My exp. with adv.

[Kenneth W. Burton]

	Wally,

	This looks like a very complete examination of your advertising
posibilities. Do you also tell the customers you tune for that you will
call them when it is time for the next tuning (at the time interval which
they choose?) I feel this is one of the most important factors in keeping
a growing list of clients.

	Ken Burton "Doctor Piano" Calgary Alberta

On Thu, 30 Jul 1998, Wallace Scherer wrote:

> 
> Hi everybody,
> 
> Since some of you have been telling of your experiences with advertising, I
> thought I'd share some of mine too, especially since it has been in the
> forefront of my thinking these last two years I have been in business.
> 
> I did a survey on this list about a year and a half ago about yellow pages
> advertising. The consensus was that it IS important to have your piano
> tuning business listed, but not necessarily cost effective to have a
> display ad unless there is some unusual aspect of the business you want to
> emphasize. I missed the deadline that first year, but good thing - my phone
> number was changed two months later. The new directory is coming out right
> now with my listing at the top (A-1 Piano Service). We'll see if that
> produces any increased business. I have already received two calls, but
> they wanted to talk about other things, not piano tuning.
> 
> I have used the Community Phone Book, a localized private phone book
> company, but have not seen that it was cost effective; maybe five jobs in a
> year's time. The listing cost me nearly $400. I'm trying it one more year.
> I have also looked into other private yellow page type publications like
> The Shepherd's Guide, but investigation leads me to believe it is not used
> enough to be cost effective. One piano teacher who advertised in that one
> said she got only one call all year.
> 
> Newspapers are out of the question in this large (1 million) metropolitan
> area. Even the classified "service directory" section costs $60 for a week
> for three lines. But a shoppers' guide type of weekly paper has produced
> some good leads and a few jobs. It only costs me $10 a month for four runs.
> It will generally bring me $60 for every $30 invested. Not great, but
> something for a start up business.
> 
> I tried radio; had a spot for a month on each of two stations; one was a
> Christian talk station, the other an all news station. The work they
> brought in only paid for the ads, but I am hoping for repeat business from
> the same customers. I am thinking about doing a cooperative ad with other
> tuners to increase awareness of the need for regular tuning and maintenance
> of pianos. It would be aimed at the Dr. Laura crowd.
> 
> I also had a coupon in the program guide of the local public radio station.
> It ran one month and brought in two jobs. Paid $215 for the ad and got $150
> in business. Not worth it for me at this point.
> 
> I have sent letters to the members of a local piano teachers organization
> and have attended some of their meetings, since I also do some teaching. I
> have an ad in their directory ($20). Altogether this has only brought me
> business from two teachers out of 100 members, but one is also giving me
> referrals.
> 
> I sent letters to the music teachers of a school system which doesn't use
> the bid system but got no direct business from that. 
> 
> The most cost effective method I have found for building my business is to
> print up some flyers about my business and go door to door in good
> neighborhoods, asking if they have pianos, and if they do, asking for their
> business. I have found that in houses where there are pianos, one third of
> them are already being tuned regularly, one third of them are not being
> used and the owners are not interested in their being tuned, and one third
> will either sign up for an appointment right then, or will consider it for
> the near future. I estimate there are about 6000 pianos in the latter
> category in my service area. So the work is there; I just have to find it.
> 
> Other customers have come from: 
> 1. my church (word of mouth)
> 2. the Christian school where my wife teaches and my daughter attends      
>  (have also used an ad in the school newspaper) 
> 3. the music school where my other daughter teaches
> 
> One nearby music store (not a piano store) has let me place my business
> cards there. I have gotten two jobs from that; I pay the store $5 for each
> customer they refer to me. 
> 
> The sign on my car has brought me a few jobs too. It was a one time expense
> but keeps making contact with the public every day. When I park at a
> customer's house, I try to park where the sign is most visible. Same goes
> when I park at a shopping center.
> 
> Advertising is important to any new business, so we have to keep looking
> for ways to increase our customer base without paying more for advertising
> than the business it brings us. No one method is best for everybody, but
> together they reinforce each other to do the job.
> 
> Then, of course, as has been mentioned many times on this list, we need to
> do a good job for our customers so that they will have no qualms about
> recommending us to others.
> 
> Wally Scherer, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
> E-mail: WallyTS@iName.com (Please use this new address now!)
> Web page: http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/2411
> "Old piano tuners don't die - they just go beatless."
> 
>   
>