the economy

[Michael Magness]

On Thu, Oct 9, 2008 at 6:04 AM, Phil Manning <phil at emvkeys.ca> wrote:

> I'm green as a technician. I'm just starting out, in fact, but I'm not
> green in small business.
>
> Here's a few personal observations...
>
> 1. When times are tough & money is tight, there's a tendency for small
> business owners to cut back on their marketing budget. I don't think this is
> wise. In fact I think this is the time to evaluate marketing strategies for
> effectiveness, to make sure we maintain and even increase our base during
> the hard times.
>
> 2. In my experience, price shoppers don't have much else to go on, that's
> why we should take the opportunity to graciously educate them. A little time
> spent in this area can turn a tire-kicker into a regular. People who ask for
> price first don't always buy based on price. Often they're unconsciously
> looking for someone to help them make a good decision with their money. The
> price question is often just the conversation starter.
>
> 3. I've observed that in tight times people very often adjust their values.
> For instance, they're more likely to buy a piano rather than upgrade a car,
> repair an older piano rather than purchase new, budget for tuning &
> maintaining a piano rather than dinners & movies during the same time
> period. I use piano examples to suggest how some technicians might have been
> surprised by steady or increased business during economic downturn.
>
> please forgive me if it seems I've over-simplified the issue
>
> Phil Manning
>
>
>
>
>
> Kerry wrote:
>
>>  That's an interesting approach...what kind of local groups and what kind
>> of
>> advertising? Most ads I've bought have brought me mostly price-shoppers.
>>
>> Kerry Kean
>> Kent, Ohio
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Dave Davis [mailto:dave at davispiano.com] Sent: Wednesday, October
>> 08, 2008 9:44 AM
>> To: Pianotech List
>> Subject: Re: the economy
>>
>> I raised my fees 15%, minimized discounts, updated my web site, and
>> increased advertising with local groups. This has resulted in more new
>> calls
>> in addition to my regular customers.
>>
>> Dave Davis, RPT
>>  ------Original Message------
>> From: richard.ucci at att.net
>> Sender: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org
>> To: pianotech
>> ReplyTo: Pianotech List
>> Subject: the economy
>> Sent: Oct 8, 2008 6:01 AM
>>
>> List, Our services are postponable, and are more of a luxury than a
>> necessity to
>> most people, Fill the tank with gas, or tune the piano?  What if anything
>> are any of you considering to maintain business in the
>> comming months with the economy looking so bleak?  Cutting fees? Other
>> discounts? Other services?  Thanks , Rick Ucci/Ucci Piano
>> Best regards,
>> Dave Davis
>> Davis Piano Service
>> 425-226-0102
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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>>
>>
>
>
I have to agree with Phil, I've been tuning for almost 40 years and prior to
that we had a family owned music store.

Cutting your advertising budget is a sure way to make less and have less
traffic/calls for your services.

Price shoppers aren't the enemy they are just like you and me, they are
entering unfamiliar "territory" and are trying to get the
"lay of the land". When we go shopping for an unfamiliar item or one you
don't shop for often, do we not check the price of several before buying?
Why then do so many of you find it offensive when potential new customers do
the same? Especially now when all of us are trying to make our
worthless(editorial comment) dollars stretch a little farther.
I've found that a simple statement that my price is commensurate with others
in the area, that I ask my wife to check periodically so that I'm not
overcharging or charging less than the going rate, then continue with
questions such as when the piano was last done, how it's to be used, perhaps
a suggestion for a teacher if they need one and then I usually book the
tuning. A few minutes out of my day on the phone to be NICE to someone, even
if they don't book with me but continue their price calling, is most often
remembered and frequently they call back for the appointment.

Finally as Phil states and I've said before on this site, during good times
more people buy new pianos, during hard times they tend to fix up the old
ones. During the recessions in the past, my business has improved, my
marginal tunings may have dropped away for that period but that losss was
more than made up by the additional work on the new and more established
customers.

Phil was afraid he had over-simplified the issue but he didn't!

The important thing to remember is to not go into a panic mode and cancel
your ads or reduce them, the business is there but they have to know where
to find you!

Mike
-- 
If you can actually count your money, then you are not really a rich man.
J. Paul Getty

Michael Magness
Magness Piano Service
608-786-4404
www.IFixPianos.com
email mike at ifixpianos.com
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