another opinion on "...is this honest"

[Danny Moore]

Guy, Karen, and Tor Nichols wrote:

>         I thought that almost everything mattered, when dealing with a customer's
> perceptions of our trade. We may separate service from retail, but a lot of
> customers will lump all the piano people together if they feel like they've
> been deceived.

Guy,I think you nailed it with this sentence.  The key is "a customer's
perceptions."  Whether we like it or not, there is definately a Wal-Mart mentality
out there.  People, as a marketing statistic, seem to prefer the illusion of the big
deal, extravaganza type sale with lots of people, lots of hype and a lot less service
and personal attention than if they had walked into your store with fewer customers
where they could have had your personal attention.  Seems to be a part of our
acquisitive, use-it-up and throw-it-away society.  Regardless of personal feelings,
if the customer didn't demand it, the manufacturer wouldn't supply it!

Danny Moore
Houston Chapter

>
>
> >From Frank:
>         " If we tolerate unfair or illegal
> practice, sooner or later we will become victims of it ourselves, and in
> many cases the law will hold us just as guilty as the perpetrators. "
>
>         Tacit tolerance is usually looked at as endorsement..
>
> Wim said:
>         "And no matter how it is done, for us as piano tuners,
> the more pinaos sold to the pulbic, the better it is for us."
>
>         Well, now, there's the rub..... IS IT REALLY???  Nothing is better "for
> us" when it devalues our trade - business - livelihood by presenting a
> deceptive practice as being "normal".
>
>         I'm a "participator" in University sales. I make a fair amount of money
> for our effort. Several facts about our efforts compared to some others:
>
> }The manufacturer "eats" a LOT of interest income for the whole school year
> in order to be a part of the event. In our case, Baldwin looses the
> potential on almost $100k, retail. That's not just "0ne or Two Pianos", as
> mentioned in another post. That's not insignificant. Do they make money
> when the product turns? Yep, that's why they bet on it. There's a balance
> there, though, that isn't always super - profitable. The Artist series
> would sell, anyway, and production doesn't always keep up with demand.
>
> }Our participation can involve lots of extra moving, prep, and break-in
> type work. We make sure the appropriate piano is in the office, class,
> rehearsal room, etc. We deal with the profs around the extra tunings that
> may be needed, and do all we can to protect the cabinet for the future owner..
>
> }We conduct the sale "on-site" AFTER the spring semester has ended (I
> understand some other sales don't wait), and schedule for the consideration
> of the music department..
>
> }Our advertising, from direct mail to print ads, lays it on the line. It
> has a brief description of the loaner program, and lets the public know
> just what dealer is involved. It is MY name, after all, and I plan on
> wearing it for a while. We give the buyers a descriptive brochure when they
> arrive at the event, and answer any and all questions about which pianos
> came from where, etc. I understand that a lot of events aren't promoted
> that way. (like the one my competitor pulled off two weeks before my last
> event... they never did say what university they were getting their pianos
> from)
>
> }The last three years of our program with the local university have
> generated a bucket of dollars and product for the music department..
>
>         Just now, Del brings up another point:
>
>         " Besides, my concern with these "University Sales" (and the "Armory
> Sales" that
> preceded them) is only partly with ethics ethics involved. Just think of
> the long term damage they are doing to the piano
> industry. Aside from demeaning the instrument in the eyes of the public,
> once these manufacturers and mass-marketers have
> their markets saturated, who is going to bring back the small, but
> important, dealers that have been wiped out in the
> process?"
>
>         The "Armory" sales have proven to be rough on the market. Some university
> sales aren't good for the market, either. In our case, we've been impressed
> by how many of the new customers were just that... new. They had not really
> seriously considered buying a piano until the university opportunity came
> along. A lot of them were faculty, etc. Our first event "created" over
> twenty "new" piano students. In households that should have included music
> anyway. We feel comfortable with that. A lot of the other buyers were
> upgrading, and their used pianos went on to serve another household. That's
> OK, too..
>
>         I could go on, with negative stuff about "other" programs, but that's not
> really the point. The POINT is, that we/you/us "consumers" should NOT put
> up with or ignore practices that are blatantly deceptive. It's not that we
> should tell our tuning customers all the poop about a particular sale or
> whatever, it's that we should let the dealer and/or manufacturer know how
> we feel about their method(s).
>
>         To endorse bad business through tolerance IS bad business. "And no matter
> how it is done,"...... holy frijoles, man, REALLY?? Don't you CARE? Our
> code of ethics is pretty clear on that puppy. Promote, practice, fair....
> etc. Perhaps the technical of the next chapter meeting could be " READING
> the BACK of YOUR CARD"..
>
>         I let my competitor know how I felt about his boo-boo. I let the Dept..
> head of another university we service know what he wasn't getting from the
> dealer and manufacturer with his program (both out of town) I let the
> manufacturer for that out-of-town program know about the non-institutional,
> un-prepped pianos at that site.
>
>         If I hadn't, then I would have at least been "approving", if not
> endorsing, deceptive business that hurts us all.  Hurts us all.  Hurts us all..
>
> Guy Nichols
>
> "All the water in the world can't sink a ship.......unless it gets on the
> inside."
>
>                                                         Ed Foreman