Music Trade Review
Issue: 1930 Vol. 89 N. 7 - Page 26
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
Getting
Fretted Instruments
Int0
^ Player's Hands
How Three Successful Music Houses—Platt's
of Los Angeles; Heaton's of Columbus, and
Rudick's of Akron—Developed Fretted Instru-
ment Business in Their Respective Cities
We
li a v i:
told liow Gib-
son, Inc., of
K a 1 amazoo,
Mich., r u n s
t h e
fretted
i n s t rument
prospect t o
Benjamin Platt
earth, makes
Owner, Platt's Music Co.
a friend of
him, and then puts the music dealer handling
the Gibson line on the warm trail. Now let
us see what the dealer is going to do with his
prospect, after he has gotten a lead on him
through the Gibson method of working up
buyer interest.
We have selected at random a few of the
larger Gibson dealer-representatives in widely
separated sections of the country, and asked
them to explain some of the steps they take
to close the sale. First we hear from Platt
Music Co., 832 South Broadway, Los Angeles,
Cal. H. C. Fife is manager of the small goods
department of Platt's, and is the man behind
the guns in the tremendous volume of Gibson
business done by the firm. Here's what Mr.
. Fife has to say:
"We are always anxious to get pictures ol
all professionals in our territory who purchase
Gibson instruments. These are invaluable in our
window displays and in our salesrooms. We
have arranged with two of the largest photog-
raphers in Los Angeles, where-
by we send players of fretted
instruments to them for their
portrait work, and in turn, the
photographers provide us with
three of the prints without cost
to us. This is quite easily ac-
complished, because it is very
obvious that such an arrange-
ment is good business for
everyone concerned.
"The player gets his picture
placed on display, which is
good publicity for him; the
photographer gets the player'-
business, and we get the pic-
tures. We return two of these
photographs, filing one for
future use, displaying one in
our windows, and the third we
send to Gibson, to be used in
their monthly magazine and
other mediums of player-pub-
licity.
"In window displays, it is
our custom to completely change them not less
than . three times each month. The color
schemes also are changed, and new display
cards made at the same time.
"In our teacher tie-up, we alternate adver-
tising the various teachers associated with us
in our windows, so as to preclude any friction
that may arise from jealousy. We have found
it a good plan when advertising any one
teacher, also to advertise several of his advanced
pupils at the same time, as this seems to have
the tendency to' increase the interest of his
other pupils, and the teacher in turn has a
H. C. Fife, Small
Goods Mgr., Platt's
Music, Los Angeles
Fretted Instrument
better oppor-
tunity to sell
the pupil a
Gibson instru-
ment.
"Thro u g h
our r e t a i l
sales, we of-
Joseph Rudick
ten are asked
Akron, O.
to recommend
a teacher to a prospective pupil. When this
occurs, we enter the pupil that we are sending
to a teacher in our books, and from then on
we keep a complete record of the pupil, from
the time he starts taking lessons, until he is
a finished player.
"Teachers from our territory often come into
the store, and claim that we have not sent
them pupils for a long time. To combat this
problem, we use the above-mentioned pupil-
record system, which acquits us of any charge
that the teacher may make that we have shown
partility to another teacher. This system not
only helps to keep in the good graces of our
teachers, but it creates a good, live mailing
list for fretted instruments and accessories.
"Another valuable feature of our mcrchan-
disirrg policies, is our plan of reconditioning
all trade-in banjos. It is much easier to sell
M. C. Gregory, Mgr.
a used banjo when it is completely overhauled,
and in many instances the net profit is a great
Band Instr. Dept.,
deal more after adding the cost of recondition-
Platt's, Los Angeles
ing to the sale price of the in-
strument. We polish all wood
parts; replace all metal parts,
and in the sale of the banjo,
rehead the instrument with a
good grade of head. We keep
about a dozen used instruments
in our show cases, and many
of these look as good as the
day they were new.
"In all of our advertising
featuring the banjo, we include
the announcement that we will
rehead any banjo in one hour.
A complete stock of mounted
heads are kept on hand at all
times, which makes this quick
service possible.
This also
eliminates the old trouble of
having to loan banjos while the
customer waits for his instru-
ment to be reheaded.
