<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=2>I appreciate what you are saying and I think you are = right that many good technicians are not good business people.  I = don't count myself among those.  I have business experience running a = small company before deciding to put all my energies in this = field.  My business is very successful but that doesn't mean I'm not trying to = refine it.  The fact is, that for regular field servicing I am trying to = avoid the menu style of billing.  My time is worth so much per hour and I = will accomplish whatever I can in the time allotted.  I think that's a = better way to go than to piece meal everything.  People who service their = pianos more regularly benefit because I can do more non-tuning related = things.  For shop work it might be different  but my fees are ultimately = based on an estimate of time and materials.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>The conversation I gave was, of course, not a = literal conversation.  It was a composite and fictionalized form = representing the types of conversations that can happen and are avoided by simply saying, = my fee is x and is based on a 1.5 hour service call.  That says it = all.  I'll be there for an 1.5 hours and if I'm there longer for other work, expect = to pay more.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>I'm sure your video is worthwhile.  I think the = business side of what we do is sorely neglected</FONT><FONT size=3>.  I = have spent a fair amount of time myself developing a business model and = strategy.  So far it has worked very well.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>David Love</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3>----- Original Message ----- </FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=Wimblees@AOL.COM = href="mailto:Wimblees@AOL.COM">Wimblees@AOL.COM</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> March 15, 2002 10:34 = PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Fees</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT size=2>In a = message dated 3/16/02 4:34:12 AM !!!First Boot!!!, <A = href="mailto:davidlovepianos@earthlink.net">davidlovepianos@earthlink.n= et</A> writes: <BR><BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px = solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px" TYPE="CITE">Don't take me quite so literally.</FONT><FONT lang=0 = face=Arial color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"> <BR><BR></FONT><FONT = lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF">David = Love</FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 size=3 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"> = <BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial = color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"><BR>David <BR><BR>I realize that the story you = gave is not a word for word telephone conversation, and neither was mine. And I am = not trying to persuade you to change your practice. I wish you all the = luck in the world with it. I just wanted you to be aware that what you are doing = might not solve the problem you described. It doesn't make any difference what = you charge, and how you justify it. Someone is going to ask you to explain = your fee structure, and they will not be happy with it.   <BR><BR>One = of the problems we have in this business is that we are dealing with two = different price structures. One is a set fee for a set task. ($80 to tune a = piano). The other is an hourly wage to do everything else. Now we may have come up = with set fees for doing other things, ($250 to put on a set of bridle = straps, $800 to regulate an action, $350 for a new set of keytops). but they are = all based on the amount of time we spend doing them, multiplied by the hourly = rate we charge, (plus parts). <BR><BR>That is why we should set our tuning fee = by what we charge per hour. But you first need to figure out what that hourly = rate is. Vivian Brooks and I both have excellent classes on this, and if you = look in the archives, or on the CD ROM, you will probably find many articles = on the subject. <BR><BR>One thing I find disturbing, is there are tuners who = charge $70 per tuning, and take an hour and half to do that tuning. But then = they charge $70 per hour to do technical work.  That means if they = need to charge $70 per hour to pay the bills, every time they go do a tuning, = they loose $35. If they did 20 tunings in a week, they will have lost $700. = They should be charging the same for a tuning as they do for technical = work, which would be $105. But that would be way over what everyone else charges. = So something's got to give. My recommendation is to learn to tune faster. = <BR><BR>Again, David, please don't think that I am arguing with what = you are doing. As I said, if you think it is fair, and the customers are = satisfied, go for it. <BR><BR>Wim. </FONT></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>