[pianotech] Is this the work of an RPT?

[Duaine Hechler]

On 09/01/2011 05:53 PM, Gerald Groot wrote:
>
> That isn’t true at all Matthew. That, my friend, is a frame of mind – a mindset that you and many other tuners have 
> made for yourself that sets your prices low and keeps them low. What you think, is not necessarily the actual way 
> things work in business. In any business. Prices must be raised from time to time in order to keep up with the cost of 
> living and in order to make a living. I’ve heard many tuners say that “my customer won’t pay that!” That’s wrong. I 
> have a friend here who lives in Grand Rapids 12 minutes from where I live that says the same thing. Yet, I have the 
> same exact customer types as he does. Mine pay it. His might not though but, that is only because of his negative 
> attitude.
>
> Case in point. As an example only… My base fee for tuning here, is $150. That is JUST for tuning only! Major pitch 
> raises are extra. Removing the action is extra. Repairs are extra. Sure, I toss little things in here and there, we 
> all do that. But, that is besides the point. I average well above that price for most tunings. I tune at least 3 or 4 
> a day and am always booked ahead all year long. I used to tune 6-9 a day but at age 55, I’m intentionally slowing 
> myself down, trying to go for 3 tunings a day but, I’m far too busy to do that so, I keep tuning more and more. JFor 
> this next month, I will be tuning no less than 5 a day, 6 days a week. I am booked solid through September. I have 
> most of October booked out. I have all of November booked out. I have all of December booked out. I have all of 
> January booked out. I have all of March booked out. By booked out, I mean NO openings at all. I have 4 or 5 action 
> jobs already scheduled for next summer. So, if what you said were true about raising prices, I would have gone out of 
> business long ago.
>
> That did not come by me “naturally.” I worked my tail off for years to build up my business and my reputation so that 
> I could be that busy. The fact is, our business is built up on our own reputations. On our honesty, our integrity, our 
> quality of workmanship, on our dependability and much more not to mention how we treat our customers. It’s no wonder 
> so many tuners are complaining about a lack of work with how they treat the RPT’s in here. If they treat their clients 
> the same way, I would never call them and being an RPT that knows these people, I would NEVER recommend them nor would 
> I sub contract anything to them. That becomes their loss. Attitude is everything.
>
> Jer
>
Jer,

That's great if you can get 5 or 6 tunings a day - really it is.

BUT - again, it called demographics - if the business ain't there - it ain't there. You just can't go around drumming up 
business out of thin air. If nobody has pianos anymore then where are you going to find them - in hideouts, in 
speakeasy's - do you get my point ?

And, No, I can't move where the pianos - a r e - because I have family obligations here.

So - now that you know and understand the facts - where do I get this business to get 5 or 6 tunings a day ?

I hope you are - not - going to tell me that obtaining RPT status is going to drum up the pianos that ain't there ?

Duaine

-- 
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