Brian writes: << How would you handle this? Or...would you just leave the situation as it is? >> If you leave it as it is, you are going backwards, professionally. I don't think I have ever 'asked' for a raise. I had to price my time for whatever market I could cobble together would bear. I knew I wasn't charging enough when I began to turn customers away because I didn't have the time. A higher price took care of that problem, and more than paid for itself with the added income offsetting the few lost customers. Then, soon enough, I started to run out of time, again. Raise'em, I say. You want clients that understand your need to raise your prices, yearly. If not, you will pay for the difference, year after year, for as long as they are your customer. We can't leave it to the clientele to shape us, we want to shape it, so, as our business progresses, our prices should gradually rise upwards. Away from apprentice wages, where we all began, away from beginner prices, and by the time we finally have to end our career, we should be getting top dollar for our area. At least, that is the ideal progression I have in mind. As we do, our customers will reflect a higher degree of cost and value. And we won't be saddled with an appointment book full of bottom dollar clients! This is a good thing. Regards, Ed Foote RPT http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html <BR><BR><BR>**************<BR>Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music.<BR> (http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp00300000002548)</HTML>
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