The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1914)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 13 letters a day, it is but reasonable to suppose that he does not consider any of them seriously. A great portio'n of them reach the waste basket without even so much as having them scanned by the merchant to whom they are addressed. The expense of this kind of advertising is tremendous when we consider the preparation of the circulars and the time spent in getting them ready to mail. The postage bills all mount up, and the result is that many who have tried this form of advertising are not satisfied with the results obtained Trade papers with a legitimate circulation receive careful attention from the same class of merchants who would cast the circular into the waste basket without glancing at it. And why ? Because the trade paper represents an organized attention center and medium of publicity comparable to a clearing house or public market. The merchant knows that there is a variety of information contained in the trade papers and a large portion of it is extremely valuable to him in his business, and he objects to being flooded with circulars, and incidentally the advertisers are beginning to find this system unsatisfactory. WE know of some men who have sent as many as six circular letters to the same individual, and when they sent a representative to call upon him, he did not recall having received a communication from the house, and so this kind of literature did not even help the salesman ; whereas the same money expended in a trade paper would have attracted attention. Proof of that is seen in the returns which advertisers receive from trade papers of reputation and standing. The Talking Machine World in this respect occupies an unique position. It is the only paper reaching the talking machine trade, and it is read by thousands of people monthly who look upon it as the only medium from which to secure a fund of information obtainable from no other source. We are in constant receipt of letters from subscribers who say they could not keep their business house in order without The World — that they would even pay $10 a year for it rather than be without it. We also are receiving constantly letters from advertisers who express themselves as pleased with the results obtained through advertising in its columns. Talking machine jobbers do not use The World in the way which they should. It circulates among their local trade, and yet many of them do not patronize it through a false conception of the business situation. Some figure that the manufacturers should do the advertising while they sit back and enjoy the results That is the kind of policy which some of them adopt. Others — the most progressive — continue to use the columns of The World and they are getting results. They are going far ahead of their competitors, who, through their trade narrowing vision and lack of progressiveness fail to improve the avenues which lie open to them. Hereis an extract from a communication from a well-known New York jobber, Silas E. Pearsall Co., who does not hesitate to credit The World with results : "'Emergency calls require special treatment and the shortage of records in the talking machine trade brought about a condition that made the Pearsall stock exceptionally valuable to the trade. There were several ways of reaching the people we desired to acquaint with the fine condition of our stock and we tried all of them. The way that brought best results was the way of The Talking Machine World. The terse advertisement in The World added a great many customers to our already large list and added them within two weeks after our advertisement was placed, in the February number." That is a communication from a business house which has tried the business building powers of The World with excellent results. Others can secure the same results,/for The World is a paper for everybody in the talking machine trade. HP HE last issue of Good Storekeeping, commenting upon trade JL papers as a class, takes occasion to single out The World as a wonderful publication. It says, editorially : "There is not a branch of modern business but has one or more publications devoted to it. It is difficult to understand how enough information can be procured to make all the papers interesting to their readers, especially in some cases where the field of discussion appears to be so limited. For instance, one would wonder where The Talking Machine World could possibly find enough material to fill its columns. Still Edward Lyman Bill, its publisher, makes this paper one of the most readable of the trade publications. How would the average editor like the job of getting out a sixty-page magazine every month on the single subject — the little talking machine?" The constructive force of this publication is unquestioned and is not denied by the business builders of this industry. IN the light of Governmental activity against restricting agreements in this country, the business practices of some other countries are most interesting. Consider this news from Uruguay: The wholesale merchants of Montevideo have decided to enter into a ten-year mutual agreement, with liberty to extend it for another five years, to regulate trade operations. Control of the agreement is to be intrusted to a committee consisting of a bank manager and four importers, who will inflict a fine of $2,000 for any infringement of the agreement. Some of the principal clauses of the agreement follow : Sales are not to be effected on credits exceeeding six months. Goods sold must be invoiced in the same month, it being forbidden to deliver them in one month and date the invoice another. A maximum of 6 per cent, discount to be allowed to purchasers paying for goods before the 15th of the month following the sale. Payments made in the same month as the sale to be entitled to an extra discount of one-half of 1 per cent. Interest at 12 per cent, to be charged on any notes renewed. Delivery of goods on consignment prohibited. 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