I agree with you Duaine. The letters after your name are not the final say, in how a customer will like your tuning. Some people once they get the RPT after their name, quit learning, they figure they are there. I found out years ago, that yellow pages are not what they were. Too many different phone options. Word of mouth is still the best, mind you that only happens if the quality of your work warrants it. Kijiji seems to work up here, it is something like Craigs list. I never got above being a associate, due to not practising enough for the aural. My fault. I must add something here. After I dropped my membership, Bill Bremmer contacted me, not knowing I was no longer a member, and offered to give me some aural, instruction using webcams, so we could converse back and forth. I told him it was an excellent idea, but he should concentrate his efforts on members. He should be given some recognition for this endeavour, and if it was offered more I am sure that many more would become RPT's. Technology today, gives a person such an advantage today, not like in the old days, where, if you were isolated, you had no one to help. However with my trusty ETDs, I carry a spare, in case of a mishap. I have as many customers as I want. I stopped advertising years ago, except for the one liner they give me in the Yellow Pages. I only have that, because I like the phone number I have had for years, even before I tuned. When I advertised initially when starting, they said I had to pay the business rate. If I quit the business now, I have to change my number. I have been to approaching 20 conventions, and for that, the PTG has the best ones. I kept trying to improve myself. I do notice now, mind you not up here, that the PTG is gaining much more recognition, and I think more and more people will ask if you are an RPT. But I still say, too many RPTs, do not follow up with more training, and this name recognition could backfire, if some of these RPTs in name only, do not supply the quality of work expected. I have had the contract at a local university for 21 years. On turning 70, I gave it up, but they encouraged me to come back, saying they had always been satisfied with my work. Oh well, enough of a spiel, hoping for some feedback. For the grammar police, sorry for this being so dis-jointed. John Ross Windsor, Nova Scotia On 2011-01-25, at 6:03 PM, Duaine Hechler wrote: > Okay, flame suit on....... > If > > Les, > > FWIW, in my area, RPT don't mean a thing. > > I've had - 2 - people in - 11 - years ask what RPT is - and - let alone - ask what the PTG is. > > They are more concerned about the quality of service, honestly and mainly pricing. > > At 11 years, still an Associate - not able to pass the aural tuning test. > > And hecklers' hold you tongue .......... > > Yesterday, I tuned for a lady that had a Steinway Model A, her mother's, that had always been tuned aurally by a local guy who used to tune for the local symphony. Her last tuning took 6 hours. > > Before I went out, I talked to her on the phone for about a half hour about tuning via Cybertuner, which she never heard of. > > Finally, we agreed that - if - she didn't like the tuning, she didn't have to pay me and that she was going to call the local Steinway store and arrange for an aural tuner. > > After about two hours, I announced that I was done and for her to come a play something. > > AND, the more she played, she started to tear up and by the time she played the whole piece, she was almost balling. > > She blubbered out that her mother would have been proud of the way the piano sounded - and - that she never heard it sound so good. > > She agreed to pay me and she was going to call and cancel the aural tuner. > > She decided against giving me a check for the amount - and - gave me cash with a $30 tip. > > Finally, she was going to recommend to another lady up the street. > > I deduce a testimonial here. > > Duaine > > > On 01/25/2011 02:57 PM, Les Koltvedt wrote: >> >> I've advertised in my church bulletin, with a congregation of more than 3500, for the last 3 months of the year. I can say that I've done that twice, it's my first and last time, not one hit. I'm in the same boat as Marshall, not a RPT...yet and trying to build a clientele. >> >> Les > -- > Duaine Hechler > Piano, Player Piano, Pump Organ > Tuning, Servicing & Rebuilding > Reed Organ Society Member > Florissant, MO 63034 > (314) 838-5587 > dahechler at att.net > www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com > -- > Home & Business user of Linux - 11 years -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20110125/8a909cfa/attachment.htm>
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