Dialing For Dollars

[tune4u@earthlink.net]

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Some time ago, I started a thread about calling for appointments, =
dealing with cold inquiries, and winning out over =
cut-throat-rate-cutters and other "tooners." Many were kind enough to =
respond. I just went through the posts and cleaned them up a bit. Here =
is the consolidated info, for any who are interested.

Alan Barnard
Salem, MO

DIALING FOR DOLLARS

Telephone call: "How much do you charge to tune a piano?" I try to =
always answer a question like this with another question. In this case I =
would probably respond with something like.. "Do you have a piano that =
needs tuning ?" They might respond with a simple "yes" To which I might =
reply, ".and what makes you feel it needs tuning now ?" They perhaps =
might comment on some aural discomfort they are experiencing when =
playing the instrument. To which an appropriate response might be on the =
lines of "Did your mother neglect you when you were a child ?" I would =
continue thus until I had dug up enough information to be able to ask =
any price I wanted.=20
1. I always ask how long it has been since last tuning, and about how =
the piano might need a pitch raise. I ask them if they can play the =
piano over the phone so that I can establish some sense of where the =
pitch might be. When done, they have some idea if the piano will need a =
pitch raise, how many pitch raises, and how much it will cost on top of =
the tuning. I absolutely HATE sitting at a piano and having to tell the =
customer that it is going to cost more than I thought! 2. No. Often the =
bozo will have low fees. If someone tells me that Tommy Tooner only =
charges $$(something significantly less than my fee), I think the best =
response is: "Tommy Tooner should know best what his services are =
worth". And leave it at that. 3. Do good, prompt work, charge a fair =
fee, shower in the morning, smile, and offer to put all their stupid =
&*%$ trash back on top of the piano when done servicing it. (And pray to =
the goddesses often!) I don't think there is much to do over the phone =
to get the caller's business. I think often if they don't use your =
services, it may be the case that it's better that way - you might =
regret it if you did get their business! I guess I'm just not very =
aggressive over the phone. I will quote my price right off, and if I =
hear a long silence, I'll then mention that often pianos that haven't =
been tuned in a while sometimes need a pitch raise, mentioning that =
there is no extra charge for this service. (My base price takes into =
account the occasional PR). I'll also tell the customer I don't charge =
for mileage, and if I feel its necessary, I'll tell them the first =
service includes a complete evaluation of their piano at no additional =
charge. If any additional work is needed, I indicate that I'll be able =
to tell them what a repair will cost when I see what is needed to fix =
it, and that they will know ahead of time the charge for any additional =
repairs. If by then they haven't committed to an appointment based on my =
fee, I probably don't want them as a customer anyway, as they are only =
shopping around for a cheap price. I'd rather have a customer become a =
regular because of the quality of my work and a friendly, informative =
manner than a low price. Price shoppers often have little loyalty and =
will leave you as quickly as they came for a lower figure.=20

I never badmouth another in the business. His/her work will speak for =
itself whether good or bad. It's not professional to talk in any but a =
positive way about a competitor, and if you can't be truthfully =
positive, say nothing.=20

A few simple rules apply here. Be courteous, friendly and professional =
both on the phone and in person. Take the time to explain to the =
customer (if they show interest) about their piano. Always be truthful =
and keep your promises, no one likes surprises especially where money is =
concerned=20

I answer the question. I don't worry about what the customer is going to =
do with the information. If they are price shopping, they will get what =
they want. It's not my problem that there is someone out there charging =
half price for doing crummy work. That's the customer's problem. If they =
can't tell the difference, they'll never call me back. Eventually, =
however, if they do know the difference, they'll call and ask me to =
tuner their piano, regardless of how much it cost. Just keep doing the =
best job you know how, and give the customer the information they =
request. Pretty soon you won't have to worry about the other "tooner" in =
town, because he'll have moved on to doing other things, like pumping =
gas, or mowing lawns.=20

I tell them a standard tuning is 80.00, or whatever you charge, like at =
1st.Baptist, Erskine College or somewhere I tune for at least on a =
yearly basis. (Throw some names that will give clout to your business ) =
Then I ask low long has it been since it's been tuned, and I will =
explain the pitch raise-option and my pricing for it. I use ballpark =
prices to some extent and explain that until I see the instrument that's =
all I can do. A dead key might be a broken key, a broken string, flange =
unglued, bad elbow, etc...which all carry different prices, if I only =
had a crystal ball. After years of experience, you can usually guess =
pretty close, from conversation. If it has been years since tuning, you =
know to prepare them for a pitch raise. Always ask first where they are =
calling from, and throw hints to someplace, or someone you service, that =
might influence them to do business with you. Usually, with price =
shoppers, I will try to tell the person that the first thing they should =
ask a piano tuner is: "Are you a member to the Piano Technicians Guild?" =
If this goes over ok, then I explain to them the advantages and the =
classifications we have. Also, I try to let them know that shopping for =
bargains in "Service" is not generally a good idea. I try to avoid =
talking about the local "schlocks" unless specifically asked and then I =
refer them to the first part of the conversation

