The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1908)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 11 maKersf} sellers of talking \madfmes EDWARD LYMAN BILL. Editor And Proprietor J. B. SPiLLANE, Managing Editor. Trade Representatives; Geo. B. Keller, F. H. Thompson, W. T. D'VKES, L. E. Bowers, B. Brittain Wilson, A. J. NiCKLIN, L. J. Chamberlin. Boston Office : Ernest L. Waitt, 278a Tremont St. ChicMo Office: E. P. Van Harlingen, 195-197 Wabash Ave. Telephones: Central, Hi; Automatic, 8643. PhiliLdelohia Office : Ninnekpolis and St. Paul : H. F. Thompson. Adolf Edsten. St. Loui.s Office : San Francisco Office : Chas. N. Van Buren. S. H. Gray, 240 Sacramento St. Cleveland Office : G. F. Prescott. London. England, Office: 69 Basingwell St., E. C. W. Lionel Sturdy, Manager. Berlin, Germany. Chas. Robinson, Breitestrasse 5. Published the 15th of every month at I Madiion Ave. N.Y SUBSCRIPTION (including postage), United States, Mexico, One Dollar per year; all other countries, $1.25. England and her colonies, five shillings. ADVERTISEMENTS, $2.00 per inch, single column, per insertion. On quarterly or yearly contracts a special discount is allowed. Advertising Pages, $60.00; special position, $75.00. REMITTANCES, should be made payable to Edward Lyman Bill by check or Post Office Order. ^^IMPORTANT.— Advertisements or changes should reach this office by the first of each month. Advertisements arriving too late for insertion in the current issue will, in the absence of instructions, be inserted in the succeeding issue. Long DistSLnce Telephones— Numbers 4677 and 4678 Gr&mercy. Cable Address: "Elbill," New York. NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 15, 1908. WHILE the recovery in the business world will naturally be slow — for the depression has put an element of strong conservatism into manufacturing enterprises — there seems to be a constant improvement over conditions at the end of the old year and there is a more hopeful outlook in all directions. Business is certainly steadily improving. The time for hesitancy is past and if business concerns show too much timidity in the conduct of their affairs they themselves will help to delay the return of normal conditions. A continuous resumption of business means the development of the purchasing power and the creation of a demand which will keep the market for manufactured products active. What is needed is a determination to start the dollar on its round. There is every reason for confidence and every reason why the dollar should be kept active. If confidence can be kept intact in the business and commercial world an immeasurable amount of trouble will be avoided. THE money dearth is over and much progress is being made with financing projects of large size and within the near future there ought to be a sufficient resumption of manufacturing development to use all the available cash in the banks and employ all the idle freight cars that are now being laid up. The present year should be marked by a display of wisdom and ability on the part of business men. They should not lose their heads or grow over-conservative. We should be apostles of optimism. SUCH times as these are not only times for housecleaning, but e/ery merch.-.nt should see to it that no possible avenue is overlooked whereby the quality and quantity of his trade may be improved. There are one or two suggestions that occur to us in this connection. It should he appreciated by every talking machine dealer in the land that wareroom stock should be kept in good condition and effectively shown up. We have seen many retail stores wherein little or no taste was displayed in the arrangement of the stock. Now, while a great variety is not afforded the talking machine dealer in showing up regular lines of stock, yet he must keep his rooms attractive instead of having them actually repellent to trade. An attractive wareroom has a cheering effect upon every caller, and if the visitors are in a buying mood the rest is easy. On the contrary, if they visit warerooms where the atmosphere is cool and repellent and where there is neither warmth nor cheer they do not buy, that is all. ANOTHER matter which demands the closest attention of the talking machine dealer to-day is the condition of machines that have been sold. Thousands of talkers are not in use as frequently as they should be because in many cases they are not in good repair. Now, a machine which is out of order does not make enthusiasts for the trade. The criticisms do help to augment the army of purchasers. It is a good deal of nuisance for owners of machines to carry them to the dealer to have them adjusted. Rather than do this they continue to use them, when five minutes of expert skill would place them in the best condition. Why not have salesmen look over every machine that is out to customers at least once a month so that they may always be in proper condition. Then, too, it will be very convenient for salesmen when visiting customers to have with them a few choice records, entirely new, of course. It will hardly be necessary for them to induce the customers