Category Archives: Business matters

A big thank you to my Sheffield Piano Tuning patrons

Business matters, Chesterfield Piano Tuner, Covid-19, Dronfield Piano Tuner, East Yorkshire Piano Tuner, Lockdown Rules, North Yorkshire Piano Tuner, Piano Tuning, Piano Tuning Availability, Rotherham Piano Tuning, Sheffield, Sheffield Piano Tuning, Update

I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has booked me in recent months. I’m extremely happy with the workflow since the restrictions were lifted – business has improved exponentially. After a seriously rough 2020-21 it’s very nice/pleasing to see people becoming more confident about having tradespeople into their homes. There’s an obvious build up of people who have postponed booking the piano tuner throughout these difficult times – it’s even more noticeable in a big city like Sheffield.

My rates remain extremely competitive for those in Sheffield and nearby areas who need a new piano tuner. Taking into account the price of fuel, it’s always a delight to have a day of piano tuning where all the jobs are close to home. Part and parcel of the trade is travel and which I see as par for the course – 90% of the time a long drive is taken as an opportunity to catch up on my music listening (after a long day of concentrating on overtones and pitch, I enjoy listening to music all the more). On my ‘Sheffield and South Yorkshire piano tuning’ days it does feel like I’ve both reduced my carbon footprint and saved money, however.

I’d also like to thank anyone in the other areas I cover for your custom. If you’ve struggled to find a piano tuner who would come out to your area, I’m glad that my willingness to travel has helped you.

Why are your rates so low for piano tuning?

Business matters, Piano Tuner Sheffield, Piano tuning prices

I’m occasionally asked – politely – why my rates are so cheap for Sheffield piano tuning. I’m always torn between my entrepreneurial spirit and my desire to give each customer an excellent deal. I work on my piano tuning & repair business every day to make sure its profitable and I sleep easy at night knowing my customers have been given a bargain. For first time piano tuning clients who are unsure about the quality of their piano or its tuning stability, it’s nice to know they can get a professional and accurate piano tuning which will then allow them to judge whether they want to continue with what they have or to upgrade to a higher quality instrument – and if they hire my services they can experience this without breaking the bank. I think the current prices reflect this, being a balance between allowing me to earn a comfortable living as a Sheffield piano tuner and remaining a competitive business enterprise.

The busy bee that is me (business matters)

Barnsley Piano Tuner, Business matters, Piano Tuning, Piano Tuning Availability, Rotherham Piano Tuning, Sheffield, Sheffield Piano Tuning, Update

The last few weeks have been… different. When it comes to finding new clients, I’ll be the first to admit that haven’t always been the most merchantable nor the most sedulous; thus I have had to get used to other piano tuners taking the lion’s share of new work in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire. At first I didn’t complain about this: after a few years of due diligence, my perseverance had since paid off when satisfied customers began recommending me (this was particularly helpful when piano teachers recommended me to students looking for a Sheffield-based piano tuner). Word of mouth was enough to make piano tuning a viable enterprise.

Around 2017 – 2018, some saddening personal circumstances focused my attention back towards my piano tuning pursuits and my lack of visibility online. This led the to question “could I be doing more?” Unlike my early lacklustre efforts, I began utilising the internet with new rigour, ensuring my presence is conspicuously ever-present rather than a footnote on the bottom of a google search. I have steadily made myself known and this has resulted in an abundance of calls & emails which are very much welcome. Honesty is the key: all the relevant information one could want can (hopefully) be found on the website and if it can’t be found, I’m always quick to answer emails, texts and phone calls. I can safely say I’ll never be one for “hidden charges” and the like – that much is obvious at a quick glance of the website.

The light has began to shine on me again and I am most grateful for the continued interest in my work – this is still a growing piano tuning business after all, and new patronage is needed for its continued operation.

– Richard Lidster,  Piano Tuner Sheffield