I don't have a problem discussing price ... that's why they're calling =
in the first place. If they're price shopping, I'll lose. If they're =
trying to get a 'feel' for a person coming into their home, I win. It =
doesn't matter to me whether I get that 'cold call' or not. If the call =
is a referral, price doesn't matter. If it's a real cold call, I'll tell =
them as much as I can from 'their' description of 'their' instrument. I =
try to keep the surprises to a minimum.

I got tired of trying to educate people. Of course after the piano was =
tuned they loved it, but when you call back after a couple of months for =
the "regularly priced follow up to the 100 cent pitch raise" tuning, =
many of them would tell me "It still sounds fine". So, I just figured =
that particular area had no use for a piano technician, and indeed =
didn't deserve one, and I left. Life's too short to have to struggle on =
neglected instruments 90% of the time, plus you don't really get to =
develop your skills too much beyond the "repair it, it's broke" level. =
Hope my experience doesn't parallel yours too closely, but it sounds =
kind of familiar to me. One of my best tech friends here worked in =
Kentucky. He said it was a constant string of neglected spinets, so he =
got out too.=20


1. Yes. Wouldn't you want to know if the roles were reversed? I keep the =
Golden Rule in mind. 2. I'm not aware of any in this area, but if I =
were, I would do my steering in an indirect way. I try to find out if =
the prospective client just got my name from the phone book. If they did =
and are just price shopping, I suggest that they may want to check with =
several friends who are satisfied with their piano technicians before =
making a decision. 3. I advertised a lot at the beginning. Nowadays I =
work at maintaining my credibility, treat my clients well, return phone =
calls promptly, take the time needed to talk on the phone, learn good =
listening skills, go the second mile, etc.=20

I'd like the list to share ideas about this: Telephone call: "How much =
do you charge to tune a piano?" 1. If it is obvious from the =
conversation that a pitch raise or other work will be needed, do you =
talk about charges beyond the standard tuning? I very politely tell =
people my basic rate for a tuning, which covers an hour and a half of my =
time. Anything beyond that time gets charged at an hourly rate. The hour =
and a half will normally cover a pitch raise if necessary (though the =
1/2 step pitch raise I did a few weeks ago ended up being about 2 hours =
worth of work). I explain that if there is time remaining once I am done =
tuning, I will do minor adjustments, and/or clean the instrument inside =
and out. Service is the name of the game. People appreciate attention to =
detail, and cleaning is something even the musically challenged can =
appreciate....)=20

2. If you have a reeeeally incompetent bozo 'tooner' in the area (armed =
with a tuning hammer and electronic guitar tuner and literally does not =
know the meaning of the terms temperament, tempered tuning, =
inharmonicity, etc.) do you try in any way to steer the caller away from =
that person? I do try to get the business away from him, but not by =
being negative about that person, rather by pointing out the advantages =
to my work.=20

3. What "techniques" do you use to try and secure the business? See =
answer to question 1. Being competent, thorough, polished, and polite =
will win most people over. I also make sure to present a neat bill, =
along with a service sticker that they can put inside of their bench =
(NOT in the piano), and a few business cards that they can keep one of =
and give the others to their friends.


I will demonstrate to a customer what in-tune and out-of-tune sounds =
like: I find a really ripe trichord and have the customer listen to that =
compared to the same note with 2 out of 3 strings muted. So far, =
everyone has heard the difference and agreed that the clean sound is =
better. There is then no question that the piano needs to be tuned

