The Edison phonograph monthly (Mar 1906-Feb 1907)

EDISON PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY. and Records. While such a stock cannot be carried in many small towns, we commend it to hundreds of Dealers doing a limited business in cities and large towns where such a stock could be carried to the great profit of Dealers. This table shows that with an outlay of $566.12 a Dealer can make $40528, and many Dealers are turning over their money from six to twelve times a year in this manner : Cost Total Selling Each. Cost. Price Each. 1300 Edison Rec. $ .21 2 Gem Phonos.. 7-°° 6 St'd'd Phonos. 12.00 6 Home Phonos. 18.00 1 Tri'ph Phono. 30.00 24 Dec*ted Horns 1.35 24 No. 5 Cranes. 1.50 24 M. Connections .03 $273.00 14.00 72.00 108.00 30.00 32.00 36.00 .72 $566.12 $ .35 10.00 20.00 30.00 50.00 3.50 2.50 .10 Net Profit, Total $455.00 20.00 120.00 180.00 50.00 84.00 60.00 2.40 $971.40 566.12 $405.28 MAKE UP MAILING LISTS. One of the most profitable methods that a Dealer doing business in a small town can employ is that of going after prospective customers by mail. Such Dealers should make up two different mailing lists. One should be of owners of Edison Phonographs or other cylinder talking machines and a list of new Records or a copy of the Phonogram should be sent to them every month. The plan would be strengthened with a brief invitation to call and hear the new Records on a given night each month. The other list should include the names of every family in the vicinity who might be induced to buy a Phonograph, and a piece of printed matter or letter should be mailed to each at intervals. Not more than two months should elapse between each mailing. Each time a cordial invitation should be extended to call and hear a demonstration. Or still better, ask for the privilege of making a demonstration in the home of tlje party addressed. In nine cases out of ten where such consent can be secured a sale can be made. Those who have given mailing lists a good trial find them very profitable ways of increasing their Edison business. THREE NEW CANADIAN JOBBERS. C. H. Wilson, General Manager of Sales of this company, spent a week in Canada during the early part of last month and established three new Jobbers of Edison Phonographs and Records. Up to the present time our only Canadian Jobber was the R. S. Williams & Sons' Co., Ltd., with headquarters at Toronto and a wholesale branch at Winnipeg. The growth of our business in Canada made it advisable to have a greater number of distributing points than these two cities, and it was also felt that an additional number of Jobbers would bring a still further increase in our Canadian business. Mr. Wilson had no difficulty in signing Peter Kelly, of 282 St. Lawrence street, Montreal; C. Robitaille, of 320 Rue St. Joseph, Quebec, and W. H. Thorne & Co., of 42-46 Prince William street, St. John, N. B. All of these firms had been handling Edison goods as Dealers and were, therefore, quite familiar with them and their possibilities. The five named firms will give excellent distributing facilities east of Winnipeg and enable us to get goods to Canadian Dealers at a minimum cost for freight charges. THE EXCHANGE PROPOSITION. The statement last month to the effect that the exchange proposition had been disposed of was hardly correct. It was a fact so far as the trade shipments to us were concerned, but it was far from correct as representing the situation at Orange. The men in the specially created "Exchange Department" have had the time of their lives in trying to straighten this matter out. It would be hard to imagine a greater tangle than these shipments were in early in November. Scores upon scores of shipments arrived with one or two cases short. Such shipments could only be set aside till the missing cases came in and many shipments are still waiting for the missing parts. These broken up lots not only caused trouble, but they made it impossible to send Jobbers and Dealers credit for their shipments. Many complaints from the trade were received, but as the delay was beyond our control we could only explain the situation and ask the complainants to wait. Those still waiting will appreciate how impossible it is to send them the credit papers until we get the complete shipments. We are doing everything in our power to dispose of the whole proposition. FEBRUARY RECORDS ON JANUARY 28TH Since January 27th, 1907, falls on Sunday, February Records cannot be placed on sale until the following day, January 28th. The trade must bear this in mind and under no circumstances permit February Records to leave their places of business on Sunday or earlier date. Such a contingency was provided for in the original notice sent to the trade. NO MORE BRONZE PAPER WEIGHTS. The trade is hereby advised that we have discontinued the sale of bronze paper weights. Reference to them will be eliminated from future catalogues'.