just curious...is there a set starting salary for piano salesmen?

Usually minimum wage plus comission.

i take it that the commission is negotiable? is there like a union or something out there??

There's a comission % for used, and one for new. New is usually 20%. No union. It's whatever the dealer wants to pay the sales force.

20%?!?! I have a resume ready for that dealer!

but perhaps you were speaking 20% of gross profit not gross sales. That would still be on the generous side but not totally unrealistic.

Most salespeople I know only receive commission, ultimately all parties want it that way. Institutional salespeople usually have salary + commission due to the fact their income would vary too greatly month to month if on commission only.

And no their are no unions that I know of. The vast majority of piano dealers are small businesses with only a few store if not one.

I must ask.. why do you ask?

A starting salary for a piano sales person is really dependent on the person and his/her perceived value to the dealer. I would say a starting amount for a decent smart hardworking salesperson should be at least at $50,000.00 a year. Other benefits may be included.

A good (piano) salesperson should be making $50,000.00 to 150,000.00 a year or they perhaps should consider a job with the government (better benefits and security).

Sales people can be paid by salary and/or commissions. Commissions can be on the profit or on the gross or on volume of business. Much depends on the salesperson. If you are really good you can call your own shots and a good employer will recognize your value to his busness and work with you. My business is very successful because I have really good sales people and I believe that I treat them very fairly. Perhaps this is why they all have been with me for many many years.

How much a sales person gets paid is really dependent upon the location, product mix and market where the sales person works (and most importantly the quality of the salesperson).

In the Bay area people need to make quite a bit more just to pay a mortgage or rent than elsewhere in the U.S.

It seems that the harder/smarter you work the more you can make. The harder I work the luckier I always get.

Depending on the type of piano salesman you're referring to . There are many piano teachers who are undercover piano salesmen.

Don’t forget the piano techs and movers…. most of them have their hand in the pot too, so to speak.

In my view, there is money to be made in the acoustic piano business. However, I would imagine it could be a really tough business though, with lots of competition.

Here is a scenario for the piano salespeople, or anyone who wants to respond…. suppose a private seller had a nice piano they wanted to sell for a little more than they paid for it due to market conditions for a certain make and model. And, suppose a potential buyer specifically asks how much the seller paid for the piano. Is this an inappropriate question by the prospective buyer? Do you divulge the information to the potential buyer and be completely honest with them, or do you tell the perspective buyer that you think their question is inappropriate and irrelevant to the sale of the piano in question and you’d rather not divulge the original purchase price? I doubt very seriously if a piano dealer would tell a potential buyer how much they paid for a piano they have for sell. But I guess the rules may be different for private sellers.

Just curious as to your responses.

Take care,

Rick

RIck
that's a great question. I"m inclined to think that the discussion ought to center around what is the value/worth of the piano in today's market based on its current condition, not what someone paid for it. After all, suppose you were given the piano-- that shouldn't change the price you are selling it for, right? I'd be interested in what others think about this.


Sophia