[pianotech] age-old question of what to charge for almost nothing and running a business as a business

[David Love]

This isn't aimed at anyone in particular or any specific previous remarks so
please no one respond as if I'm attacking them or criticizing their
approach, though of course you're welcome to comment.  I know this has gone
on too long but the question of what is important for a successful business
is important especially these days. There's been a bit of sniping in the
discussion but hey, get over it.  The really germane issue in all of this,
if I may distill it down, is where the emphasis lies in your business
approach.  My view is that yes of course it's important to have skills and
to have self esteem and project confidence and not be afraid to charge and
do your proper accounting and tax plan and clean your shop and your shoes
and tuck in your shirt yada yada yada.  But at the heart of any successful
business, especially in a repeat service business such as ours, is your
ability to develop and maintain relationships with your customers.
Ultimately, what sticks with customers are the feelings left behind from
your interaction with them.  Not specifically what was said, how much they
paid, whether they got a discount or not, though these things might be
contributing factors.  That's why often when someone complains about your
price and you end up conceding and giving them a discount you never hear
from them again.  The discount isn't what they remember.  What they remember
is how they felt from the interaction and even though they got a discount
they leave with the feeling of being ripped off or had they not pressed the
issue they would have paid more than was necessary.  So in each situation
you have to make a decision as to how best to develop that interaction so
that it leads to a positive experience for the customer.  There are no hard
and fast rules for what that means because each person is different and so
the criteria will vary.  The smartest business people are not those that
stick rigidly to a format for everything but those who recognize the nuances
that make those relationships work and are able to adapt accordingly.  If
that means extracting a pencil for free (that's where this all started) so
that you can engage the customer in some dialogue that may mean future work,
well you have to decide.  It may or may not be the right solution in that
particular case but you need to go in with an open mind and view the
situation as an opportunity.  

David Love
www.davidlovepianos.com