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ISSUE #60 \__\__\___THE____/__/__/ DEC 5, 2001
_______________TEMPO DISPATCH ___________
Newsletter For Drummers and Drumming Enthusiasts
Copyright Bill Powelson 2001 all rights reserved.
____________'IT'S ALL ABOUT DRUMS'_______
Tips * Tricks * Hints * Ads * Freebies * Lessons *
_________NOW OVER 9,300 SUBSCRIBERS!__________

TABLE OF CONTENTS: What is in this issue?

FEATURE ARTICLE:
1. Drumset Bargain Hunting!  How to get the
drumset deal of your dreams.

2. Humor: Chivalry is not dead!!!

3. Play the new DRUMMERS TRIVIA GAME.

http://members.aol.com/bpowelson/d-triv02.html

_____________________________________
|__________FEATURE ARTICLE___________|

Drumset Bargain Hunting!

   These 'Buying Tips' may save you $600.00
off your next drumset purchase!

   People often ask me, "Which drums are best"?  I always
try to tell everyone the same thing . . .  IT DOESN'T
REALLY MATTER!  Price is the REAL issue!

   You should buy ANY brand you like!  Just don't
pay TOO MUCH!

   ANY BRAND of drumset will represent a GREAT deal,
BUT, ONLY if we'll negotiate for the BEST PRICE.

   30% OFF, is about the BEST discount we can
reasonably expect from most music-dealers (online
or offline.)

   HOWEVER . . .  Someone will ALWAYS be willing to
offer 30% off (or BETTER) on ANY new drumset, if ONLY we'll
play our cards right.

   THIS MAY MEAN A SAVINGS OF $600 (OR MORE)
FOR YOU, ON A $2000 DRUMSET, REGARDLESS OF
WHICH BRAND-NAME YOU MAY PURCHASE!

   The TRICK to getting these huge discounts is in
knowing how to FORCE 'any' dealer into giving-up
their HUGE PROFITS!  We must make it MORE PROFITABLE
for them to accept LESS MONEY.

THIS IS EXACTLY THE SECRET
YOU ARE ABOUT TO LEARN:

   It's much easier to do, than you may think!  My
'secret formula' is explained in minute-detail below . . .
   Read this valuable message VERY carefully!

NOTE . . .
   The mark-up on ALL music-instruments is usually
50% or better.  This means that your dealer will
be obtaining our hypothetical ($2000) drumset for about
$1000 plus shipping. That's the dealers cost.
    Keep this crucial fact in mind!
  
QUESTION . . .?
   HOW MUCH PROFIT, IS A 'FAIR' PROFIT FOR THE DEALER?
   YOU, can decide and CONTROL this! 
   That's the GOOD news!

HERE'S 'HOW' TO FORCE
A BIG DISCOUNT . . . FROM
ANY DEALER, AND SAVE A BUNDLE!

................................
PART I,  OF THE 'MAGIC' FORMULA . . .
................................

    1.  Decide on a VERY SPECIFIC set up . . .
    2.  Obtain the manufacturers 'suggested list
price' from the 'manufacturers' catalogs . . .
(including cymbals, throne and other accessories.)
    3.  Slice 30% off that TOTAL list-price and refuse to pay
any more than that!
    4.  Price the exact same setup with SEVERAL dealers
until one dealer offers the BEST possible quote on
that SPECIFIC setup.  (It is extremely possible
to find dealers who will dip BELOW the 30% standard, too!)

VERY IMPORTANT . . .
    Cymbals, thrones and OTHER drumset accessories
are ALSO a VERY BIG part of our negotiating process! 

We must negotiate EVERYTHING (the EXACT SAME drumset),
with EACH of the various dealers, until we find the
one dealer who'll 'settle' for the LEAST PROFIT on OUR
SPECIFIC ORDER.
    Always compare apples to apples!  Don't let the dealer
include (or subtract) extras . . . as a way of confusing you.  

    Some dealers may actually be happy with only 10%
profit, if we'll use these additional 'NEXT TIPS' . . .

................................
PART II,  OF THE 'MAGIC' FORMULA
................................

    *  When we SEE a drumset on the dealers showroom
floor . . . it means the dealer has HIS MONEY invested
in THAT drumset.  He'll be wanting all the profit
he can make, off THAT investment . . .
    This won't represent the BEST deal for us . . .

