Convincing the Client

[Susan Kline]

At 10:32 AM 4/23/2002 -0400, Dale wrote:
>Hey people are just flat busy.

I'm just flat busy, as well.

I only do reminders when specifically asked to by the customer.
I only have one customer who has a regular schedule: every
3 months. This is an active teacher who plays his Steinway A
hard, and likes it well in tune, and I'm happy to oblige.

Concerts, class recitals, a couple of festivals, and some college
work HAVE to be done at exactly the time needed. Why clutter up
one's book with pre-scheduled tunings which could be done at any
time, or don't even really need to be done at all? It's hard enough
to keep up with the unavoidable paperwork -- why make more of it
by sending out cards?

I feel that "convincing" the client to get more piano work than
they would ask for unaided, and then having a waiting list, is not
doing them a service. That is, if consulted, most of them would
prefer not to be pestered and made to feel guilty if they put off
tunings, and would prefer not to have to wait if they found they
needed piano work unexpectedly.

I leave my business card with my customers, and so far I've kept
a couple of yellow page listings, though at times I'm tempted to
let them go, and go back to a residential (instead of business)
phone rate.

They call me when they're ready. I go and work as hard and well as
I can. They like it, I like it.

I suppose that this means my business is now mature, or I'm just too
"mature" to want to knock myself out.

Susan Kline