Music Trade Review

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Making the Teacher
A Direct Source of Sales
Boardman & Gray, Albany, N. Y., Find Studio Facilities Placed at the
Service of the Piano Teacher Have Led to an Average of Eight Piano
Sales Weekly Over a Period of Three Months—Firm to Extend Facilities
N
INETY years in the piano dealer field
have taught the members of Boardman
& Gray, 446-448 Broadway, Albany,
N. Y., that the one best source for piano sales
is the children. Although the special appeal for
the child's interest in piano playing is by no
means a new revelation, it is through tnis chan-
nel that the new blood gradually taking over
the business of this veteran concern is going
to seek broader sales activities.
In the few years they have been studying the
fundamentals of the retail piano sales methods,
the three grandsons of one of the founders of
Boardmah & Gray, Emerson C. Niel A. and
Bradley C. Gray, have just completed elaborate
plans to convert the present business landmark
into one that will have every appeal and con-
venience for children and teachers.
It was with this idea of serving children that
they just acquired the adjoining property, in
order to increase their piano training and dis-
play room facilities. According to their plans
the acquiring of the additional site and the
renovating of both buildings will enable them
to double the space of the twelve studios they
now have.
The new site is considered one of the most
valuable in Albany, being five stories in height,
built of brownstone and situated on one of the.
main thoroughfares of the city. The firm is
composed of William J. Gray, James S. Gray
and his three sons mentioned above.
In paving the way to increase patronage and
make their store popular among the younger
element the three young Gray merchants made
it their first move, after graduating from col-
lege and becoming permanently established, to
cater to the children's trade.
Niel A. Gray, recently appointed general sales
manager, inaugurated this unanimous sugges-
tion of his two brothers by devising ways and
means to introduce the 'studio equipment of
Boardman & Gray to local piano teachers.
He sent out special invitations to them to visit
the newly decorated studios and also become
acquainted with the latest models.
Each of the dozen recital rooms were at-
tractively furnished and made appear inviting
for the teachers. They were told by one of the
Gray brothers of the wonderful teaching facili-
ties at their disposal if they cared to take
advantage of this personal invitation and give
their piano lessons in the studios.
This special invitation for teachers to make
use of the recital rooms for instruction pur-
poses immediately became popular. The new
sales manager, on seeing the drawing appeal
of giving the teachers the added prestige of
having a studio, proposed to several teachers
the idea of giving juvenile piano concerts for
r
M THERE is no better source of retail
J- piano sales than the piano teacher, pro-
viding the retail piano merchant co-operates
effectively and directly with him. Here is
the way in which Boardman & Gray, Al-
bany, N. Y., have developed this type of
work and the way in which it has brought
this house direct sales in an increasing vol-
ume since the beginning of this policy.
the benefit of the children. A group concert
plan was devised whereby some of the teachers
agreed to combine their students for a joint
program that would provide a very interesting
and varied selection of piano recitals.
These private concerts always resulted in a
"full house." The patrons were in most cases
parents and relatives of the children or friends
showing a deep interest, in the musical educa-
tion of the students. It was the Gray brothers'
conclusion that 50 per cent of the audience
attending these private recitals consisted of
actual piano sales prospects.
The new popularity of the store and the add-
ed influence arising through the wide-open
house of Boardman & Gray soon paid for the
expenses incurred. The public use of the
recital rooms and the exclusive programs to
be heard in them soon became a household
topic in Albany and the neighboring com-
munities.
Almost immediate results could
be seen in the amount of increased piano sales.
"The increase in piano sales resulting from
our plan to experiment on an extensive 'open-
house' basis were more than we actually ex-
pected," Niel A. Gray remarked. "Our sole
idea was to promote the interest in teaching
children the piano. The original schedule was
to offer both teacher and student all the space
and equipment of our twelve recital rooms
without a question of cost. The outcome of
this experiment was to determine whether or
not we would continue the practice in our new
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building and give it the aspect of the Aeolian
Hall of New York City.
"Our sales staff was instructed to make all
our visitors, whether students, teachers or just
visitors, feel at liberty to stroll in our store
and visit the studios without any obligation.
No sales talks were permitted during recitals
or while children were being instructed. We
feel that when the public realizes it can visit
our salesrooms without being tagged for a sale
they are more likely to visit us more often."
The recital patron on arriving at Boardman
& Gray was requested to enter his name and
address in a registration book conveniently set
up in the display room entrance. This request
for a special entry of the patron's name served
twofold. It entered the patron as a member
of the exclusive set of music lovers who are
supporters of music of the higher class, and
secondly, it automatically added another name
to the prospect mailing list of the piano dealer.
On leaving the building the patron would be es-
corted about the salesroom by members of a
special staff of night salesmen. A number of
sales have been closed through having extra
salesmen on the premises right after the con-
certs were ended.
It is the theory of the Gray brothers that
prospects are half sold the very moment they
leave a piano recital. I t has been noticed that
they will also linger longer in the main display
room on the ground floor, and that they are
more susceptible to a sales talk when ap-
proached at that time. The amount of piano
sales closed at the departing hour of patrons
has proved the success of the Gray brothers'
"open house."
In the three months' experimental stage of
giving free studio service the direct sales
through the children's recommendation because
of their constant practice on Boardman & Gray
pianos have resulted in an average of five high-
class pianos a week. Piano sales coming
through the recommendation of teachers aver-
aged three a week for the same period. Another
unthought-of source of sale resulting from the
"children appeal" publicity was the exceptional
demand for pianos for public school audi-
toriums. These orders came in not only from
Albany but also from nearby towns.
Niel A. Gray's idea of promoting the inter-
est of teaching children the piano resulted in
such a remarkable sales reaction that he has
completed arrangements to have twenty-four
recital rooms completely equipped.
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NEWARK N. J.
ESTABLISHED 1862
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ONE OF AMERICA'S FINE PIANOS
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