Radio today (Sept 1935-Dec 1936)

THERE'S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR SELLING -large percentage of replacement sales in 1936 quality sets best demonstrated in home — present users as prospect list for calls — "service inspections" as door-openers • "OUTSIDE selling" by radio dealers has met with distinct objection on the part of many successful radio merchandisers, until recent months. But surveys conducted bj' Radio Today throughout the country, show that this method of "going after the business" into the customer's home is now being utilized by an increasing numbv of retail radio organizations. More and more, as radio becomes a replacement business, is it found necessary to get into the homes of existing radio listeners, and show them the great improvements in the new receivers, to replace their nowobsolete equipment. Rule of seven In any community, divide the homes with radios into seven groups. Then the first of these groups will be found to have radio sets sold during 1935; the second, sets dated 1934; the third, 1933 ; the fourth, 1932 ; the fifth, 1931 ; and the sixth and seventh will contain outmoded products of 1930, 1929 and before. Thus half of the homes in your town — any town — have radios four years old or more — radio sets badly in need of replacement. These are sets with cabinets that have become eye-sores, and with reproduction tone that is far substandard compared with the splendid broadcasting of today. Tinny aw fulness The loyalty with which a radio owner will insist that the tone of his old set is the equal of anything on the market, has long been the des p a i r of musically-discriminating friends as well as the bane of the interested radio dealer. It is only by getting a new radio set into such a home, connecting it up, and letting the prospect hear it for himself, alongside his own radio, that the tinny awfulness of the old reproducer becomes evident to the doting owner. Demonstration and contrast will tell the story. Demonstration will "show up" the old set with its lack of the low notes which deepen and enrich the reproduction, and its failure to deliver the sparkling high frequencies which add life and character to music and voice. "Demonstration is believing." Home demonstrations And such demonstration has to be done in the home itself. In few stores during daylight hours are radio reception conditions such as permit any adequate demonstration of the full reproduction possibilities of the new sets. Field-strengths are usually weak in business sections, among steel buildings, and here also electrical interference is at its maximum. The place to demonstrate and sell the 1936 radio set is right in the home where the set is to be used. Go after present users Homes to which radio sets have been sold in the past, often make the besCpossible prospect lists, say radio dealers who are cold to ordinary canvassing. The retailer who sold the same householder a set several years before, has an excuse to go himself or send a man to cheek-up on the set's performance. If the receiver has become obsolete in performance or appearance, it is logical to suggest that a modern set be sent up to "try out." Here the selling psychology is the same as that of the autonrobile salesman who always tries to get the prospect seated behind the steering wheel, and then encourages him to "take a little drive." Experience shows that once the new radio set is in the family's hands and the dials are twirled for a night or two, sales follow in most cases. Digging up prospects Newspaper advertising and directmail campaigns through letters, postcards and booklets, afford another way to dig up interested prospects and save the salesman the time taken to complete cold-turkey calls. Telephone calls provide other "openers." Often a woman's voice is best for making such canvasses. After the appointment has been made, the salesman can "get through" the home portals more easily if he is "expected." Some dealers require their outside salesmen to keep several radio sets always in customers' homes on demonstration. Point here is to maintain such demonstration sets continually in circulation, and make the demonstration periods relatively short and definite. Successful dealers recommend setting a time for the demonstrator unit to be moved away — ■ or a decision to buy reached. Of course on request the demonstration period is usually extended, but again to a definite date, which should be rigidly observed. In every town and every neighborhood there are hundreds of radio sets that need replacement. The owners Radio Today