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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Correction. 11 years on the bench 20 years in the
business.</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=AlliedPianoCraft@hotmail.com
href="mailto:AlliedPianoCraft@hotmail.com">AlliedPianoCraft</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, February 13, 2008 8:56
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Confessions of a
"Lookerson"</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<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> </BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>