stats

[Brian Trout]

Hi Newton,

The stats are low for my area too.

In our area the tunings are running closer to $65, but even so:

3 tunings a day... 5 days a week... = 15 tunings a week.

15 tunings at $65 ea.  = $975  X  44 weeks a year  =  $42,900

And for what it's worth, that makes aprox. 660 customers, if they get them
tuned once a year, and they each have one piano.

(How's that for a schedule?  :-)  Plenty of personal time, and time for the
conventions and such.)

So a lot depends upon what it costs a person to generate that level of
business.  Those who are starting out might spend a lot more of those
dollars trying to attract customers.  Those who have been there for a number
of years and have an established clientele may very well have reached the
point of a self sustaining enterprise advertising wise.  But there are still
other expenses that sure add up.  Car and/or truck, insurance, office,
workshop, utilities, tools, dues, conventions, travel, postage, stationery,
and a hundred other little things, tax deductible, yes, but still a part of
what it costs to collect those income dollars.

I was chatting a bit with another tech in the upper midwest who doesn't do
nearly so well.  I think they said their shop rate was somewhere near $25
per hour, and I forget what the tuning rate was, but it probably wasn't
anywhere near $80, or even $65.  I definitely feel for someone trying to
earn a living in such a situation.

Statistics can be very informative, but they can also be deceiving.  I did
read a couple of little one liners referring to an income survey done by the
PTG.  Is that something that gets done on a regular basis?  I can't say that
I've ever seen one, other than just statistics from the local chapter.

Thanks for the thoughts, Newton.  I hope your having a nice relaxing Sunday.
:-)

Brian Trout
Quarryville, PA
btrout@desupernet.net

----- Original Message -----
From: Newton Hunt <nhunt@jagat.com>
To: MPT <MPT@talklist.com>; <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 24, 1999 12:11 PM
Subject: Re: stats


>
> http://stats.bls.gov/oes/national/oes85921.htm
>
> Those stats are wrong.  I have no idea where they get their numbers
> but I was accustomed to making $50,00 to $60,000 per year.  Today that
> should be $55,000 to $65,000.
>
> Even if I were totally lazy, which I am, if I tuned but two pianos a
> day, not counting shop work,
>
> 2 x $80 x 5 x 45 (weeks) = $36,000.  Add extra tunings and some shop
> work and $40,000 is easy.
>
> Where do they get their numbers?  Someone has their head up their
> disposition.
>
> In New York the common price is $100 per tuning.  Cost of living is
> high there though.
>
> Newton
>