I'd like to underscore what Ed has said. Incrementally raise your rates until you reach that balance between being sufficiently booked (whatever that is for your personal comfort level and lifestyle) and having at least some potential customers not schedule an appointment because they want cheaper. (If they are serious about maintaining their pianos, don't worry, they'll be back!). According to the accountant of the highest earning tech I know, at that end of the spectrum, if one third of inquiring potential clients don't think you are too expensive, then you are not charging enough! YMMV. <div> </div> <div>Alan Eder -----Original Message----- From: A440A@aol.com To: pianotech@ptg.org Sent: Thu, 6 Dec 2007 5:04 am Subject: Re: Scheduling question <div id="AOLMsgPart_2_8770e86e-c6db-448f-821a-e7fed2e5a5ac"> Greetings, Annie writes: <blockquote type="CITE">After seven years of hustling to make ends meet (which meant I had more than enough time to work at customers' sites and in my shop), I've moved to a new area which is turning out to be absolutely wonderful. Today, however, it became very apparent that I'm going to have to become much more careful of my schedule if I'm to take advantage of the work opportunities that are being offered (and still do my best work, of course). So I would appreciate hearing how other folks do it. </blockquote> Raise your prices. When you are working so much that you run out of time, you are not charging enough. You want a clientele's willingness to pay more for more experience to increase as your worth increases, so you have to ride the curve or slowly become swamped with underpaying work. I know how many tunings a week my hands and tendons are able to comfortably handle, When that time is sold, I don't try to adulterate the appointments by cramming in another one or two. Higher prices allow me to do that. We either shape the clientele to suit our life, or it will shape us to its convenience. The fear of losing a customer because we are charging too much will cost us far more in the long run than actually losing a customer or two along the way. Regards, Ed Foote RPT <a href="http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html</a> ************************************** Check out AOL's list of 2007's hottest products. (<a href="http://money.aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?NCID=aoltop00030000000001" target="_blank">http://money.aol.com/special/hot-products-2007?NCID=aoltop00030000000001</a>) </div>  </div> <div class="AOLPromoFooter"> <hr style="margin-top:10px;" /> More new features than ever. Check out the new <a href="http://o.aolcdn.com/cdn.webmail.aol.com/mailtour/aol/en-us/text.htm?ncid=aolcmp00050000000003" target="_blank">AOL Mail</a>! </div>