A few of you have mentioned you don't charge for pitch raises because =
you can do it within your normal tuning time. IMHO, this is making the =
customers problem yours and I know this is more wear and tear on my =
body, going through it twice is harder. I'm willing to take up the =
customers problem but I want to be paid for it. Part of my phone =
conversation is the fact that regular service, i.e. once or twice a =
year, will eliminate pitch raises and I guarantee that if they set up =
for the next appointment. I quote for the next appointment "whatever is =
my going rate." All customers get price increases. My normal rate is for =
one hour of work, which is how long it takes me to tune a piano at =
pitch, quick vacuum of accessible areas and minor pedal adjustments. =
Pitch raise takes about an extra 15 minutes. I also charge by the hour =
for all repairs etc. I don't see the logic in breaking down a repair =
into: 1 broken hammer repair=3D$X, 1 string replace=3D$X.etc...sometimes =
the repair takes longer than estimated time...I simply say if I'm there =
for 2 hours or whatever it will cost $X amount. 2 hours would be twice =
my rate. How many of you take into consideration travel time to the =
appointment? Is that built into your fee structure or do you figure it =
is cost of doing business. For me, it takes roughly 15 minutes to get to =
the next job and I don't add that to my fee but I'm thinking about it. I =
think the bottom line is to look at how much money you made today and =
divide it by the hours spent. Look at your hourly take home fee and =
start calling other service in the home companies, plumbers etc. to see =
how you match up.

Believe it or not I often ask who their last tuner was if they had it =
tuned within a year. If it is someone that I know is competent, I have =
no qualms mentioning that and asking them why they are looking for =
someone new. Usually, they can't get a hold of the guy, he didn't return =
there call, he can't do it for a month or sometimes they had a bad =
experience. I can learn from this info. On my answering machine I =
encourage them to call my cell phone if they would like to talk person =
to person. I have a Palm with my scheduling info on it and often can =
book something... I advertised a lot at the beginning. Nowadays I work =
at maintaining my credibility, treat my clients well, return phone calls =
promptly, take the time needed to talk on the phone, learn good =
listening skills, go the second mile, etc. I also think you have to be =
in the Yellow Pages to be legitimate.

I ALWAYS charge for anything other than a tuning; David I. is right; =
it's wear and tear on your body, and you should be rewarded richly for =
it. We as a group-piano technicians-have consistently undervalued our =
massive skill sets, and are uniformly underpaid, I realized how good my =
work was compared to the level of most of my contemporaries in this =
town, and raised my prices across the board---in 3 years, my basic =
tuning fee has risen 50%; my hourly rate has risen 35%. I have not =
experienced any significant loss of customers; in fact, the word of =
mouth has miraculously gotten better and better. I think people =
intuitively know they get what they pay for. I pretty much refuse to =
deal with price-shoppers and "bangers," people who are always trying to =
shave dollars. It's too frustrating, and 9.8 times out of 10, those =
people are not the stuff long-term respectful clients are made of. I =
have clients I've worked with for 20+ years; I'm treated with extreme =
respect, offered water, coffee, food----treated like an honored guest in =
their homes. And that's the way I treat service people in my home . the =
Golden Rule works. Honor yourself, treat yourself like a king or queen. =
You deserve it

>I also think you have to be in the Yellow Pages to be legitimate. Sez =
who? I have advertised only once in my career----I sent fliers to about =
2500 homes when I moved to Malibu from Long Beach in 1988----got maybe =
25 new clients, 10 of whom I still service. Word of mouth is the =
strongest and best advertising in the world. Personal referral takes =
away an entire layer of mistrust and skepticism. Improve your skills on =
as steep a curve as you can manage; be honest; treat other people as you =
wish to be treated; be accountable; don't make excuses. Incredibly, =
that's so rare in any service field that your success is virtually =
guaranteed.

Legitimate for the perusing, potential customer who hasn't been given a =
referral. They are out there, you know and they sometimes have great =
pianos=20

I give the customers a ballpark range for the first time I meet their =
pianos. The lower number is the minimum charge, and the upper number is =
assuming a 2-hour service call that might include pitch correction, =
minor repairs, regulation or voicing touch-up, etc. Customers are =
usually pretty pleased if the service call ends up being less than 2 =
hours and are willing to pay for work beyond the basic tuning

