Music Trade Review

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JANUARY 21, 1922
THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
13
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SYSTEMATIC
PLA YER-PIANO SALESMANSHIP
Jay G. Hobson, of the Gulbransen-Dickinson Co. Traveling Staff, Outlines the Prin-
ciples Underlying Efficient Player Salesmanship
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l'luyer-piaiio salesmanship is the power to en-
lighten and convince people, pins the ability to
induce them to decide and act in accordance with
their convictions. The salesman who develops
this power will be not only in position to ren-
der a valuable service to society but he will be
able to reap a handsome financial income for
himself as well. Never in the history of the piano
business has there been such a large demand for
efficient salesmen as there is at the present time.
That there is a wide difference in the selling
ability of player-piano salesmen is a fact well
known to all. Many, indeed, make big annual
incomes, while others, it seems, find it difficult to
produce satisfactory results. This difference is
largely due to the difference in their salesman-
ship—in their ability to get a favorable interview
or to conduct it with interest, or to convince and
impress, or to induce decision and action. A
weak approach, ineffective presentation, lack of
convincingness or weakness at the closing point
are all faults, any one of which will cost the
salesman dearly.
Salesmanship a Science and an Art
Player-piano salesmanship is now recognized
as both a science and an art. It seems that
some have confused notions as to the difference
in the meaning of these terms and use them as
if they were words of the same meaning, but
they are not and the difference in their meaning
should be clearly understood. Science is a fund
of systematized knowledge made available for ac-
complishing some specific purpose, while art is
the skillful application of that knowledge. One
refers to knowing how to do, the other refers
to the doing. In selling player-pianos both of
these are important; the salesman must have the
necessary knowledge and must be artful in ap-
plying it.
Basic Elements
Knowledge about player-piano salesmanship
is founded upon basic principles; we must first
determine the fundamental elements involved.
All knowledge bearing upon the subject groups
itself under four distinct heads: (1) Salesman,
(2) customer, (3) thing to be sold and (4) sale.
While the sale is the end to be achieved, it is
plain that it could not be accomplished without
the presence of three factors: salesman, cus-
tomer and thing to be sold. In other words,
there must always be something to sell, some-
body to buy and a salesman to bring them to-
gether, to initiate the transaction and carry it
through to its conclusion; and to accomplish this
successfully the salesman must guide the mind
of the prospective purchaser through four dis-
tinct stages: (1) Favorable attention, (2) inter-
est, (3) desire and (4) decision and action.
Through favorable attention the prospect is
reconciled and his interest aroused; through in-
terest enlightenment is imparted and conviction
effected; through conviction desire is awakened
and by stimulating desire decision and action
are induced. Stated briefly, the prospect may,
through the influence of these processes, be led
to say to himself mentally, "I see," "I believe,"
"I desire," "I will buy."
Attention
The first important step to the sale is favor-
able attention. Attention is the act of giving
heed. It is gained by concentrating the mind
upon some particular object, idea or train of
FOR TONE, BEAUTY
AND LASTING
ideas with sufficient interest to focus conscious-
ness upon the point desired, to the exclusion of
all outside thoughts. What focusing the lens of
the camera is to the photographer in making im-
pressions upon the sensitized plate, focusing at-
tention of the prospect is to the player-piano
salesman in impressing his points upon the pros-
pect's mind. But what is it about an object or
proposition that attracts attention? How can the
player-piano salesman concentrate the attention
of the prospect upon his proposition with suffi-
cient intensity to exclude other thoughts for the
time being? There is but one answer, and that
is, only by his interest. Attention is always at-
tracted to an object with a force equal to the
degree of interest that the object furnishes the
mind, and the player-piano salesman who cannot
convey to the prospect the interest and pleasure
of a player-piano will find himself helpless in-
deed.
To impress the desirability of a player-piano
on the prospect's mind you must have his indi-
vidual attention. It is useless to attempt to in-
terest a person in anything until you concentrate
his mind upon it. He might hear every word
you say and even understand your points clearly,
but the thoughts you give him would not be
properly digested and assimilated into the feel-
ing necessary to arouse conviction.
