Radio broadcast .. (1922-30)

This Retailer Is Meeting CHANGING SALES CONDITIONS HOW— By HARRY P. BRIDGE, JR. Er's TAKE a good look at the man behind the radio counters of to-day and compare him with the type which will probably be there on the to-morrow that is already beginning to dawn. And to do this, let's go to the Universal Radio Company at the busy corner of Juniper and Arch streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. " Like the famous old gray mare, radio selling is not what it used to be," says Victor E. Moore, vice president and general manager of this concern. "In years gone by, when demand exceeded supply, radio literally sold itself. New developments made repeat buyers out of old customers without any great selling effort on the dealer's part. " Now this spontaneous market is almost a thing of the past. Much of the novelty of radio has worn off; people have become more or less accustomed to it, and it has developed into a selling proposition much like the automobile, furniture, in- surance, real estate, or any other legitimate business. And, more so now than ever before, radio is in need of that kind of selling." Three Types of Men There are, in this dealer's opinion, three types of men en- gaged in radio selling to-day—high-pressure artists, low- pressure men, and salesmen who strike a happy medium be- tween the two. Much of Mr. Moore's time has been devoted to selecting men of the latter class for his organization—or those of the former type who could be led to change their ways. "In building for the future," says Mr. Moore, "the high- pressure man is almost as useless as the fellow who has no sales pressure at all. The former relies on one-time sales to custom- ers who don't come back and the latter lets perfectly good sales slip through his fingers because he lacks initiative. There are a lot of both engaged in retail selling to-day and the dealer's Entertainment, Not Radio Is Sold His Salesmen Sell Constantly All Store Visitors Are Prospects No "Cold Turkey" Canvassing Prospect Leads From Service Calls problem in building a really aggressive and alert sales organ- ization is not an easy one." Mr. Moore chooses his men carefully, but his work does not end with the selection. That is only the beginning. He be- lieves it is just as important for the retailer to exercise close supervision over the selling efforts of his organization as it is for the manufacturer or wholesaler. Every effort is made to help each man increase his efficiency and thus add to his own earnings as well as those of the company. But, if a man cannot fill the bill, the sooner this is discovered and the man dropped, the better it is for all concerned. A Salesman Loses His Head Not long ago, a Universal Radio Company salesman was on the point of closing a sale for a radio-phonograph combination. The outfit had been demonstrated in the home of a well-to-do woman and she was well pleased. However, when the salesman produced the contract for her signature, she said she had de- cided to hear one more outfit from another dealer before making a final decision. "My salesman lost his head when he heard this," said Mr. Moore in describing the incident. "He'd been having a little run of hard luck and I had been after him to produce some sales. This one had seemed so sure he got rattled when he sud- denly found there was still a chance that it might be lost. Put- ting the rectifying tube in his pocket he told her there would be no further concerts until she decided to buy. He added that 72 DECEMBER 1929