The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1911)

The Talking Machine World VoL 7. No. 9, CONFIDENCE IN ADVERTISING. Confidence the Basic Principle of Wliole Commercial Structure Says E. R. Scott in Address Before Des Moines Admen's Club — What Confidence Means Under Various Conditions Rather Interestingly Defined. Confidence is the basic principle underlying our entire business structure. Take confidence out of our business and what have we left? Nothing but a shell; the meat is gone. Confidence then is an essential in good advertising for the same reason that confidence is an essential in any other business, for advertising is a business — not a game. There may be instances in which advertising is a game, but with men who work at it — who study it, the word game hardly fits. With all of us advertising is a business, it is our means of earning a livelihood and when the teacher asks my son what his father works at I would feel somewhat abashed if he should answer, "Oh, my pop does not work, he plays the advertising game." Would a man be a good farmer if he had no confidence that the seed he planted would grow? Would he plow well, plant well and cultivate well? No, he would not. It is the confidence he has that makes him a good farmer. He knows that if he does his part the crop will be his reward. If the engineer on the Twentieth Century Limited lacked confidence you would not care to ride on his train. But he has confidence — confidence in himself, confidence "in his engine, confidence in the steel, confidence in the roadbed and confidence in the dispatcher who keeps the track clear. Why can one man go to a banker and get the Icjtn of a large sum of money when another man wit!) ({itater assets and less liabilities cannot. Confidence does it. The banker knows his man. I step into your store, make a purchase and hand you II clieck in payment. If you do not know me you look me over carefully and — refuse the check. You prefer to keep the goods — you say I don't like the looks of that fellow — you lack confidence. A salesman takes his trunk and starts over his territory. He calls on John Jones. If Jones is a stranger to him, he does not inmiediately say, "Come, look at my samples." He begins to work for Jones' confidence. He knows that even if the goods are right and the prices right, Jones must liave conlidence in him and his house or he will not get the order. Confidence, then, is the key to the situation. It furnishes the energy or spur for the farmer. It leads the railroad engineer to brave danger. Confidence causes the banker to risk fortunes in his investments. Confidence is the most potent factor in the salesman's success and confidence is the essential of advertising. Without confidence there would be no advertisng. VICTROLA AND PLAYER=PIANO Used Together in Recitals at Hahne & Co. Store, Newark, N. J. — The Columbia Line with the Armstrong Piano Co. — A Free Record Offer the Subject of Some Comment. (Special to The Talking Machine VVoiid.) Newark, N. J., Sept. 11, 1911. An interesting feature of the celebration of their fifty-third anniversary by Hahne & Co., the prominent department store proprietors of this city, last week, were the daily concerts given in the auditorium connected with the piano department. On three days the Victrola was used to reproduce the voices of the great opera artists, the piano accompaniment being furnished by a Hardman Autotone. The player-pianist, Le Roy H. Moon, had complete control of his instrument and the effect of the combination aroused the enthusiasm of the large audiences, Many of those present did not believe New York, September J 5, \9\\. it was possible to carry out such a plan and their surprise was well worth noting. The Armstrong Piano Co., who recently secured the agency for the Columbia Co. line, have given over the entire second floor of their building to the "talker" department and are displaying every model of horn machines and Grafonolas. They have had two sound-proof demonstrating rooms fitted up in connection with the main display room and report that the business has been such as to fully warrant the opening of the new department. A certain dealer on Broad street has stirred up some bitter feeling in the local talking machine trade by offering to give an Indestructible record free with every purchase of three records at the usual price. The offer extends to five records free with every purchase of a dozen. AN AUTOMATIC SALESMAN. Motion Picture Machine for Use of Travelers Now Being Manufactured. To bring a machine to the buyer's office and to show it in action without the noise and grime of the factory is virtually what is suggested by the Motionscope Co. This enterprising company manufactures a motion picture machine of a size fitting into a salesman's traveling case, but in addition to enabling the salesman to enter a prospect's office and give a demonstration of the machine in operation, it is pointed out that films may be shipped to prospective buyers when it may not be necessary to send the entire machine. Then the film can be shown at the regular motion picture institution of tlie neighborhood .it little cost. The picture machine is equipped with an attachment for showing single slides, which, of course, may be colored or may be