This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Tvak@AOL.COM=20 To: pianotech@ptg.org=20 Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2001 6:55 AM Subject: how long? List, So whaddyathink? Am I just impatient? How long does it take to = build up a=20 clientele to support one's self? Tom Sivak Chicago PTG Associate Tom-- It depends on so many variables: how aggressive a businessperson = you are and how good you are with people, selling other work besides = tuning, selling accessories, etc., what you do to get your name around, = how many pianos a day you're willing to tune/service, how many "off" = days & vacation time you take, how many referrals you get from the store = and the impression you leave on their customers/new piano owners, how = much you charge, how many services you offer, how many new clients you = add per year, what type of clients you add (piano teachers who will = refer you to their students, or struggling young musicians with no = money?), how transient the population is in your town or area of = service, your lifestyle, habits, and expenses, dependents, if any, how = the economy goes, ad infinitum, almost..... =20 But as a very general guesstimate, and based on my experience, I'd = say probably at least 5 years. It takes about that long before you're = starting to get good at it, anyhow. =20 I get only 3 tunings a year out of the Yellow Pages, but then I = don't have an ad -- just my name & phone. But still, most of the new = customers I get are referred to me by piano teachers, and by people I've = done a good job for (which I try to do for everybody) -- they give my = name to the lady across the street, their mother, their daughter, = sister, brother, doctor, dentist, other piano owners they run into from = day to day at work, church, day care, garden club, wherever. I think the most important things are to always do a good job and = include little "extras", even if sometimes it seems like good deeds get = "punished" or open up a can of worms -- in the long run, they pay off by = boosting your reputation. And that's the other important thing -- = reputation. You may not be an experienced, expert technician for maybe = 10, 15 years or more, but if you try hard, aim to please, pay attention = to detail, do the best job you can even if the money at first isn't that = great, and keep learning, it'll pay off in the long run. You want = people to have you back every year, and one or two disgruntled customers = could destroy a hard-won "upstanding" image. =20 I'm one of those who make less than $33K, but then I don't have a = family to support nor heavy mortgage or car payments, and lead a pretty = modest lifestyle by choice, plus I'm not one of those type A, gung-ho, = suit & tie, 5 pianos a day, on-the-phone-all-evening go getters, either. = (But I do try to charge what I'm worth most of the time except for my = young struggling musician friends who don't have the money but really = need the piano in tune & working right -- in return, they get me into = gigs free).=20 Most of the other tuners I've seen start out and keep going, had a = pretty good clientele established after roughly 5 years (3 for some; = maybe 8 or 10 years for others), but some of them may have done other = things or had part-time non-piano jobs for extra income, too.=20 You do have to be patient, but persistent, too. At least you have = a huge population base. --Sincerely, David Nereson, RPT, Denver=20 ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/f7/84/b2/e6/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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