I picked up the phone, said "Hello," and heard:

"Are you the piano teacher?" in a tone of total disbelief.

"How much do you charge per lesson?"

How would you have handled this inquiry?

(This really happened yesterday AM)

John,

This is the normal inquiry received by phone, what's so new about the one you received?

Also asked usually is:
"Do you have any openings?"
"Where are you located?"

Do you remember the day when someone would have said: "Hello, Mr. Van der Brook, this is Mary Sunshine. I'm calling because my 9 year old son is very interested in starting piano lessons."

John, was it really an inquiry or a "test"?

You can always say, "Yes, this is John van der Brook - to whom as I speaking?" And, "Can I ask you who referred you to me?" And, "Are you the student?" And, "What are you looking for in piano lessons?" In your situation, you can also say, "Have you visited my web site?" "Tell me about yourself, please."

Or, it's fairly obvious that this caller presents a rather blunt overture with questions that will stop the music with any answer you give. He is not interested in connecting with you, he is interested in removing you from his list of prospective piano teachers.

I would like to think that well informed people choose us to teach them based on what we offer, our reputations, the end product being delivered.

What are you thinking about those questions, John?

Betty

Betty, I wish there were some way to convey the tone in the caller's voice. But their isn't.

Many calls I get, if not most, never raise the issue of price, or not until late in the conversation, although many of them ask if I still have any openings. I guess this is what stunned me. It was so abrupt.

Me: Hello Dr Smith. How much do you charge for an office visit?

Dr. Smith: (totally flustered) well, ah, let's see, I guess I'll have to refer you to my accounting section.

OK! I understand tone of of voice. Go with gut feelings, John. Avoid anything coming your way that irritates you or throws you into silence.

Serious inquiries feel good and are a give and take exchange of information in a cordial tone of voice.

Do you have *69 on your phone service to identify who made the call?

Have you ever had a phone call from another teacher who is shopping you to get info for themselves to use in their studio? When the questions are too perfect and too skilled, I have said: "Am I speaking to another piano teacher? I'd be glad to have this conversation between teachers, if you would identify yourself." Long pause. "Yes, I am a piano teacher..." No one has ever been inflamed by having heard that from me. It's better to network and cooperate than to do the "shopping" anonymously. It's irritating to me to be treated like that, I'd rather collaborate openly.

Betty

I don't recall if I've ever gotten a phone call quite like that, although I have gotten several calls (and questions in person) where they ask what I charge almost right away. That means to me that they are asking, "What is the least amount I can pay for lessons?" To which I answer very plainly what I charge (I give them the per-semester rate) and that usually ends the conversation. My rates are such so that it is economical for those who really want lessons, but out of the question for someone who isn't serious.

It's possible that they have heard you are a great teacher through the grapevine. Upon calling you, they were expecting "good afternoon, master Johh V.D Brook speaking", or similar. Upon hearing your friendly (but snob-free), greeting, they may have enquired about your rate out of not knowing what to say.

I love it when people ask me my rate, because it is a chance to give them my value proposition without having to blow my own horn. I explain that my rate is a little higher than the going rate in town, but here's why....

They are not looking for a price, they are asking for an explanation of value.

It does happen rarely, to be honest, people usually ask what my rate is when their checkbook is out for the first time.

Betty, that's a fascinating point. It never occurred to me that it could be another teacher. There are probably 120 people teaching piano here in Olympia, and I would only recognize the voices of half a dozen, those most active in our local MTNA chapter.

Morodiene, when I finally collected my wits, I replied that I don't charge by the lesson, so I couldn't actually tell them the per lesson rate. Then I referred them to my website. That was the last of them.

My gut sense was, this wasn't going to be a good combination teacher-family relationship.

Wow...am I about to disagree with Morodiene? Sure why not. There's a first for everything.

I think it comes down to a style of shopping rather than an indication of a non-serious student. I think they are asking, "what is the least I can pay for Quality lessons". By calling a teacher who does not advertise, they have been referred and are already expecting quality. Some parents have very little money. If someone else is offering the same quality and value in lessons for less expenditure, and have openings, then the parent would be foolish to choose the higher cost and similar value option.

I compare price with value (as percieved by myself) every time I book a vacation. I rarely choose the cheapest vacation, but I look for value. I would choose a teacher the same way, and I would hope that a teacher would be able to clearly explain to me why their tuition fees are justified if they are high.

-P-

Morodiene: "My rates are such so that it is economical for those who really want lessons, but out of the question for someone who isn't serious."

You said a mouthful!

Betty

By the way, I detected a tone of reverse sexism in the questioner. "You're a man? Teaching piano?"

You have no idea how many times I get that, even from family members and acquaintances.

I can get pretty sarcastic on the phone, so if I detect foul intentions on the other end of the line, I just launch into one of my vicious vitriolic vituperations. Either that, or I start using "big words" and technical jargon.

Whenever I get an inquiring call, I almost always start by asking, "Who referred you to me?" or "How did you get this number?" I figured that most parents asking for legitimate piano lessons would have nothing to hide.

