<br><br> <div class="gmail_quote">On Feb 6, 2008 7:25 PM, Willem Blees <<a href="mailto:wimblees@aol.com">wimblees@aol.com</a>> wrote:<br> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid"> <div>Brian et. al.</div> <div> </div> <div>Some of the responses have been to let the church know about your increase. Personally, I think that is not necessary. In fact, I think it might be the wrong thing to do. Whether it is a church, or private customers, as Conrad just mentioned, if customers are going to get another tuner just because you raised you fee, then you don't need them. There is nothing wrong with raising your fee at least once a year, or perhaps once every other year. It would be better if your went up a couple of dollars once a year, than $5 or $10 every three years. As someone else mentioned, your customers are not going notice, or if they do, won't mind, if you raised your fee. Most expect it. And you don't need to announce it until you hand them a bill after you tuned the piano. How many of you get a notice from your lawyer, accountant, or plumber, car mechanic, telling you their rates are going up? <br> <br>In fact, announcing a price increase ahead of time might actually cost you business. That is how I got a new customer once a long time ago. One of our chapter members sent out a letter announcing a price increase. One of his customers called me, instead. I might have been a few dollars less, but if the other tuner had just tuned the piano, and then handed her the bill, he might have lost her the next time, but he would have gotten at least one more tuning out of the customer, at the higher fee. <div class="Ih2E3d"><br><br>Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT<br>Piano Tuner/Technician<br>Honolulu, HI<br>Author of <br>The Business of Piano Tuning<br>available from Potter Press<br><a href="http://www.pianotuning.com/" target="_blank">www.pianotuning.com</a></div> </div> <div class="Ih2E3d"><br><br>-----Original Message-----<br>From: Conrad Hoffsommer <<a href="mailto:hoffsoco@luther.edu" target="_blank">hoffsoco@luther.edu</a>><br>To: Pianotech List <<a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" target="_blank">pianotech@ptg.org</a>><br> </div> <div> <div></div> <div class="Wj3C7c">Sent: Wed, 6 Feb 2008 9:30 am<br>Subject: Re: how to politely ask for a raise<br><br> <div style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; MARGIN: 0px; COLOR: #000; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, Sans-Serif; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fff">Willem Blees wrote: <br>> Next time you give them the bill, just put in the a new amount. Someone > might ask about it, but I would venture to guess that they will just pay > it. <br> > > > I have been tuning for a church twice a month for a year+1/2 without > even a slight increase in fees. <br>> <snip> <br> <br>> Brian P. Doepke; RPT <br> <br>If you lose this customer solely due to a slight increase in your fee (made merely to keep your bottom line more in line with keeping body and soul together), then they are more interested in your fee than your quality. <br>  <br>Have you been doing this w/o a contract? Without, there is nothing preventing you from doing COLAs (cost of living adjustments). If you DO have a contract, it's time to renegotiate. <br> <br>-- Conrad Hoffsommer, RPT - Keyboard Technician <br> Luther College, 700 College Dr., Decorah, Iowa 52101-1045 <br>1-(563)-387-1204 // Fax 1-(563)-387-1076 <br></div></div></div> <div> <div></div> <div class="Wj3C7c"> <div> <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>!<br></div></div></div></blockquote></div> <div><br> </div> <div>I believe both Conrad and Willem have a point that just presenting them with the bill with the new charge would probably be the way to go.</div> <div>I only make a habit of announcing price increases to my schools I tune for because they issue Purchase Orders for the exact amount of the tuning and if the amount is different the bean counters get upset and we aren't supposed to upset the bean counters! <grin></div> <div> </div> <div>Mike<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.<br>Michael Magness<br>Magness Piano Service<br>608-786-4404<br><a href="http://www.IFixPianos.com">www.IFixPianos.com</a><br> email <a href="mailto:mike@ifixpianos.com">mike@ifixpianos.com</a> </div>