[pianotech] Conventions ( was Pianotech? )

[Jerry Groot]

If it has been 3 months since your last tuning, something is obviously wrong
here Duaine.  How long have you been in the business now?

I would never even consider ordering 5 of something and absorbing the cost
of 4 of them just to get them one.  The customer would pay for all 5 or
receive nothing.  There are not that many player pianos techs out there.
That in itself, is a specialty service.  A service where you can charge more
than normal piano work.  One of my mentor's worked mostly on player pianos
but on others too but, whenever he worked on players, his fee doubled and
tripled and people paid for it.  Much of people NOT paying, comes from the
business owners own attitude and thinking of "they won't pay that."  You
just lost because that thought, is brought out in the way you come across to
your clients.

A tuner here, is continually apologizing for having to charge this, or for
that or........before he even presents the bill.  Consequently, he gets
complaints left and right because his attitude, well, sucks.

I have to agree with Tom. If you can't make a living in this business, and
apparently you cannot, perhaps it is time to get out and move on into
something else instead...  

In the meantime, take a lot of business classes online for free.  Reading is
readily available to all of us.  

Not being a smarty pants to you, just stating it from my end.  We have to
charge accordingly, NOT just for labor.  The cost of parts, plus, making it
retail, adding on the cost of shipping and handling, delivery, installation
etc. etc etc....

Jer

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Duaine Hechler
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 1:45 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: [pianotech] Conventions ( was Pianotech? )

Mainly to Wim,

Your Perennial is GREAT.

BUT, you keep forgetting many multiple factors.

1) Is money - I don't have $3000 on a convention - any convention - not even
$1000. At least 95% of my profit goes back out in supplies. Leather and felt
punchings, bellows cloth, etc. ain't cheap. Along with glue and other misc
supplies. 
Plus, this economy is NOT helping any. And don't think about telling me to
raise my rates - as it is - people gasp when I tell them how much a player
rebuild will be (it is mostly labor).

2) I am currently doing a piano roll recut program where people order a
piano roll from my private collection, send it in to have it scanned and
recut as a new roll. Now, the recutting process requires a minimum run of 5
rolls. So right off the bat, I have to pay for 5 of the same roll to sell
even one. So 1 from 5 is 4 - that I have to find a way to sell
- currently listing them on eBay - and that costs is monthly advertising
fees.

3) You say that I could hone my skills. Hone my skills on WHAT ? That would
be great of 99% of my clientele were GRANDS
- which it AIN'T. I get 99% of old beaters, studios, consoles, spinets,
players, etc which once every 5 to NEVER years gets tuned. Just about the
only repeat customers I have, for tunings, are player piano customers
because they - USE - their pianos. I've had several churches, but somehow
they die on me - closed, moved, abandoned, no funds, etc.

4) My main stay is rebuilding players and reed organs with an occasional
melodeon thrown in the mix. For players, by the time the customer pays for
the player rebuild, there is not much left over for nicety addons like a new
soundboard, etc. 
Its basically - fix - everything that is absolutely needed - like cracks in
the soundboard, bridle straps and new hammers - just maybe new dampers. And
of course, the necessity of piano - and - player regulation.

5) As you can probably remember, there are many techs competing for
clientele in the St. Louis Metro area. And most of them have been around a
LONG time to get the - REPEAT - clientele.

6) Finally, as I have said my times before, the organization is geared
towards Grands - and - clients with lots of money to spend.

7) Furthermore, It has been 3 months since my last tuning !!!!!

So, if, and when, I can ever get my head above water, I will go to the next
convention, Duaine

On 07/17/2012 01:53 PM, tnrwim at aol.com wrote:
>
>     Well, Wim, Not everyone can make it to the convention ;-)
>
>     So there .............
>
>
>
>
> Duaine
> There are piano tuners who say they can't afford to attend the 
> convention. There are piano tuners who say they don't have the time. 
> And there are piano tuners who think the convention is not worth 
> attending. But then there are piano tuners for whom the PTG Annual 
> Convention is THE most important event of the year, and they will do
anything to attend. What so ironic is that they keep showing up year after
year, because they've somehow found the time and the money to attend. Maybe
there's something to that.
> Attached is an article I wrote after the convention in 1995, which 
> I've updated for this year. But the sentiment is the same.  It 
> probably won't change your mind about not wanting to come to Chicago next
year, but it's at least a different perspective of why my wife and I go
every year.
> Wim
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Duaine Hechler <dahechler at att.net>
> To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Sent: Tue, Jul 17, 2012 7:58 am
> Subject: Re: [pianotech] Pianotech?
>
> Well, Wim, Not everyone can make it to the convention ;-)
>
> So there .............
>
> On 07/17/2012 12:37 PM,tnrwim at aol.com  <mailto:tnrwim at aol.com>  wrote:
> >  If you would have come to the convention you would have found out.
> >
> >  Wim :)
> >
> >  Yes, it will continue for at least another 6 months
> >
> >  Sent from my iPhone
> >
> >  On Jul 17, 2012, at 10:00 AM, "Joseph 
> > Garrett"<joegarrett at earthlink.net  
> > <mailto:joegarrett at earthlink.net>>
> wrote:
> >
> >>  Any news on the destiny of this list?
> >>  Joe
> >>
> >>
> >>  Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
> >>  Captain of the Tool Police
> >>  Squares R I
> >>
>
>
> --
> Duaine Hechler
> Piano, Player Piano, Pump Organ
> Tuning, Servicing&   Rebuilding
> Reed Organ Society Member
> Florissant, MO 63034
> (314) 838-5587
> dahechler at att.net  <mailto:dahechler at att.net> 
> www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com  <http://www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com/>
> --
> Home&   Business user of Linux - 11 years
>


--
Duaine Hechler
Piano, Player Piano, Pump Organ
Tuning, Servicing&  Rebuilding
Reed Organ Society Member
Florissant, MO 63034
(314) 838-5587
dahechler at att.net
www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com
--
Home&  Business user of Linux - 11 years