piano scams

[Lance Lafargue]

Wow Ralph.  Well put!  I appreciate your ramblin' and will keep that post,
maybe hang it in my shop.  I think service guys can ponder these thoughts
and apply it to their business philosophies, too.  There's a new owner of a
dealership here.  Previously this dealership had the worst reputation in
the area, lots of truckload sales,etc., no service, you bought it, you're
stuck with it.  I hope the new guy is intelligent.  I'd like to send a copy
of your post to him.  Wonder what his approach will be.  Thanks for the
ramblin'!! 
Lance Lafargue, RPT
New Orleans Chapter
Covington, LA.
lafargue@iamerica.net

----------
> From: ralph m martin <rmartin30@juno.com>
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: piano scams
> Date: Friday, November 14, 1997 11:01 AM
> 
> Hi all
> 
> As some of you know, I was a pretty good-sized piano and organ dealer for
> years. ....
> if you condider 26 stores "good-sized". I, in no way, condone misleading
> ads OR sales. As a matter of fact I was apposed to a sale of ANY kind.
> Price alone is always a poor closing argument. A great number of keyboard
> salepeople AND dealers are really not sales people in the strict sense of
> the word and, resultantly, rely almost wholly on reducing the price in
> order to make a sale.
> 
> There are a number of situations that can cause an otherwisw honest
> dealer to involve himself in these sordid practices. These, in my mind,
> are no excuse but they should be mentioned.For instance, I have heard
> dealers told, in no uncertain terms, by manufacturer's reps that the
> manufacturer needs more volume from the area and that, if the dealer
> cannot supply it or expand his operation, he would have to share his line
> with another dealer. 
> 
> The poor guy's whole life and investment is poured into this place and he
> panics and 
> tries all kinds of schemes to move merchandise quickly so that he may
> protect his investment. Wrong!....but panic breeds all kinds of wrong
> moves.
> 
> Sometimes the poor guy can't even may the coming month's overhead and he
> is threatened with going out of business....and he panics and attempts to
> save his business and family by whatever means he can think of.
> 
> I am not defending poor and/or shady business practice. I'm merely
> pointing out how these things sometimes come about. It's sad, really. 
> 
> Sometimes the guy is just plain crooked...but not always!
> 
> Manufacturers have much the same problems...only in a bigger way. They
> want to keep all their help and their help is creating X many units per
> year. They've GOTTA DUMP THEM. They can't eat them.
> 
> I had a long talk with a dealer about ten years ago who was complaining
> bitterly that 
> "....all customers walking through my door today are looking for
> impossible discounts.". I asked him to show me all the previous year's
> ads. No surprise!!...they were all discount ads. He, blindly, was
> spending his money advertising for the  type of customer he didn't want!
> 
> At the risk of being redundant, I do not support any kind of shady or
> misleading advertisement or business practices. Rather, I'm just trying
> to paint a picture of what,
> sometimes,  precipitates this kind of action. It's very easy to take
> shots at these guys, but until you have a couple of million bucks
> invested in a business of this size, you'll never know how you'd behave
> under some of these circumstances. 
> 
> I also ran, years ago, the highest yeild per square foot of any Conn
> organ dealer in the world. I say this not to "blow my own horn" but,
> rather to relate how it was done. I NEVER discounted two cents on ANY
> piece of merchandise. This is especially interesting when you understand
> that I was literally surrounded by dealers who were advertising ...." 40%
> off all merchandise in our store". I also never ran an ad that named a
> price. I never sold an organ in my life.....I sold MUSIC...and the
> creation of it.
> 
> I know...I'm ramlin' along here and nobody cares about the ramblin' of an
> old dude like me....they'll just continue to discount and trade
> themselves out of business.
> 
> regards
> 
> Ralph Martin