to buy, but if they hear something interesting in the way of new records, the calls may result in producing new business. Of course, tact should be used in handling this situation, but machines should always be kept in good repair. They should be perfectly adjusted at all times and if a plan of regular visits were adopted generally, after a while is it not reasonable to suppose that the owners of talking machines would look forward with great pleasure to regular visits from pleasant and affable salesmen who would make any adjustments necessary and incidentally give them the pleasure of listening to a few new records? IF such a plan were generally adopted the whole trade would benefit thereby. Purchasers would value their talkers more highly. They would praise the attentive care of the dealers to their friends and they would buy more records. The talking machine would grow in popularity because it would always be in condition to play. It should be understood in this connection that there are thousands of people all over this country who do not view talking machines with favor, and why? They have heard them as they passed along the streets with their thin, squeaky, rasping tones, and have formed their idea of present day talking machines from hearing those that have sorely needed expert attention. The keeping of machines in perfect condition is, to our minds, a very important matter and should demand the serious attention of every talking machine man in this trade. If it were a part of the talking machine man's regular campaign to send out a salesman to adjust machines and show records it would stimulate the sale of both machines and records, and, furthermore, it would Increase the sale of cabinets, because there are many tliousauds of owners of talking ma chines who have not to-day a proper place for the storing of their records. They do not understand that there are so many beautiful and novel receptacles created in which can be placed a great number of records, having them always within easy reach and perfectly tabulated so that no time is lost in making a selection. THERE are many ways in which trade can be legitimately advanced, and it will pay everyone interested to sit down and ponder and figure out new lines and new methods so that the business may be increased. Every trade can be encouraged and developed in such times if the correct principles are applied and the store environment should be the first consideration; then the condition of stock in the store and condition of stock in the homes of the customers; then the increase in the sales of records. All of these principles, if properly applied, will encourage and stimulate business. To say that the laws of demand are so immutable that all a dealer or manufacturer can do is to adapt himself to them, has been controverted by the experience of many successful business men. It is one thing to create and it is quite another to sell and keep a patented article in condition so that it will attract new friends and admirers. IN order to be a successful dealer or a successful salesman one must understand human nature fairly well, that is both the brain and heart sides, and he should know the goods that he sella in all their usefulness in pleasure-giving qualities. In the talking machine line he should know all about the possibilities of the machine. There is no question as to his success if he is firmly grounded in the fundamental knowledge of what the talking machine can do in the way of creating joy and amusement in the household. INSTEAD of sitting down and indulging in indigo colored trade talks, it is far better to have a good ginger talk on how to brace up business, and we have made a few suggestions which, if adopted generally, we believe will result in increasing the talking machine business. There is no better way to develop business than to interest people in it, and the interest of the purchasing public in talking machines should not be pei'mitted to languish in the slightest degree. On the contrary, it should be maintained well up to standard pitch. The manufacturers, too, should do their part in keeping the talking machines well before the purchasing public, for it must be admitted that advertising of all kinds is a powerful accelerating force in the production of business. If we were to cut out advertising of a, special product for a few months its effect would be depressing upon that special industry, and it would take a vast sum of money to enable the trade to recover the ground lost in that comparatively short time. SUCCESS in business depends largely upon the motive power behind it, and if the talking machine men are to sit down supinely and nurture the thought that business is dull and therefore it will not pay to exert themselves largely the result will be a constantly depreciating trade, and the year instead of being satisfactory as it should be, will be vastly disappointing. Let us be up and doing; advertise, hustle, smile, do things. Of course we must restore confidence, and there is no quicker way to restore it than to quit talking about t)ad times and hustle for business,