Competitive Rates

[A440A at aol.com]

Mike writes:

<< I'm not sure if I would have had the cojones to charge more than the

experienced guys in my area PTG or not, IMHO. >>

  Greetings,
   I think it is a mistake to base our prices on what another is charging.  
This allows the other tech to determine our income and ultimately, always, be 
ahead of us.  We are self-employed to be in control our our own lives, no?  The 
better approach, imho, is to set the prices by what our clientele is telling 
us. If we remain responsive to the business feedback, AND committed to 
superior work, we will find our rightful place on this "Great Mandela".  There is no 
reason that sufficient cash be lacking in this picture. 
    I think it far better to "ride the crest" of pricing, in which you are 
not booked more than a week or two ahead.  Our unique lifetime is the only thing 
we have of real value, and when it is gone, it is gone forever.  We owe it to 
ourselves to get top dollar for the time we are spending on other people's 
equipment, and the experienced professional's time should be worth a lot more 
than that of the one or two year novice.   If we work towards a higher return, 
we will become well-paid, experienced professionals instead of burned out hacks 
working for wages that are 10 years out of date. 
       If you don't have a certain percentage of customers mention your 
price, you aren't charging enough, since there are  people out there that feel like 
anything is too expensive, and if you don't hear from them, you are really 
selling yourself cheap.    If your phone isn't ringing, you may be charging 
beyond your skill level, (or have really bad b.o.).   If your tunings are booked 
three months ahead, you ain't charging enough. 
     Risks and gains are proportional, if we want to progress, we have to 
take some risks.  Over the course of our career, the fear of losing customers 
because of our price will cost far more than actually losing those customers.  It 
can be useful as a rough starting guide in one's area to check other prices, 
but once embarked on the unique career each of of carves out of this 
life-experience, our income shouldn't depend on what other techs think of themselves.  
It should depend our our sensitivity to what our clientele will bear, and our 
faith that quality creates its own market. 
regards, 
 
Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html
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