Buying a business

Carl Root rootfamily@erols.com
Fri, 03 Apr 1998 15:35:05 -0500


Don wrote:
> 
> Hi Wally,
> 
> I once purchased another local tuners *list*. It was, for me, a poor
> investment.

Sorry to here that.  I wrote a PTJ article back in 1989 or so on this
subject.  The keys are record keeping and tuning fee and quality
continuity. 

If your fees are a fair amount higher than the tuner whose clientel you
are buying, many clients may not make the transfer to you.  If they are
roughly the same, but the quality of your work is not up to previous
standards, there could be some problems.  

Good customer service records can show the precise value of each client
to a new technician.  If I was buying your clientel, I would want to
know the quality and condition of the instrument, driving time to get
there, ease of scheduling, and, most importantly, how often the piano
has been serviced.  

Buying someone else's modest sized clientel back in 1974 was the best
investment I ever made.  Most technicians I knew at the time told me I
was crazy.


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