The Edison phonograph monthly (Mar 1906-Feb 1907)

i6 EDISON PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY. THE OLD AND THE NEW METHOD. Tn a recent interview with J. Newcomb Blackman, proprietor of the Blackman Talking Machine Company, New York City, the subject of the necessity of a proper system for carrying records was discussed, and Mr. Blackman gave his experience as follows : "When I first started in the talking machine business in 1897 a record catalogue was issued, but to find a dealer who carried a complete catalogue stock was like looking for a fourleaf clover. We used to carry our records in peg boxes, offering a selection of bands, orchestras, vocal solos, etc., and a customer did not consult a catalogue as a rule. It was a case of looking over the dealer's assortment and making a choice accordingly. This plan continued very largely until the introduction of the dealer's contracts, which made it impossible to offer any price inducements, either by a cut in price or otherwise, and by the time the moulded record was placed on the market the public expected and were satisfied to pay the restricted price. They were satisfied not only because they knew they were buying at rock bottom prices, but the qualitv of the goods proved that they were getting full value. "It was realized by the dealer as well as the public, that competition must exist, however, even in the face of restricted prices, and enterprising dealers, therefore, knew the advantage a dealer who carried a complete stock would have over a competitor who had only a small part of the catalogue. It was natural for the record buyer to give his patronage to the dealer who offered him a complete catalogue stock to select from. The service cost no more, and the record was purchased for the same price. The increased demand, together with the larger stocks necessary, soon gave the successful dealer confidence, and the old plan of stocking records is now as much a back number as one of the records of that time would be if offered for sale at the price of a moulded record. A customer now buys his records very much as he asks for a railroad ticket. He does not expect anv special price, but he does insist on your having what he calls for and without delay. "I have carefully watched the success of our dealers in the last two years, and almost without exception found that a dealer carrying a complete stock and using a system whereby all records are in numerical order, so that any number can be found immediately, or the customer informed that it is not in stock, he has made steady progress, and usually at the expense of other dealers in his locality who did not adopt up-to-date methods. It has also been proven that the use of record labels, containing the number and name of the record selection on the front of wire racks, or record trays, not only removes the desire to put off ordering records, but really makes it a pleasure, for every vacant space, together with the label, tells its complete story. It also provides a wall catalogue and encourages the customer to purchase records which his eye might not locate in the catalogue. A system of carrying records, together with the attractive appearance of a store, always wins with the customer, and the dealer who uses every spare moment in learning every point regarding machines and records he sells, enjoys the confidence of the prospective customer. "In most cases where dealers accuse their competitors of using unfair methods and cutting prices, their principal argument has been the loss of a certain sale that they think they should have made. They do not seem to realize that the impression that they make on the prospective buyer, not only by their remarks, but by the appearance of their store and their methods, either encourages or discourages a purchase. The sooner the dealer realizes that to get the full benefit of his profit which the price restriction is intended to give him, he must give his customer a full measure of service, his sales will increase and his complaints will be less. My policy as a jobber is not to simply sell a dealer as much as possible, but help him in turn to get his profit, for it is the continued patronage that insures success. "Dealers and jobbers are selling restricted goods, and the service is what counts. The jobbers that are giving the best service are reaping the benefit, and in a town where there are several dealers, the up-to-date ones, who are always awake to use a method that insures the best service, are making fast inroads on the business of their competitors. The talking machine business is a paying one, but a dealer who expects to make a big success must not overlook any small details that will cause his customer to go elsewhere." — Talking Machine World. AN ENTHUSIASTIC DEALER. Notification of suspensions received and it will be a sorry day when I sell to one of them. I have been intensely interested in all the tightening of screws, which seems to be your bent. Not one single move have you made which does not redound to your Jobbers' and Dealers' benefit first : to yourselves secondary. Never, so far as my information goes, in the history of corporations, has a company or corporation acted so like a foster father as does the National Phonograph Co. You are a dear old hen and we chicks feel doubly safe under your wings. In Edison goods it is so hard to tell "dead stock." For instance, one customer who selected (after looking at a Standard and Gem machine), a Home, a large flowered Horn, Crane, and as fast as I could play the older make of Records, would say "I want that," and only stopped when he got scared at the number he had selected lest he should be longer paying for the whole than he intended (60 days). Did I stay unloaded of the "dead stock?" No! I duplicated _ the whole lot in my next order. Another time (last November), a customer called for "Sauerkraut is Bully" (4023). I had sidetracked it. ^ I put my hand on it at once and duplicated it. We have got to try to keep up with the Wizard Edison and get there Eli. We are in the swim, not for the fun of it, but for business. It's a grand good school to be in. We are up against every phase of human nature and when we have a prospective customer who knows it all, have patience and let him run amuck. — W. H. Dougal, New Preston, Conn,