 29981.
—Pianos, piano players, auto pianos, harmon-
iums, accordeons, band instruments and general
musical merchandise are desired by a firm in
Spain. Quotations should be given f. o. b. Amer-
ican port. Payment, cash against documents.
Correspondence should be in Spanish or French.
References.
August Number of Publication Full of Interest-
ing Features
SEEK DISCHARGE FROM BANKRUPTCY
The Ropelt & Sons Piano Co., bankrupt,
Rochester, N. Y., has filed a petition seeking
a discharge from bankruptcy. A hearing on the
petition will be held before the United States
District Court in Buffalo on September 16, ac-
cording to the latest reports.
PIANOS
The August issue of The Aeolian, the attrac-
tive little publication which appears each month
to give the news of the Aeolian Co. staff mem-
bers, would be well worth while if only for the
page of cartoons showing "Famous Aeolianites
You Have Never Met," including Rudolph Mo-
lar, of the Stationery Department, who bites the
holes in the looseleaf ledger sheets. There is
much personal gossip, however, that is dis-
tinctly interesting, and some features that are
well worth reading. There will be no issue
of The Aeolian for September, but as recom-
pense some big things are promised for October,
which will mark the opening of the fall and
winter trade.
ORGANS
E5TEY PIANO COMPANY NEW YORK CITY
AUGUST 9,
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
1919
Building Business With the Aid of Prospect Cards
The Value of the Prospect Card System Interestingly Explained in the
Following Informative Article, Written Specially for the Review by R.
Franklin Mundorff—Invaluable as a Source of Authentic Information
Many and many a time the average person
and piano dealers have been noticed carefully
jotting entries upon a baseball or automobile
race score card, working diligently and heat-
edly to keep the score card efficiently right up
to the minute that the result might be instantly
arrived at the minute the event has been con-
cluded, or that its progress may be correctly dis-
covered at any time during the contest. The pros-
pect card of the piano dealer may, and it may not,
have the same intense interest that a sporting
event may have, but it should command the same
care and diligence that the piano dealer may be
able at any time during the day, week or month
to tell just what progress he has made in the
race of selling a certain instrument to a certain
individual or firm. It is a race, for his purpose
and intent should be, without competition, a
race against time to close a deal as rapidly as
is possible, utilizing all generalship of sales-
manship in keeping from the prospective pur-
chaser all indications of hurry and yet make
every effort to finish the race of making the
sales before the competition arrives upon the
line. In nearly 99 per cent, of the cases a
dealer has competition and making a sale re-
solves into a race against the field of competi-
PROSPECT CARD
SMITH, BARNES & STROHBER CO.
Date
Name
Address
Salesman
City
Occupation
Com.to
Exchange
Instrument Wanted
Style....
Terms
Amt.__
Pric*..
___Pr**..
REPORT
THIS CARD MUST BE FILLED OUT AND
RETURNED TO OFFICE OF MANAGER
The Salesman's Card
tors, which calls forth as much, if not more,
generalship of salesmanship.
Various methods are employed by as many
various dealers or firms, many are good, many
are mediocre and a few are, indeed, poor. Among
the poorest systems that a dealer can employ
is that of trusting to his memory or permitting
his salesmen to form the habit of trusting to
i77ie f>est/cnou)/t
murioatname
their memory. Yet it is surprising the num-
ber who use such a method, either partially or
wholly. The prospect card should be kept as
carefully and as accurately as a dealer keeps
his books and should be up to date and carefully
filed so that at all times he has at his finger tips
PROSPECT
CARD
exceptionally well posted in regard to every de-
tail of his establishment.
Upon the salesman's card the sales manager
jots any suggestions or instructions he might
have for the salesman in regard to this indi-
vidual sale or the fact that he wishes to discuss
DATE
NAME
INSTRUMENT WANTED
ADDRESS
EXCHANGE
BUSINESS ADDRESS
PHONES-RES.
GIVEN BY
BUS.
COMMISSION
OCCUPATION
CAR
SALESMAN
LINE
DATE OF
REPORT
CALL
AGAIN
Mvtm/urFF^
Prospect Card Kept on Fil
entire information regarding all prospects. This
not only helps him to more efficiently direct his
sales force, but places before him its entire ac-
tivity in the selling field and its performances.
The Kansas City branch of the Smith, Barnes
& Strohber Piano Co., under the management of
W. J. Simonson, has installed and employs one
of the most accurate and efficient systems of
handling the prospect cards. The company has
two forms printed, as shown by the accompany-
ing illustrations. One card is first made out by
the salesman securing the prospect and he makes
all entries in regard to the nature of the pro-
spective sale and the work that he has accom-
plished in securing it. This information is
tabulated upon the card used for the office, the
office card being filed in an alphabetical in-
dex. The salesman's card is filed by the sales
manager in a numerical file, indicating the day
of the month upon which the salesman must
do further work on his prospect.
At the end of each day the salesman turns his
prospect cards into the office of the sales man-
ager with the full information of the day's work
written upon it and this is transferred by the
sales manager to the office card. The sales man-
ager thus comes in direct personal contact with
all the work accomplished by his sales force
during the day and is thereby keeping himself
in Sales Manager's Office
the prospect with the salesman before further
work is done. The salesman then has the ad-
vantage of going to the file and finding just
what calls he must make that day and just what
prospects he may expect in the store on that
date, or, in fact, on most any day of the month.
The salesman is not required to carry this
information, which, indeed, is important knowl-
edge, in his mind, or trust to his pocket note-
book. His memory is fully protected by this
system and he is secure in the knowledge of his
working grounds. This system is at all times
up to date and the file is never cluttered with
old and practically worthless prospects to be
discovered some six months later to be given
to the sales force in an effort to straighten
out the tangle and revive any possible business
tl.at might have been overlooked. A prospect
that has any value at all is never neglected, but
given the proper attention at the proper time,
and a card is never taken from the file and
placed in a "dead" index until it is positively
found to be of absolutely no future value. And
as quickly as sales are consummated these cards
are taken from the index and give room for
the newer prospects, thus keeping the file alive
at all times. The piano dealer can punch his
own meal ticket so long as he has the prospect
card up to date and eternally before him.
FOREIGN TRADE OPPORTUNITY
LIVE ISSUE OF THE AEOLIAN
The following trade opportunity appears in
a recent issue of the Commerce Reports; 29981.
—Pianos, piano players, auto pianos, harmon-
iums, accordeons, band instruments and general
musical merchandise are desired by a firm in
Spain. Quotations should be given f. o. b. Amer-
ican port. Payment, cash against documents.
Correspondence should be in Spanish or French.
References.
August Number of Publication Full of Interest-
ing Features
SEEK DISCHARGE FROM BANKRUPTCY
The Ropelt & Sons Piano Co., bankrupt,
Rochester, N. Y., has filed a petition seeking
a discharge from bankruptcy. A hearing on the
petition will be held before the United States
District Court in Buffalo on September 16, ac-
cording to the latest reports.
PIANOS
The August issue of The Aeolian, the attrac-
tive little publication which appears each month
to give the news of the Aeolian Co. staff mem-
bers, would be well worth while if only for the
page of cartoons showing "Famous Aeolianites
You Have Never Met," including Rudolph Mo-
lar, of the Stationery Department, who bites the
holes in the looseleaf ledger sheets. There is
much personal gossip, however, that is dis-
tinctly interesting, and some features that are
well worth reading. There will be no issue
of The Aeolian for September, but as recom-
pense some big things are promised for October,
which will mark the opening of the fall and
winter trade.
ORGANS
E5TEY PIANO COMPANY NEW YORK CITY
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