Freebees-

[Susan Kline]

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At 03:24 PM 1/13/2006 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi Susan,

Hi, Marshall

>When I do the practice tuning at the thrift store, I hand out cards to 
>whomever approaches me.  Is there a chance that these people will call?

A few will. Not too many thrift store customers have a piano and the money 
to tune it, but some might.

>  Advertising, I can't afford that unfortunately.

You're working very hard, I know, but I think it's just as well you can't 
afford advertising right now. (See below ...)

>   I'm just trying like crazy to e-mail people, churches, schools, nursing 
> homes funeral homes etc. Telemarketing isn't that great either.

Telemarketing is an annoyance for everyone concerned -- the people who 
call, and the people who are called. Most people, especially these days, 
wouldn't dream of doing business with someone who calls them cold. The 
whole world, including Bangalore, India, is trying to get a hand in their 
pockets. Telemarketing is like swimming upstream in a cold, swift river. 
You get very tired, and you hardly go any distance at all. You might even 
lose ground.

>  Word of mouth is great if you have some mouths to spread the word.  When 
> you're like me in an area with almost 10 piano techs and only a couple 
> hundred thousand people, what can one do in order to get in and stay in?

The only way in is the same way one stays in: good thorough work at fair 
prices. Talk is just talk.

This training you're getting this weekend? Is it with one of these ten 
techs? If so, bravo! You need local allies -- people to send work which you 
aren't able to do yet, people to help you out when you paint yourself into 
a corner. If you get to know these local techs well, and find out what 
they're particularly good at, and how much they charge, you might be able 
to subcontract some work out to them. They might let you hang around and 
get some experience as they do it.

A good tech will often end up with an overflow, which he or she might be 
willing to send on to you -- but only if he or she knows that you are 
skilled enough not to mess up. Being smart enough to get help when needed 
is a second best to not messing up, but better than pretending that all is 
well when it isn't.

>  I figure, once people start calling I'll be that much more further along 
> in my training which I'm obtaining more of this weekend.
>Marshall

It's a very nice thought, but you have to look out for your own best 
interests. You see, word of mouth works both ways. In a way, it's easier to 
get the training and some experience somewhere else, make the various 
goofs, fix them, and then come and start your business. Otherwise, you 
might find that it takes a long time to live down some of your early jobs. 
A course at the Piano Hospital in Vancouver, WA, would help with the 
partially sighted skills, and would help give you a strong foundation. The 
confidence that you really know what you are doing is priceless.

Well, you know your own situation best. There are a few things you can 
always offer: you can be on time, well-groomed, I know you'll be cheerful 
and enthusiastic and work hard. You can also stand by your work, and if you 
get call backs (we all get some ...) cheerfully do whatever it takes to get 
things right, even if you need to bring someone ("my consulting expert") 
with you.

I can tell you this -- fresh out of school, with my little piano tech 
diploma in my hand, I set up a business in California. It went very slowly. 
Twelve years later, I moved to Oregon, expecting to have to start from 
scratch all over again -- no. It went very quickly and easily. Experience 
does count.

Susan

>----- Original Message ----- From: "Susan Kline" <skline@peak.org>
>To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 2:38 PM
>Subject: Re: Freebees-
>
>
>>Build a good tuning, and repairs which stay repaired -- relax and forget 
>>about the rest of it, the fussy charges, the contracts in case of 
>>no-shows, the discounts for booking the next tuning on the spot, the 
>>reminder cards, the call-backs, the big display ad, the business name 
>>starting with AAA, the chatty little newsletter sent to everyone twice a 
>>year "it's time for your darling piano's next tuning" <barf> -- just toss 
>>all that time-wasting irritating  trivia -- they will come.
>>
>>Really, think about what message you are sending out. Even just a pen 
>>with your name on it -- "This is someone who was short of work for so 
>>long that he decided to shell out money for  advertising. Either he is 
>>brand new to the trade, or his work is bad enough that he doesn't get 
>>much repeat business. He expects me to throw away his card and forget his 
>>name." People are naturally polite; they'll respect your professional 
>>dignity by taking your freebee and thanking you -- but they'll react to 
>>the hidden message just the same, maybe not even realizing why they 
>>aren't really sure they want you back.
>>
>>If you're going to attempt to manipulate customers, try the opposite tack 
>>-- "Be sure to call at least three weeks in advance, especially around 
>>the holidays ..."
>>
>>ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssnnnn
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
>
>_______________________________________________
>Pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives

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