Every area has at least one "tooner." If a customer asks me if I know =
this individual, I might give a non-answer indicating that because piano =
work is basically a solitary operation, I really have no real reason to =
know first-hand "Bozo's" level of competency. If the customer tries to =
press the issue, my advice is usually to attend a performance that =
"Bozo" tuned for [if they can find such a phenomenon]. Then comes the =
next question. "Why do you charge so much? "Bozo" only charges $ to =
tune." That's cool. "Bozo" knows what to charge for the level of service =
rendered. If you know people who have hired "Bozo," ask them to tell you =
more. If not ... well, you're always free to find out for yourself. [Let =
them decide what matters most -- quality or price.] Sometimes the =
discussion can get quite colorful, with much back-and-forth about how =
much they think you might "need" their business. There are some =
customers whom I swear are "professionals" at demanding top-flight =
service at discount-warehouse prices, and have a track record of getting =
good service people to "cave in" to their demands. No, I don't need that =
kind of business and may say something to the effect that "there are =
reasons why I charge what I will for service, and I have plenty of =
business even as we speak." Listen. Listen! LISTEN!! Find out what the =
customer hopes to get from the piano. Pay particular attention to the =
house pianist(s) regardless of the age or years of experience. Even if =
no house pianists are present while you're servicing the piano, find out =
what you can about them, what kinds of music they like, whether or not =
there are performances coming up (recitals at the teacher's studio, =
church, school, etc.). Treat all members of the household with respect. =
That includes the pets, and yes, even the plants. Early in my career, I =
was often hired back because the dog was relaxed around me (and =
therefore quiet), or the cat would come out of hiding (and therefore =
less likely to leave rude surprises out of nervousness). I maintained a =
good working relationship with a customer until they moved out of the =
area because I knew something about caring for certain houseplants. =
There are some customers out there for whom this kind of stuff is more =
important than your technical abilities ... and they are the ones most =
likely to freely give word-of-mouth referrals. These are the people who =
will help keep you in business and out of the price wars as you go about =
honing your technical skills.

I show interest in the customer, if he likes it take some time for small =
talk. Take note of points of interest. Birthday, Wife birthday, ... , =
Use them to send greeting cards. Let them know you can remind him of =
future tuning and service dates, do it. Send them occasionally info =
about the piano or new things you consider of interest. Works pretty =
well.

If, after the tuning, you ask the customer if they would like to be =
called at the same time next year, or in six months, (whatever schedule =
they are happiest with), THEN when you call, you can lead off by saying =
"I was asked to call at this time......" I find a better rate of return =
with this method than calling them up and telling them it is time to =
tune their piano.

The need for piano tuning is like the need to get your teeth cleaned. 6 =
moths or a year goes by in a hurry. And just like your teeth, it is =
difficult to realize something has gone awry, since it happens so =
gradually. That is why a gentle reminder is not a bad idea. But, as Alan =
said, customers don't always respond to a cold call. Most of the time =
customers hang up without really listening to who you are, or what your =
are trying to "sell" them, because to them, you're just another phone =
solicitor. That is why I send out reminder post cards. There are some =
available from the home office, or you can make your own. The reminder =
card is a non invasive way to let your customers know that it has been 6 =
months, or a year, since you were there, and that it is time to get the =
piano tuned again. (I send out reminder cards for 4 years. It's amazing =
how many people call you even after 4 years, not realizing it's been =
that long). The post card allows them to schedule an appointment at =
their own convenience, whenever they want to get around to it. You will =
find that they are much more receptive to having you in their house when =
they have invited you, than when you have asked them for the =
appointment. It is also a time saver for you. I used to call my =
customers. I even sent them a post card telling them I was going to call =
them. Then one year, over a six month period of time, one month I sent =
out a post card telling the customer I would call them, and then the =
next moth, I asked them to call me. After six months, there was no =
significant difference in my income from one month to the next. =
Basically, I was getting the same number of appointments during the =
months I was calling customers as I was when I was asking them to call =
me. That was about 20 years ago, and I have never called a customer to =
ask them to get the piano tuned. They always call me, and I'm saving =
about 3 - 4 hours a week to do other things. The other advantage to the =
post card is that it will get put on the refrigerator door, and it will =
stay there for months. I have gotten phone calls from customer who got =
the reminder card 4 or 5 months before. It's also great free =
advertising. That post card on the refrigerator will get seen by friends =
and family members. And when it gets sent to churches and schools, the =
secretaries and other staff members often see the reminder cards. For =
the little amount of money the post card cost, they are a great way to =
build up your clientele.

.I don't actually pre-schedule with a specific date like some folks do. =
I can't see how anyone knows what they will be doing that far in =
advance. In my PIM program I enter the info to call them in the agreed =
upon time frame and their name pops at that time. Some people use =
tickler files which is a very simple, effective way to make calls.=20

After many years of sending out reminder cards, I decided to see if the =
personal touch would yield better results. My wife, with professional =
phone experience, was nice enough to call my customers for several =
months instead of sending cards to see if there would be an increase in =
repeat business. When I compared the two methods the response rate was =
virtually identical, so I am back to sending reminder cards. The only =
time these days that I want to call a customer is to respond directly to =
a call of theirs that I missed. I believe that anything else just feels =
like a phone solicitation to most people and gets them in a defensive =
mode.

