The talking machine world (Apr-June 1921)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD April 15, 1921 A GREAT VICTOR EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE— (Continued from page 89) Mrs. Clark's Closing Talk Mrs. Clark then made the concluding talk of the conference. She said, in part: "A long time ago I began to tr>' to secure the approval and consent of the folks down at Camden to put on this conference, because I thought it ought to be done. I felt that we had come to the point where 'if Mahomet could not come to the mountain the mountain must come to Mahomet' and that since Camden was so far from so many places and as everj'one could not come such a great distance, the next best thing was for us to come to you. We began to think about it last Summer, and we felt that the beginning ought to be here. Being a good Westerner myself, having come from Indiana, I just knew what kind of folks there were here, and I knew that if I ever wanted to do anything in my life the Middle West was the place to do it. "Several years ago I began to say that there should be an educational department in the store of every wholesaler. Well, the war came on and stopped everything. Otherwise, I think I should have realized that dream before this. But now it has come. Very many of the distributors are at present giving that service to their dealers, and others are coming just as fast as we can assure them that we can supply the material. I think that nothing could be so great a step forward for the future than just that very thing. "There are a number of educational departments in the large retail stores. There ought to be four or five times as many. In a large city there should be in your retail store an educational department — someone on that floor who knows how to talk intelligentlj to a teacher or mother who asks. You cannot hope to reap much value from that department if you do not have someone on the floor equipped to do that work. "Now, the smaller cities are different. Perhaps the dealer cannot afford to have that person, but, in that case, the distributor is certainly confronted with the responsibility of sending to his dealers that kind of service. Most of the distributors are carrying out the policies of the Victor Co., but some of them have not yet begun to carry on this work and the message to their dealers. It is coming very, very fast, and we look forward in a very short time to seeing every distributor offering this service. "The only reason we haven't a hundred per cent record is because of the inability of the Mrs. Frances E. Clark \'ictor Co. to supply the material with which to do this work. Now we are coming to it. It has been a frightful situation because of the demand for other records than educational. Now we shall be able to supply educational material in just the quantity you need. A short time ago, in a little conference we had, we were discussing the record situation. It seems the orders for the educational records were not coming in fast enough. But the distributors, when they came here, were asked about educational records. We were told that they did not seem to feel a very great pressure on that point. Unless you order the records from the distributor in such number as will make him feel that you are behind in them he will, perhaps, just lay it aside for the time being, because he hasn't felt the belief from 3'ou other dealers. W'hen the}' do they are going to register that belief with the Victor factory. Our dealers are asking for these records. I want them to ask for many. If you order just one of each record it doesn't sound so very loud at the factory, because it doesn't sound as loud as 'Dardanella' or others of that sort. Until you make them hear that you want this stuff all my hammering will be in vain. My hands are tied without your support. We can only secure this material in abundance when j'ou help me make a noise about it. The only way to make an effective noise is to register orders. When we get enough orders down there we say, 'Why, look at this. The orders are piling up on this record and that. We will have to get after this.' They are only human down there, and when they see orders for hundreds of thousands of some foolish thing and find a little insignificant order for an educational record or so j-ou can't blame them for having poor eyesight. It is just a matter of business sense. Fortunately, we have the active support of the directors. There is every co-operation there and thej' want very much to help, but i'ou must help, too. "I have come to you with this message because there were things to tell you, and we wanted to let you know how to do it. I cannot close without a word of the most heartfelt appreciation of your splendid attitude through these days. To see your faces has been a great pleasure. I must confess that a day or two before it began I looked forward to it with just a bit of stage fright, but you have stood by this thing and your spirit has been wonderful. The girls are just as happy as I am and have never talked to an audience When a customer walks into your store and says "Gimme" 16950, 51630, etc. — Do you "fumble and fool" until he's gone — or do you File Your Records so you can find them for quick sale and service This System pays for itself by increasing Sales through better service and Automatic ordering of "Sold-Out" Records OGDEN'S PATENTED RECORD FiUNG CABINETS AND VISIBLE TAB INDEXES ARE GUARANTEED Immediate Shipments on all models in standard finishes. Light and Golden Oak, Red and Brown Mahogany, Enamels, White, Old Ivory and French Grey. SALES SYSTEM ENVELOPES keep track of what you sell and what you need — an automatic inventory, ehowing profitable and slow sellers. Arranged for upright or 6at filing and will fit any system. 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