Music Trade Review
Issue: 1945 Vol. 104 N. 11 - Page 8
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
Ten Million American Salesmen
Needed for Postwar Prosperity
An address before the Chicago Regional Meeting of ISAMM, September 27, 1945
by GEORGE L. BYERLY, President Byerly Music Co., Peoria, III.
I
am here to talk to you today
about your business. I'd like first
to ask the privilege of adding a
"why" to the subject assigned to me.
In other words, "Why Select and
Train Salesmen?" I emphasize "why"
at this time because we have been
told by no less authority than our
distinguished Chester Bowles, bureau-
cratic manager of the OPA, that high-
priced salesmen are not necessary in
the distribution of merchandise in our
postwar program. He is of the opinion
that when the public learns that there
are new appliances, musical instru-
ments and other gadgets available,
they'll crash down our front doors to
take these away from us, and all that
retailers need is a group of people
who can read price tags and ring the
cash registers.
GEORGE L. BYERLY
era. If there is a man in this audience
who still thinks that all he needs is
plenty of merchandise and a place for
the public to find it, let him dig just
a little deeper and get below the sur-
face of the every-day Washington prop-
Washington Conflict
aganda that is being dished out through
I would like, therefore, to discuss the censored Government releases.
just two things with you this after-
Here is a bit more evidence that
noon,—first the necessity for salesmen, we have in the music industry one of
Chester Bowles not withstanding, and the biggest selling jobs on our hands
secondly the type of salesmen we need that has ever faced the music mer-
and where to find them. A prominent chant. Recently the Chicago Tribune
Iowa citizen recently wrote a book made a survey of our Central States
entitled "Sixty Million Jobs" in which analyzing the postwar prospect for
he purposes that our national economy the durable goods industry. I shall
must be expanded in the near future point out to you a few statistics from
to accomodate 60,000,000 workers, this very reliable report. Indicated
with an anticipated production of purchases in the first postwar year,
$200,000,000,000 annually. On the for instance, among 1,007,798 urban
other side of the hall in Washington is families outside the Chicago area are
a man who, with his stranglehold on 234,000 automobiles, 184,000 refriger-
American business, is trying to squeeze ators, 184,000 washing machines,
the life blood from the only segment 177,000 vacuum cleaners — with only
of our economic structure that can 53,000 coMsination phonograph-ra-
possibly provide thse jobs. I refer dios, and 23,000 pianos.
to "The American Salesman" and our
Warns of Outside Competition
very effective system of distribution.
First of all, its obvious that our
I honestly do not believe, gentlemen, competition is not among music mer-
that Chester Bowles is sincere in his chants but with all of the automobile
statement that we will not need an and appliance industry. There is a
expanding and more effective sales vast amount of statistical information
force to provide for the expanding I could use to prove that we have a
economy so necessary in the postwar critical selling job ahead of us. I'll
not burden you with those figures. I
do want to mention another more im-
portant factor. It's a strictly psycho-
logical condition best stated in this
manner, "When you get what you
want, you don't want it". We recent-
ly indulged in a little luxurious ex-
periment with our piano prospect list.
Having accumulated a whole bookful
of people who were interested in buy-
ing pianos—most of whom had in-
dicated a desperate need for one and
many of whom have frantically de-
scribed their urgent need for pianos
each time they came to the store, we
picked a dozen of the most persistent
"prospects" and turned on a lot of
heat to sell them a piano. We in-
dicated we had a room full of them
and that we were very anxious to
deliver them a piano right now. Be-
lieve it or not, in almost every instance,
the answer was, "Well, are they as
good as prewar?" "What's the price?",
or, "We'll talk it over and be down
to see you". This is the typical cool
response to the usual high-pressure
method of old-time piano selling. It's
positive proof of the old maxim "When
you get what you want, you don't
want it".
Salesmen a Vital Necessity
Chester Bowles has not only over-
looked the statistical but the psycho-
logical factors in postwar distribution
so far as our industry is concerned
when he says that high-priced sales-
men will not be needed. He has fur-
ther overlooked the fact that every
specialty item must be sold. It isn't
bought. I'd like to ask each of you
to estimate how many refrigerators,
washing machines, automobiles, sew-
ing machines, expensive cameras, bath
tubs, radios, pianos, or any of the
other every day fixtures in our modern
American life would be now in use
without the efforts of a salesman.
