FIRST
CONTACT WITH THE TUNING CLIENT
by
John Geist, master piano tuner
Here, in the San
Francisco, Marin and Alameda counties, the relationship a tuner has with
a client is the principal consideration in building a thriving business.
Surely the same must be true globally.
Let’s take a close look at a good interaction.
First,
the tuner has received a call from someone who has referred him
or someone who likes his website or has chosen him at random.
The caller introduces herself and briefly explains her situation.
This is truly the first impression and extremely
important. She asks about
her new/used piano and her ideas for employing it.
Your tone and choice of words show that you support her decision
and that her new/used grand/console/upright can have a happy potential
in her home. Maybe her last
tuner died and you were recommended.
Now is the moment you have to be kindly firm.
She asks the price of the tuning.
You tell her. But
now, showing your professional acumen and honesty you ask her when it
was last tuned. She might
reply two years ago which means anywhere from 16 months to 20 years,
memory being as capricious as it is for many of us.
Here you might say: “you should know that a piano that has not
been tuned within the last year probably will require 2 tunings.”
Sometimes the response is shock, sometimes resignation
and sometimes an upbeat recognition of reality.
Some will check for a price break on the second tuning.
Value and respect
your own time by giving double the price of a single tuning and that the
tunings are best timed at a three week interval.
“This allows for the piano to adjust to the shock of having a
couple of thousand pounds added to its tension.
Your piano was built to precisely handle 30 to 40 thousand pounds
of tension and that when it falls out of tune, the stresses over the
piano become unhealthy for it.”
If the client asks why it takes 2 tunings to bring it
back to an A-440 tuning, tell her that after you tune the center of the
piano, pulling up the high treble and the bass untune your initial work.
So your initial tuning is a rough approach designed to get the
piano into the ballpark so that a fine tuning can be done on it.
In all cases, the shorter the phone conversation the better
the chance of reaching a tuning date.
You will hear a tone of satisfaction in her voice that tells you
to initiate the date. “Good,
how does Friday the 8th sound?
10 am? Now, where do
you live? Directions?
I have a GPD in my car. Could I have your phone number, work
number, cell, e-mail? Very good, I’ll see you then.”
Final thanks or other brief courtesy.
Put every concern about repairs, possible extra tools you
might need to bring, etc. into your data base file for her.
You should live with a pocket calendar or device that shows you
the week’s and months’ events because sometimes you will schedule work
while you are on the road.
Be glad, a new relationship is coming into your life!
-John Geist,
Master paino tuner
