Educational screen & audio-visual guide (c1956-1971])

editorial YOU AND THE A-V DEALER Too many of us take for granted our A-V Dealers and the other representatives of the industry who come into our offices. We sometimes fail in our recognition of how really important they are to us. We seldom have an occasion to get an overview of the role that the audio-visual dealer plays in keeping our audiovisual instructional program rolling. That's why we're delighted to publish the excellent letter to a superintendent, written by an audio-visual dealer (page 522). We publish it as a tribute to all a-v dealers. It is no ordinary letter. One manufacturing executive called it "a masterpiece" that he wanted to bring to the attention of all his dealers. An executive of NAVA said he "hoped all a-v dealers could defend themselves as well." We could tell you more about the circumstances that caused this letter to be written originally. Actually, a local dealer yelled loud and long to all the Board members that he "wuz robbed." He said he sold movie projectors and he could even sell them cheaper. Why should the schools go into "big city" and buy from someone else? The Superintendent was on the spot with his Board. This letter saved the day for him, and it can help you get a better perspective on the a-v dealer. In a public school system, a purchasing agent has a special public trust. In a very real way he is a custodian and guardian of public funds. He must be able at all times to justify his purchases to the public. He must be able to show that he is spending public funds to the best advantage of the public. This is why purchasing agents for public school svstems seek bids or quotations from several different vendors. However, not infrequently the AudioVisual dealer loses out after he has "made the sale" by bringing newer and better audio-visual equipment to the attention of the schools by demonstrating its usefulness to supervisors and teachers, and by offering to provide additional needed services after installation of the equipment. An inexperienced dealer without previous effort and without undertaking to maintain the equipment after it is installed, gets the order by quoting a lower bid to the detriment and loss of the original AudioVisual dealer. As an Audio-Visual Director, you should make sure that your purchasing agent has all the facts. Make sure he knows that your a-v dealer is not just another vendor of equipment. Tell him about all the special services he renders for you. Tell him how the a-v dealer helped you out with the loan of equipment for that special meeting. Tell him how he made special deliveries to get that repaired equipment back to you as soon as possible. Make sure the purchasing agent knows how difficult it would be for you to carry on and develop the audio-visual program in the schools if it wasn't for the a-v dealer. With this kind of information a public school purchasing agent can face his public with a clear conscience even if a projector does cost a few dollars more. He knows he is spending tax funds in the best interest of the tax payers. There's one more thing I'd like to say about a-v dealers I've known, and about all the representatives of manufactures and producers who have come into my office through the years, and the ones I've known at meetings and conventions. They've taught me far more than all the professors did! They've taught me almost as much as I've learned from reading EDUCATIONAL SCREEN regularly-ever since I first heard the word "audio-visual." Paul e, Reei 530 EdScreen & AV Guide — November, 1957