Morodiene:

It depends on the manner in which the question is posed and the tone in which the caller makes the inquiry. A couple years ago one of my colleagues in the MTA moved away, and I gave her my phone number to give out to her students. I got over ten phone calls, all of which asked for price almost immediately--you can tell the parents are out price-shopping. At that time, my rates were quite reasonable ($30/hour), and yet none of these inquiries panned out. Later I found out that they all went to another teacher in our MTA who charges $15/hour. She is still charging that rate, and she's well past retirement age.

You get what you paid for.

Generally yes.

But sometimes, you get a lot more or less than you pay for. Hence my insistence that value is more important than price.

Indeed...

All us male piano teachers need to stick together. I am the only male piano teacher in town (a town of 180,000).

Yes, you should be out logging or shooting moose or bear, or something "manly."

Do any of the students of our two male dialoguing teachers log in - and are they now visualizing John and Jeremy with a moose draped over one shoulder, axe and rifle in the other hand? Check for bemused smiles on your students' faces.

It's possible. I've invited my students to come onto this forum.

They are probably just lurking at this point. I have not recognized any of them yet...

Jeremy,
Given the fact the John was posting this with shock at the tone of the caller, I posted how I respond when I get someone with that tone. As teachers, we learn to pick up on the non-verbal cues, and in this case, when someone is just "shopping around" and looking for the cheapest price, I of course, tell them courteously what my rates are. Usually,that ends the conversation right there. I certainly don't hide my rates or anything. I have found that the people who really care about how I teach, will ask me more questions first, or they might simply say, "I was referred to you by so-and-so and I'd like to know more about your lessons and rates." Then I can proceed to speak about my teaching philosophies as well as my private and group lessons, and then I speak about rate. But when all they ask is "what's your rate?" I tell them and usually that's the end of it.

John,
At least the caller didn't scold/lecture you for having what they consider to be unreasonably high rates

Some people are just embarrassed or uncomfortable discussing prices...we are so used to just going to the store and looking at the price on an item...which can be a comfortingly anonymous process, as opposed to having to actually identify yourself as being potentially interested in purchasing...then feeling obligated to explain why you don't (too expensive, etc).

I am being uncharacteristically generous here, but perhaps they just didn't want to waste your time in the event that your prices were out of their range. If they had called another potential teacher, gotten involved in conversation, and then had a bad and embarrassing case of sticker shock, I can see them asking about price right away from then on.

I think that's sometimes the case. It would be nice if they felt they could say something like "My name is ---. I'm interested in piano lessons but I'm on a tight budget and at the moment I'm just doing some preliminary fact-finding to see if this is going to be possible for me. Would you mind telling me what you charge for lessons?"

Currawong - if only!

My rates are fair, not really high. I am higher than most of the local teachers, but I feel I offer a substantial amount for the price I charge. There are a couple of teachers who I think are really excellent, but for some reason, feel they must low ball piano lessons. Oops, my next student is here. I'll add more later.

Interesting, very interesting. I'm not a teacher but at least I know how to do the shopping and see what teachers don't or do like.

You know what I have done in the past? ... I have called and said "Hello, I'm calling in regard to piano lessons" ... often I allow the person on the other end to respond "hang on I'll just get him/her" ... "yes (brief synopsis of the teacher)" ...

Some teachers jump straight to thinking I am ready to start lessons with them. It seems that they assume (correct me if I am wrong) that I am not shopping and this is the one. To stop this whole "ok, so when do you want to start?" ... I say "I am not sure about changing teachers" or "Before I get into anything I would like to ask a few questions" ... The ones I often end up with are not blunt and dogmatic. The teachers I often get taught by are the ones that open it up to questions. I often also give the prospective teacher my background briefly.

Some teachers while they give their brief synopsis will tell me the price/hr.

Most of the time I say "I was meaning to ask you earlier, but I forgot along the way ... how much do you charge?" ... (I always forget to ask before I hang up.)

I ask many many questions: I sometimes wonder if they are too interrogative.

I have often a list of things to ask.

1. Where are located?
2. Do you follow an exam board?
3. What do you think about the exam board system?
4. In your opinion what do you think music education is all about?
5. What areas of music and lessons do you see as fundamental importance?
6. I feel that my last teacher did not teach (x,y,z) what do you think of this?
7. Do you prepare students for school music studies?
8. Do you teach (x,y,z)?
9. How much do you charge?

That is a basic outline of the questions I ask. Some of them are majorly philosophical (3-6 especially). Sometimes I ask more depending on the flow of the conversation.

Well yeah, anything I am doing that I should fix? Personally as a student even though the shopping process is long ... its always satisfying to me. By the end of it when I have found someone I get really really excited!

Well ... that's what I have to say ... Its really interesting to see if from a teachers angle.

Perhaps they are just rude or poorly brought up or used to text messaging. Lots of that going around these days.

Perhaps they just were checking around informally and quickly and anonymously what the going rate was or wanted to know if the latest increase (again?) from their current teacher was reasonable.

Perhaps they actually have a financial situation at home that makes piano lessons a fantasy luxury (what? not everyone has $80 cash lying around unused waiting to be spent every week?) and were truly looking for the rare teacher they could actually afford.