(Turn to page 12J
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, NOVEMBER, 1945
Ten Million American Salesmen
Needed for Postwar Prosperity
An address before the Chicago Regional Meeting of ISAMM, September 27, 1945
by GEORGE L. BYERLY, President Byerly Music Co., Peoria, III.
I
am here to talk to you today
about your business. I'd like first
to ask the privilege of adding a
"why" to the subject assigned to me.
In other words, "Why Select and
Train Salesmen?" I emphasize "why"
at this time because we have been
told by no less authority than our
distinguished Chester Bowles, bureau-
cratic manager of the OPA, that high-
priced salesmen are not necessary in
the distribution of merchandise in our
postwar program. He is of the opinion
that when the public learns that there
are new appliances, musical instru-
ments and other gadgets available,
they'll crash down our front doors to
take these away from us, and all that
retailers need is a group of people
who can read price tags and ring the
cash registers.
GEORGE L. BYERLY
era. If there is a man in this audience
who still thinks that all he needs is
plenty of merchandise and a place for
the public to find it, let him dig just
a little deeper and get below the sur-
face of the every-day Washington prop-
Washington Conflict
aganda that is being dished out through
I would like, therefore, to discuss the censored Government releases.
just two things with you this after-
Here is a bit more evidence that
noon,—first the necessity for salesmen, we have in the music industry one of
Chester Bowles not withstanding, and the biggest selling jobs on our hands
secondly the type of salesmen we need that has ever faced the music mer-
and where to find them. A prominent chant. Recently the Chicago Tribune
Iowa citizen recently wrote a book made a survey of our Central States
entitled "Sixty Million Jobs" in which analyzing the postwar prospect for
he purposes that our national economy the durable goods industry. I shall
must be expanded in the near future point out to you a few statistics from
to accomodate 60,000,000 workers, this very reliable report. Indicated
with an anticipated production of purchases in the first postwar year,
$200,000,000,000 annually. On the for instance, among 1,007,798 urban
other side of the hall in Washington is families outside the Chicago area are
a man who, with his stranglehold on 234,000 automobiles, 184,000 refriger-
American business, is trying to squeeze ators, 184,000 washing machines,
the life blood from the only segment 177,000 vacuum cleaners — with only
of our economic structure that can 53,000 coMsination phonograph-ra-
possibly provide thse jobs. I refer dios, and 23,000 pianos.
to "The American Salesman" and our
Warns of Outside Competition
very effective system of distribution.
First of all, its obvious that our
I honestly do not believe, gentlemen, competition is not among music mer-
that Chester Bowles is sincere in his chants but with all of the automobile
statement that we will not need an and appliance industry. There is a
expanding and more effective sales vast amount of statistical information
force to provide for the expanding I could use to prove that we have a
economy so necessary in the postwar critical selling job ahead of us. I'll
not burden you with those figures. I
do want to mention another more im-
portant factor. It's a strictly psycho-
logical condition best stated in this
manner, "When you get what you
want, you don't want it". We recent-
ly indulged in a little luxurious ex-
periment with our piano prospect list.
Having accumulated a whole bookful
of people who were interested in buy-
ing pianos—most of whom had in-
dicated a desperate need for one and
many of whom have frantically de-
scribed their urgent need for pianos
each time they came to the store, we
picked a dozen of the most persistent
"prospects" and turned on a lot of
heat to sell them a piano. We in-
dicated we had a room full of them
and that we were very anxious to
deliver them a piano right now. Be-
lieve it or not, in almost every instance,
the answer was, "Well, are they as
good as prewar?" "What's the price?",
or, "We'll talk it over and be down
to see you". This is the typical cool
response to the usual high-pressure
method of old-time piano selling. It's
positive proof of the old maxim "When
you get what you want, you don't
want it".
Salesmen a Vital Necessity
Chester Bowles has not only over-
looked the statistical but the psycho-
logical factors in postwar distribution
so far as our industry is concerned
when he says that high-priced sales-
men will not be needed. He has fur-
ther overlooked the fact that every
specialty item must be sold. It isn't
bought. I'd like to ask each of you
to estimate how many refrigerators,
washing machines, automobiles, sew-
ing machines, expensive cameras, bath
tubs, radios, pianos, or any of the
other every day fixtures in our modern
American life would be now in use
without the efforts of a salesman.
(Turn to page 12J
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, NOVEMBER, 1945
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