I hope all of us are taking into consideration our office & drive times when we figure our hourly wage. If it takes Mark 15 minutes to get to the customer for that $60 minimum service charge, he is getting $60 for 1 & 1/4 hours of his time or he's getting $48 per hour minus his driving expenses and time on the phone making the appointment. Phone time might be up to 5 minutes? He'd be making $45 per hour. David I. On 7 Jan 2003 at 10:18, Mark Cramer wrote: > I was just going to ask if anyone else charged for tuning by-the-hour. > This was actually the Dean's suggestion here when I began, conveying > the fact they recognized the value and need for time spent for things > other than tuning. It has worked out so well, I've adopted it for my > private clientele. > > When a private client asks what my price for tuning is, instead of > replying $90.00, I now tell them "a service appointment will be $90.00 > for up to 1 1/2 hours." > > How simple this has made things! Instead of having to "mother may I" > (I love that one David!) and explain pitch correction, and > differentiate between tuning and ,... (Have you ever noticed there are > somethings both the clients and ourselves hate equally? Why not change > it?) > > I simply inform the client, if and when "today's service will require > more than 1 1/2 hours to complete." And, it is much easier to explain > why; "simply because it has gone tooo long between tunings, or lack of > climate protection." BTW, I bill to the next 1/2 hour, which seems > reasonable to all. > > Another thing I've recently adopted is a 1-hour ($60.00) minimum > charge. This really put things into perspective. Certainly there are > many services you can offer in 10 or 15 minutes (a sticking key, etc.) > but, can we really redeem the remainder of that hour (private > clientele) in a tangible way? > > And, does the client really intend that we take our billable hour, > charge them only for what they've consumed, then throw the rest of it > away? I don't think so. > > I'm sure many of you already do this, some of us just take a little > longer (try 19 years!) to think things through. In any case, what > seems best is to establish your pricing based on your personal needs > and let your client decide. > > BTW, here's my current favourite story,... yes, the one all my local > colleagues have each heard eleventy- billion times! :>) > > While tuning, a new client asked if I would also reglue several sharps > her son had pried off their 1980's console-sized PSO. > > Neither desiring their repeat business, (The young lad exhibited that > kind of potential, if you know what I mean!) nor wanting to offend the > owner by "saying so," I offered to demonstrate how she could easily > reglue any in future, and which glue to use. > > Well this woman, though polite, couldn't have cared less. She just > kind of giggled and said, "well I can always call you back, if needs > be." (Obviously not much ESP going on there!) > > In fact, "needs DID be!" In less than a week she was on the phone > giggling again about how the young rascal had managed to pop a few > more off, and if I wouldn't mind,... > > Well here it is folks, the 1-hour minimum at work: > > I was able to be most friendly and polite, replying that I would be > pleased to come and reglue these keys for her, however there is a > 1-hour minimum charge for the service call. "How much" she asked? > Sixty dollars plus taxes. > > Let me tell you, she immediately became most interested in what kind > of glue I had used and where she could buy it! > > I've also had clients with small things (squeeking pedal, etc.) quite > pleased to have and pay for the service. I don't think I've offended > anyone, and never come away feeling I've been anything less than > appropriately compensated for my time. > > The hourly rate in an institution has worked equally well, in that > instruments requiring more time get it, and those merely requiring a > touch-up save money. > > Mark Cramer, > Brandon University > > > _______________________________________________ > caut list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives
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