Canadian Music Trade - August/September 2020 | Page 21

setup, it’s worth it. And when it needs a $120
fret dress, it’s worth it. And if it comes in
with the head stock busted off, and it’s going
to cost $225 to put it back on, it’s still worth
it. (Well, just barely – but it has sentimental
value!) Even with all those little costs – a $20
saddle, a $60 bone nut, $30 to re-glue that
pick guard that’s peeling up – the customer
is more likely to decide it’s worth it, and give
you the go-ahead.
And Get Paid for
Your Time
Think of it another way: if you need to charge
a shop rate of $80 per hour to stay afloat,
that $200 cap means if a cheaper guitar takes
much more than two hours, you’re in the red.
Or you’re working on four guitars per day.
That sounds like a hobby, not a business.
The curious thing that makes guitars
exceptional is this: for most consumer goods,
that 50% of replacement cost holds true.
Consider electronics like a flatscreen TV: for
a little more than the cost of fixing your old
one, you can get a brand new one with the
latest features.
But with guitars, there are no latest
features. Guitars have been built the same way
for 50 to 400 years, depending on whether it’s
electric or classical. Old and worn, tried and
true – “vintage” is good. Besides, guitarists
don’t want to start over with a brand-new
guitar; it’s a badge of honor to have wear
marks from the hours and hours you’ve spent
playing the music you love.
Nudging that “bulge” upwards will benefit
the repair shop, but it’s ultimately a sales
issue. The sales department needs to set the
goal of shifting the holdings of the customer
base so that it “plays nicely” with the shop’s
business model.
In most guitar stores, the repair shop is
integral with the sales department. The repair
shop supports the sales team, which ultimately
pays the rent. If a customer brings back a
guitar they bought because it’s not working
right, having an on-site repair shop gives the
sales team one more option. Without it, what
can they do? Issue a refund (which you try
not to do – when someone gives you money,
hang onto it), exchange it (which is fine for
consistent, modern guitars like Yamahas and
Fenders; not so much if you sell one-of-a-kind
vintage gear), offer an in-store credit for use
when they see something they like as well,
when it turns up? None of these is as good
as offering a solution to the problem they’re
having so the guitar they chose functions as
well as expected.
MIKE LOMONACO
Just Drums – Toronto, ON
Just Drums is a specialty store that sells
and services acoustic and electronic
kits, world percussion, hardware,
accessories, and educational materials.
CMT: Generally speaking, how has
offering repairs and tune-ups benefited
your business? Have you found repair
services have led to other sales or
service opportunities or earned you repeat
business?
ML: Repairs are great across the board. Any
time you can offer a service you can’t get
through a web portal or anything like that,
people want to take part. They want that
human touch. Getting to talk in detail about
any issues and then learning about what’s
being done is educational [for the customer]
and drives trust. It also drives sales if you’re
doing it right. It’s easy to fix someone’s hihat
stand and get your $20 or whatever it
is, but you can also assess the person’s needs
and offer suggestions for upgrades or other
solutions to serve them better.
CMT: What about benefits for you and
your staff? Does offering repairs boost
your knowledge on instruments, offer
insights that are helpful on the sales floor
or with ordering, etc.?
ML: Any time we can determine
if there’s a problem item
that might pose a conflict with
the customer’s experience, it’s
important to know that and
share that information with our
staff and our customers. And
for our sales team to see how
something gets fixed, it helps
them offer an elevated, more
informed customer service
experience and, again, to establish
trust.
CMT: What are some of the inherent
challenges or things to keep in mind with
running a successful repair department
that might not seem obvious to anyone
thinking of adding one to their business?
ML: Time management. That’s the biggest
concern you’ll always have for repairs. Parts
are usually easy to get, and if people want
something specialized, they’re usually willing
to wait, but managing how long things might
take and not promising something you can’t
deliver is important to that overall customer
experience, and our internal operations.
CMT: Did you see an influx in repairs/
tune-ups coming in through the pandemic
lockdowns? If so, to what do you attribute
that, either based on what customers were
telling you or your own observations?
ML: Repairs definitely saw some action
[through the pandemic]. People were
digging old stuff out of their basements and
were ready to freshen things up. New heads
and general overalls were a big part of that,
and cymbal cleaning, too. That’s a cool thing
we offer that other stores don’t – we have a
specialized machine and it really brings your
cymbals back to life. It’s not that expensive
and has been getting more and more
popular.
CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE 21