Perhaps some combination of above.

I would have introduced myself and asked them to introduce themselves and give me background on their request (after all THEY called ME) in this case. Perhaps by seeking to understand before making yourself understood the communication issue could be resolved immediately.

Well they don't often come right out with 'the question' at the start of the conversation but it always comes up. I ask them to check my website for info on fees, term dates, policies etc. It can tell them more about me than I can say in a short phone call. I then ask them to call me again if they like what they see and we can fix up a consultation. The less serious ones don't call back which is fine by me.

Discussing rates on the phone is difficult because I charge a fixed monthly fee which sounds complicated to some. The actual hourly rate (which is what they want) is....

£23.692307692307692307692307692308


I'm not sure they would want to hear that.

I have had telephone inquiries while the caller is driving the car. It is detectable. I can't imagine these circumstances of making the phone call to a prospective piano teacher. I, personally, try not to talk to people on a cell phone while they are driving a car.

I have printed material to read. I don't want to answer the fee question on the telephone for anyone. This kind of quick call is not a serious inquiry into my studio it is a survey to determine a priority they have, such as lowest fee.

I may not have the lowest fee, but I provide many fine services and give value for their investment.

A better inquiry start would be "How much do you charge and what services and outcome does that ppurchase?"

Betty

I'm amazed at how many people try to make tuning appointments with me while driving their car expecting to remember the time and date.

I believe people "for the most part," get what they pay for in the service industry. At least in mine. They fail to realize that we are in this business. We know our competition. We know their prices. We know their quality of work. Therefore, I will not be matching their lower quality prices either. Many people will realize this at some point as your reputation is spread, so I wouldn't worry about losing the client as much as educating them as to what they need to watch out for in "price shopping."

It's one thing shopping for a dish washer at Lowe's, Home Depot and 20 other places that carry the same product with the same warranty.

It's entirely different to shop for someone's services. I quite often tell people that as a comparison. "It's a buyer beware market out there. Most often, you get what you pay for."

Jerry,

I agree with the sentiment of your post and just about everything in it. However, the very first point puzzles me a little i.e. what does driving a car while speaking to you have to do with it?

I can only speak for myself, but as caring for my piano is very important to me, I would automatically remember the appointment I had made for my next tuning/service visit whether I was at work, at home, watching TV or driving my car at the same time as I was making the appointment. What else I was doing at the time would not affect my ability to recall the appointment.

You're the exception if you remember. Many people do not. I can say that from first hand experience with it which is why I posted it.

I would have thought that whether someone was driving a car or not would have little to do with it.

It would make more sense to me if many people forgot about appointments no matter what they were doing when they made them because they don't care much about either their piano or the professioanl coming to their home to tune/service it.

And to me that would depend largely upon the person themselves rather than what they were doing at the time they made the appointment.

Just an observation.

However, as you said you're the one with experience in dealing with lots of people and appointments so you may have noticed a particular trend with people in cars missing appointments.

Well, you can think what you like but, this particular conversation is nuts. People shouldn't be talking on cell phones while driving cars regardless. It is just a big distraction. I've seen so many close calls because of people being distracted while driving, it isn't even funny. I've also seen accidents, people running right through red lights all, while yapping on their cell phones. It's just plain stupid.

I make many appointments every single day and am booked for weeks ahead, not just days. I can't tell you the amount of times I've had people repeat to me while they were driving, "what was that date and time again? I'm trying to "remember" it." I don't want people to remember it. I want them to mark it on the calendars!

For one to think they can make appointments with doctors, lawyers, music teachers, piano tuners and anyone else while driving in the first place is rather ridiculous.

So people never ask you to repeat the appointment you've just given them unless they are driving?

And for the record, I never use my mobile phone while driving and I never mark appointments in calendars becasue I can remember everything I need to without one.

I hardly ever answer the telephone at home, unless I am expecting an important call. Instead,I let calls go to my voice mail, and if it's someone inquiring about piano lessons I will call them back at my convenience and leave a message on their voice mail with my e-mail address. I much prefer to communicate with students (or potential students) in writing,because there is less possibility of misunderstanding; also, with e-mail there is a record of precisely what was said.

Too often in the past I have interrupted my practicing or teaching for a ringing telephone,only to hear a sales pitch or recorded political message. People who are serious about wanting piano lessons will gladly leave a message and wait for the teacher to get back to them,in my experience.

My piano tech works that way, and I know he does so I'm happy to leave him a message. He does all his callbacks in batches to organise the period he is currently scheduling around the other work he has on then picks up messages again the next week.

Seems to work well for him.

It's funny, but the same thing happened to me this week. Usually I defer my answer until I've spoken with them to determine the lesson length.

But these types of calls seem very curious to me. You don't even know what you are getting and you start the call asking for the price. These people end up with all the wrong answers to their questions.

Yes. I've had calls like this. Aren't they strange?!!!!

I think asking who reffered them to you is a good way to go. I most always do this, except when it is a really weird call then I just want to hang up!

Do you think its weird of a student asks on the behalf of other students in regard to a teacher?