<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt"><div style="RIGHT: auto">So if you become an RPT, and then fail to pay your dues one year, do you get stript of your RPT status until you give the guild your money?</div> <div style="RIGHT: auto"> </div> <div style="RIGHT: auto">Matthew<VAR id=yui-ie-cursor></VAR></div> <DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <div> </div> <DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> <DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <DIV style="BORDER-BOTTOM: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; LINE-HEIGHT: 0; MARGIN: 5px 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px; FONT-SIZE: 0px; BORDER-TOP: #ccc 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: #ccc 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 0px" class=hr contentEditable=false readonly="true"></DIV>From: Gerald Groot <tunerboy3@comcast.net> To: pianotech@ptg.org Sent: Thursday, September 1, 2011 8:37 PM Subject: Re: [pianotech] Is this the work of an RPT? I love my work.  I really do.  But, if I couldn't make a living at it, I would do something different.  But, I would most certainly not bite the hand that feeds them.... Meaning, all of the learning you're received for nothing here. I would think that anything a person could do to improve one's likelihood of acquiring more business would be most prudent. As I said, I have received numerous emails from people that have looked on the PTG website looking for a piano tuner.  2 emails from the PTG website easily pays my dues for a whole year.  :) Jer -----Original Message----- From: <A href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org" ymailto="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</A> [mailto:<A href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org" ymailto="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</A>] On Behalf Of Duaine Hechler Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2011 8:30 PM To: <A href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org" ymailto="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> Subject: Re: [pianotech] Is this the work of an RPT? On 09/01/2011 05:53 PM, Gerald Groot wrote: > > That isn't true at all Matthew. That, my friend, is a frame of mind - a mindset that you and many other tuners have > made for yourself that sets your prices low and keeps them low. What you think, is not necessarily the actual way > things work in business. In any business. Prices must be raised from time to time in order to keep up with the cost of > living and in order to make a living. I've heard many tuners say that "my customer won't pay that!" That's wrong. I > have a friend here who lives in Grand Rapids 12 minutes from where I live that says the same thing. Yet, I have the > same exact customer types as he does. Mine pay it. His might not though but, that is only because of his negative > attitude. > > Case in point. As an example only. My base fee for tuning here, is $150. That is JUST for tuning only! Major pitch > raises are extra. Removing the action is extra. Repairs are extra. Sure, I toss little things in here and there, we > all do that. But, that is besides the point. I average well above that price for most tunings. I tune at least 3 or 4 > a day and am always booked ahead all year long. I used to tune 6-9 a day but at age 55, I'm intentionally slowing > myself down, trying to go for 3 tunings a day but, I'm far too busy to do that so, I keep tuning more and more. JFor > this next month, I will be tuning no less than 5 a day, 6 days a week. I am booked solid through September. I have > most of October booked out. I have all of November booked out. I have all of December booked out. I have all of > January booked out. I have all of March booked out. By booked out, I mean NO openings at all. I have 4 or 5 action > jobs already scheduled for next summer. So, if what you said were true about raising prices, I would have gone out of > business long ago. > > That did not come by me "naturally." I worked my tail off for years to build up my business and my reputation so that > I could be that busy. The fact is, our business is built up on our own reputations. On our honesty, our integrity, our > quality of workmanship, on our dependability and much more not to mention how we treat our customers. It's no wonder > so many tuners are complaining about a lack of work with how they treat the RPT's in here. If they treat their clients > the same way, I would never call them and being an RPT that knows these people, I would NEVER recommend them nor would > I sub contract anything to them. That becomes their loss. Attitude is everything. > > Jer > Jer, That's great if you can get 5 or 6 tunings a day - really it is. BUT - again, it called demographics - if the business ain't there - it ain't there. You just can't go around drumming up business out of thin air. If nobody has pianos anymore then where are you going to find them - in hideouts, in speakeasy's - do you get my point ? And, No, I can't move where the pianos - a r e - because I have family obligations here. So - now that you know and understand the facts - where do I get this business to get 5 or 6 tunings a day ? I hope you are - not - going to tell me that obtaining RPT status is going to drum up the pianos that ain't there ? Duaine -- Duaine Hechler Piano, Player Piano, Pump Organ Tuning, Servicing&  Rebuilding Reed Organ Society Member Florissant, MO 63034 (314) 838-5587 <A href="mailto:dahechler@att.net" ymailto="mailto:dahechler@att.net">dahechler@att.net</A> www.hechlerpianoandorgan.com -- Home&  Business user of Linux - 11 years </DIV></DIV></div></body></html>