why sell maintenance the customer won't notice?

[Jim Kinnear]

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Dave
I wonder if there is a 'car' analogy that might be useful . . .  I have =
my oil changed regularly, nad ya know, I don't notice a darn bit of =
difference $100 later . . .??
I have the same dilemma with many customers, and when I am listening to =
myself talk to the customer, I sometimes think I sound like an =
encyclopedia salesman . . .!
Oh well, such are the thrills of the job . . .
Hope you have a happy Christmas with your family, and know that all =
those 'tuned' pianos will be making your customers christmas's a little =
bit better . . .

-------------------------------------------------------------------------=

Jim Kinnear
www.kinnearpiano.com
Collingwood, ON, Canada

The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress
 -- Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French Philosopher
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems,=20
but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort!







----- Original Message -----=20
From: "Dave Nereson" <davner@kaosol.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 25, 2004 3:23 AM
Subject: why sell maintenance the customer won't notice?


>=20
>     Tuned a medium-quality console that was 25 or 30 years old and had =
had=20
> minimal use.  While tuning along, I noticed that it could use =
vacuuming and=20
> a light hammer filing, but not terribly.  There was a bit too much =
lost=20
> motion, but not enough to bother most players.  Several hammers =
weren't=20
> quite aligned to the center of the unisons, but were still striking =
all=20
> three strings.  I'm sure the keys weren't perfectly level, nor the dip =

> nicely uniform, and from its age and length of time without tuning, =
I'm sure=20
> all the flange screws needed tightening, along with plate screws and =
all=20
> other screws.  Oh, and there were a few strings in the treble that =
maybe=20
> needed seating on the bridge or maybe their bridge pins tapped in =
(false=20
> beats).  And I imagine that the let-off was a bit wide.  But it played =

> nicely and had a decent, acceptable tone and sustain.
>     Nevertheless, I thought I should point out to the owner what work =
the=20
> piano could use in addition to tuning to put it in top shape.  So I=20
> explained all the above-mentioned items, that it was 30 years old and =
no=20
> piano goes that long without needing at least some routine =
maintenance,  and=20
> that it would cost a few hundred dollars to do a complete job.
>     She replied, "What would I notice?"
>     And you know, in all honesty, I had to reply, "Well, maybe not =
much."=20
> The tone might be a LITTLE rounder after hammer filing, or it might be =
too=20
> bright and need subsequent voicing down.  The tone was pretty nice as =
it=20
> was.  She MIGHT notice that the action was a tiny bit more responsive =
(no=20
> lost motion, closer let-off) IF she was a fairly advanced player, =
which she=20
> was not.  But vacuuming, tightening plate and flange screws, seating =
strings=20
> or bridge pins, de-traveling "wandering" shanks, regulating dip . . . =
I=20
> doubt she or most average casual players would notice any change.  (I=20
> already tuned it).
>     Now, with much older pianos where the hammers are extremely worn =
and the=20
> action is extremely out of regulation, or when the hammers badly need=20
> voicing, often the difference after reconditioning is dramatic.  And=20
> sometimes the sum of the parts is greater than the whole, that is, =
they=20
> might not notice this or that item, but all together, the =
reconditioning=20
> improves the sound and touch of the instrument.  But in this case, I =
had a=20
> hard time selling the job to even myself.
>     Whatta ya do in these cases?  Just leave it?  Wait until it's =
"pretty=20
> bad" before you work on it?  Why should they spend $300 or more if the =
piano=20
> will feel and sound about the same as it did before?  It doesn't =
increase=20
> the value all that much.  It does prevent things from getting worse, I =

> guess, but in this case, I think the piano would be about the same,=20
> regulation-wise, in 5 or even 10 years from now, with its very casual =
use,=20
> since it's been "about the same"  for the LAST 5 or 10 years.
>     --David Nereson, RPT
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
> _______________________________________________
> pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives

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