"Visiting" Tuners - cont'd

[Billbrpt@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 9/19/00 4:37:24 PM Central Daylight Time, Conrad writes:

<< Remember, you can pronounce the names of the towns correctly and without 
an 
 accent.
 ;-}
 
 Conrad >>

Since Ron lives in the Northern part of my state and I know him, I read this 
thread just after coming back from Louisiana, where I am a regular "visitor". 
 I'm sure that some of the locals grumble about me being down there too but 
do you think I care?  All I have is my name in the phone book.  One job leads 
to another.  I don't have to take business from anyone else, I just mind my 
own.   Just as Conrad suggests, I fit right in by adopting the local culture 
as my own, charge the going rate (and then some) and do what I usually do 
when I tune and service a piano.

There have been any number of people that were in business here in Madison 
when I started in 1978 who have quit or moved away, and many who have come 
and gone since.  They all complained that I cut into "their" business, so 
much so that they just could not compete.  But I am still here and my 
customer base in Louisiana continues to grow too.

All I would suggest to those who feel threatened by competition is to either 
learn to do what your competition does better than you do or find another 
line of work or another area to work in.

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin