Presto
Issue: 1924 1981 - Page 10
10
PR E S T O
SUPPLYING GOODS
NOT IN THE STORE
How Does the Average Music Merchant Han-
dle the Calls for Things "We Are Out
Of," or Never Had in
Stock.
THE "PROMISE DEPARTMENT"
Manager of a Big Boston House Tells How Carefully
He Has Clerks Follow Up Every Customer's
Wants, However Small.
The average music store is not just like the great
general stores. But all business is alike in the es-
sentials. In the music store it is a daily happening
that a customer calls for something that is not in
stock. This applies especially to -the smaller things,
like a sheet of music, a special make of mouth harp,
a fiddle string—anything, and everything, that musi-
cal people want. It sometimes, in fact frequently,
applies even to pianos, and especially to piano tuning
and repairs.
How do the music merchants respond to such
calls? Most of them just say, "We haven't got it,"
and let it go at that. And that is a mighty poor
plan. The following story of how a big Boston
house handles the matter may help in the music
trade, where such systems are usually very lax:
How Sales Are Lost.
It is a fairly common experience for a customer
to come into a retail store of any kind, to get an
article that is either not in stock or has never been
carried. In the opinion of Merrill W. Osgood of the
Jordan-Marsh Company, Boston, expressed in an
article he prepared this is a situation that has within
it the dangerous possibility of lost sales through fail-
ure to carry merchandise which the customers expect
the store to supply.
He goes on to explain the policy of the Jordan-
Marsh Company in the matter. "Our policy," he
says, "is not, if possible, to allow any customer to be
disappointed in her expectations of the store or its
service. In order, therefore, to carry out our self-
imposed obligation we have created a 'promise de-
partment' to function in such cases.
"This' service is working successfully and prevents
the loss of many sales, which would occur were we
not equipped to supply efficiently those things which
are not in stock when they are wanted.
The Promise Department.
"The 'promise department' really comprises two
classes of service—the wants and the promises. Every
merchant is familiar with the meaning of 'wants,' but
'promises' as we handle them, are more or less of a
new departure. The underlying principle of our
method is an organized and carefully followed-up
machinery to secure and deliver to the customer the
items not in our stock.
"The system is operated in this way. The cus-
tomer asks for certain merchandise we are not able
to supply from stock. The clerk suggests that we
will be very willing to get it. After impressing our
ability to make good on this offer the clerk takes
the customer's name and address on a special form
July 12, 1924.
provided for the purpose. This form, the 'promise
book,' is part of the regular sales book. This is a
very important thing to remember.
How It Works.
"Two copies of the 'promise' slip are made. One
bears the date on which delivery will be made. The
other copy is filed, bearing the date of the day after
delivery was promised by the buyer.
The customers are kept well informed of the situ-
ation. The system has increased the business con-
siderably. But it is not so much that. It has in-
creased our service to the customer and, of course,
enhanced our good-will. We are very particular
about that. It was not so much the extra business
we wanted but to insure satisfying our customers'
expectations of our ability to serve them—to make it
unnecessary for them to go elsewhere.
"This plan is being extended now wherever pos-
sible to our repair department, our manufacturing
departments, which also make promises to customers
that require follow-up. We are trying to centralize
in our 'Promise Department' all promise follow-up
work with our customers.
Still More Details.
"In addition to the foregoing details our 'Promise
Department' is charged with the duty of keeping a
record of the number of promises turned in, and this
proves very interesting.
"Our clerks in entering promise orders have a de-
cided advantage where the customer has a charge
account, for then the customer gives immediate per-
mission to charge. If it is a cash sa-le, the entry is
made accordingly in the promise book. If there is
any way to make a sale on the spot, it is done. If
the customer is certain she wants something differ-
ent, we avoid forcing a substitution and then the
promise book comes into action. The customer, I
may say, is impressed and convinced by seeing the
clerk make a formal entry of the promise on the
spot.
"We fill more than ninety per cent of all our prom-
ise orders eventually. We have found that it is im-
possible to fill about forty per cent of them on the
date of the original promise, but, by explaining to the
customer we almost invariably get back instructions
to go ahead and 'get it for me.' "
SHIRLEY WALKER NOW HEADS
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSN.
Other Changes Made Necessary by Death of Former
President George R. Hughes.
