NAB reports (Jan-Dec 1941)

uals or portfolios thoroughly, absorbs an idea or two and then feels that he has really dug out everything that will help him. C. B. Larrabee in Printers’ Ink has presented an investigation of tested plans, which we have secured for the sales managers of NAB. Each one of these has worked in actual practice. None is elaborate; some are extremely simple, but all have proved effective. Plan 1 This plan works wonders in getting salesmen to use a manual. Here is how one company did it: First, it built a skeleton manual and gave it to all salesmen. Next, the sales manager wrote a long list of questions designed to bring out information as to the best practice among salesmen in doing their stuff. Then, the list was split up and divided among the salesmen for their answers to the questions. When the an¬ swers were all in, the sales manager prepared a complete manual which, instead of being called “Manual No. 2” was called “The Book You Wrote’’. Copies were then given to each salesman, with a short personal note beginning: “Here is the sales manual that you helped us write. Every line, every idea came from you or one of the other boys. When I tell you it’s practical, you don’t have to take my word for it. You know it’s practical because you put in it the kind of stuff that you have learned the hard way. etc.” Plan 2 One company, creating its first manual, decided that the tough¬ est problem involved would be to sell the salesmen the manual idea. The president wrote a letter to the salesmen, telling them a manual was being prepared, asking them to list the major objec¬ tions and difficulties they encountered. Next the sales manager requested testimonial letters, unusual performance records and other data of value. In the company’s sales meetings and bulletins each week was something about the progress of the manual, keeping it constantly before the men. After four months of collecting, sorting, dramatizing, editing and indexing material, enough data had been gathered to make up the manual. The sales manager then called a special meeting for the presen¬ tation. It was planned not to pass out a copy of the manual to each salesman until the purpose back of each of the major sections was thoroughly explained. He used a blackboard chalk talk to show the salesmen that the manual was not a canned presenta¬ tion. He then described its fine points and how it could be used. After this explanation copies were passed to each salesman and a roundtable discussion followed. Next a boiled down presentation made from the Master Manual was given the salesmen. They were told that such presentations could be individually built to fit the needs of every prospect. The result was a manual that was used faithfully and thor¬ oughly by a sales force that, in the beginning, had been antago¬ nistic toward the whole manual idea. Plan 3 .A number of companies use sales meetings to create interest in sales material. One plan calls for a “quiz program,” with questions based upon definite sales material previously furnished. A salesman cannot make a creditable showing unless he has been using this material faithfully. Another company issues a sales bulletin weekly. After 43 bulletins, it held a prize contest, with cash awards to the sales¬ men who gave the best answers to questions posed in the next ten issues of the bulletin. The questions, of course, required some study of various sales material. About half the sales force sub¬ mitted answers, but investigation shows that nine-tenths of the men really followed the contest pretty closely. And the salesmen gave much closer attention to the bulletins than they ever had before. Plan 4 The company wanted to get a new visual presentation used effectively. It prepared a mailing piece showing several interesting pages from the presentation and telling of its value. This mailing piece was sent to customers and prospects with a letter saying that the salesman calling on the recipient of the letter had a presentation and urging the prospect not to let the salesman get out of the office until he had shown the presentation. Each salesman received a copy of the mailing and was told that he had better carry the presentation with him on every call because many prospects would be sure to ask for it. The plan w'orked w'ell. In many cases customers or prospects had their curiosity aroused to a point w'here they actually de¬ manded that the salesmen show the presentation. * * * .4 study of the methods used by sales managers to get salesmen to employ sales equipment more effectively indicates that in seek¬ ing methods of doing this a number of executives have discovered that the chief reason why men would not use material was because it was not properly prepared. Therefore, what should probably be Plan One in every sales executives’ consideration is to be sure that the material is profitably usable before asking the salesmen to make good use of it. BMI The Song Is the Thing BMI hits and near hits and their creators will feature a new program sponsored by the Canadian Government over the facili¬ ties of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The broadcast, which wall begin in the fall and run for a year, will present the news behind the song. The theme will be, the singer may be forgotten but the song lingers on, and the program will tell why it lingers on. The story of how the song came to be written and interesting incidents from the lives of the composers will be in¬ cluded as well as letters of greeting from the composers to the Canadian audience. Jess Jaffrey, who is in charge of the program, expects at the conclusion of this series to have the most complete record available of currently popular songs and of their authors and composers. More BMI music is being played in Canada now than ASCAP, according to Mr. Jaffrey, despite the fact that Canadian broad¬ casters have the full rights to play any or all ASCAP selections. There are more requests coming in for BMI music and virtually every program by Canadian orchestra leaders features BMI tunes. Foreign Language Music There is greater demand among BMI stations for Polish music than for any other foreign music, it is revealed in a survey of requests by member stations. Italian was the second most popular foreign music, followed by Cuban and Latin American, Scandina¬ vian and Hungarian. In line with BMPs policy of providing stations with music of every classification, a questionnaire covering listener preference was mailed to BMI subscribers. Latest catalogue lists music of some 33 nationalities, and negotiations are pending for the acquisition 424 — May 9, 1941