tech or dealer?

[Rob Goodale]

> many of the members of this list seem to be only techs and some of you 
> work for dealers (and get paid for it or not).  Is it usual in the USA to 
> be a tech who sells pianos? I mean a one-man-company with field service 
> and dealership of new or/and used instruments? Most of my German 
> self-employed colleagues have a little shop which is opened only 2 or 3 
> days a week. Or after 5 pm or so. The rest of the week they go tuning. 
> That´s what I will do in October this year.
>
> Gregor


Congratulations on opening a store, I wish you the best of luck.  I speak 
with experience when I say that owning/operating a business is no picnic. 
The investment is scary and operating costs are phenomenal.  You are lucky 
to show any profit at all during the first several years and your have to 
find a way to eat in the meantime.  12 hour days, 6 and or even 7 days a 
week are not uncommon.  Nevertheless there is nothing quite like the being 
your own boss and the personal rewards can be quite gratifying.


A word about techs interested in selling pianos for a dealer...

I personally have developed an interest in that area,  I will remain a 
technician/rebuilder but I have been moving toward diversifying.  Selling is 
a completely different profession.  Most experienced sales people have sold 
other things besides pianos over the years and for whatever reason happened 
to land in music stores.  Piano technicians can become outstanding piano 
sales people, however, because it is a good cross-over profession.  If you 
have a genuine interest in this area the first step is to approach the 
owners of a local dealer for whom you respect, preferably one you have 
already been working with as a technician.  Take them to lunch and explain 
your interest.  You will never go anywhere if you work with a dealer you 
don't like.  There will otherwise always be a degree of friction that will 
hinder your performance and enthusiasm.

Do everything you can to learn the sales trade.  This includes attending 
NAMM shows, going to sales seminars, attending meetings when manufacture 
reps visit the store and get to know them.  Ask them as many questions as 
you can think of.  Absolutely at any cost attend piano manufacturer sales 
programs.  Most major brands have their own annual sales schools that last a 
week or so that dealer staff can attend.  While much of the information they 
provide is proprietary to their particular brand, there are also universal 
sales techniques that can be applied to any piano.  Sit in a corner of the 
store and observe how the other sales people work for a day or two.  Do 
everything you can not only to learn your store's products from top to 
bottom, but also your competitors.  You will confront shoppers who have 
already visited another store and will ask how your products compare.  You 
had better know everything about the other store's products if you want to 
convince them that yours is better.  This includes digitals.  Attend your 
own store's sales meetings.  It may take a while to earn the owner's trust 
so don't expect them to share a lot of inside information at first.  You 
need to prove to them that you are serious about selling, making them money, 
and will be loyal to keeping operations information private.

Learn the proper language.  You are not "pitching", you are "presenting". 
You don't have "customers", you have "shoppers" or "guests".  You are 
"assisting" them, not "selling" to them.  There are three primary elements 
to selling that you must learn front to back; qualifying, rejections, and 
closing.  On average you will only sell one piano for every 8-10 serious 
shoppers so don't be discouraged.  You must become the shopper's friend and 
assure them you have their best interest in mind.  Make it an educational 
experience and you are the teacher.  Don't get "over technical" unless they 
ask a lot of technical questions.  Don't sit and play every piano in the 
store and talk about how nice it sounds.  You can not "play" your way 
through a sale.  One experienced and respected third generation sales person 
I talked with described the shopper-seller relationship as "giving a little 
bit of your soul away to every prospective buyer".  DO NOT EVER bash your 
competitor.  This is a big turn-off.  If the shopper already visited your 
competitor who has now become their new "friend", (assuming their sales 
person did their job properly), you are attacking their friend.  Stick to 
comparing product.   Don't take them to the cheapest piano in the store and 
try to sell up.  Take them to the expensive pianos first and then sell down, 
(if you must).  Emphasize service and warranty, something many sales people 
foolishly fail to mention.  Be careful not to make promises that can't be 
kept.  Arrange for delivery as soon as possible.  Finally, get over the 
"guilt" complex of selling.  The shopper came to YOU to buy something.  They 
will leave happy with an invoice in their hand and the knowledge that they 
purchased a good piano.  Selling can be an honest and respectful profession 
if done correctly.

Rob Goodale, RPT
Las Vegas, NV