Getting to know your clients

[CHARLES BECKER]

I had a customer who was a Scott Joplin afficianado.  She said she didn't play very well and was interested in Joplin from an historical and archival point of view.  I arrived early one time and could hear her playing from the driveway.  She was better than good.  I never complimented her on her playing for fear of  embarrassing her, but I arrived early from then on to sit on her stairs and listen.  She always played for half an hour before the service appointment.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Willem Blees 
  To: pianotech at ptg.org 
  Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 12:22 PM
  Subject: Re: Getting to know your clients


  Then there are clients who don't want to play in front of the tuner. I had one customer who, according to the music on the piano, was an advanced player, and even told me she was. She tried to tell me the problems with one of the notes, so I asked her to show me. She said she would never play for anyone except her husband and her teacher. I tried to explain that like a doctor, who need to examine her by putting his hands on her body to find out a problem, I needed to have her play. But even that didn't help. I tuned for her for 10 years, but she never played. 


  Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT
  Piano Tuner/Technician
  Honolulu, HI
  808-349-2943
  www.bleespiano.com
  Author of 
  The Business of Piano Tuning
  available from Potter Press
  www.pianotuning.com


  -----Original Message-----
  From: Michael Kurta <mkurta at roadrunner.com>
  To: Pianotech List <pianotech at ptg.org>
  Sent: Tue, 22 Jul 2008 2:50 am
  Subject: Re: Getting to know your clients


      The problem with half (or more) of my customers is that either 1. the primary player is not at home.  Whether a student or a spouse, they're not there when I am.  And 2. they are often too shy or embarassed to play in front of someone outside their family.  It may be helpful to take a clue from the music in the bench or near the piano.  But the concept is good and worth working with.  
      Mike Kurta

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