My exp. with adv.

[Wallace Scherer]

Hi everybody,

Since some of you have been telling of your experiences with advertising, I
thought I'd share some of mine too, especially since it has been in the
forefront of my thinking these last two years I have been in business.

I did a survey on this list about a year and a half ago about yellow pages
advertising. The consensus was that it IS important to have your piano
tuning business listed, but not necessarily cost effective to have a
display ad unless there is some unusual aspect of the business you want to
emphasize. I missed the deadline that first year, but good thing - my phone
number was changed two months later. The new directory is coming out right
now with my listing at the top (A-1 Piano Service). We'll see if that
produces any increased business. I have already received two calls, but
they wanted to talk about other things, not piano tuning.

I have used the Community Phone Book, a localized private phone book
company, but have not seen that it was cost effective; maybe five jobs in a
year's time. The listing cost me nearly $400. I'm trying it one more year.
I have also looked into other private yellow page type publications like
The Shepherd's Guide, but investigation leads me to believe it is not used
enough to be cost effective. One piano teacher who advertised in that one
said she got only one call all year.

Newspapers are out of the question in this large (1 million) metropolitan
area. Even the classified "service directory" section costs $60 for a week
for three lines. But a shoppers' guide type of weekly paper has produced
some good leads and a few jobs. It only costs me $10 a month for four runs.
It will generally bring me $60 for every $30 invested. Not great, but
something for a start up business.

I tried radio; had a spot for a month on each of two stations; one was a
Christian talk station, the other an all news station. The work they
brought in only paid for the ads, but I am hoping for repeat business from
the same customers. I am thinking about doing a cooperative ad with other
tuners to increase awareness of the need for regular tuning and maintenance
of pianos. It would be aimed at the Dr. Laura crowd.

I also had a coupon in the program guide of the local public radio station.
It ran one month and brought in two jobs. Paid $215 for the ad and got $150
in business. Not worth it for me at this point.

I have sent letters to the members of a local piano teachers organization
and have attended some of their meetings, since I also do some teaching. I
have an ad in their directory ($20). Altogether this has only brought me
business from two teachers out of 100 members, but one is also giving me
referrals.

I sent letters to the music teachers of a school system which doesn't use
the bid system but got no direct business from that. 

The most cost effective method I have found for building my business is to
print up some flyers about my business and go door to door in good
neighborhoods, asking if they have pianos, and if they do, asking for their
business. I have found that in houses where there are pianos, one third of
them are already being tuned regularly, one third of them are not being
used and the owners are not interested in their being tuned, and one third
will either sign up for an appointment right then, or will consider it for
the near future. I estimate there are about 6000 pianos in the latter
category in my service area. So the work is there; I just have to find it.

Other customers have come from: 
1. my church (word of mouth)
2. the Christian school where my wife teaches and my daughter attends      
 (have also used an ad in the school newspaper) 
3. the music school where my other daughter teaches

One nearby music store (not a piano store) has let me place my business
cards there. I have gotten two jobs from that; I pay the store $5 for each
customer they refer to me. 

The sign on my car has brought me a few jobs too. It was a one time expense
but keeps making contact with the public every day. When I park at a
customer's house, I try to park where the sign is most visible. Same goes
when I park at a shopping center.

Advertising is important to any new business, so we have to keep looking
for ways to increase our customer base without paying more for advertising
than the business it brings us. No one method is best for everybody, but
together they reinforce each other to do the job.

Then, of course, as has been mentioned many times on this list, we need to
do a good job for our customers so that they will have no qualms about
recommending us to others.

Wally Scherer, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
E-mail: WallyTS@iName.com (Please use this new address now!)
Web page: http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/2411
"Old piano tuners don't die - they just go beatless."