<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 10 (filtered)"> <style>  </style> </head> <body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple id="role_body" bottomMargin=7 leftmargin=7 topmargin=7 rightMargin=7> <div class=Section1> Hi Tom,   I wouldn’t clean out those contacts, they were too expensive to get in the first place. I’ve had lots of people finally get around to calling me back after 5-10 years of not having their piano tuned. So what does that cost? Maybe $5 worth of mailings to get a tuning fee. Not a bad return.   You might consider moving them to an inactive file and only send out reminders to them once a year instead of twice a year.   <div> Dean Dean May             cell 812.239.3359 PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272 Terre Haute IN  47802 </div>   -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Tvak@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:42 PM To: pianotech@ptg.org; Boovak@aol.com Subject: updating client list   <div> List </div> <div>   </div> <div> I am about to clean house.  I have about 100 clients that I haven't heard from in 3 years or longer.  (I stop sending reminder cards out after two years go by.)  Some of them are one-time clients; they probably didn't like me and have found someone else.  Others perhaps sold their pianos, or their children stopped taking lessons so they ceased keeping the piano in tune.  </div> <div>   </div> <div> I'd like to either bring these people back into the fold or delete them from my files. </div> <div>   </div> <div> I plan to send them all a letter, explaining that I was trying to update my 'active customer files' and am writing them because I noticed that their piano hadn't been tuned since --/--/--.  I'd make mention of the fact that pianos should be tuned periodically whether they are being played or not.  Then I'd say I would be calling them in a week or so to see if they would like to get the piano tuned again and hopefully resume a regular maintenance schedule for the instrument. </div> <div>   </div> <div> Has anyone on the list ever done this and did you recover any of these 'lost' clients?  Any advice on the content of the letter?    </div> <div>   </div> <div> I would then delete anyone who was no longer interested in my services and clean up my client file to include only 'active' piano-owners. </div> <div>   </div> <div> Or would I be better off just leaving everyone where they are so that when I sell the business in 20 years, my client list is humongously long? </div> <div>   </div> <div> Tom Sivak </div> <div> Chicago </div> <div>   </div> <div>   </div> </div> </body> </html>