The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1908)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 21 FROM OUR CHICAGO HEADQUARTERS 195-197 WABASH AVENUE, E. P. VAN HARLINGEN, MANAGER. Article on Salesmanship Attracted Wide Attention— Mr. Prestenary Relates Some "Experiences"— How He Secured the ZephyrLike Tone — Some Pointers on Commercial Machines — The Knoxville Phonograph Co.'s Clever Advertising — Manager Takes His Son in Partnership— Eckland's Headquarters Now in Detroit — Talking Machine Co.'s Fine Showing — Herriman's Plan of Selling Talking Machines — Carelton Moves to Joliet — Feinberg to Marry — Victor Men Visiting Central West — Business Steadily Improving — Many Visitors at Babson Bros.' Big Palace. (Special to The Talking Marhlnp World.) Chicago, 111., Feb. 8, 1908. In the western department of the Talking Machine World there recently appeared a lengthy article on salesmanship, by a well known retail talking machine salesman. It was an able effort and attracted a great deal of attention, but your representative has been pleased to notice that it was not the generalizations which the article contained which received the most attention, excellent and practical though they were, but the concrete instances of sales which the writer cited. Now the comment on these instances has not been uniform. Some approved of the salesman's methods, others said they would not have handled the customers that way, but tbe point is that the article has called forth a great deal of discussion and anything which gets people to analyzing and discussing on such a vital matter as the making of sales is bound to be of the greatest benefit to all concerned. I would like to see the World establish a regular monthly symposium on "How I Made the Sale," or a title of similar import, and if this is done I will see to it that Chicago and the West gets a fair representation. Of course such a -department would be open to everybody — to the dealer or salesman in the smaller country towns as well as the large centers. Whether or not the editor adopts this suggestion as a permanent thing perhaps he will allow me to hand out a few sample stories right now. In charge of the phonographic language course department and also of the Edison retail salesroom on the first floor of Lyon & Healy's is a polished gentleman by the name of Prestenary. He is not a Hercules in physique and he speaks just about forty-leven different languages, but neither failing prevents him from making a few sales now and then. "Prestenary made a mighty good sale the other day and under rather peculiar circumstances; better see him about it," said liberal-minded Joe Vesey to me. I saw Prestenary. He's modest and it took a douljle-threaded corkscrew to get the story out of him. but I got it. A week or so ago a gentleman of considerable wealth and rampageous nerves called on Mr. Prestenary and said he wanted to see about getting a phonograph or talking machine, or something, but that everything in the line he had seen or rather heard was too confoundedly loud. The salesman smoothed him down, intimated suavely that he guessed he had come to the right place, and put on a nice little orchestral selection, one of these pianissimo chaps. The customer lumped right into the air and stayed there for several minutes. "Too loud, entirely too loud, pretty piece, but like 3,961 Gabriels tooting their horns at once," said he of the nerves. "Why it simply makes my spinal column curl. Haven't you got a softer machine than that?" Prestenary had a mellotone attachment handy and put it in the horn and put on a violin solo that is naturally like the gentle sighing of a summer zephyr. "Oh, it's a shade better, but man do you want to send me to a padded cell right now?" Prestenary didn't, and said so, furthermore remarking that he wouldn't, but he was nearly at his wits' end. Then a heaven-born inspiration came his way. Switching to another machine and trotting the , "mello-tone" along he managed, while the customer wasn't looking, to detach the horn and slip some cotton into the reproducer. Then he replaced the horn and put another record on. The previous proceedings were longer drawn out and entailed the playing of more records than this account would seem to indicate, and he was therefore enabled to strike the man's musical taste exactly. When the strains of a song well-loved by he of the nerves, came wafting from the horn with a volume of tone similar to that of an unusually vague telepathic message the customer sat down, closed his eyes, heaved a sob of contentment and said this: "You've got me." Then Prestenary gave a brief but comprehensive lecture on the phonograph, its construction and the acoustic principles involved. • He also explained to him the little cotton stunt. The man bought the machine and records, the outfit aggregating aborut $75, and came down with a check for the full amount Then after inviting the polite, but not obsequious salesman to dine with him that night, and attend the grand opera with him the following evening, he went away soothed and comforted and happy — just because the salesman knew enough of human nature and had enough displomacy to handle the man properly and to understand him. It takes a pretty high order of salesmanship to sell dictation machines. If you don't believe it try it. W. W. Parsons, of the Columbia Co., is Special Notice to Dealers During January, 1908, we referred to our dealers 653 INQUIRIES February and March will exceed this — in all probability GET IN LINE Write for our Booklet of Testimonials and information how you can increase your business at our expense. ''There IS a I^eason'' BABSON BROTHERS ''THE PEOPLE WITH THE GOODS'' G, M. NISBETT, Mgr. 'Wholesale 19th St, Marshall BouL * California Ave., Chicago, Ills.