<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: Service Fee</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <BLOCKQUOTE>Dave Doremu= s wrote:  “And still I'm competing with estimates of $2800 to restring, r= eplace hammers, bleach keys, replace all action cloth and leather and regula= te a grand piano. I'm not kidding, looked at it last night. And there is alw= ays some one with a peterson strobe who thinks $35 is great for a tuning. At= least those customers often end up calling me to repair the damage btu I ge= t tired of that after a while. I spent 6 years working for a harpsichord bui= lder, if you put 600 hours plus materials into an instrument that sells for = 20K, thats 33/hr out of which comes all overhead and materials and assistant= s wages. But they have to compete with basement kit builders willing to sell= an externally similar instrument for 10K. Of course, it's not nearly the qu= ality, and some people recognize  that, but like tuning, it's shocking = how many dont. Enough ranting, guess your note caught me on a bad day...&#82= 21;  :) </BLOCKQUOTE> Wow. Dave. I’m gonna give you some advice that might sound harsh---pl= ease believe it’s with all due respect: The fact that you’re on this list, and engaged in learning, and tryin= g to be honest and ethical, immediately puts you in the top 25% of people en= gaged in this craft and the piano business. If you love your work, and you’re good, really good, at some aspect o= f or craft, then you move into the top 10%. Okay. Here’s the payoff:  if you         1. Love people, and aren&#8= 217;t afraid to treat your clients as human beings, and         2. Are accountable, and tak= e responsibility for your decisions and actions, and         3. Are NOT a drama queen---= you leave your moodiness and angst at home, and step up like a   &= nbsp;            professional---- Then you’re in. You’re indispensable. Cash flow becomes not a p= roblem unless you’re livin’ the high life. DUDE---YOU ARE NOT COMPETING WITH THOSE D GRADE HACK ARTISTS NAMED ABOVE.<B= R> With  respect, that’s your own mental prison. There are serious = pianists and serious pianos, and plenty of good, trusting, enjoyable clients= pretty much everywhere.  You need to attract them by being one of the = best around, and delivering a complete piano service. Blow people away with = your tuning skills. Get serious with voicing and fine action regulation. The= percentage of pianos that I come upon for the first time (new clients) that have been properly maintained is about 3%---and that’s generous.= The stone cold reality is that most “piano technicians” do not = do a lick of maintenance. That is a literal gold mine for you, brother, if y= ou know what to do. You can take a piano that sounds harsh, clangy, piercing, dissonant, and fe= els resistant, shallow, spongy, and heavy, and make it, with surprisingly li= ttle effort---4 to 12 hours, depending on time, trust, and budget-- a sweet, singing, crisp musical instrument.  In most cases. YMMV.  :--) When you get THERE, you’re pretty much one of a rare breed, and you c= an command the rates you want. There’s a certain percentage of piano owners who understand the value= of what you have to offer. You need to raise your rates, and your reputation, until you attract those = people. It’s dead simple. FOCUS ON YOUR TUNING SKILLS. It’s what you do the most of, and what s= eparates the sheep from the goats, as it were. Hang out with master tuners; = take advanced tuning classes; use your ears; trust your body. A precise musi= cal tuning can MASSIVELY change a player’s perception of the piano.<BR= > You are not competing with liars, buffoons and hack artists, Dave.  Yo= u’re so much more than they are. Wake up. All the best..... David Andersen Malibu, CA </BODY> </HTML>