Music Trade Review
Issue: 1930 Vol. 89 N. 11 - Page 5
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
STIMULATORS
DAILY
f or :;.:' •
R2?OflT
New
Proapeetc
Served
PROSPECT OR OWNER
•Contacts are the total for the first three columns.
Salesmen
Soost
By CHAS. N. TUNNELL
Salesman's Daily Report Card
{{PTT^HE solution to this problem of selling
I pianos lies in the development of men
I —we need new blood and new thought
" ^ in piano merchandising," says D. A.
Morton. Mr. Morton is manager of the O. K.
Houck Piano Co., Shreveport, La. This piano
merchant says further: "The man who is think-
ing about the so-called 'good old days' has no
place in piano merchandising—it takes modern
methods and modern application of these meth-
ods to get volume in piano sales."
Two of the four piano salesmen for this firm
are young men who never had piano selling ex-
perience before joining this firm—the other two
men are experienced piano salesmen who have
kept pace with the times and have adjusted their
selling methods to that of present-day trends.
Consistent Personal Contact
Consistent personal contact is made by the
salesmen for the O. K. Houck Piano Co. From
twelve to fifteen calls a day are made, enabling
each salesman to actually make from eight to
nine contacts a day in person.
These salesmen make out a daily report—
the facts from this report are transferred by
them onto a daily card. Each salesman keeps
an alphabetical card index, placing his prospect
cards where they will turn up again at the right
time. A prospect that is contacted and consid-
ered a prospect and not a "suspect" is indexed.
The instrument wanted, prices quoted, terms,
exchange, resale value of trade-in and various
personal remarks are filled in on the card with
the name, address, date and time to follow up.
As this prospect card is filed to reappear when
timely, it comes to light on the date the sales-
man has placed it in his daily file for follow-up
The bookkeeper for this firm likewise tran-
scribes the information from the daily reports
to a master file. This master file is used for
a general mailing list and serves as a double
check. Any salesman who files a card on a
prospect who has already been contacted and
indexed by another salesman of the firm is noti-
fied immediately as this information comes to
light when a card is filed in the master file.
In this way there is no confusion or conflict of
credit between salesmen.
After a prospect has been thoroughly worked
and discarded by a salesman, this prospect can
then be picked up by any other salesman if de-
sired. Salesmen get credit for any floor sale
providing that the prospect has already been
contacted and a card filed.
man's past records, the season and the general
conditions of the territory. Morton says, "An
extra bonus of $3.00 on a piano will move more
of the slow movers than a discount of ten per
cent to the public. We use stimulators frequent-
ly for the men—something to keep them fight-
ing their own records. If money won't pro-
duce results from salesmen, nothing will. At
times we give small extra bonuses for the high
man in terms of dollars. At other times we
give bonuses for the man showing the largest
percentage of increase over the prior month or
the corresponding month of the year before."
Trade-ins are taken on sixty per cent of all
sales of grand pianos. But few trade-ins are
taken in on the sale of small studio pianos;
and where trade-ins are taken, a conservative
allowance is made. Most of these used pianos
are moved by using classified newspaper adver-
tising, prices in most instances being just
men; but they do use intelligent salesmanship.
When they contact the average prospect, they
already know the credit rating of the prospect,
about what type piano the prospect should have
and, in many instances, whether or not dif-
ferent members of the family can play. If
Mrs. Jones can play a piano and is considered a
good prospect, an effort is made to place a
piano in her home on approval—allowing the
instrument to sell itself. Eighty-five per cent
of all pianos sent into the home on approval
by this firm result in final sales.
A systematic follow-up is made of sales—this
contact is made in the form of a service call
to see if the customer is entirely pleased. But
as a matter of fact, the salesman usually comes
away with some good sales leads to friends and
relatives.
The greater per cent of piano sales are closed
in the display rooms of this firm after the sales-
O. K. HOUCK PIANO CO.. SHUIVEPORT, LA.
One of the Master Prospect Cards
enough to cover the allowance and handling
charges.
"We operate on a one-price cash basis," ex-
plains Morton. "We sell for cash and finance
term paper at six per cent. Our trade-ins are
likewise bought for a cash consideration. All
pianos are plainly marked for cash; there is no
deviation from this price. We have eliminated
the 'horse jockeying' type of selling from our
store. Quality, tone and other points of merit
are used by our men to create a desire for our
pianos; and when these themes are stressed,
price and the trade-in allowance are secondary
to the average piano prospect."
By selling customers on their piano and not
on the mere idea that they are buying a piano
cheaply, Morton sells pianos that stay sold.
His repossessions have been kept within three
Working on a Quota
Each salesman for this firm is on a monthly per cent of the total sales.
Salesmen for this firm are not "high-pressure"
quota, this quota being determined by the sales-
man has made home contact and induced the
prospect to come and inspect the models on
display.
The unique and logical arrangement of the
studios of this store enables salesmen to con-
centrate upon any desired piano or group of
pianos. The third floor of this music house,
with a floor space of 20 by 140 feet, is devoted
to a battery of studios—four in number.
Although at first appearance, the prospect sees
one long display room with pianos grouped to
either side of the spacious aisle, a closer inspec-
tion reveals the French doors and the different
decorative schemes that form the series or bat-
tery of studios, each different and attractive for
its individual features.