Things that are vital to self-preservation,
power, pleasure, prosperity or reputation usually
get attention. That people give a circulation to
hundreds of thousands of copies of magazines
that tell them how to improve their chances of
success is a fact well known to all, and that
mothers demand a million copies a month of a
journal that tells them how to take care of
themselves, their children and their homes is a
fact supported by recent statistics. That hun-
dreds of thousands of player-pianos have been
sold since they were first invented proves that
they are attracting the attention of people as
never before, and this attention is attracted prin-
cipally because musical pleasure has become a
necessity in every home.
Things that are concrete usually get attention,
especially when contrasted with the abstract.
Solomon's Temple is far more interesting than
the theory of architecture. T o contrast the sim-
ple with the complex is always interesting and
therefore gets attention. The modern self-binder
with the old grain sickle; the late, improved
threshing machines with the ancient flail; the
recent auto trucks with the old ox-cart; the first
clumsy outside player with the modern player-
pianos of to-day—such comparisons are always
interesting and get attention.
Qualities That Make the Successful Salesman
The salesman, to accomplish results, must be
able to gain confidence; he must inspire confi-
dence in himself, in the goods he is selling and
in his company. Confidence is not only the basis
of trade, but it is the very atmosphere in which
business grows.
Confidence is gained through personality and
personality is that which constitutes one's own
individual distinctiveness. It is the outward ex-
pression of two things—character and health.
The player-piano salesman of strong character
and good health always reflects that pleasing
personality that attracts people and enables him
to ingratiate himself into their good will. The
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character of the individual is made up of certain
qualities or traits. As these traits are weak or
strong, character is weak or strong; and as char-
acter is weak or strong, one's confidence-inspir-
ing power is weak or strong. The salesman
should know the characteristic traits that com-
bine to give him this influence and then put
forth effort to improve them to the highest pos-
sible degree; it will pay.
Tact—Its Application to Salesmanship
Tact means touch. In salesmanship it has
reference to the sensitive mental touch with
which the salesman invades the prospect's mind.
It deals with what things should be said, when
they should be said, and the manner in which
they should be said. The tactful salesman is
one who has learned how to say the right thing
at the right time—how to always rub the fur the
right way; the tactless salesman is always rub-
bing the fur the wrong way and instead of get-
ting purrs he gets scratches—instead of getting
interviews he is continually meeting with the
shock of refusals.
It is a lack of good common sense that causes
so many failures in the field of selling. Too
many leap before they look and the consequence
is that they plunge into the mire of disappoint-
ment and the slough of failure. They do not
bring tact to bear in getting attention, arousing
interest and in closing sales. Tact is brains prac-
tically applied; all have brains, but some don't
know how to use them; they let the gray matter
lie dormant when it could be aroused to action
and make its possessor successful.
A salesman may have the ability of Edison,
but what good is it unless he knows how to use
it as a means to an end? Some of our talented
men have been little better than fools when
brought face to face with the practical affairs
of every-day life.
Difference Between Tact and Talent
Talent is power, but tact is the skill to use it.
An engine can whirl a train of twenty cars over
the continent at a mile-a-minute clip, but it could
not do this without the motive power of steam—
it would stand on the rails an inert mass of steel
and iron. It's the steam properly applied that
makes the wheels go round and causes it to rush
through the lengths of space. Talent is the en-
gine capable of generating power, but there must
be something behind it before this talent can
exert its power.
Talent knows what to do, but tact knows how
to do it. Talent sees the way clearly ahead to
the order, but tact takes the prospect by the
hand and leads him to the journey's end. Talent
is short-sighted; tact has a long range of vision.
Talent dazzles men and wins their admiration,
but it takes tact to win their approval.
A tactless preacher called on one of his parish-
ioners and when starting to go remarked: "Well,
I suppose by this time the mail is ready; it was
thirty minutes late and I just called to wait until
it was distributed." This tactless remark cost
him not only the appreciation of what was really
intended for a social visit, but it lost him his
sensitive-souled parishioner as well.
An Example of Tact
A lady entered a department store and was
looking over some colors. She was too far along
in years to any longer be called young. The
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