[pianotech] Dealer labor fees

[Ryan Sowers]

I DO try to factor all that into the mix, Diane. The bottom line is you
don't make as much as you think you are! I have found some creative ways to
market the pianos: I keep one at a local bookstore, another at an antique
store that only charges my a 10 percent commission, one at a violin shop,
and another at a restaurant. Each one gets a little display with business
cards! The rest of my inventory is in my little shop which is a remolded 2
car garage at my house near downtown Olympia. I keep my website up to date
and always post ads on Craigslist.

Keeping the overhead low is essential. I often do make more money tuning
pianos but working in the shop has become essential for my development as a
technician and to keep my sanity! Luckily I also have a spouse who is a
terrific business partner! She's also terrific at rebushing keys, at
replacing bridle tapes!

On Sat, Jun 20, 2009 at 1:11 PM, Diane Hofstetter
<dianepianotuner at msn.com>wrote:

>
> Ryan,
>
> Have you also considered the costs of housing those pianos until they sell,
> the costs of advertising them, the fact that your money is tied up in them,
> the costs of moving them,etc. What about the costs of not being able to earn
> tuning money while you are showing the piano to a potential customer--who
> might not even buy.
>
> I don't know what all our dealer's costs are, but one of my co-workers told
> me that he SAVED $10,000 per month in rent when he moved into a smaller
> space about six months ago.
>
> Diane
>
> [pianotech] Dealer labor fees
> Ryan Sowers tunerryan at gmail.com
> Sat Jun 20 09:56:25 MDT 2009
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> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> When I first got into this business I tended to have more of a negative
> attitude towards dealers and other so called "middle-men". This tends to be
> a pervasive attitude amongst technicians. I have gained a lot of sympathy
> for them since the sales part of my own business started growing several
> years ago.
> Making money selling pianos is not as easy as many think. It is not unusual
> at all for a client to take over an hour of my time just to look at a
> piano.
> By the time you exchange emails, arrange a time to show the piano, etc, it
> can easily take 2 hours. Then there are the "challenging" clients.
> When I sell a piano I'm really lucky if I make an actual profit. Most of
> the
> time I am just able to cover my own labor costs. This is what has motivated
> me towards getting through the pianos more quickly, and discovering what an
> appropriate level of perfection is. Dealers really appreciate that kind of
> expertise.
>
> --
> Ryan Sowers, RPT
> Puget Sound Chapter
> Olympia, WA
> www.pianova.net
>
> Diane Hofstetter




-- 
Ryan Sowers, RPT
Puget Sound Chapter
Olympia, WA
www.pianova.net
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