Playback - Summer 2008 - (Page 12)

A Legacy of Service Through the years, the Billings family business has taken on many forms. One thing that has never changed, though, is the courtesy with which they treat their customers. THe BILLINGS FAMILY • STeINWAY PIANO GALLerY NAPLeS, FLA. • MADISON, WIS. While Greg admits that his father’s TV show played a big part in the store’s success, he also credits his dad’s strong sense of service. “The most important thing I learned from my father had nothing to do with the piano. It was how to treat people. I learned to treat everyone with the same dignity—from the customer who drives up in a Bentley to the piano tuner. It’s something I saw him do every day.” Even after Zeb sold Billings Piano and Organ, Greg carried that important lesson with him in his own music retail businesses. Now the owner of Steinway Piano Gallery in Naples, Fla., he’s leveraging his dad’s marketing savvy. Greg’s local cable show, Steinway Piano Showcase, is a favorite—and a boon to sales. “It’s dirt cheap and very effective,” says Greg. “One of my salesmen has sold 15 pianos since September to people he’s enrolled in his class—all of whom responded to the TV show.” Grant Billings, 38, worked with his father, Greg, at the Naples store before opening his own Steinway Piano Gallery in Madison, Wis., last September. The father and son stay in constant contact, though Greg says he makes a point of staying “out of his son’s way.” “I’ve been both the son and the father in a multigenerational business, so I have both perspectives,” says Greg. “It can really open doors for you, but it also increases expectations. Grant needs to have the spotlight on him up there [in Wisconsin].” Grant is enjoying his role at the helm of his own business, and still uses much of what he learned from Greg to guide him. “My dad always told me to be fair, friendly and firm … in life and in business,” says Grant. “You apply it to everybody: your customers, your vendors, your movers. The first time he said that to me I didn’t even remotely understand how profound those words were. It’s basically the golden rule of business.” A well-known Milwaukee musician, Zeb Billings performed in clubs by night and ran a small piano business by day. Hoping to capitalize on his celebrity in the community, Zeb convinced the local NBC affiliate to let him produce his own half-hour music show. The TV station ultimately agreed, giving him the worst time slot available: Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. Fortunately, this was the early 1960s, and the program preceded the Vince Lombardi Show—just as the Green Bay Packers were headed into their glory years. Before he knew it, Zeb had a hit show on his hands and his modest music business had grown into the largest piano and organ store in Wisconsin. “It was a phenomenon,” recalls his son Greg, 58. “Dealers came from all over the country just to find out why this guy was so successful selling home organs.” Feature Story • Page 12

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Playback - Summer 2008

Playback - Spring 2008 Contents From the President NAMM Events Music in the News The Local Community Music Store: A Family Affair Commercial Retail Washington Watch Reps in the Field New Domestic Members International NAMM Foundation Music Notes Resources Viewpoint Playback Supplement : Summer NAMM08 Concerts & Events Artist Appearances What to See NAMM University Sessions

Playback - Summer 2008

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