Maybe it's the state of the present economy, but is anybody else getting more than the usual ration of "price-shopper" phone inquiries? If so, I would like to get as many examples of your responses to the typical FIRST, and seemingly most important question on the price-shopper's mind: "How much do you charge?" Nothing else seems to matter to this ilk, like, say, experience, quality, attention to detail and professionalism. I'm wondering if I should try to "sell" these bargain hunters on these far more important qualities, or just simply state my fee and shut up...or maybe I should qualify THEM, and decide if I want to have THEM as a regular client. It seems that lately, asking when their piano was last tuned, and the usual routine intro questions are a waste of breath, because it seems, again, that these "looky-loos" just want the very lowest, rock bottom price they can find, damn the quality or experience! Maybe it's my imagination, but it just seems as though these types of calls a becoming more and more frequent, and I hate to lose ALL of them. Short of lowering my rates, which I do NOT want to do, I wonder if there is another way to salvage at least SOME of these calls. I realize that not everyone shops on Rodeo Drive, but then again, the vast majority of people don't have to settle for the crap at the "99 Cent Store" either. Feedback from those with more experience is welcome and appreciated. Terry Peterson _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus
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