<div>Nooo, nooo, it doesn't replace her income.  Or her benefits!  </div> <div> </div> <div>Congress wanted to give us a $100 rebate for gas.  Hey, if you want to stimulate the economy, give us a national health plan.  Suddenly, I'd have $10,000 in additional resources each year!  I'd be happy to stimulate the economy with that!</div> <div> </div> <div>I'd have to agree with you that the increase in business wouldn't pay for the additional expense of having an employee to answer the phone.  You could, however, have your business line forwarded to your cell phone and thus be able to field all the calls.  If...you don't mind being interrupted over and over again while trying to tune a clien'ts piano!  </div> <div> </div> <div>Tom Sivak Greg Newell <gnewell@ameritech.net> wrote:</div> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">Tom, Good for you on the increasing business! My question is whether or not your wife's being at home and answering the phone etc., is replacing the income she would have had if she were working at a comparable salary to the one she lost. I'd love to have someone here answering the phone and doing all the other related office stuff but I can't take that kind of financial hit to do it. I'm sure that my expenses would go down somewhat but not THAT much. I'm glad for you!! best, Greg At 09:05 PM 5/25/2006, you wrote: >Marshall, > >I get on the average, about 50-60 calls from the >Yellow Pages each year. That has been pretty >consistent over the past 10 years. And that was >with just a listing, no ad, no bold type. From >what I understand, the Yellow Pages are changing >their format/boundaries this year. They are >combining several areas together into one larger >book that will cover a larger area. So, we'll >have to see how that impacts things. We'll get >wider coverage, but there will be more tuners listed in each book. > >I know you're eager to start and grow, as a >business and as a technician. I wish you luck. > >Now here's something that kept me going, through >the years, when times were leaner. > >I kept statistics on the growth of my >business. Total number of tunings, by the year, >and by the month. New business vs. repeat >business. Referrals vs. Yellow Pages. (I never >kept track of grands vs. verticals. I'm not that anal!) > >All this not only helped me to understand how to >help my business grow in the future, but it >helped me, psychologically, as I looked at the >meager sum I had earned this past year. At >least knowing that it was 150% of the amount I >made last year helped. Sometimes I'd feel like >business was down and I'd look at my 'progress >chart' and realize that although 'X' tunings >wasn't enough this past month, it was more than >I had ever made in that same month of any year previous. > >As long as we're on the subject, I just had my >best month, ever, this past February, where I >tuned 65 pianos. My previous best was >38. WooHOO! It may not be the 80 pianos I >would liked to have had, but it's closer than >ever! (I have to credit my wife for this surge >in business. She lost her job, so she's at home >answering the phone, making my appointments, and >calling our clients whose pianos are due to be >tuned. She has increased my business by about >40% since starting with me in January.) > >Been in business about 10 years now, >Tom Sivak >Chicago > > >pianotune05@comcast.net wrote: >HI Terry, >My name is listed in the piano tuning and repair >section. It's just a listing. >Marshall > >-------------- Original message -------------- >From: "Farrell" <MFARREL2@TAMPABAY.RR.COM> >"just my name phone number " > >Is it an ad? Does it say you are a piano >technician? Is it listed in the Piano Technician (or Tuning) section? > >Terry Farrell >----- Original Message ----- > >Well, the new 2006 ATT phone books are out. I >have a listing in it, just my name phone number >and our town abbreviated, although some people >think that South Bend is a city. Anyway, I'm >curious as to how long it took you guys out >there to get your first call from your first >yellow pages listing. This way I'll know >roughly what to expect and not set my expectations too high. Thanks all. >Marshall > Greg Newell Greg's Piano Forté mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net www.gregspianoforte.com </BLOCKQUOTE>