The need to know...

[JHarvey440@aol.com]

David Stocker said, in part...

>Of course, Mrs. Cowsknowski has to be prepared before drilling a >hole in
the bottom of her new Schmeckelstein Grand!

I understand your intent in the above statement, David, but wish to extend
the thought using your message fragment for a point of departure. That's why
I changed the message subject.

I believe in telling a client more than they -want- to know -- up to the
point where their glazed-over eyes tell me I'm no longer getting through.
This helps educate the client in preventative maintenence,  and benefits -me-
not only with the extant client, but with referrals. However, I also believe
in telling a client no more than they -need- to know. What's the difference?
In the simplest terms, the former educates; the latter is more akin to
training the client -- "show and tell". I must confess that the line between
the two is so thin, I'm constantly revising my methods of effectively
communciating with clients.

If I may use your example above, the customer does not necessarily be
prepared -- especially on a -new- piano, or one that is about have
significant work performed on it.

It doesn't matter whether it's the hole itself (cosmetics) or the noise
required trying to make the hole discreetly. The client may be advised -- if
there is need to -- that during the initial visit, you'll be checking and/or
performing work that will make your work easier/faster in the future, netting
the player a more stable and enjoyable piano to play. Some of this work
generates noises that are not normal to piano tuning. (Since the -process- of
piano tuning is only noise anyway, did I just make an oxymoron?) A few of
these noisy items include: tightening plate lags; seating strings; adjusting
coil symmetry; tightening string loops, and dropping the tuning hammer on
that new shiny plate. Well... someone has to break it in! It doesn't take
long to perform what amounts to a cursory landed quality check (dealer prep)
which was never done in the first place.

In many pianos, a suitable keybed hole can be made discreetly without undue
noise, especially if a drill motor is -not- used. Besides, it costs more to
go back to the car for additional equipment.

If the hole, not the noise is the criterion, then, as Wally Brooks once said
when challenged about one of his methods: "What's one more hole in a piano --
there's thousands of them in there already!"

Finally, the hole in the keybed is used (therefore endorsed) by at least a
couple of major manufacturers. This lends a certain credibility to the
practice.

In case I went to far astray in this example, I'll mention that the primary
focus here is on the client's "need to know"... everything?

Jim Harvey