A Business Dilemma--longish

[JIMRPT@AOL.COM]

PR-J
 Sho has opened up a can o de biggie worms heah boy! :-)

Rather than take the tack of saying what the dealer did wrong in your case 
let me just say what I do in similar cases..OK?

 If I 'recommend' a certain dealer and a certain single piano to a customer I 
already know what that piano is, technical point wise. 
 If the customer buying a new piano is of my 'new piano' seed planting and 
suggestion I do not in the slightest feel bad about accepting a bird dog fee 
from the dealer for the sale.

 If  a customer asks me to look at and evaluate a particular piano on a 
dealers floor, and I don't know that piano, I will certainly check it out and 
advise the customer on the condition of the particualr instrument. If I know 
that piano and there is no need to check it over than I will tell the 
customer what I know and there will be 'no charge' from me......and I will 
accept no fee of any kind from the dealer.............however if I don't know 
the piano I will certainly check it out and charge my service call fee for 
doing so. In this instance the customer is my client not the 
dealer..........buttttt as a courtesy I always tell the dealer what I have 
found ,,,,this gives them the chance to correct any thingees, if any found,  
they would like to, or agree to do so if the customer buys 'before' I report 
to the customer. This serves my client, the customer, two ways ....first it 
allows them to know what shape the piano is in ..........and second it allows 
the dealer to know just what the customer will know about the instrument 
thereby making it difficult to 'slide' anything by undone.

 I do sell the occasional piano and sometimes it does put me in a spot...for 
instance if a customer calls me for an opinion on a dealers piano and I have 
one 'just like it' for sale, or even a better deal, I will not talk sale of 
my piano to that customer.........period. 
 If I have talked sale of my piano to a customer I will not then go and 
evaluate another piano for that customer.............period. I also will not 
suggest another specific tech to do any futher evaluatiions for the customer.

 There are other 'prime directives' for myself but they are generally along 
the lines of the above. Following this path has left 'all' dealers floors 
open to me for many years and allows me to talk with my customers/dealers and 
expect them to believe that what I am saying is factual and not loaded with 
sales debris.

 Works for me...your mileage might vary though.

As for PR-J's situation I would attend any chapter meetings hosted by that 
store but they would never get me in there to do another customer evaluation 
nor could they ever expect a referral from me. Any time a customer asked me 
to do an evaluation I would say simply "I don't do evaluations at that 
establishment" and let it go at that. A firm, full, apology and a full 
understanding of roles to be played in the future would be mandantory for me 
to ever work with/through or for that dealer again.
 But that is just my view.
 Jim Bryant (FL)