Shirley Walker, of Sherman, Clay & Co., San Fran-
cisco, was named president of the Music Trades As-
sociation of Northern California at a meeting of the
board of directors held last week. Mr. Walker's
appointment was to fill the vacancy in the office oc-
casioned by the death of the association's first presi-
dent, George R. Hughes. Mr. Walker was 1st vice-
president, and his election as president resulted in
other changes in the offices.
Frank Anrys, of the Wiley B. Allen Co., formerly
second vice-president, was made first vice-president.
M. P. Thompson, of the Baldwin Piano Co., is the
new second vice-president.
The Flanner-Hafsoos Music Co., Milwaukee, is
featuring a new "Style A" Kurtzmann grand, made
in the period style, and the company is very enthu-
siastic about it.
ARTIST'S OPINION OF BALDWIN
The Baldwin piano
as the choice of
prominent
pianists
and teachers, enjoys
a high
position.
Apart from its un-
doubted artistic qual-
ities, it has the char-
acter of durability,
which renders it par-
ticularly desirable to
professionals.
The
accompanying
cut
shows the portrait of
Charles
Norman
Granville, a Chicago
artist and a repro-
duced letter tells of
his attitude towards
the Baldwin. Like a
great many artists,
Mr. Granville finds
the Baldwin highly
suitable for use in
concert and in the
studio.
THE BALDWIN PIANO COMPANY
The Baldwin Piano Company,
Cincinnati, Ohio.
is the B a l d ^ f o T ' o n c e n " ^ T Y
America's greateat lnotrumant
Pl
°ul>tedly
For QUALITY, SATISFACTION and PROFIT
NEWMAN BROTHERS PIANOS
NEWMAN BROS. CO.
Established 1870
Grand, Upright and Player Pianos
New Haven and New York
Mathushek Piano Manufacturing Co.
132nd St. and Alexander A vs..
NEW YORK CITY
A QUALITY PRODUCT
FOR OVER
QUARTER OF A CENTURY
piUTs t. 1893
Factories, 816 DIX ST., Chicago, III.
Kinder & Collins
Pianos
520-524 W. 48*1S
NEWYOKK
Place That Want Ad in The Presto
POOLE
•^BOSTON
GRAND ANO UPRIGHT PIANOS
ANO
PLAYER PIANOS
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/
PR E S T O
SUPPLYING GOODS
NOT IN THE STORE
How Does the Average Music Merchant Han-
dle the Calls for Things "We Are Out
Of," or Never Had in
Stock.
THE "PROMISE DEPARTMENT"
Manager of a Big Boston House Tells How Carefully
He Has Clerks Follow Up Every Customer's
Wants, However Small.
The average music store is not just like the great
general stores. But all business is alike in the es-
sentials. In the music store it is a daily happening
that a customer calls for something that is not in
stock. This applies especially to -the smaller things,
like a sheet of music, a special make of mouth harp,
a fiddle string—anything, and everything, that musi-
cal people want. It sometimes, in fact frequently,
applies even to pianos, and especially to piano tuning
and repairs.
How do the music merchants respond to such
calls? Most of them just say, "We haven't got it,"
and let it go at that. And that is a mighty poor
plan. The following story of how a big Boston
house handles the matter may help in the music
trade, where such systems are usually very lax:
How Sales Are Lost.
It is a fairly common experience for a customer
to come into a retail store of any kind, to get an
article that is either not in stock or has never been
carried. In the opinion of Merrill W. Osgood of the
Jordan-Marsh Company, Boston, expressed in an
article he prepared this is a situation that has within
it the dangerous possibility of lost sales through fail-
ure to carry merchandise which the customers expect
the store to supply.
He goes on to explain the policy of the Jordan-
Marsh Company in the matter. "Our policy," he
says, "is not, if possible, to allow any customer to be
disappointed in her expectations of the store or its
service. In order, therefore, to carry out our self-
imposed obligation we have created a 'promise de-
partment' to function in such cases.
"This' service is working successfully and prevents
the loss of many sales, which would occur were we
not equipped to supply efficiently those things which
are not in stock when they are wanted.
The Promise Department.
"The 'promise department' really comprises two
classes of service—the wants and the promises. Every
merchant is familiar with the meaning of 'wants,' but
'promises' as we handle them, are more or less of a
new departure. The underlying principle of our
method is an organized and carefully followed-up
machinery to secure and deliver to the customer the
items not in our stock.
