A $4 discount? People are motivated by this? Tom Sivak --- On Wed, 3/18/09, Dean May <deanmay at pianorebuilders.com> wrote: > From: Dean May <deanmay at pianorebuilders.com> > Subject: Re: [pianotech] Tuning in a down economy > To: pianotech at ptg.org > Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 12:35 AM > < 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.> > > > > > > So far, your anecdotal evidence seems to indicate that it > isn't working. And > for you to make up what you are loosing with a 30% discount > will require a > 43% increase in business. My gut feeling is that price is > not really the > issue, it's a priority thing and we fall somewhere > below groceries. I just > raised my price $3 and so far have not lost a single > customer because of it. > > > > > I suspect you would have gotten just as good a result with > a minimal 5-10% > discount when all is said and done. You just need something > to get people to > schedule now. I offer a $4 discount if people schedule by > email. Some take > advantage, many do not. I'm making more phone calls and > scheduling people > that I haven't heard from for more than 6-10 years. > I'm using ACT! now as my > contact manager and it is allowing me to keep phone logs of > all my > conversations, very nice. > > > > I am thinking about a special mailing to all who > haven't tuned in more than > 10 years, telling them since it has been so long it will > likely need an > expensive pitch raise, then offer to tune it for the > regular price. > > > > Another idea I have is to send a postcard mailer and offer > a $4 discount if > they get a friend to schedule at the same time, a discount > for them and the > friend. Our clients know other people with pianos. We need > to tap into that > networking. > > > > Here's another: send a packet of 15-20 cards to a piano > teacher for them to > pass out to students. Have them pre-printed with the > Teacher's name on it > and all of your contact info. Offer a $5 discount if they > present the card > in the next thirty days for a tuning. Tell the teacher that > for every card > you tune you will discount a tuning for the teacher by $5; > enough cards and > her tuning is free. > > > > Our client base is our number one source for business. > Working it is going > to pay us the greatest dividends. Make some calls. Send out > mailers. Other > than that I would recommend just using the free Craig's > List, or other local > free internet classifieds. > > Dean > > Dean May cell 812.239.3359 > > PianoRebuilders.com 812.235.5272 > > Terre Haute IN 47802 > > _____ > > From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org > [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf > Of wimblees at aol.com > Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 8:05 PM > To: Pianotech at PTG.org > Subject: [pianotech] Tuning in a down economy > > > > 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=2 0the 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: > The Business of Piano Tuning > available from Potter Press > www.pianotuning.com > > > > _____ > > The Average US Credit Score is 692. See > <http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1219850974x1201371016/aol?redir=htt > p:%2F%2Fwww.freecreditreport.com%2Fpm%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsc%3D668072%26hmpgID% > 3D62%26bcd%3DMarchAvgfooterNO62> yours in just 2 easy > steps!
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