<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "> You're spot-on, Phil. Welcome to the dance. Keep bringing what you know; that's what makes this place the best place like it in the world.<div>David A.</div><div> <div><div>On Oct 9, 2008, at 6:04 AM, Phil Manning wrote:</div> <blockquote type="cite">I'm green as a technician. I'm just starting out, in fact, but I'm not green in small business. Here's a few personal observations... 1. When times are tough & money is tight, there's a tendency for small business owners to cut back on their marketing budget. I don't think this is wise. In fact I think this is the time to evaluate marketing strategies for effectiveness, to make sure we maintain and even increase our base during the hard times. 2. In my experience, price shoppers don't have much else to go on, that's why we should take the opportunity to graciously educate them. A little time spent in this area can turn a tire-kicker into a regular. People who ask for price first don't always buy based on price. Often they're unconsciously looking for someone to help them make a good decision with their money. The price question is often just the conversation starter. 3. I've observed that in tight times people very often adjust their values. For instance, they're more likely to buy a piano rather than upgrade a car, repair an older piano rather than purchase new, budget for tuning & maintaining a piano rather than dinners & movies during the same time period. I use piano examples to suggest how some technicians might have been surprised by steady or increased business during economic downturn. please forgive me if it seems I've over-simplified the issue Phil Manning </blockquote></div> </div></body></html>