People -- Best Part of the Business

[Mike and Jane Spalding]

Alan,

Yes, absolutely.  The best part of tuning is the opportunity to interact with the client, family, and pets.  Cookies and tips are always a pleasant surprise.  Never been offered a cat, but at one house I had one repeatedly launch himself onto my shoulders.  There's always time to pet the dog - at one house last week I was asked to feed and water the dog, as the owner was recovering from back surgery and couldn't reach down to do it.  I also encourage clients and their children to watch and ask questions.  Surprisingly, this has never turned into a problem.  Usually their curiosity is quickly satisfied, and they wander away.  But it's a great opportunity to teach them what we want them to know about their instrument and its service needs.  Also, to ask them what they think of the piano's touch or tone, the first step in selling action work.  Why, as much as we complain about ignorant piano owners, would we want to develop strategies to get them to "shut up and leave us alone so we can tune"?

Mike Spalding RPT

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <tune4u@earthlink.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 14, 2002 6:20 PM
Subject: People -- Best Part of the Business


Delivered a set of re-covered keys today after they'd been "in the shop" for four days.

Youngest child, age 5, sees me getting out of the ol' Tunemobile, comes out into the yard and yells at me. "It's about time you showed up! Why did you take our piano keys?"

Hmmm...

Installed keys, handed the boy's mom the bill. She says, "Is that all? They look so beautiful and you did so much work on my piano ... etc. ... I'm going to pay you thus and such ..."

I've been given house tours, cookies, complete meals, occasionally an extra $5 or $10 because they feel guilty about living so far out, or something, and was once offered a cat. But this was a pleasant first: a $50 bonus, tip, whatever...

Ain't life grand.

I've been in PTG meetings where people, usually the more introvert types, discuss "how to get the customer to shut up and leave you alone so you can tune." Well, sometimes you just have to ask. But I think I build a lot of loyalty--and I know I get referrals--because I do take time to listen to lonely old people, or people with family stories to tell, etc.

For the first time I know of, I lost a client to another tuner this week. I had only tuned for her once and her comment to the new tuner was that I took too long. Okay, misread that one. But showing real interest in people and taking time to build relationships with them is the only way I, for me,  (and I do stress "for me") to be in this business.

You can keep the cat, but I do like cookies.

Alan Barnard
Salem, MO