Fees

[David Love]

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I appreciate what you are saying and I think you are right that many =
good technicians are not good business people.  I don't count myself =
among those.  I have business experience running a small company before =
deciding to put all my energies in this field.  My business is very =
successful but that doesn't mean I'm not trying to refine it.  The fact =
is, that for regular field servicing I am trying to avoid the menu style =
of billing.  My time is worth so much per hour and I will accomplish =
whatever I can in the time allotted.  I think that's a better way to go =
than to piece meal everything.  People who service their pianos more =
regularly benefit because I can do more non-tuning related things.  For =
shop work it might be different  but my fees are ultimately based on an =
estimate of time and materials.

The conversation I gave was, of course, not a literal conversation.  It =
was a composite and fictionalized form representing the types of =
conversations that can happen and are avoided by simply saying, my fee =
is x and is based on a 1.5 hour service call.  That says it all.  I'll =
be there for an 1.5 hours and if I'm there longer for other work, expect =
to pay more. =20

I'm sure your video is worthwhile.  I think the business side of what we =
do is sorely neglected.  I have spent a fair amount of time myself =
developing a business model and strategy.  So far it has worked very =
well.

David Love

----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Wimblees@AOL.COM=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: March 15, 2002 10:34 PM
  Subject: Re: Fees


  In a message dated 3/16/02 4:34:12 AM !!!First Boot!!!, =
davidlovepianos@earthlink.net writes:=20



    Don't take me quite so literally.=20

    David Love=20



  David=20

  I realize that the story you gave is not a word for word telephone =
conversation, and neither was mine. And I am not trying to persuade you =
to change your practice. I wish you all the luck in the world with it. I =
just wanted you to be aware that what you are doing might not solve the =
problem you described. It doesn't make any difference what you charge, =
and how you justify it. Someone is going to ask you to explain your fee =
structure, and they will not be happy with it.  =20

  One of the problems we have in this business is that we are dealing =
with two different price structures. One is a set fee for a set task. =
($80 to tune a piano). The other is an hourly wage to do everything =
else. Now we may have come up with set fees for doing other things, =
($250 to put on a set of bridle straps, $800 to regulate an action, $350 =
for a new set of keytops). but they are all based on the amount of time =
we spend doing them, multiplied by the hourly rate we charge, (plus =
parts).=20

  That is why we should set our tuning fee by what we charge per hour. =
But you first need to figure out what that hourly rate is. Vivian Brooks =
and I both have excellent classes on this, and if you look in the =
archives, or on the CD ROM, you will probably find many articles on the =
subject.=20

  One thing I find disturbing, is there are tuners who charge $70 per =
tuning, and take an hour and half to do that tuning. But then they =
charge $70 per hour to do technical work.  That means if they need to =
charge $70 per hour to pay the bills, every time they go do a tuning, =
they loose $35. If they did 20 tunings in a week, they will have lost =
$700. They should be charging the same for a tuning as they do for =
technical work, which would be $105. But that would be way over what =
everyone else charges. So something's got to give. My recommendation is =
to learn to tune faster.=20

  Again, David, please don't think that I am arguing with what you are =
doing. As I said, if you think it is fair, and the customers are =
satisfied, go for it.=20

  Wim.=20

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