Music Trade Review

DECEMBER
IS, 1923
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
11
After the Holidays' Demand -What
The Retail Music Merchant Who Permits His Selling Efforts to Fall Off Immediately After the Close of the
Holiday Period Misses the Opportunity Which Exists for Many Sales-- The People Who Receive
Bonuses and Other Christmas Presents in Cash and the Ways to Sell Them
wareroom floors, move the used instrum e nt s
There appears to be a general inclination
In thi s case th e purch aser had bee n sold on
a nd be re ady to handle and display new ship­
among music merchants, and for that matter
th e instrument for some weeks, but simply
m~nts from the factory, but the dealer who
retailers in m a ny other lines, to permit a s udden
lacked the money, and it is a question of how
ha s sufficient new in s trum e nts o·n hand o r ca n
IHany peo ple th e re are who a re not sold priol
let-down in their sales activities immedi a tely
receive them before January 1 to make a play
after the Christmas holiday and then mark tim e
to ,the holiday s, but w ho are ripe for the piano
for bu sine s s of the better cla ss is not likely to
for a few we eks until the buying for the new
sa les man as soon as their cash Christmas pres­
be far wrong. He Illu s t, however, keep his
ents have be en received .
year begins. In a number of case s the adver­
advertising goin g and his saks efforts up to
ti s ing is cut out a lmost entirely or the dealers
It is not to be assumed that everyone who
t he mark, provided he is as l11uch int e re sted in
reali zes su bsta ntial amounts of cash immediately
devote themselves to featuring used and s hop ­
increased sales volume a s he is in low inventory . after Christmas is going to rush into the nearest
worn instrument s for the purpose of cleaning
Getting the Christmas Money
their floors before inventory ta kin g.
piano wareroom and buy. Even in these days
In addition to those who re ce ive bonu ses or
I n the case of strictly Chri stmas merchandise
of music a l enlightenment there are those who
have llIoney from other so urces coming in to
su ch as ca rd s and noveltie s it ma y b e all ri g ht
do not ke ep a piano on their list as a most
them o n January I, or s hortly thereafter, th ere
to consider busin es s ended on Chri,tmas Eve
de s irable purchas e when circumstances warrant.
ar e thousands of people who receive cash as
and to t a ke a rest while the profits are being
There are many of these, however, who, with
Christillas present s.
Tn fact , the giving of
co unted , but in the case of more or less costly
unexpected cash on hand, are not sure what
checks a t Christmas time ha s be come a comll1on
merchandise, such as pianos and ta lking ma­
they are going to do with it and under sLlch
practice a mon.c: families in the belief that the
c hines, th e re are almost as many opportunities
circumstances the piano salesman has an excel­
recipient will b e more satisfied w ith buying
lent opportunity for acting the rol e of the little
tor substantial sales within the fortni g ht after
some articl e especially d es ired th a n were he or
persuader.
Christmas as th ere are during the three weeks
she to receive somethin g of no immedi a te value.
before.
As has been pointed out befo·re in The Re­
The story is told of a woman who had been
The Bonus Sales
view, there is no period of the year when adver­
negotiat jng for some tim e before Christmas for
There is no question but that the generous
tising or sales effort should be discontinued
the purcha se of a s mall grand, but the terms
Christmas spirit has much to do with boostin g
entirely or cut down to a ·bare minimum. The
demanded by the dea ler, although fair, were
pre-holiday sa les for th e reason that the man
fact that Summer business in 1923 broke all
be),ol-,d h e r 1l1eans. Th e salesman had crossed
who at any other time of the year would hesi­
records and that substantial sales totals were
the prospect off his immediate list and had for­
tate about spending $100 will spend $500 or
rung -up in July and August offers proof that
gotten about her in the Christmas ru s h. A few
$1,000 without any great quibbling. Howev e r,
the dull season often means dull selling quite
dilY, after th e big holiday the woman came as much as dull buying. The holiday advertising
. it happens that not everyone is financially able
in and signed a contra ct for the piano, giving
before Christmas to carry out all his desires,
q mpai g n should not be discontinued on Christ­
as first pa yme nt checks and cash to the amount
but the modern business system has given us
lIIas Eve, but should be carried on to a sub­
of $250 that she had received as prese n ts.
the bonu s, or profit-sharing plan, that brings
stantial degree ri g ht into January.
in s ubstantial sums of money in bulk 'to certain
classes of workers immediately after the first
of the year.
