Potential Customers

Piannaman@AOL.COM Piannaman@AOL.COM
Sun, 1 Sep 2002 02:44:14 EDT


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In a message dated 8/31/02 9:54:58 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
mathstar@salemnet.com writes:


> 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....:-)

> 
> 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.  

> 
> 3. What "techniques" do you use to try and secure the business?

See answer to question 1.  Being competent, thourough, 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.

> hanks
>  
> Alan R. Barnard
> Salem, MO
> 
> 



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