reproductions of drawings to elucidate features of the design not conveniently explained with the motion picture. Of course, with a motion picture machine the reels may be stopped at any point and a definite operation .studied with care. The possibilities of the application of the motion picture machine are, of course, great, and it is interesting to add that the company have had such a degree of success in introducing the machine that on October 1 they expect to have a plant of double present capacity for turning out films, slides .and picture machines. HANDLING DIFFICULT PROSPECTS. The Salesman Uses Diplomacy and Skill to In terest an Irascible Customer. There are few talking machine salesmen who have not come across in their time a class of customers difficult to please, and who apparently come to scoff instead of to buy — the kind of customer that tries one's patience. This class of customer is not confined to the female gender, but more frequently is found among the opposite sex. G. H. Putnam, who doubtless has had some experience in this line, in writing on this subject says: "Most people are subject to moods which they control with difficulty or not at all. But the man of moods and explosive temperament, after he has made an exhibition of himself and perhaps gone to the extreme of ill manners and abuse in dealing with a salesman, is, unless he is thoroughly hardened, sure to swing back to the opposite mood, often with a tinge of regret for his unmannerly conduct. "This is the salesman's opportunity. It is to judge his man and quietly but abruptly leave him, that is, if he is permitted to do so — in some cases the salesman's going may be hurried. Then he should estimate the time for his return. "It is useless to try at once to overcome a man who has lost his temper or happens to be in ill humor, but the politely persistent salesman should keep at his prospective customer until the explosion comes, then quickly make his exit, Price Ten Cents. "After an hour, or two, or, even better in most instances the next day, he may return and then he will probably find the man in a better humor and generally more than ready to make amends. "The salesman who understands this tendency of human nature to react, and makes the most of it, will be able to land many a customer who would otherwise escape him. "While it may hardly seem honorable purposely to lead a man into such a situation, it is certainly consistent with business ethics to take advantage of the better mood and the almost certain tinge of remorse that follows when a man makes a fool of himself." "RECORD" OF INDIAN PRAYER. Two Redmen Contribute to French Gramophone Archives of Languages. A dispatch from Paris says that a curious experiment was made with great success at the Sorbonne a few days ago. Recently the French Minister of Public Instruction authorized the creation of a public oflice in which arrangements were made for the storing of the archives of language on gramaphone records. Special plates were made for the record, and it is hoped to preserve a complete collection of all languages and every dialect in use in the world at the beginning of this twentieth century. Just now a number of Redskins are on show at the Jardin d'Acclimation in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, and the management has been asked to induce two of the chiefs to consent to speak into the gramaphone. They have been induced to do so, but not without difficulty. When they were told that the prayer which they were asked to speak into the great trumpetlike receiver would be repeated in two centuries to other ears by means of the apparatus they refused to have anything to do with it. When they did consent they made a number of conditions. The prayer they selected was the one with which they conjure the divinities of evil. Before they would agree to speak it they arrayed themselves in all manner of charms and fetiches against the Evil One and lesser devils, and they would not speak into the gramaphone at all until they were allov>ed to hold a loaded revolver in their right hands while so doing. At the first experiment one of the chiefs was so alarmed by the preliminary whirr of the instrument that he fired six revolver shots into it and smashed it to pieces. Another gramaphone was brought, however, and the redskins' prayer is now on record in the archives, with the languages and dialects of Sweden, South America, China and even of Montmartre. USED A PHONOGRAPH. Miss Dwight Learned Her "Seven Days" Lines from the Records. Miss Maquita Dwight, who will be with one of the Wagenhals & Kemper "Seven Days" productions this coming sceason, became familiar with her part in a ciueer way. She was visiting a friend in the country and, the day before rehearsals were called, this friend was taken ill. ^\liss Dwight could not leave her. The actress notified her managers of her predicament and they had a number of phonograph records, recording Miss Dwight's lines, made. These they sent her, and when Miss Dwight reached New York a few days ago she was thoroughly familiar with her role, having learned the lines from the records. Keep your windows in spick and span condition. If trimmed often and attractively, they are a mighty working power for your store's good^ they work all the time,