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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>David, my 2 cents.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>What are you worth? Only you can determine that.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>What do your customers think your worth? Again, only you
can determine that.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial> After being taught by a master technician 8 hours a
day, five day a week for about 1 year, and having regulated and voiced over
2000 pianos and being in this business for 11 years, I gave a customer a bill
for the tuning. Her reply was, WOW you're right up there with the plumbers and
electricians! That's when I decided I needed to get into a new business. I found
something that paid me 3 time more than I was making with only about 1/3 the
knowledge I had of pianos. at the time it was a no brainer.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I soon realized that piano technology more than a
business, it was also an art which I missed. After saving a nice sum of money, I
decided to go back in the piano business on my terms. I will charge what I think
I'm worth and I will be sure that my customers will feel that are getting their
money's worth. I am now making more money than I did at the job I left the piano
business for. <EM>Sorry for ending that sentence with a
preposition.</EM></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>What do your customers think your worth?............Do you
go to their home in shorts and a tee shirt in the summer? Do you go in jeans in
the winter? After speaking with you, do they feel you command the price
you charge? Do you dress accordingly? Again, only you can determine
that.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>When someone calls to ask you. "What do you charge for a
tuning" ? Do you worry that you will loose them if you ask too much? Some may
call me a snob, but frankly, I don't want to tune their piano. Shop for price
when you know what you're getting. A car, TV, PDA, phone etc. You don't shop for
price when you're looking for service, simply because the service people know
what their worth.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Again, my 2 cents.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Al Guecia<BR>Allied PianoCraft<BR>PO Box 1549<BR>High
Point, NC 27261<BR>(336) 454-2000<BR><A
href="mailto:PianoTech@alliedpianocraft.com">PianoTech@alliedpianocraftcom</A><BR><A
href="http://www.alliedpianocraft.com">www.alliedpianocraft.com</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>----- Original Message ----- </FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>From: <</FONT><A
href="mailto:david@piano.plus.com"><FONT
face=Arial>david@piano.plus.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>To: <</FONT><A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"><FONT
face=Arial>pianotech@ptg.org</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 6:46 AM</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Subject: Re: Confessions of a
"Lookerson"</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><BR></FONT></DIV><FONT face=Arial>> This discussion
made me think about the possible economic effects of no<BR>> piano
tuning. When I thought about it I realised that they are wider<BR>>
than I imagined.<BR>> <BR>> For the average home-ownes, piano tuning is
not seen as a "vital" service,<BR>> in the way that fixing a faulty dommestic
appliance or service is. If the<BR>> ges or electric stove is bust, it
has to be fixed, or no dinner that<BR>> night. If a drain is blocked, it has
to be unblocked. So the persons<BR>> doing those jobs can afford to
charge a hefty call-out fee and in addition<BR>> a substantial hourly (or
even quarter-hourly) rate - even though fixing<BR>> the stove may mean a very
low-skilled part replacement.<BR>> <BR>> In piano tuning we give at least
an hour, all-in, of very concentrated<BR>> highly-skilled time, and
during that hour the skill is being fully<BR>> applied all the time.
But we can't in general charge rates comparable to<BR>> the stove or drain
persons.<BR>> <BR>> On the domestic front, if we all hiked our prices up
to electrician or<BR>> plumber heights, people simply wouldn't get the piano
tuned, and we<BR>> wouldn't get work, and homes would have out-of-tune
pianos. Perhaps there<BR>> would be negligible difference to the
economy.<BR>> <BR>> But what of tunings for recitals and studio
recordings? If there were no<BR>> in-tune pianos, would the piano be
almost instantly wiped out as a musical<BR>> instrument and replaced with
electronic keyboards? Would pianos simply no<BR>> longer be featured in
recordings? Would CD sales drop?<BR>> <BR>> I don't know!<BR>>
<BR>> <BR>> Best,<BR>> <BR>> David.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>>
<BR>> <BR>> "Yep,? the treadmill guy is not over-pricing...Piano techs are
under<BR>> pricing.?? I<BR>> once told a store owner it cost me less than
1/2 the store discount to get a<BR>> tuning.? The store discount was
competing with my advertising and<BR>> referrals, and I<BR>> told that
store owner he was losing and the discount had to change.? The<BR>>
store<BR>> owner found another tech who liked working for peanuts.??
Outrageous store<BR>> and<BR>> school discounts fuel low priced techs,
because they don't know any<BR>> different.??<BR>> Low priced techs then
compete in the marketplace with low prices (because<BR>> thats all<BR>>
they know) and keep market prices low.??? Many techs have the same high
level<BR>> training and experience as surgeons, yet the pay remains as if
they are<BR>> custodians,<BR>> relegated to sweeping the floor.?
Bob".<BR>> <BR>> <BR>></FONT></BODY></HTML>