[pianotech] Tuning in a down economy

[Tom Sivak]

Wim

How did you get 550 customers?  I thought you just moved to Hawaii last year.  It took me 6 years to get 550 customers.

Tom Sivak


--- On Wed, 3/18/09, wimblees at aol.com <wimblees at aol.com> wrote:

> From: wimblees at aol.com <wimblees at aol.com>
> Subject: [pianotech] Tuning in a down economy
> To: Pianotech at PTG.org
> Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 12:04 AM
> Tuning in a down economy
> 
>  
> 
> A little while ago we discussed our work during this slow
> economic time. While some of you are busier than ever, there
> are quite a few who are experiencing a significant decline
> in income. I wrote that I was considering lowering my tuning
> fee by 40% in an effort to get more business.  
> 
>  
> 
> Some of you stated that I shouldn’t lower my rates, and
> that I should only charge what I am worth.  That’s fine,
> but exactly what am I worth? I know what I should be
> charging, but I also know what the other piano tuners in
> Hawaii are charging. Although my “normal” rates are more
> than the others, I wasn’t getting enough business to pay
> the bills. So I had a choice to make: starve, or lower my
> rates. I chose the latter. 
> 
>  
> 
> On Good Morning America last week they interviewed a couple
> of people who had been laid off from their high paying
> corporate jobs. These people were now flipping hamburgers,
> walking dogs, and doing yard work to help pay the bills. The
> money they were earning didn’t come close to what they had
> been making before, and they were obviously way over
> qualified to do this kind of work.  But the alternative was
> not to pay to bills.  
> 
>  
> 
> That’s kind of how I feel. My tunings are as good, if not
> better, than the other piano tuners on this island. Although
> I have had some clients tell me they have never heard their
> piano sound this good. for the most part
> , I know I am way over qualified to work on the majority of
> pianos. But, I have bills to pay, and if the only way I can
> do that is to tune a spinet for less than I am worth, then
> that’s what I have to do. 
> 
>  
> 
> Two weeks ago I sent out over 550 post cards to customers
> who hadn’t had their piano tuned for a year or more,
> announcing a 30% discount. In two weeks an ad will appear in
> several community magazines offering the same discount, and
> even free estimates. Although I have had about a dozen call,
> I have not had the number of appointments I anticipated. I
> even had some clients who asked what the discounted price
> would be, say thank you, and hung up. I guess it wasn’t
> “low enough”. But if I don’t try to get some business,
> it will be a long dry summer. 
> 
>  
> 
> This is my way of telling those of you who are seeing a
> decline in your business that there is nothing wrong with
> offering your services at less than what you are worth.
> Hopefully the discounts will only be temporary, and we can
> all go back to charging what we are worth. 
> 
>  
> 
> Wim
> 
>  
> 
> PS: Despite the decline in income, I was able to save up
> enough money to book a flight to Grand Rapids. I might wind
> up sleeping on a park bench, but going to a PTG Convention
> is not an option. It’s a requirement. I hope to see all of
> you there. 
> 
> 
> 
> Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT
> Piano Tuner/Technician
> Mililani, Oahu, HI
> 808-349-2943
> Author of: 0AThe Business of Piano Tuning
> available from Potter Press
> www.pianotuning.com