"On several occasions we
have advertised we would
(['lease turn to page 28)
Display—Wittich's. Reading
26
Getting
Fretted Instruments
Int0
^ Player's Hands
How Three Successful Music Houses—Platt's
of Los Angeles; Heaton's of Columbus, and
Rudick's of Akron—Developed Fretted Instru-
ment Business in Their Respective Cities
We
li a v i:
told liow Gib-
son, Inc., of
K a 1 amazoo,
Mich., r u n s
t h e
fretted
i n s t rument
prospect t o
Benjamin Platt
earth, makes
Owner, Platt's Music Co.
a friend of
him, and then puts the music dealer handling
the Gibson line on the warm trail. Now let
us see what the dealer is going to do with his
prospect, after he has gotten a lead on him
through the Gibson method of working up
buyer interest.
We have selected at random a few of the
larger Gibson dealer-representatives in widely
separated sections of the country, and asked
them to explain some of the steps they take
to close the sale. First we hear from Platt
Music Co., 832 South Broadway, Los Angeles,
Cal. H. C. Fife is manager of the small goods
department of Platt's, and is the man behind
the guns in the tremendous volume of Gibson
business done by the firm. Here's what Mr.
. Fife has to say:
"We are always anxious to get pictures ol
all professionals in our territory who purchase
Gibson instruments. These are invaluable in our
window displays and in our salesrooms. We
have arranged with two of the largest photog-
raphers in Los Angeles, where-
by we send players of fretted
instruments to them for their
portrait work, and in turn, the
photographers provide us with
three of the prints without cost
to us. This is quite easily ac-
complished, because it is very
obvious that such an arrange-
ment is good business for
everyone concerned.
"The player gets his picture
placed on display, which is
good publicity for him; the
photographer gets the player'-
business, and we get the pic-
tures. We return two of these
photographs, filing one for
future use, displaying one in
our windows, and the third we
send to Gibson, to be used in
their monthly magazine and
other mediums of player-pub-
licity.
"In window displays, it is
our custom to completely change them not less
than . three times each month. The color
schemes also are changed, and new display
cards made at the same time.
"In our teacher tie-up, we alternate adver-
tising the various teachers associated with us
in our windows, so as to preclude any friction
that may arise from jealousy. We have found
it a good plan when advertising any one
teacher, also to advertise several of his advanced
pupils at the same time, as this seems to have
the tendency to' increase the interest of his
other pupils, and the teacher in turn has a
H. C. Fife, Small
Goods Mgr., Platt's
Music, Los Angeles
Fretted Instrument
better oppor-
tunity to sell
the pupil a
Gibson instru-
ment.
"Thro u g h
our r e t a i l
sales, we of-
Joseph Rudick
ten are asked
Akron, O.
to recommend
a teacher to a prospective pupil. When this
occurs, we enter the pupil that we are sending
to a teacher in our books, and from then on
we keep a complete record of the pupil, from
the time he starts taking lessons, until he is
a finished player.
"Teachers from our territory often come into
the store, and claim that we have not sent
them pupils for a long time. To combat this
problem, we use the above-mentioned pupil-
record system, which acquits us of any charge
that the teacher may make that we have shown
partility to another teacher. This system not
only helps to keep in the good graces of our
teachers, but it creates a good, live mailing
list for fretted instruments and accessories.
"Another valuable feature of our mcrchan-
disirrg policies, is our plan of reconditioning
all trade-in banjos. It is much easier to sell
M. C. Gregory, Mgr.
a used banjo when it is completely overhauled,
and in many instances the net profit is a great
Band Instr. Dept.,
deal more after adding the cost of recondition-
Platt's, Los Angeles
ing to the sale price of the in-
strument. We polish all wood
parts; replace all metal parts,
and in the sale of the banjo,
rehead the instrument with a
good grade of head. We keep
about a dozen used instruments
in our show cases, and many
of these look as good as the
day they were new.
"In all of our advertising
featuring the banjo, we include
the announcement that we will
rehead any banjo in one hour.
A complete stock of mounted
heads are kept on hand at all
times, which makes this quick
service possible.
This also
eliminates the old trouble of
having to loan banjos while the
customer waits for his instru-
ment to be reheaded.
"On several occasions we
have advertised we would
(['lease turn to page 28)
Display—Wittich's. Reading
26
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