[pianotech] price-negotiating customers

[John Dorr]

Good Morning all,

I rarely chime in on answers here. In part because the answer I might give is
often given before I get the chance to write it! Also in part because I'm
honestly awed and somewhat intimidated by the wisdom here and am a bit shy to 
add my two cents. Having said that, I think I'd like to chime in on this 
subject.

I've said it before, but I believe that customers can cover a spectrum from
the stingiest, penny-pinchingest "tire kickers" to the no-expense-is-too-much
no-price-is-too-high solid-gold-American-Express easy-to-get-along with SUPER
CUSTOMER. From my experience the tire-kicker is often also a pain in the
posterior AFTER the sale as well, whereas the solid gold customers ALLOW you
to take care of their pianos and don't often complain! So you've got to ask
yourself which end of the spectrum do you wish to service!

As far as a reply: I, like Ed Foote, let them know on the initial contact that
I'm NOT the cheapest, or at least I HOPE I'm not. And, like Mr. Foote, I also
manage to book most of those first calls!

When pressed for a discount I decline. If they want to know why, I'll tell
them that my pricing is carefully considered to cover my costs and allow for a 
reasonable profit, that I don't have the ROOM in it to negotiate, and that it 
would be unfair to my other customers to cut my prices for no good reason. 
(Typically the tire-kicker type responds with a comment about he/she doesn't 
really CARE about what others pay... cuz he's so SPECIAL, of course... and 
then I just smile wryly and hold my ground.)

Having said all that, there ARE times when I discount. Not because I'm asked
to, but maybe because I sense it might be needed. For example, a single mom
called her sister over one morning to lend her the cash to pay my tuning fee.
It was a miserable thrift store piano just purchased in need of LOTS of work,
but her daughter was interested in playing it. So I just put a quick but
careful one-pass overpull tuning on it charged her for a "service call", which
is much less than my tuning rate. I spent almost the same amount of time as a
tuning call, and more than a 45 minute service call with all the discussion we 
had about her piano, but it allowed me to give her a good discount while 
saving face (both hers and mine).

But MOSTLY -- I go for the Gold Card customer and try to politely weed out the
tire-kickers.

Good Luck!

John Dorr, RPT
Helena, Montana