Presto

DECKER
mJ
13
P R E S T O
March 8, 1924.
EST. 1856
61 SON
HOLDING ON TO
THE PROSPECT
and
A Difficulty Familiar to Every Piano Salesman
and Dealer May Be Overcome by Means
of Wareroom Methods or by Cir-
cumstance Happily Provided.
Welte-Mignon
NEED OF DIPLOMACY
Grand, Upright
(Licensee)
Reproducing
(Electric)
Pianos and Players
of Recognized
Artistic Character
Made by a Decker Since 1856
699-703 East 135th Street
New York
Pian-O-Grand
Style 3
With Xylophone or Bells and Banjo
Attachment
With the roll on top it makes it easy
to change roll: Transmission is very
simple and reliable; Rewind is positive;
Tempo easy to regulate; a four-way
pump is used which is very effective; Soft
and Loud control can be set at will;
Large coin box and Reliable Magazine
Slot.
Send for Descriptive Circular
NELSON-WIGGEN PIANO CO.
CHICAGO, ILL.
The Only
Completely
Equipped
School in the
United States
Twenty-Third Year of Successful
Operation — 20,000 Graduates
Every branch taught, including Repairing,
Regulating and Voicing—All Player Actions,
with Demonstrating Specimens to work with.
Diplomas awarded and positions secured. Pri-
vate and class instructions. Both sexes.
School all year. Catalogs on request
POLK'S TUNING SCHOOL
WELLARD B. POWELL, President
VALPARAISO, IND.
The Suave Procedure Is the Only Thing to Save
Situation When Break in Negotiations Occurs
and Sale Seems Doubtful.
Locating the prospect is one important thing; hold-
ing on to him or her when found and the piano inter-
est created is something equally important. The
majority of piano prospects, or at least the members
of the family with whom the salesman has to deal
are of the so-called weaker sex. But the ability to
break away before the closing of a sale seems to be
a gift with the woman prospect, be she mother, wife
or daughter.
One of the difficulties which every piano salesman
is continually called upon to overcome is the old ex-
cuse of the woman prospect that she will have to
consult her husband before she can buy. Women as
a rule do not even try to dissemble when they want
to make the getaway. The words are a sop to cour-
tesy, but their faces say "good-bye." The alert
salesman proffers his services to make an appoint-
ment. The wife eagerly concurs and the salesman
promptly gets friend husband on the phone and ex-
tracts a promise to meet wife at the warerooms at
some specified time. Sometimes the pair show up,
much to the surprise of the salesman, but oftenest the
words of the woman prospect prove in time to be
those of the getaway.
Some Reasons for Getaway.
There are often real and sufficient reasons why a
woman should quickly and decisively or with pains-
taking courtesy, leave the wareroom with the piano
sale '"up in the air." There may be something wrong
with the attitude of the salesman or the general air
of the place that psychologically influences the pros-
pect; something in which the character of the piano
has no determining influence. Women are natural
value hunters, not bargain hunters, as so erroneously
believed. But no matter how great is her zest for
values, she is always amenable to diplomatic han-
dling and equally easy to jolt loose from a deal by the
coldness or uncouthness of a salesman. The instance
is frequent where an intelligent prospect, aware of
the merits of the piano in one house, will leave that
house and quickly buy an instrument of lesser merit
in another.
Offsetting Effects.
As a repetition of failures to close with prospects
has a demoralizing effect on a salesman, plans have
been evolved in many houses to avoid the loss of
prospects. Retail managers and dealers have given
the matter a lot of considering because the lost pros-
pect is one of the causes for the profit-eating over-
head.
The policy of one prominent house is "never allow
a prospect to get away." Now these would be futile
words if not supported by an efficacious method to
prevent the getaway. There are ten men on the out-
side and four floor salesmen in this house and co-
operation is the guiding principle there.
One Method Described.
For instance, a prospect discovered by one of the
outside salesmen may call to the wareroom unaccom-
panied by him. In the previous negotiations she has
been favorably impressed and practically had decided
to make a selection of a model during her visit to the
store. But that something unspoken and undefinable
that so often influences the mind has its effect. She
hesitates and finally murmurs one or other of the
stereotyped excuses about consulting the family or
the husband or somebody real or imaginary whose
opinion is of importance.
