On Sun, Apr 19, 2009 at 8:43 PM, William Monroe <bill at a440piano.net> wrote: > Dittos. Phone calls schedule clients. I send out emails and postcards to > those not on email. In the past, I always followed up in a week or two with > the phone call, and THAT is when I really filled the schedule. Fortunately > for me, I'm busy enough now that I don't have to worry about phone calls and > just stick with email/postcards. If things slow down, however, I'll make > phone calls again, knowing I'll get a better return this way. > > William R. Monroe > > > > On Sun, Apr 19, 2009 at 11:36 AM, Al Guecia/AlliedPianoCraft < > AlliedPianoCraft at hotmail.com> wrote: > >> I agree with James here. A card, followed by a call. The calls gets twice >> as many appointments as the cards do. >> >> Al >> >> >> >> >> -------------------------------------------------- >> From: "Pianoman" <pianoman at accessus.net> >> Sent: Sunday, April 19, 2009 10:28 AM >> To: <pianotech at ptg.org> >> Subject: Re: [pianotech] discount follow up >> >> I will disagree with Wim on his last point about calling. I have never >>> sent out postcard reminders and I do spend, some times, more than an hour >>> calling past clients reminding them it has been more than 6 months since >>> last tuning. Yesterday , as an example, I had 3 slots open for Monday's >>> appointments. Within 30 minutes of calling my list I had booked 3 more >>> appointments for Monday. Some days I have an hour or so of free time and an >>> open agenda for the week following. I usually can fill those slots and into >>> the future, or at least have them tell me when to call back in future >>> months. Many tell me they were meaning to call me. If I get their >>> answering machine I leave a message and many times about 1/4 of them will >>> call me back. I leave a note on their listing on when I called to remind >>> them or when to call back. On clients that it has been several years since >>> tuning I leave one more message and then delete them from my file. If it >>> has been more than 2 years and they put me off I delete them. This system >>> works for me and I do not give tuning discounts of multiple pianos or repair >>> discounts. >>> James Grebe >>> >> > I have found, more so in recent years, an increasing number of customers, mostly schools and churches are making appointments via e-mail. I've always been a phone person and didn't get it until one of the teachers explained that the schools were requiring them to come to the office to make long distance calls, even toll calls. The one I'm speaking of costs a nickel a minute. So she always schedules via e-mail as do many of the several school districts I tune for in the small towns surrounding this area. It also works to their advantage because during the school day when they would call to schedule, I wouldn't be here, they would leave a message and by the time I got home they would be gone for the day. I have put my cell number on my answering machine message but many wouldn't use it. Ocassionally when they have something come up and need the piano done quickly they will call me using their own cell phones. Discounts have not been a part of my business for many years with a few exceptions. When I am putting a Dampp-Chaser and piano cover on a church piano I customarily make them a package price taking a percentage off the total and installing it for free. I also have a few non-profit functions I tune for on a once a year basis that in exchange for a mention in the program I discount my tuning charge. Other than those I have discounted to no one, bargained on final price for a full rebuild on ocassion but not often. Earlier in my career, against the advice of 2 of my mentors, I offered discounts to schools, churches and the like. Slowly as I built a steady clientele and the price of a piano tuning rose with the cost of living, I began to realize what my mentors had been trying to tell me. The people and/or institutions you are discounting to not only don't appreciate it but said nothing when I quietly discontinued the discounts and have continued to do business with me. One thing I did learn about discount coupons. My niece opened a Printing shop here in West Salem, WI Population 4,819. A few years after I moved here almost 13 years ago. About a year after she opened it she called with a "deal" for me she would print up some coupons offering 20% off a first tuning to be placed in the local paper. Which I figured only would go at most to half or 2/3's of the homes in town, I forgot it was also delivered by mail to the rural areas and to the next town up the road of the same approximate size. I said OK, they were distrubuted, I got some intial calls and thought well it at least paid for it self and a little more. Wrong, she didn't put a limiting date on them, I still get people handing me one every so often 8 years later!! Mike -- I intend to live forever. So far, so good. Steven Wright Michael Magness Magness Piano Service 608-786-4404 www.IFixPianos.com <http://www.ifixpianos.com/> email mike at ifixpianos.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech_ptg.org/attachments/20090421/a44a3f10/attachment.html>
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