Music Trade Review
Issue: 1931 Vol. 90 N. 5 - Page 9
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
POPULATION DECREASES
THOMPSON
INCREASES
PIANO SALES
T. THOMPSON READY FOR THE ROAD
B
UFFALO, Minn., is not a metropolis in any sense of instead of at a later date. If I should wait until the prospects
the word, nor would marketing experts rank it high are ready to buy I would lose a majority of the sales to other
as a trading center, for the population in 1920 was dealers. There is a risk in every delay.
only 1,438 souls and this decreased to a total of 1,409
"I have heard salesmen declare that they were a bit dis-
by the time the 1930 census was taken. Yet there is located couraged because people did not want to buy pianos, but in
in Buffalo a piano man who by his personal efforts managed my opinion if the public was anxious to buy there would be
to sell 100 pianos in ten months, thirty-one of them in the no need for salesmen, all we would require would be order
month of December alone, or the average of one a day. This takers. When I was a young man in business a Jewish
dealer's name is T . Thompson.
peddler stopped at my store and talked over business. In
The town of Buffalo is located in Wright county with the course of the conversation he said, 'to sell a coat to
a total population of 27,000 and w T ith 3,747 farms, which someone who is in the market or ready to buy a coat is no
means naturally that a large part of Mr. Thompson's business business; anybody can do that, but to sell a coat to someone
had to come from rural buyers. He is another piano man who isn't ready to buy, that's business.' I have never for-
who believes in lashing the piano to the rear of an automobile gotten that lesson."
and taking it out on to the highways where prospective cus-
Selling an average of ten pianos a month has not been an
tomers can inspect it with the utmost convenience. It's funny easy task, according to Mr. Thompson, and at times he has
just how many successful piano salesmen are doing a normal worked eighteen to twenty hours a day, but the efforts proved
business or better these days by following that same method. so successful that a couple of years ago he began to give all
However, this Minnesota dealer finds that it pays to maintain his time to piano selling. The results speak for themselves.
a representative wareroom stock, for a fair percentage of his
While newspaper advertising is used to some extent Mr.
sales are made to those who drop into town for trading pur- Thompson is a firm believer in personal contact with his
poses.
prospects and does most of his canvassing. Like other suc-
Mr. Thompson was born and reared on a farm in Min- cessful retail piano men, he makes it a practice to co-operate
nesota and opened his present music and jewelry store in with music teachers and school authorities in every case
Buffalo in 1910 with the announced purpose of handling only where there seems to be a chance that such co-operation will
quality merchandise and doing business on an honest and bring results. He, however, sizes up his teachers carefully
square basis. By sticking to this rule he has won the con- before placing too much confidence in them, having had ex-
fidence of the public in the territory he serves, with the result perience with those whose judgment is biased as the result
that he has been able to enjoy a steadily increasing business. of a larger commission offered by a competing dealer.
Mr. Thompson has had a special trailer built to carry a
Selling pianos is not entirely the result of winning the con-
fidence of the prospect, declares Mr. Thompson, for the piano. This is hooked to the back of his automobile and
provides convenient trans-
salesman must see to it that
portation
throughout
the
the deal is closed as promptly
country districts; and how
as possible for two reasons.
that car has piled up mileage
First, to capitalize the interest
within the last couple of
of the customer while it is
years. When one considers
alive, and secondly to prevent
conditions of Minnesota roads
the business going to a more
during the average winter and
persistent competitor. "I find
then remembers that Mr.
that hardly any of the cus-
Thompson sold thirty-one
tomers I have sold have been
pianos in his territory during
ready to buy when first ap-
the month of December, it is
proached," said Mr. Thomp-
easy to realize that he earned
son, "but in every case I have
every sale. But the profits
worked with them to en-
were worth it.
courage them to buy at once
WHERE THE HOME TOWN BUSINESS IS HANDLED
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW,
May,
1931
POPULATION DECREASES
THOMPSON
INCREASES
PIANO SALES
T. THOMPSON READY FOR THE ROAD
B
UFFALO, Minn., is not a metropolis in any sense of instead of at a later date. If I should wait until the prospects
the word, nor would marketing experts rank it high are ready to buy I would lose a majority of the sales to other
as a trading center, for the population in 1920 was dealers. There is a risk in every delay.
only 1,438 souls and this decreased to a total of 1,409
"I have heard salesmen declare that they were a bit dis-
by the time the 1930 census was taken. Yet there is located couraged because people did not want to buy pianos, but in
in Buffalo a piano man who by his personal efforts managed my opinion if the public was anxious to buy there would be
to sell 100 pianos in ten months, thirty-one of them in the no need for salesmen, all we would require would be order
month of December alone, or the average of one a day. This takers. When I was a young man in business a Jewish
dealer's name is T . Thompson.
peddler stopped at my store and talked over business. In
The town of Buffalo is located in Wright county with the course of the conversation he said, 'to sell a coat to
a total population of 27,000 and w T ith 3,747 farms, which someone who is in the market or ready to buy a coat is no
means naturally that a large part of Mr. Thompson's business business; anybody can do that, but to sell a coat to someone
had to come from rural buyers. He is another piano man who isn't ready to buy, that's business.' I have never for-
who believes in lashing the piano to the rear of an automobile gotten that lesson."
and taking it out on to the highways where prospective cus-
Selling an average of ten pianos a month has not been an
tomers can inspect it with the utmost convenience. It's funny easy task, according to Mr. Thompson, and at times he has
just how many successful piano salesmen are doing a normal worked eighteen to twenty hours a day, but the efforts proved
business or better these days by following that same method. so successful that a couple of years ago he began to give all
However, this Minnesota dealer finds that it pays to maintain his time to piano selling. The results speak for themselves.
a representative wareroom stock, for a fair percentage of his
While newspaper advertising is used to some extent Mr.
sales are made to those who drop into town for trading pur- Thompson is a firm believer in personal contact with his
poses.
prospects and does most of his canvassing. Like other suc-
Mr. Thompson was born and reared on a farm in Min- cessful retail piano men, he makes it a practice to co-operate
nesota and opened his present music and jewelry store in with music teachers and school authorities in every case
Buffalo in 1910 with the announced purpose of handling only where there seems to be a chance that such co-operation will
quality merchandise and doing business on an honest and bring results. He, however, sizes up his teachers carefully
square basis. By sticking to this rule he has won the con- before placing too much confidence in them, having had ex-
fidence of the public in the territory he serves, with the result perience with those whose judgment is biased as the result
that he has been able to enjoy a steadily increasing business. of a larger commission offered by a competing dealer.
Mr. Thompson has had a special trailer built to carry a
Selling pianos is not entirely the result of winning the con-
fidence of the prospect, declares Mr. Thompson, for the piano. This is hooked to the back of his automobile and
provides convenient trans-
salesman must see to it that
portation
throughout
the
the deal is closed as promptly
country districts; and how
as possible for two reasons.
that car has piled up mileage
First, to capitalize the interest
within the last couple of
of the customer while it is
years. When one considers
alive, and secondly to prevent
conditions of Minnesota roads
the business going to a more
during the average winter and
persistent competitor. "I find
then remembers that Mr.
that hardly any of the cus-
Thompson sold thirty-one
tomers I have sold have been
pianos in his territory during
ready to buy when first ap-
the month of December, it is
proached," said Mr. Thomp-
easy to realize that he earned
son, "but in every case I have
every sale. But the profits
worked with them to en-
were worth it.
courage them to buy at once
WHERE THE HOME TOWN BUSINESS IS HANDLED
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW,
May,
1931
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