"The system is operated in this way. The cus-
tomer asks for certain merchandise we are not able
to supply from stock. The clerk suggests that we
will be very willing to get it. After impressing our
ability to make good on this offer the clerk takes
the customer's name and address on a special form
July 12, 1924.
provided for the purpose. This form, the 'promise
book,' is part of the regular sales book. This is a
very important thing to remember.
How It Works.
"Two copies of the 'promise' slip are made. One
bears the date on which delivery will be made. The
other copy is filed, bearing the date of the day after
delivery was promised by the buyer.
The customers are kept well informed of the situ-
ation. The system has increased the business con-
siderably. But it is not so much that. It has in-
creased our service to the customer and, of course,
enhanced our good-will. We are very particular
about that. It was not so much the extra business
we wanted but to insure satisfying our customers'
expectations of our ability to serve them—to make it
unnecessary for them to go elsewhere.
"This plan is being extended now wherever pos-
sible to our repair department, our manufacturing
departments, which also make promises to customers
that require follow-up. We are trying to centralize
in our 'Promise Department' all promise follow-up
work with our customers.
Still More Details.
"In addition to the foregoing details our 'Promise
Department' is charged with the duty of keeping a
record of the number of promises turned in, and this
proves very interesting.
"Our clerks in entering promise orders have a de-
cided advantage where the customer has a charge
account, for then the customer gives immediate per-
mission to charge. If it is a cash sa-le, the entry is
made accordingly in the promise book. If there is
any way to make a sale on the spot, it is done. If
the customer is certain she wants something differ-
ent, we avoid forcing a substitution and then the
promise book comes into action. The customer, I
may say, is impressed and convinced by seeing the
clerk make a formal entry of the promise on the
spot.
"We fill more than ninety per cent of all our prom-
ise orders eventually. We have found that it is im-
possible to fill about forty per cent of them on the
date of the original promise, but, by explaining to the
customer we almost invariably get back instructions
to go ahead and 'get it for me.' "
SHIRLEY WALKER NOW HEADS
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSN.
Other Changes Made Necessary by Death of Former
President George R. Hughes.
Shirley Walker, of Sherman, Clay & Co., San Fran-
cisco, was named president of the Music Trades As-
sociation of Northern California at a meeting of the
board of directors held last week. Mr. Walker's
appointment was to fill the vacancy in the office oc-
casioned by the death of the association's first presi-
dent, George R. Hughes. Mr. Walker was 1st vice-
president, and his election as president resulted in
other changes in the offices.
Frank Anrys, of the Wiley B. Allen Co., formerly
second vice-president, was made first vice-president.
M. P. Thompson, of the Baldwin Piano Co., is the
new second vice-president.
The Flanner-Hafsoos Music Co., Milwaukee, is
featuring a new "Style A" Kurtzmann grand, made
in the period style, and the company is very enthu-
siastic about it.
ARTIST'S OPINION OF BALDWIN
The Baldwin piano
as the choice of
prominent
pianists
and teachers, enjoys
a high
position.
Apart from its un-
doubted artistic qual-
ities, it has the char-
acter of durability,
which renders it par-
ticularly desirable to
professionals.
The
accompanying
cut
shows the portrait of
Charles
Norman
Granville, a Chicago
artist and a repro-
duced letter tells of
his attitude towards
the Baldwin. Like a
great many artists,
Mr. Granville finds
the Baldwin highly
suitable for use in
concert and in the
studio.
THE BALDWIN PIANO COMPANY
The Baldwin Piano Company,
Cincinnati, Ohio.
is the B a l d ^ f o T ' o n c e n " ^ T Y
America's greateat lnotrumant
Pl
°ul>tedly
For QUALITY, SATISFACTION and PROFIT
NEWMAN BROTHERS PIANOS
NEWMAN BROS. CO.
Established 1870
Grand, Upright and Player Pianos
New Haven and New York
Mathushek Piano Manufacturing Co.
132nd St. and Alexander A vs..
NEW YORK CITY
A QUALITY PRODUCT
FOR OVER
QUARTER OF A CENTURY
piUTs t. 1893
Factories, 816 DIX ST., Chicago, III.
Kinder & Collins
Pianos
520-524 W. 48*1S
NEWYOKK
Place That Want Ad in The Presto
POOLE
•^BOSTON
GRAND ANO UPRIGHT PIANOS
ANO
PLAYER PIANOS
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/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).