I don't do anything. If the customer, for whatever reason, decides not =
to have me tuner the piano, that's his/her problem. Perhaps that =
customer has moved, gotten another tuner, or simply doesn't feel the =
piano needs to be tuned. But I'm not going to chase after them to get =
the work. I don't take them out of my computer either, (or throw away =
the card with he information, if you're still keeping record the old =
fashioned way), until I get word that he/she is no longer in the area. I =
have had customers come back to me after 4 or 6 years, when they finally =
realized that the cheaper tuner didn't give them what they wanted.=20

When I leave the customer after tuning, I recommend tuning yearly (if =
its appropriate) and ask them if they would like a reminder call next =
year at this time. Nearly everyone says yes. When a year has passed, I =
call, introduce myself as the piano technician who serviced their piano =
last year and ask them if "Their piano would like to see me this year?" =
I get about a 50% positive response. People's lives in general, are very =
busy, and most welcome a call to service their piano especially if there =
is a piano student in the home. I mention the fact that if my dentist =
didn't call and remind me its time, I probably would never see him. They =
usually agree with a smile. Cards for me don't work. I tried the card =
routine for a couple of years, and got almost no response. Maybe 1 or 2 =
% return. Even had some made up by an artist that I thought were more =
effective that PTG's. They weren't. Everyone has their own means of =
repeat business, and more power to those whose customers seek them out.

I currently have 358 people in my database; I'm fairly ruthless with =
deleting people that I haven't talked to in 3-4 years, or who aren't =
nice, so that's a pretty realistic picture of my number of clients. =
However, the heart of my business is the 100 or so serious players that =
will, year after year, spend $500-1000 per on piano maintenance, and are =
addicted to my tuning and voicing and regulating skills. This is yet =
another inspiration I got from Ed McMorrow: find good people that are =
fanatic about their instruments, and who understand you get what you pay =
for, and trust you, and you'll make a good living forever. I also work =
one day a week for the high-end piano store in LA, tweaking their good =
pianos, a wonderful source of income and referrals. Because I really =
like people, and have a generally excellent, quasi-intimate relationship =
with my clients, they really appreciate a call from me . sending cards =
is, sadly, way beyond my ADD-infected organizational skills----I'm in =
awe of you guys that are that organized. It takes a tremendous amount of =
energy and focus for me just to return all my phone calls and show up on =
time, which I now do about 95% of the time----but it's taken me years of =
struggle to get to that level of reliability ... and I honor my =
long-term clients for putting up with my time-management challenges. =
It's all about relationships; any successful businessperson will tell =
you that.

At each appointment I ask the customer if they would like me to send =
them a reminder notice for the next appointment. It gives an opportunity =
to discuss the frequency of tunings and their particular needs. Almost =
always they say yes. I always send cards a week or so prior to the month =
in which they are due for service since I am usually booked out 3-4 =
weeks. If I don't hear from them, I call prior to the next month's cards =
being sent to "follow up on the reminder I sent". I often pick up =
several that way from those who put the card on the shelf and forgot =
about it or who just needed a little prodding. If they don't want the =
piano tuned I ask if they would like me to send them another reminder at =
one year or whenever (I generally send them out every six months). That =
keeps me in touch with the customers. I prefer to send cards first =
because I don't particularly like phone solicitations. It gives them a =
chance to respond on their own time. If they don't, I feel justified in =
calling to make sure they got the card because they asked me to send it =
in the first place.


I have been calling people when it's time (or when I think it's time) to =
tune. Sometimes I get put off indefinitely or vaguely--they think the =
piano sounds fine or don't want to spend the money, I suppose. Let me =
tell you, I try not to suppose anything, whatever they tell me, my next =
line is "This is a service I provide for all my customers, when should I =
call you back?" Most of the times they will just tell me a date. If the =
piano has been long overdue, or they keep giving me dates, or they say =
the piano just sounds fine for now, or one of the most pathetic lines =
"My piano teacher says it is okay." I send them either by email or fax =
"How to take care of your piano" where I do point out, first that he =
cannot expect to have a piano well tuned if he lets it unserviced for a =
long time, I tell him about his investment value and a good comparison =
is to compare it to his car. After that I send him some links so he can =
check it in Internet. My best advise for all of you, do not try to think =
why a customer will not do a tuning when you call him, There was a time =
I used to worry about that, now after a long time doing it, many of my =
customers tell me "I cannot do it right now, but do not forget to call =
me, or Do not take me off your list."

I always ask customers if they want to be on my call list. this way I =
have their permission to call. 2) I have an assistant who makes the =
calls for me. It's better to have someone represent you. 3) If someone =
does not want to be on the list or, they don't book after 3 calls, they =
get a postcard and no further action is taken by me until they call. =
Hope this helps.=20


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