<html> <head> <style> .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } </style> </head> <body class='hmmessage'> That's laughable! Here's the definitive policy:<br><br><<<font size="3"><span style="font-family: Geneva,Arial,Sans-serif;">Hi Everyone,<br>I firmly believe that a person is worth their hire and should be paid on completion of the job.  Schools, churches and nursing homes are a different breed of customer.  Being paid up front doesn't make someone a mere service worker any more than wearing a robe makes them the Pope.  Our work and attitude toward the customer will display whether we are artists or mere service workers.  This is my plan when I leave the Piano Hospital.  When I dress for success, hold a great attitude toward my customer and demonstrate that I know what I'm doing, he or she will and should be happy to pay for a job well done.  If I'm short on cash, the customer won't see it because of my professionalism.  "How do I pay you Marshall."<br>"Oh cash or check is fine, and here's the invoice for your records."<br>"Ok."<br>Check in hand, family can eat, bills are paid, tithes put in the offering, life is good<br>Marshall</span></font>>><br><br>Terry Peterson<br><br><blockquote><hr>From: AlliedPianoCraft@hotmail.com<br>To: pianotech@ptg.org<br>Subject: Re: Professional practices, was "pay you later"<br>Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:48:51 -0400<br><br> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=unicode"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft SafeHTML"> <style> </style> <div><font face="Arial">John, just set up an account with PayPal and you can then send email invoices. They pay with a credit card and the money is then deposited in you account almost immediately. It does cost you about 3% for the service You can add that to the invoice if you like. </font></div> <div><font face="Arial"></font> </div> <div><font face="Arial">Al Guecia</font></div> <blockquote dir="ltr" style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px;"> <div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">----- Original Message ----- </div> <div style="background: rgb(228, 228, 228) none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>From:</b> <a title="formsma@gmail.com" href="mailto:formsma@gmail.com">John Formsma</a> </div> <div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>To:</b> <a title="pianotech@ptg.org" href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech List</a> </div> <div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>Sent:</b> Friday, April 11, 2008 2:09 PM</div> <div style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"><b>Subject:</b> Re: Professional practices, was "pay you later"</div> <div><br></div>Agreed with your points below. <div><br></div> <div>How do you send an email invoice?  Do you do a PDF with the Mac?  Using Quickbooks to do the invoice?</div> <div><br></div> <div>What about people who don't have an email?  I have a few older customers who don't have a computer.</div> <div><br></div> <div>I think email is a good way to go, considering our modern era.  My practice now is to leave an invoice.  Most people expect to pay me before I leave.  I allow churches to mail payment.  And folks who aren't at home while I'm there.</div> <div><br></div> <div>--</div> <div>JF<br><br> <div class="EC_gmail_quote">On Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 12:24 PM, David Andersen <<a href="mailto:david@davidandersenpianos.com">david@davidandersenpianos.com</a>> wrote:<br> <blockquote class="EC_gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;"> <div style="">My friends---- <div><br></div> <div>Would you like to be treated like a doctor, or a lawyer, or a skilled artisan?</div> <div><br></div> <div>Or would you like to be treated like a day worker, or a cable installer, or a shade-tree mechanic? </div> <div><br></div> <div>In the first group, the work, and the atmosphere surrounding the work, is the focus; actual money exchange happens later.</div> <div><br></div> <div>In the second group, the focus is on getting the check.</div> <div><br></div> <div>If you want to make more money and have more respect, act like a business with cash flow. If somebody wants to give you a check, OK.</div> <div>I hardly ever handle money now, and most of my clients (still) are private entities. I send an email invoice within 24 hours of the work; I haven't been stiffed once since I started this protocol 6 years ago. Well, once, by a white-collar criminal in Malibu...300 bucks.</div> <div><br></div> <div>A hard and fast rule: those who<b><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> seem</span></b> like they couldn't care less about getting paid make a lot more money and are trusted quicker and deeper. People just like it better way back in the deep, old part of their brains. Don't fight the wiring.</div> <div><br></div><font color="#888888"> <div>David Andersen</div> <div>(flame suit on)</div></font></div></blockquote></div><br><br></div></blockquote> </blockquote><br /><hr />More immediate than e-mail? <a href='http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_instantaccess_042008' target='_new'>Get instant access with Windows Live Messenger.</a></body> </html>