[pianotech] Conventions ( was Pianotech? )

[Duaine Hechler]

I swear - some of you are as dumb as a door nail - and - how many times do I have to say it - how many classes do I need 
to take that include player pianos and reed organs.

Voicing the Vertical Piano (Fred Sturm) - don't really need for antique players - the clientele just wants them to PLAY.
Vertical Regulation - Max Results in Minimum Time  (Kawai with Don Mannino) - Possible - but - how many ways can you 
regulate the same items - and - more importantly, what kind of regulation would benefit the mechanical aspects of an 
antique player piano ?
Vertical Regulation Plus (Hailun / Keith Bowman and Mike Carraher) - Possible - but - what kind of regulation that would 
help antique players
Everything Upright (Paul Rea) - Possible - but - I've run into almost every possible problem with antique players

And we had a stellar offering of classes that were not specific to grands or verticals, on topics such as:
Business - Possible - although have been mentored by a 30+ year veteran of the business
Health - Possible - although my doctor takes priority
Tuning - use an ETD exclusively with some aural tuning checks
Refinishing - Not my line of work - farm it out - although I know enough for the basics.
Keytops - Possible - although how many ways can you accomplish the same thing - and - any classes for antique ivory keys ?
ETDs - Possible - although, I know the basics of Cybertuner to produce a very good tuning for my kind of clientele
Restringing - Already know the basics however will probably never be done for antique players
Exam Prep - Don't need - probably will never take the exams - what exams are geared to antique players

If you haven't noticed, there was a reoccurring type of piano listed.

So, PLEASE, everyone STOP telling me how to run my business - and - these almost useless conventions.

Thank you, Duaine

On 07/24/2012 12:11 PM, Mark Purney wrote:
> On 7/17/2012 10:45 PM, Duaine Hechler wrote:
>> 1) At least 95% of my profit goes back out in supplies.
>
> Anything you spend on supplies can't be considered "profit" in the first place. But if you're saying 95% of the money 
> you collect from clients is going back into supplies, then something is wrong. Somewhere along the line, you made the 
> same mistake that many technicians make:  You set aside continued education in order to focus on working, with the 
> notion that later on it will somehow be easier to bring education back into the routine.  It's like saying, "I've got 
> to get to my destination, so there's no time to change the oil, stop for gas, or check the tire pressure." And then 
> you find yourself stuck on the side of the road, working on the pianos nobody else in your area wants to touch, and 
> making no profit. Don't blame the PTG. Don't blame the pianos. Don't blame the clients. Don't blame the other 
> technicians in your area. If you aren't where you want to be, there is only one person responsible for that.
>
> Continued education is critically important to the success of the piano technician. The PTG offers lots of great 
> educational opportunities, but the National Convention & Technical Institute is the biggest B12 injection that you can 
> get for your piano service career. It's not just the technical knowledge gained that makes it so worthwhile. The 
> business classes, alone, can be life-changing. Just being able to spend a week socializing with some of the world's 
> best and brightest technicians can positively impact the way you approach your own attitude and business methods. The 
> Convention is also a retreat, where you can step back from the daily grind of running the business long enough to look 
> at the big picture. This enables you to discover what you're doing right, what you're doing wrong, and see yourself 
> and your business in a new light. It's recharging your batteries for another year, to go back to work with an 
> excitement over how you're going to apply everything to achieve a new level of excellence in your work and reach a 
> higher income.
>
> Sometimes you need to spend money to make money. Some never go because they view the hotel, airfare and registration 
> as simply too expensive. I view it as the best possible investment you can make in yourself and your business every 
> year, with the highest returns. The regional conventions are fantastic, too. And it's silly to not attend chapter 
> meetings, because the only cost is a little gasoline and one evening every month.
>
>
>
>
>> 6) Finally, as I have said my times before, the organization is geared towards Grands - and - clients with lots of 
>> money to spend.
>
>
> That statement is complete Nonsense! In case anyone thinks there is truth to Duaine's negativity and excuses for not 
> continuing his own education, note the following information:
>
> In Seattle we had five or six classes that you could say were specifically grand-oriented, but there is also a large 
> demand for grand-oriented classes. In fact, most PTG members service both grands and uprights, and both are incredibly 
> important to the work we do. This is why we also had four classes just for upright servicing:
>
> Voicing the Vertical Piano (Fred Sturm)
> Vertical Regulation - Max Results in Minimum Time  (Kawai with Don Mannino)
> Vertical Regulation Plus (Hailun / Keith Bowman and Mike Carraher)
> Everything Upright (Paul Rea)
>
> And we had a stellar offering of classes that were not specific to grands or verticals, on topics such as:
> Business
> Health
> Tuning
> Refinishing
> Keytops
> ETDs
> Restringing
> Exam Prep
>
> And not to forget the dedicated crew of examiners who helped members achieve RPT or get much closer to doing so.
>
>
>
>
>
>


-- 
Duaine Hechler
Piano, Player Piano, Pump Organ
Tuning, Servicing&  Rebuilding
Reed Organ Society Member
Florissant, MO 63034
(314) 838-5587
dahechler at att.net
www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com
--
Home&  Business user of Linux - 11 years