Radio today (Sept 1935-Dec 1936)

HOW TO DO A PLUS SELLING JOB Rapid list of selling strategies which have had a trial by radio men who went after and got extra holiday profit * DECEMBER calendar this year fairly drips with extra profit for radio dealers. Sales floors are sagging with Yuletide's "greatest gift"— 1937 radios— and now's the time for some fancy promoting of the only merchandise on earth which is totally holidayperfect. Sell what you will as a side line, new model receivers loudly invite your pushing. Store display stunts may depend upon your shop facilities, but in that part of promotion which depends upon your originality, you accept help. You're welcome to the following series of Christmas selling aids which have enjoyed some success. Sales-Spur No. 1 Christmas Club checks are mailed from most banks late this month or early in December. Last year many radio men displayed placards reading "Christmas Club Checks Cashed Here" and thus got some first chances at the $300,000,000 which is normally turned loose in the country. Dealers found it wise to make this announcement in newspaper ads or in windows ahead of those who had other gifts to sell. Stunt No. 2 ' "Gift Certificates," which are usually applied to merchandise that comes in sizes, have come back into favor in many radio stores. These credit slips, given by the donor instead of the receivers, appeal to persons who make a lot of gift selections and make them in a hurry. They get across with people who do not know the exact tastes of those to receive the gifts, and can be introduced by radio dealers via the mails. Idea No. 3 Holiday radio business has been improved in many quarters by the dealer's remembering that the season for winter cruises and sports opens the first week in December. Travel displays and sports photos in radio windows have given dealers a swell chance to work in a new receiver among items needed for the outings. Idea is important in wealthy communities, and in port towns. Season occurs so close to Christmas that the gift angle is involved. Trick No. 4 "No Payment Until Next Year" practice has become so important that dealers have learned to prepare for credit business far in advance of the main buying period. Radio shops connect with the local Chamber of Commerce or similar agencies and check credit ratings with their own prospect lists, so that little time is lost when sales are being closed. Reports are that this year the employment situation is changing so rapidly that dealers cannot afford to be without the latest data on local payrolls. Promotion No. 5 When the round of Christmas parties gets under way, set salesmen have successfully tried this: Clip advance notices from society columns and attach them to letters based upon the "party" appeal. These letters suggest that your new instruments are the ideal ones to add life and style to social events. Prospects, flattered that the story had been noticed in the paper, are generally willing to listen to more sales talk. Feat No. 6 One dealer has had genuine success with a window display using toy trains, automatically running around through radio receivers. Plying trains were accompanied by sound effects — a record heard through an GIFT-LIST REMINDERS For Mother — a boudoir set For Father — a console For Sister at college — a personal radio For Big Brother — an auto set For the Little Folks — a nursery radio For Grandpa — an all-wave job For the Maid — — a kitchen set For the Whole Family — — a phonograph-radio combination amplifier at the top of the window. "Choo-choo" sounds were loud and authentic and attracted hundreds of pedestrians, many of whom came into the store to ask how the mechanism worked. Plan No. 7 Receivers designed for use in kitchens have appeared in many radio shops as the ideal gift. These sets appeal to husbands as a gift for wives because they definitely represent an item which will lighten the work of the housewife. Receivers for this purpose are often finished in light colors and lend themselves nicely to the redand-green trim used at holiday time. Thought No. 8 Selling copy used in windows along with radio displays has by this time established some new thunder. The words "hint" and "suggestion" in regard to radios as gifts are generally considered too mild and too casual. A good set offers "years of supreme entertainment" and "million dollar programs by the dozen." Hence the window placards become more dramatic and more serious and describe the merchandise as "a way to be remembered for keeps" and "a handsome ticket to a vast entertainment service." Sales-Notion No. 9 Younger persons among the givers of gifts have in many cases been switched to radio. Dealers have stimulated their sales by appealing to young men with the suggestion that "a boudoir set will delight her" and by approaching young women with the idea that she should "give him a radio for his car." The "sweetheart" market will stand developing because so far it has been dominated by jewelry and personal effects. Strategy No. 10 Dealers claim that their best bet at Christmas is the use of direct mail. Letters this year accent (1) improvements in 1937 models, (2) more broadcast "musts," (3) improved business conditions in general and (4) attractive time payment plans. Radio men report more success with letters of a warm and personal nature. 12 Radio Today