Valuing ourselves

[David Andersen]

I agree 100%, and my mistakes are only assumptive, i.e., not knowing  
exactly the economic scale in various areas---the important point is  
valuing your worth, working smart, and using common sense, as D. Love  
gives examples of, to monetize the trust you build up in your little  
piano world. My apologies for any lack of clarity.....
David A.


On Feb 15, 2008, at 4:50 PM, David Love wrote:

> Unfortunately, it's more complicated and regional than Ric or David  
> A are
> suggesting.  You have to make assessments based on where you are in  
> your
> career, where you work, what kinds of opportunities there are.  For  
> me, an
> established tech in one of the highest markets in the country with  
> high
> density urban benefits (San Francisco), where the median priced  
> house is
> $750,000, I can (and must) charge $225 for a 1.5 hour appointment  
> or $160
> for a Basic Service appointment (1 hour) which puts me at the  
> higher end but
> not out of bounds.  Someone in rural Mississippi or Alabama would  
> be crazy
> to ask those kinds of prices.  The other issue to consider is what  
> function
> service calls play in your entire business plan.  The reality is,  
> you make
> more money when you don't have to travel and when you can benefit  
> from value
> added, i.e. rebuilding, more extensive shop repairs, action  
> rebuilding,
> etc..  While I think it's important to keep pace with your fees and  
> not fall
> into the trap of fearing a rise in prices, you will be best served  
> in terms
> of earning money by expanding your repertoire to include more  
> extensive
> services and sales.  It's only where you can benefit from value  
> added (and I
> don't mean the tax) that you have any chance of making more than an  
> hourly
> wage and escape the built in limitations of that type of enterprise.
>
> David Love
> davidlovepianos at comcast.net
> www.davidlovepianos.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org]  
> On Behalf
> Of alan forsyth
> Sent: Friday, February 15, 2008 3:22 PM
> To: Pianotech List
> Subject: Re: Valuing ourselves
>
> Yikes! If I charged that here it would be almost cheaper for people  
> just to
> go out and buy a new piano every time it needs tuning, as in  
> cheaper to get
> a new printer rather than buy the ink refills. There ain't many  
> high end
> pianos around here, even though the brand new 4X4 is in the  
> driveway and a 2
>
> hectare plasma screen hangs on the wall in every single room of the
> house.(not my house).
>
> AF
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Richard Brekne" <ricb at pianostemmer.no>
> To: <pianotech at ptg.org>
> Sent: Friday, February 15, 2008 6:02 PM
> Subject: Valuing ourselves
>
> My standard price over here is 1150 NOK + 25 % VAT. Thats roughly 210
> dollars plus the VAT.
>
>
>
>
>