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<DIV>Hi TP,</DIV>
<DIV>Only if you sign your posts will I ever learn who you are.</DIV>
<DIV>TP is as ambiguous as anon.</DIV>
<DIV>Pretty please</DIV>
<DIV>Joe Goss<BR><A
href="mailto:imatunr@srvinet.com">imatunr@srvinet.com</A><BR><A
href="http://www.mothergoosetools.com">www.mothergoosetools.com</A></DI=
V>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Topperpiano@aol.com
href="mailto:Topperpiano@aol.com">Topperpiano@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> Thursday, May 13, 2004 =
7:29
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: Business Doldrums =
...and
finding help</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Over the years I have hired people to work in my =
shop. I
got pretty good at training people to do action work. You just =
have to
break down the steps to manageable, understandable elements like =
polishing
capstans and front pins, cleaning parts, bushing keys, etc. I
left the more complicated stuff like drilling a set of hammers or =
hanging
them for myself. I did manage to train one gal who had been a
housekeeper at a hotel (making minimum wage) to do very basic =
regulating and
paid her double what she had been making. Stay at home Moms and =
retirees like
to do something and are really flexible with their hours in that they =
don't
really want full time jobs. In my area we have lost several =
active techs
for various reasons and I am really covered up. The dealer that =
I work
for two days a week (because he sells very high end pianos and gives =
me total
control over what I do to prep them) was making demands that exceeded =
my time
so I am training a less experienced tech who had not had the chance to =
train
on high end pianos. The deal that I have worked out with the =
tech and
the dealer is that he comes in one day a week and I supervise his =
tuning and
regulating work. He works for free and I get paid my usual rate =
while I
supervise/teach him and also work on other pianos. In =
exchange for
the new tech's work the store and I give him the lower end work (and =
take no
cut) that I don't want to do. The new tech has had a =
giant
jump in his business, gets trained and I don't have to try to beg off =
on older
uprights and spinets. The dealer gets more work done for the same =
money and is
also developing a good relationship with another tech who can fill in =
for me
when I have other obligations. I expect that this arrangement =
will stick
through the summer when things are slow and we'll return to our normal =
working
arrangements when things pick up in the fall. By the way I don't =
see the
business slowing down at all. In fact I think that this =
particular
dealer's business has picked up considerably in the last 6 months. TP
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