Wim I've found that showing your face to someone really helps.  Oahu folks are really into personal touch...( i know, I was at one time engaged to a hula dance competition lady from Waipau.  An incredible amount of clique  rules...very tight in their relationships)  By what I learned in that 5 year relationship, face to face really does the job. I know the miles on your car can be painful, the interpersonal face to face thing works for me....and even when I started, I showed my face every month to all the piano stores until they started using my services, not just a call or card in the mail... It did start paying off after a few months. even here at UNL, I ran a "special" for faculty tunings at home...I didn't get much return on my email, but asking them in person nearly doubled the reponse!! Good luck and keep truckin' Paul <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td width=40%>wimblees@aol.com Sent by: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org 10/24/2008 02:33 PM <table border> <tr valign=top> <td bgcolor=white> <div align=center>Please respond to Pianotech List <pianotech@ptg.org></div></table> <td width=59%> <table width=100%> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>To</div> <td>pianotech@ptg.org <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>cc</div> <td> <tr valign=top> <td> <div align=right>Subject</div> <td>Re: Best approach for acquiring new business... Willem</table> <table> <tr valign=top> <td> <td></table> </table> Julia That's an incredible amount of business with just two phone calls. I have sent all the churches and school (a total of about 450),  here on Oahu several letters, including my resume and a PTG brochure on taking care of piano, and got maybe 6 calls. Maybe I need to call them. (something I can do during my "days off", like today.) Thanks Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT Piano Tuner/Technician Mililani, Oahu, HI 808-349-2943 Author of: The Business of Piano Tuning available from Potter Press www.pianotuning.com -----Original Message----- From: KeyKat88@aol.com To: pianotech@ptg.org Sent: Fri, 24 Oct 2008 7:07 am Subject: Re: Best approach for acquiring new business... Willem Greetings,          About 320 churches,  about 50 area schools, from Reading area phone book, (some churches and schools outside our county were listed in there, I called them all) I contacted each one at least twice. When twice, if their answer both times was consistently something like: "We have all electronic pianos." or "We have a member of the church who tunes it." or (annoyed) "We have a tuner contract."  I notated it and never re-called them. The remainder I called maybe, twice again, making a total of about 4 times. So total I'd say I called 250 churches, 25 schools, 4 times.   Julia   In a message dated 10/22/2008 4:17:13 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, <a href=mailto:wimblees@aol.com>wimblees@aol.com</a> writes: Julia These are some interesting statistics. On the schools and churches, about how many did you contact, and did you do it more than once? Willem (Wim) Blees, RPT Piano Tuner/Technician Mililani, Oahu, HI 808-349-2943 Author of: The Business of Piano Tuning available from Potter Press <a href=http://www.pianotuning.com/ target=_blank>www.pianotuning.com</a> -----Original Message----- From: <a href=mailto:KeyKat88@aol.com>KeyKat88@aol.com</a> To: <a href=mailto:pianotech@ptg.org>pianotech@ptg.org</a> Sent: Tue, 21 Oct 2008 5:34 pm Subject: Re: Best approach for acquiring new business. Greetings,           Just out of tuning school, In my first 2 years of business, I painstakenly notated where every tuning came from...then calculated that I got;   19% from dropping off cards at music stores 38% from making phone calls to churches and schools, either leaving a breif message on the machine or if I got an answer, asking if they would like a copy of my resume and a bus. card and then sending them. 13% by passing out cards at local small flea markets and "arts and antique" fairs. 3% from leaving cards at 2 local community schools of music 6% from senior tuners  (who didn't want to tune those spinets which they were referring) 13% from yellow page ad (a lot of bargian hunters) 3% from a piano teacher I was aquainted with 3% from sending small pack of cards to 3 local moving companies 2% from local shoppers'/merchants' paper   Doing tuning for about 6 years now. Mostly referrals, and repeat business, some yellow page ad. I must admit that I got lazy with the phone calls and dropping off the business cards. I probably could have more business.   Hope this helps, Julia     In a message dated 10/20/2008 10:53:39 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, <a href=mailto:shawnbrock@fuse.net>shawnbrock@fuse.net</a> writes: I'm hoping some of you will way in on what you think the best method for soliciting new business is based on your personal experience.  I am considering a few options for getting new church customers.  1: Sending out postcards to most or all of the churches in my area.  2: Good old fashion cold calls.  I have not tried the cold calls method for a few years, but I recall that it didn't work vary well for me previously.  On the other hand I don't want to waste money on sending out maybe 1000 postcards to get one tuning on a old Baldwin 243.  Why we all know nothing is a sure bet when trying to get new business we know some things work better than others.  So what do you think the best and most profitable approach has been for you?  I appreciate your input as always.     Regards, Shawn Brock, RPT 513-316-0563 <a href=http://www.shawnbrock.com/ target=_blank>www.shawnbrock.com</a> <hr>New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination. 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