Yeah, good stuff Chuck! One of the problems with recommending the "once a year" tuning, is that (at least in my area) the pianos sound way better after a year then after 5 or 6 months! The changing the oil analogy is a little problematic because not tuning your piano does not physically damage it like not changing the oil on your car. I give people the facts as best I can in a way that they can understand and then its up to them. The reality is the tuning may last several months, or a week depending on what is going on with the environment and the stability of the piano. At what point it becomes intolerable to the client is widely variable. I loved Ed Sutton's editorial this month about intonation. It fits my experience. Some professionals can be amazingly tolerant of instruments that are poorly voiced, regulated, and tuned. Some amateurs can be very picky. It is a good idea to simply ask the client if they would like a reminder about piano service, and ask them when they would like it. I know some technicians who have the client fill out a postcard, so that when they receive it in the mail the recognize their own handwriting. Another good idea is to tell the client how much you appreciate word-of-mouth referrals and how that is your favorite way to get new clients. Sometimes we just forget to ask for what we want! Lastly, Marshall, make sure you have some mentors who can help you along. Having a relationship with a successful piano service business owner is a big deal. It's been priceless for me! On Sat, Jan 29, 2011 at 6:07 AM, Gerald Groot <tunerboy3 at comcast.net> wrote: > Chuck, > > > > This might be a great idea for your next promo! J > > Jer > > > > *From:* pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] *On > Behalf Of *Chuck Behm > *Sent:* Friday, January 28, 2011 11:16 PM > *To:* pianotech at ptg.org > *Subject:* Re: [pianotech] repeat customers > > > > >Do you ever get the "oh the piano isn't played much" routine only to have > no repat business from a person? This seems to be my trouble - Marshall< > > With all the talk back and forth about aural vs. EDT tuning, this might be > a relevant point. I spend a little time whenever possible talking up the > importance or regular maintainance on a piano. The fact that I use a > Veritune makes it extremely easy to show the customer how much pitch the > average piano loses over a year's time. With the Veritune on the fine tuning > setting, the needle is quite far to the left when the piano is 5 - 10 cents > flat, which in this climate is very typical. > > The point I stress is that if I can tune the piano before it goes any > further flat than about 10 cents, usually I can do so without breaking > anything. When it goes further than 15, 20 or 25 cents flat, strings are > much more prone to breakage. > > The fact that it's possible for the customer to see the amount to the left > that the dial reads makes it much more effective. > > I then will pull the string up to correct tension, and make the point that > to the ear, it may not seem to be that much, but that it really is. Seeing > the needle indicator turn 90 degrees on the dial as the string is brought up > is much more impressive than just hearing it. I make the point that after a > year's time, the piano may not sound bad, but it more than likely has > drifted flat and needs to be maintained. > > A good comparison to make is to changing the oil on a car. A yearly tuning > is equivalent to changing the oil every 5,000 miles. You might be able to > get by going longer than that, but in the long run, it pays to maintain your > equipment. > > I bring up at this point the fact that I've had customers over the years > whom I've tuned for on a yearly basis for 20, 25 or 30 years. All of a > sudden one year they'll say, "Oh, the piano sounds okay, so we're going to > let it go!" > > When someone says this to me, instead of arguing with them I bring up my > business car. "You know that my Monte Carlo, the one that I pull up in front > of your house every year?" I'll ask. Usually they remember it. "Did you > know that I have over 250,000 miles on it?" Usually, they're surprised by > this. "And did you know that I change the oil religiously every 3,000 miles > and that I've never had a major engine problem?" They didn't know this, > obviously. "Why do you suppose I've never had an engine problem?" I ask > them. "Because you maintain it," is the answer I always get."Would it make > sense for me to say, "You know, I've never had a problem with this car, so > I'm just going to stop maintaining it for the time being?" No, that wouldn't > make any sense. > > I then change the subject back around to their instrument. "Your piano > sounds pretty good? It plays well?" I ask. "And you have had me service it > religiously every year for 25 years?" I pause at this point, waiting for the > light bulb to go off. "Yes," they'll usually say. "Why does it sound good, > do you suppose?" I'll asked. "Because we've had it tuned every year," > they'll admit. "And now you think it's a good idea to start letting it go?" > I'll ask. > > Usually, they'll end up having the piano tuned after all. > > Marshall, the main thing is to believe in yourself and the value of the > service you perform. > > Also, it might be helpful to have a calendar with you for the next year in > advance. When you get done tuning the piano, ask if they would prefer to > schedule a 6 month tuning, or a year tuning, and get it on both your > calendar and their calendar. Don't ask *if* they want to reschedule - ask > *when* they want to reschedule. Treat it as matter-of-factly as you can > that rescheduling is the standard procedure, and you'll be amazed how your > calendar for the upcoming year will start to fill in. I always tell the > customer that I will call in advance to remind them, and that I'll be > flexible if we need to adjust the date or the time. 95% of my customers love > to have the next booking on the calendar. One less thing for them to worry > about. > > Good luck in building your business. Stay positive! Chuck Behm > > > -- Ryan Sowers, RPT Puget Sound Chapter Olympia, WA www.pianova.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20110129/50ed0022/attachment-0001.htm>
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