Potential Customers

[David Ilvedson]

David A.,

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...

I bet your a surfer dude and that's why you moved to Malibu..that and the chicks...am I right?
You picked a town that has a large percentage of the rich, but I bet you didn't do that on purpose, it was the sun & beach?
But being rich doesn't necessarily mean a more discerning customer than anyone else.  They just happen to buy the
most expensive pianos.  Which is very nice!  Definitely sounds like a "can't lose" situation...over time.
In this and just about any business honesty and hard work equal success, that's basic business sense.
You do have to work on pianos for other referrals to come your way.  Where did those first pianos come from?
Although I haven't ever sent out fliers (seems tacky...like a lawn service) those 25 new
clients probably gave your name out to friends who did the same and thats how a business is built.
I've always advertised in the Yellow Pages and get plenty of calls and customers to more than pay for it.

Anyway, you live in a piano tech's fantasy world...you lucky guy!

David I.





----- Original message ---------------------------------------->
From: David Andersen <bigda@gte.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Received: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 22:05:00 -0700
Subject: Re: Potential Customers

>>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.

>David Andersen