It is no unusual thing for a bank, a broker­
New Super-Dreadnaught, "Colorado," Last Addition to American Fleet Under Arms Treaty, Pre­
age house or a large mer ca ntile institution to
sented With Weber Duo"Art by Members of the Col'orado State W. C. T. U.
g ive it s officials a nd in some cases all employes
The officers and c rew of the supcr-dreadnaught
bonuses arranging from 10 to 50 per cent of
"Believing that music is one of the greatest
their annual salaries and, although the salaries
" Co lorado" a rc now the proud possessors of a
fundamentals of life, and, excepting relig·ion, the
thcmselves may not be great, the bonu s in
Vi cber Duo-Art piano purchased with contribu­ g reatest force in life," said Mrs. Conkling, "we
ca s h usually represents a ve ry tidy sum, either
tions of 4,000 mem bers of the Colorado State
of the Colorado Woman's Christian Temperance
\11,1. C. T. V_ and presented to th e crew of the
cnough to buy a good musical instrument out­
Union decided ·to present to th e men of this
right for cash or at least sufficient to make a
battleship on December 6. The presentation
ship the thing that would mean most in their
very substantial first pa y ment.
was made on boa rd th e vessel at the Brooklyn
daily lives. So we give this Weber-Art to you .
Many men, too, who operate their own busi­
Navy Yard and the ce rcmony was attended by
But it is more than a Weber Duo-Art. It is a
ne sses must wait until their books are balan ce d
a number of men and women representing the
prohibition Duo-Art. When you are playing it
for the year, which mea ns until January 1 a t
we want it to sing to you of the fifty years of
least, before they are quite sure just how much
mother love which have been the history of the
money is to be entered on the profit side of the
\11/. C. T. c . We want it to sing of the Eigh­
ledger and how much of that money they can
teenth Amendment and sing of law enforcement,
spend for the good things ou life. This type
which means the enfo'rcement of all laws."
of man may be so ld before Christmas if the
Representative T ay lor presented to the ship
proper effort is used, but after h e has counted
a stand of battalion colors on b eha lf of the
up his profits he is likely to prove a willing
citizenry of Colorado a nd a set of scen ic prints
buyer of a more expensive instrument.
on behalf of the Civic and Cornmercial Associa­
How One House Does It
tion of Denver.
/\ well-known New York house long ago
Captain Regin a ld R. Belknap, commanding the
realiz ed the possibilities of doing business with
vessel, accepted the Duo-Art and other gifts
the bonus man after Christmas and sees to it
on behalf of the ship's company, extending their
that every prospect employed in the financial
thanks to the Governor, the Senators and Rep­
district re ce ives by mail immediat ely after that
resentatives and the people of Colorado. He
holiday lite ra tu re regarding the company's lin e
paid high tribut e to the women of that- State
oi instruments , together with sales matter likely
and promi se d their gift piano will be a constant
to ar ou se his interest in immediate buying. A
fa c tor in the diversion, recreation and content­
parti cularl y s uc cess ful feature of this campaign
ment of the ship's company no matter where
has been the s tre ssing of the fact th a t a sub­
on the seven seas it may be.
stantial saving is to be realized through the
Chaplain Witherspoon added his thanks to
pa yment of cash as against terms and the vol­
those of Captain 'Belknap. He pointed out the
ume of business realized has more than war­
importance of music as a morale builder aboard
ranted the trouble and expense of the campaign.
ship and said the piano will play an important
State of Colorado, several officials of the Aeolian
The main thought is that 'immediately after
part in the daily social life of the "ColoradCII."
Co., who were there at the instance of the
Christmas is not exactly the period for a stock
With the instrument the Colorado women
K ni g ht-Campb ell Music Co. of Denver, and a
clean-up and it is not to be assumed that every­
gave a library of Duo~Art rolls and a cabinet,
lIumb e r of representatives of the W. C. T. U . and the Aeolian Co. donated an additional num­
one who has not purchased an instrument be­
in )Jew York. Representative Edward T. Taylor ber of rolls. It will furnish the ship with a new
fore the holidays is going to wait several
month s or a year before consummating th e deal , . represen ted Governor Sweet of Colorado.
complement of rolls each month throughout the
The presentation speech was made by Mrs
or, at be s t. will buy only a second-hand piano.
year. The piano has been placed in the crew's
Fdna M. Conkling, of Denver.
It is, of course, most desirable to clean up the
mess hall.
LATEST SHIP IN U. S. NAVY PRESENTED WITH DUO-ART