The first section of this display arrangement is
devoted to miscellaneous pianos such as used
ones, players and the cheaper new models. The
(Please turn to page 9)
STIMULATORS
DAILY
f or :;.:' •
R2?OflT
New
Proapeetc
Served
PROSPECT OR OWNER
•Contacts are the total for the first three columns.
Salesmen
Soost
By CHAS. N. TUNNELL
Salesman's Daily Report Card
{{PTT^HE solution to this problem of selling
I pianos lies in the development of men
I —we need new blood and new thought
" ^ in piano merchandising," says D. A.
Morton. Mr. Morton is manager of the O. K.
Houck Piano Co., Shreveport, La. This piano
merchant says further: "The man who is think-
ing about the so-called 'good old days' has no
place in piano merchandising—it takes modern
methods and modern application of these meth-
ods to get volume in piano sales."
Two of the four piano salesmen for this firm
are young men who never had piano selling ex-
perience before joining this firm—the other two
men are experienced piano salesmen who have
kept pace with the times and have adjusted their
selling methods to that of present-day trends.
Consistent Personal Contact
Consistent personal contact is made by the
salesmen for the O. K. Houck Piano Co. From
twelve to fifteen calls a day are made, enabling
each salesman to actually make from eight to
nine contacts a day in person.
These salesmen make out a daily report—
the facts from this report are transferred by
them onto a daily card. Each salesman keeps
an alphabetical card index, placing his prospect
cards where they will turn up again at the right
time. A prospect that is contacted and consid-
ered a prospect and not a "suspect" is indexed.
The instrument wanted, prices quoted, terms,
exchange, resale value of trade-in and various
personal remarks are filled in on the card with
the name, address, date and time to follow up.
As this prospect card is filed to reappear when
timely, it comes to light on the date the sales-
man has placed it in his daily file for follow-up
The bookkeeper for this firm likewise tran-
scribes the information from the daily reports
to a master file. This master file is used for
a general mailing list and serves as a double
check. Any salesman who files a card on a
prospect who has already been contacted and
indexed by another salesman of the firm is noti-
fied immediately as this information comes to
light when a card is filed in the master file.
In this way there is no confusion or conflict of
credit between salesmen.
After a prospect has been thoroughly worked
and discarded by a salesman, this prospect can
then be picked up by any other salesman if de-
sired. Salesmen get credit for any floor sale
providing that the prospect has already been
contacted and a card filed.
man's past records, the season and the general
conditions of the territory. Morton says, "An
extra bonus of $3.00 on a piano will move more
of the slow movers than a discount of ten per
cent to the public. We use stimulators frequent-
ly for the men—something to keep them fight-
ing their own records. If money won't pro-
duce results from salesmen, nothing will. At
times we give small extra bonuses for the high
man in terms of dollars. At other times we
give bonuses for the man showing the largest
percentage of increase over the prior month or
the corresponding month of the year before."
Trade-ins are taken on sixty per cent of all
sales of grand pianos. But few trade-ins are
taken in on the sale of small studio pianos;
and where trade-ins are taken, a conservative
allowance is made. Most of these used pianos
are moved by using classified newspaper adver-
tising, prices in most instances being just
men; but they do use intelligent salesmanship.
When they contact the average prospect, they
already know the credit rating of the prospect,
about what type piano the prospect should have
and, in many instances, whether or not dif-
ferent members of the family can play. If
Mrs. Jones can play a piano and is considered a
good prospect, an effort is made to place a
piano in her home on approval—allowing the
instrument to sell itself. Eighty-five per cent
of all pianos sent into the home on approval
by this firm result in final sales.
A systematic follow-up is made of sales—this
contact is made in the form of a service call
to see if the customer is entirely pleased. But
as a matter of fact, the salesman usually comes
away with some good sales leads to friends and
relatives.
The greater per cent of piano sales are closed
in the display rooms of this firm after the sales-
O. K. HOUCK PIANO CO.. SHUIVEPORT, LA.
One of the Master Prospect Cards
enough to cover the allowance and handling
charges.
"We operate on a one-price cash basis," ex-
plains Morton. "We sell for cash and finance
term paper at six per cent. Our trade-ins are
likewise bought for a cash consideration. All
pianos are plainly marked for cash; there is no
deviation from this price. We have eliminated
the 'horse jockeying' type of selling from our
store. Quality, tone and other points of merit
are used by our men to create a desire for our
pianos; and when these themes are stressed,
price and the trade-in allowance are secondary
to the average piano prospect."
By selling customers on their piano and not
on the mere idea that they are buying a piano
cheaply, Morton sells pianos that stay sold.
His repossessions have been kept within three
Working on a Quota
Each salesman for this firm is on a monthly per cent of the total sales.
Salesmen for this firm are not "high-pressure"
quota, this quota being determined by the sales-
man has made home contact and induced the
prospect to come and inspect the models on
display.
The unique and logical arrangement of the
studios of this store enables salesmen to con-
centrate upon any desired piano or group of
pianos. The third floor of this music house,
with a floor space of 20 by 140 feet, is devoted
to a battery of studios—four in number.
Although at first appearance, the prospect sees
one long display room with pianos grouped to
either side of the spacious aisle, a closer inspec-
tion reveals the French doors and the different
decorative schemes that form the series or bat-
tery of studios, each different and attractive for
its individual features.
The first section of this display arrangement is
devoted to miscellaneous pianos such as used
ones, players and the cheaper new models. The
(Please turn to page 9)
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