The talking machine world (July-Dec 1927)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

(Louis J. Caldor, the author of this article, has spent several years in the retail talking machine field and has, as a background for his selling, a wide knowledge and appre-ciation of music, having heard leading artists and orchestras in this country and on the Continent. — Editor.) IN a few weeks the Winter season for all the musical professions and trades will be wide open. Every Winter season witnesses the musical life of the United States increasing in activity, in volume of musical instrument and merchandise business, and in public appeal. Jazz, popular and classical music and operas and musical comedies and individual artists are heard and seen and broadcast, written and argued and talked about more and more every day. The progressive phonograph retailer who will only realize what this amazing development of America.n musical life means, and by use of the proper methods keep in step with the march of musical prosperity, will positively see his business grow and grow. Regardless of the changes in any other branch of business, our national phonograph industry, for it is that in every sense of the word, has profited wonderfully by the remarkable inventions already on the market, and will gain still more by improvements continually appearing. Observing business men have already realized that this coming Winter will see more records broken (and also sold — I can't leave out this little joke!) in the music trades than ever before. There is far more truth than humor in that, as every phonograph retailer will be glad to find when the Winter has come and gone, if he will have been equal to his golden opportunities. Bigger and better business can and will be done than ever in the past. Be progressive, study your community, be active in sales promotion, keep in touch with all new ideas and methods by reading your trade journals. Fundamentals of Retailing Practically, phonograpli and record retailing Fundamentals of Efficient Retail Salesmanship Knowledge of Record Stock, Proper Reception of Customers and Correct Record Demonstration Are of Greatest Importance By Louis J. Caldor may be divided into six fundamental parts, as follows: 1. Knowing the records thoroughly. 2. Receiving customers properly. 3. Demonstrating phonographs effectively. 4. Getting additional business on the insid" .S. Getting additional business on the outside. 6. Profiting by local amusements and attractions of various kinds. Know Your Stock! To make the most out of your business you must get the maximum profits out of your record sales. To do this you must know your catalog inside out and use judgment in selecting your stock. Be systematic and thorough! Be sure to listen to every record issued, regardless of whether you will or will not stock it! In the mornings, or whenever business i = slow, take out your advance samples. Get a sample of every record announced as soon as you possibly can and play it through with a loud needle. Listen very carefully and critically for all good and bad points. Some records are wonderful and others are very poor by comparison, for reasons too complicated to discuss here. You never can tell how a composition or number will sound until it is actually reproduced, but there always are plenty of fine records coming out. You may find big differences in the same selection when recorded by different companies. Suggestions for Judging Records Listen for rattling, blasting, smearing of sounds, dead or weak spots, and also for beauty of tone and interesting reproduction. Trv every record selling for more than seventy-five cents with a freshly pointed fiber needle. Many a fine record refuses to play well with a fiber needle after the customer has taken it hpme, and that causes a puzzled and disappointed customer. Don't be surprised if a twelve-inch orchestra record plays through perfectly with a fiber needle, and a ten-inch song record won't! The reason is a long story, but it is up to you to know what your records are like. Remember that the shorter a fiber needle is cut iri sharpening the more beautifully and more loud ly will it play. The tone quality very often is finer with fiber needles. Know how every record sounds and plays on both sides, because some records are slow sellers if one side is a poor selection. Do not trust to your memory! Mark your trade order list with notes for your own reference and informat ion. Put down an "A" for a perfect number, "B" for a fairly good number, "X" for a poor one, and also "F" if it plays well with a fiber needle. Make any additional remarks that will help you to remember the record better in the future. Know what you are stocking up with or leaving out, and whenever your sales turn out differently than you expected your marked catalogs should help you to improve your judgment in selecting your stock. Receive Customers Properly Tactful treatment of customers is the secret of good-will. After greeting a customer, wail for him (or her) to express his wishes first, and then invite him to have a seat. Comfortable chairs and suitable furnishings are not an extravagance, but a necessity! (Some stores have room for nothing but stock, but that is the dealer's own problem.) Handling the Customer Make the customer feel at ease, listen to whatever he has to say first, make friends with him, and then sell him us well as you possibly can. Remember that everyone appreciates a comfortable chair and will always accept a polite invitation to be seated, unless in a real hurry. Most persons are tired when out shopping, and ladies particularly so, and comfort creates a more receptive and impressionable frame of mind in the customer. Also, it's much harder to walk out of a store when sitting down than when standing up, because one always has to get up first, and that always requires a little effort and more time. Don't forget that when seating customers one should manage to turn the chairs so that the backs will be towards the door or whichever way is out, so that customers will see only you, and their interest will not be distracted by watching {C ontiniied on page 78) Exclusively Sold for 10 Years Bell Records Bell Record Corporation Now Available to All At 38 Clinton St. Newark, 76