Salespeople vs. Technicians

[James Grebe]

----------
> From: Richard Anderson <tknostf@foxvalley.net>
> To: pianotech@byu.edu
> Subject: Re: Salespeople vs. Technicians
> Date: Tuesday, March 18, 1997 3:22 AM
>
> All who have posted on this issue are correct because our opinions are
> based only on what we have experienced ourselves. I did business on a
> hand shake basis for 15 years with no problems. Then, in the last two
> years I had three customers (all the same age, gender, and ethnic
> background interestingly) take advantage of me to the tune of about
> $10,000. That's not lost business but money that I earned and they took
> away one way or another. That's money that would have started a
> retirement fund or would educate my children.
>
> All of my business policies and terms on my contracts are as a direct of
> a problem with a customer at some time. I always give the customer the
> benefit of the doubt to start, but I learned the hard way that I need to
> look out my interests first. There are plenty of nice folks out there,
> it's disappointing that we have to work so hard to avoid the other ones.
>
>
> Richard Anderson
> Elgin, IL
> I have found that in many cases the poorest people are usually the
quickest payers and usually in cash!  I carry 3X5 index cards with me
having all the pertinent info on the client, piano, and past service.  I
also carry with me the cards of people who are going to send money after I
leave.  In 34+ years I can count with the fingers of one hand the clients
who have beat me out of money.  The first one was in the mid 60's on a
replacement of plastic elbows job.  The bill was for $45.  I still remember
the name (The Circle Lounge) and is long gone out of business.  The last on
was in 1987 to a lounge player in St. Charles, Mo for $90.00 (2 tunings).
I carry that card in my briefcase still with all my current debtors.  I
have been pretty aggressive thru the years to keep losing money to a
minimum.  In the 70's I did some action work for a Rev. Mayberry at an
A.M.E. church in south St. Louis.  The bill came to $75.00.  After many
repeated phone calls to the Rev with no success I bided my time.  I knew
what kind of car he had and one day when I passed his church I did not see
his car but there was another car there.  It was the janitors.  I rang the
bell and the janitor answered and let me in.  I told him I had more work to
do on the piano action.  I quickly removed the action and told him to have
Rev. Mayberry call me when he got in.  It was 2 weeks before I got a call
from the church when one of the elders from there called me and wanted to
know why I stole the piano action.  I recounted the whole story to him and
that afternoon met him at the church where I re-installed the action and
got my $75. in cash.  Evidently the Rev. had done this kind of thing
before.  This was the most brazen tactic I have ever used but it did work.
It usually pays for new clients to know that your work is COD.
James Grebe from St. Louis
pianoman@inlink.com