In such a case the floor salesman agrees with her
and tells her a purchase involving so large a sum
should not be made until the whole family and every-
body whose opinion she values are satisfied. He takes
care to remove anything like a strain and perhaps
arouses such a feeling of friendliness that his proposi-
tion to call that evening after dinner, meet the hus-
band and talk about the piano is well received.
The Diplomat's Way.
"Perhaps I might induce him and yourself and the
children to take a ride with me in my car when we
can drop off for a few minutes at the wareroom,
where in peace and quietness I can let you hear the
fine tone of the instrument," he proposes.
The chances are he may be able to induce the
family to take the ride and if there arc children the
odds are in favor of the closed deal. In nine cases
out of ten pianos are bought for the children's use, so
their opinions are often listened to. Children are
quick to respond to the friendly feeling and the sales-
man who is "human" gets an opportunity to get right
with them in a pleasant automobile ride. The sales-
man who is what is technically described as a fish can
never line up the kids on his side.
His Friends the Enemy.
Under the plan described the children many times
accompany their parents. They get a pleasant ride
and hear music and all the pleasures they attribute
directly to the chummy salesman. What he says in-
fluences them considerably. So when the family
prospect group enters the wareroom some of the
voters are predisposed to buy and the possibility of
resistance to closing the deal in one or other of the
parents is agreeably lessened.
Family Peace and Payments.
The experienced dealer knows that in many cases
the promptness of the monthly payments depends on
the unanimity of husband and wife in purchasing the
piano. That is why so much importance is given to
joint session in the wareroom. Where the husband
is sold as thoroughly as the wife it makes conditions
easy later on for the collector.
The experienced piano dealer also knows some-
thing else that is not so pleasing, and that is the
monthly grouch of the husband who expresses an un-
willingness to hand over the piano installment. He
advances the excuse that the piano was purchased
without his consent. His pride was hurt at the time
of purchase and every demand for the monthly bit
causes recrimination and domestic wrangling during
which the payment is withheld.
Minimizing Repossessions.
Holding the prospect is important, but equally im-
portant is making all prospects satisfied customers.
Any unpleasantness in the family over the piano pur-
chase may lead to repossession. So the piano sales-
man with the interests of the dealer at heart will effect
general satisfaction in the buyer's family with every-
thing connected with the purchase. Where father,
mother and children are pleased at every detail of the
purchase, the style of the instrument, its tone quality,
the price and terms, the possibilities of repossession
are minimized.
MARVIN J. LAKE.
CHARLES CITY, IA. DEALERS
AID THE BIG MUSIC EVENT
Sheldon Music House and Anderson Music Co.
Stimulate Music Study in Contest.
The Sheldon Music House and the Anderson Music
House, Charles City, Iowa, are enlivening the course
in music appreciation begun last week in the schools
of that city and which will continue for two months.
A music memory contest is part of the course and
twenty-eight classical music selections have been
chosen for study.
The part the two music houses are playing in the
educational scheme is very much appreciated by the
promoters and the school pupils. In programs at
convenient hours arranged by the houses, the selec-
tions for study are rendered by piano, phonograph
or orchestra. The phonograph departments and the
music roll departments in both houses are kept busy
selling numbers from the prescribed study list. They
have been active in inducing phonograph owners to
play the selections in their homes for the school
children.
NEW TROY MANAGER.
Joseph T. Naisek, formerly of Hudson, N. Y., ha9
just been made manager of the Colvin-Colwell Music
Store, Inc., Troy, N. Y., had a long and valuable ex-
perience and for seven years was employed in the
J. T. Rider music store in Hudson. He resigned his
position there a few months ago to enter the employ
of the Troy company and in a short time was made
manager.
MOVES IN SAN DIEGO.
Lesley's Music Shop, East San Diego, Cal., has
moved to new quarters in the Wilson block, at Uni-
versity and Wilson avenues. In the new location the
firm has followed its custom of providing small
studios for the use of music students. The Lesley
store handles the Gulbransen Co.'s line of players,
as well as other makes.
Yohn Bros., of Harrisburg, Pa., are now selling a
great many Kimball pianos. One of the original
Yohns of the old firm, but who has been out of the
piano business for several years, was in Chicago this
week and called at the Brinkerhoff Piano Company's
headquarters.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/