Potential Customers

[Farrell]

Hi Alan. The Potter course got me going with pianos in 1998. As far as increasing business, I get most of my calls from two sources. I advertise in the Yellow Pages, and I tune several pianos at each of the two prominent music studios in my burb at no charge (about three times a year) in return for them giving my name out to all piano inquiries. These studios have retail sales of guitars, band instruments, music, accessories and work with the local schools for supplying stuff for band/orchestra students. They do not sell pianos, but they do give piano lessons (as well as lessons on just about every other instrument). I keep getting more and more referrals from past customers, but they are not my major source of new business yet.

Part of my reasonably good situation may be related to a more rapid resident turnover than in some areas of the US. I think I read recently that the average Florida home owner moves every 5 years (don't know if that might include all residents - renters and the like). That means I have no need to "steal/borrow" a piano owner from some other local tech. So many folks new to the area move in all the time. To them, I seem just as likely to be a good piano dude as the guy down the road with 35 years experience.

If I relied on tuning only, I would still not be busy enough. Fortunately shop work rounds things out. I do a fair bit of major refurbishing and regulating on grand and upright actions, some repairs of significance (rebuilding a set of broken grand legs now, replaced a keybed, even a couple of player motor/blower replacements, etc.), and a few rebuilds/refurbishes. The shop stuff is not terribly profitable yet, but I think that is because I spend half my time messing with paint sprayers, building overhead drill presses, hot boxes, and soundboard clamps and the such. I think that I a very close now to doing quite a bit more profitable shop work and less building of major tools & jigs.

Unfortunately, to offer a wide array of services, you end up needing to buy a large array of tools and stuff. But it is an investment that I think will pay off in the long run.

As far as folks not having a clue as to whether their piano is out of tune. I think this is just something you need to learn to accept - much like having a hard time breaking up your first old upright. The old beater sits out there in the garage for several years with you not being able to bear to bust it up and get rid of it - you certainly can't give it to someone!!! But then you finally need the space and you smash your first old upright to smithereens - you learn to accept what you cannot change.

Geeze, where do I start? I'll let you do the talkin': "I know that most people don't listen for the things we listen for in tuning but sheesh, man, how bad do things have to get before someone even begins to wonder about that sound?" Unfortunately, the answer seems to be "often pretty bad".

How about when you go to a home and they have some little crappy old spinet that is 150 cents flat and WAY, WAY out of tune (hasn't been tuned since "We like Ike!"), and you come to find out that little Susie has been taking lessons for three years and practicing on this piano! And then Mom says "yes, well, little Susie has mentioned that our piano does not sound like the teacher's piano for some time now".    :-(

I have no answers for all that. I feel your pain. And good luck!  :-)

Terry Farrell

  
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alan R. Barnard" <mathstar@salemnet.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 31, 2002 5:47 PM
Subject: Re: Potential Customers


> Terry Farrell asked me, with regard to my Potential Customers post:
> 
> "Are you trying to increase your servicing volume?"
> 
> The answer is YES. When I ventured into this business (2 1/2 years ago,
> Potter Course) I never had a hint that the vast majority of people--at least
> in rural Missouri--have no idea, whatsoever, that their piano is out of tune
> and/or don't care. Even churches will go for years without a tune!
> 
> I can't stand my piano (Geo. Steck little grand) having any sour notes, etc.
> I tune it at least quarterly and touch up the odd unison in between. That's
> one of the things that led me into the business in the first place.
> 
> I know that most people don't listen for the things we listen for in tuning
> but sheesh, man, how bad do things have to get before someone even begins to
> wonder about that sound?
> 
> And, of course, if a tuning is supposed to last a lifetime then nothing
> every needs fixing or regulating either--unless it quits, altogether. How
> often do you folks get a call for a broken or "sticking" key, find the piano
> 40 cents off and sour as can be, suggest a tuning, and get this response:
> 
> "Oh. Do you think it needs it?"
> 
> Alan R. Barnard
> Salem, MO
> 
> P.S. I am also a classical guitarist, so frequent tuning is natural to
> me--like after every piece played and, while practicing, sometimes in the
> middle of a piece! Ha. A guitarist's common joke: "I will now play a Chinese
> piece called Tiu Ning."
>