The talking machine world (Jan-Dec 1915)

THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD. 9 If we study the future opportunities of the talking machine it will be found that they are practically illimitable, purely as a complement to the American home equipment, aside from its sales possibilities as an educational factor. When we consider for a moment that the opposition to the talking machine has been overcome by the very eloquence of the product itself, and that the avenues of distribution have materially widened by reason of the annihilation of that opposition, it will be seen that the sales possibilities are vast indeed. No locality is oversold notwithstanding the enormous sales which have been made. There is no spot in all America that has been half worked, and there is on every hand undeveloped and unworked territory which should afford the progressive man satisfactory profits. IN all lines of human endeavor there is evidenced a new spirit — a will be found, that they have grown at an astonishing rate — really for no other reason than that it has been found that the business is profitable. It affords good returns, does not require great capital to establish, and with complete price protection, there is no underselling of the small man by the large one. In brief, there is a good incentive for everyone to do his part in trade development. The individual profit on a sale does not mean a cutting off of future business. On the contrary, it means nothing more nor less than the development of new and profitable business which comes through the sale of records. If every dealer will adopt the plan of sending around salesmen to old customers to ascertain if their machines are working satisfactorily, and at the same time exhibit new records, they will come away with a bunch of orders which will be paralyzing. Old customers can be made to pay as well as the new, and there is where the business should be taken care of in a better way than it is by many at the present time. Old customers in point of record business are frequently neglected. The mere matter of sending out record lists for the month does not suffice. There is too much attractive matter of various kinds sent through the mail to-day to have any which smacks of advertising receive fair consideration. But if a salesman calls representing a house, it shows at once that the house is interested in the old customer, that it is looking after his needs, and a trial of new records means good orders. It means increased business right along. The liking for music may be encouraged, and it means boiled down a strangle hold on old trade, and not letting anyone get by. There are opportunities in the talking machine trade which are wonderful, and it is small wonder that a lot of young, energetic men are coming into the business because they can see that it has moneymaking possibilities, and these possibilities are increased by reason of the fact that stocks are non-depreciable by reason of a fixed price SB system which is just to all, and a protection to the public as well. The maintenance of that system is of vital interest to all in the trade, and if anyone in the talking machine trade neglects to impress upon his Congressman that the passage of the Stevens Bill means business stability to many trades, then he is not doing his full duty to himself or to his family. Just remember that ! T N all lines of human endeavor there is evidenced a new spirit — a 1 spirit of co-operation. If we analyze the inner conditions of every industry we will find there an obvious desire on the part of the creating and distributing forces to co-operate. The reason of this has been to produce greater efficiency, to eliminate waste and to work together with clearer views and a better appreciation of each other's position. Co-operation is a broad and comprehensive word, and one of the most powerful illustrations of just what co-operation means, is evidenced in the special holiday advertising put forth by the Victor Talking Machine Co. In all of the principal cities in the land there has been carried on a definite, clean-cut campaign of publicity, by which page advertisements have appeared in the leading dailies. All of this attractive publicity has appeared without the name of the Victor Talking Machine Co. or its address being connected with the advertising. It has been simply a great co-operative plan of Victor publicity involving a vast expenditure of money, which has carried a knowledge of the entertaining possibilities of the Victor product into millions of homes. It has whetted the appetite of thousands of purchasers for talking machines, and as a result of this great outlay, Victor representatives in every city and hamlet in the land have profited in a practical sense. It would have been easy to have saved this money, because it is known that the factory is not advertising to sell its present product, which is oversold, but this co-operative work, involving a vast sum of money has been carried on so that the dealers themselves have profited in Victor prosperity. It has made the people of the United States sit and think talking machines. Great co-operative work indeed ! INTELLIGENT advertising is a proposition that enables a man to become rich with the help of the multiplication table. The manufacturer or business man can establish universal demand for his product with the aid of advertising, and sales can be multiplied in direct proportion to his advertising. AN analysis of the advertising pages of the magazines of great circulation and of the daily papers shows that the holiday publicity of the talking machine manufacturers eclipses that of almost any other line save that of automobiles. Small wonder that the talking machine leads at Christmas. THE SILAS E. PEARSALL CO. has established record service whereby every dealer will secure every record desired. Any Victor catalog of records is representative of the Pearsall stock, and we are offering individualized attention for quick action on small orders. You cannot have too many numbers of the more popular selections, for records are becoming more and more fashionable as holiday gifts. EARSALL VICTOR SERVICE THE SILAS E. PEARSALL CO. 18 W. 46th St. (near Fifth Ave.) New York, N. Y.