    BUT . . . If we are willing to pay (at least half)
up-front . . . then wait two or three days for our
shipment to arrive . . . it will mean that our
dealer isn't really investing HIS OWN MONEY!
    This is a very big issue for the dealer and it
also means we will get our specific 'color-choice' too!
    So . . . there's TWO good reasons for using this
MONEY-SAVING tactic.
    The dealer will only need to make a free 1-800
phone-call to place our order!   Then, he'll use
OUR money to pay for the products!  It's a fast,
easy, NO-RISK sale, for our dealer! 
    How much PROFIT . . . would YOU need . . . for
simply placing a free 5-minute phone call?  Will $400
profit on our hypothetical $2000 drumset be enough
profit? 
    You bet! 
    Wouldn't we ALL love to make $400 bucks for every
phone call (order) we might place?   They'll love it too . . .
and they should ALWAYS be MORE THAN WILLING to do it,
even though they'll be offering 30% off . . . or more.

    ANY DEALER who ISN'T happy with $400 profit on a
$1,400 (5-MINUTE) deal may be the WRONG DEALER FOR
YOU! 
   (Leave skid-marks as you get out of there . . . FAST!)  

HERE'S ANOTHER SPECIAL TIP . . .

    *  Those who deal in BRAND-NAME musical merchandise
are bound by law to NEVER advertise those brand-names
below a certain price-level (set by the wholesaler.)  It's
considered low-balling . . . and it'll possibly cost
them their dealership . . . if they do it.

MANY DEALERS WILL 'LOWBALL',
BUT ONLY IN SECRET! 

    E-MAIL . . . may often become a unique way to offer
online dealers the sort of 'secrecy' that'll nudge them
even lower than the prices they are allowed to
advertise!  Many may advertise a 30% discount, but
almost none will publicly admit to discounts LOWER than
that.

    Then again . . . since your purchase is coming from
outside their area . . . they may become more inclined
to offer YOU a BETTER deal.  It means they aren't competing
against themselves. 

    IN OTHER WORDS . . . What we see advertised on their
WEB PAGE . . . and what the dealers may actually SELL FOR, may
often be two very amazingly different prices. E-mail can and will
often swing the advantage our way . . . if we are ALSO using
the PREVIOUS tip I mentioned ABOVE . . . AND, these
others BELOW . . . 

MORE MONEY SAVING TIPS . . .
   *  SALESMEN must be paid!  If we DEAL DIRECTLY with the

OWNER . . . it can mean even larger savings, because
the owner won't be paying-out commissions to the salesman!
This tip can often help us keep an additional 10% to 20%
of the MONEY in OUR POCKET.

   * ALSO . . . the SHOWROOM drumset must be assembled,
setup and tuned by SOMEONE for DISPLAY on the showroom
floor.  This means the owner will have to pay SOMEONE to
do THAT job.  Up goes the price of that particular
drumset again!  It's usually a 2-hour job!  At $10 per hour,
it COULD mean another $16 to $30 savings, if we are willing
to accept our new drums 'in-the-box', then assemble and
tune them ourselves! 

THINK ABOUT THIS!
   We NEED to learn how to assemble and tune our own
drumset ANYWAY . . . DON'T WE?  ;>)

.........................................................
   Ask for my FREE e-book . . . 'How to Assemble and Tune
Your Drums' . . . if this is a worrisome issue for you.
......................................................... 

FINAL THOUGHTS . . .
   Brand-name dealerships are usually issued by manufacturers
according to locality.  They'll only allow a limited
number of authorized-dealers for their brand-names
in any given local area.
   EVERY 'general locality' should have AT LEAST one dealer
for any particular brand-name we may be seeking. 

   If our LOCAL brand-name dealer . . . refuses to budge
from EXORBITANT PRICING . . . it may pay us to visit
a similar dealer within a close, but 'neighboring' proximity.
 
   The Yellow Pages of any locality should help you select
specific brand-name dealers in THAT area.  A short drive
to a neighboring city could help increase your negotiating
power and possibly help you save 10%, 15% or up to 40%!

   WHAT ABOUT THE WEB?

   Every dealer (worth his salt), in EVERY LOCALITY
will probably have a web-site these days!
 
   So . . . WHO ARE THE WEBSITE DEALERS?
   The web-site dealers are dealers of the same brand-name
products you are seeking . . . but they're music stores
operating OUTSIDE of your local neighborhood area! 
They are the 'little local music-stores',
scattered all over the U.S. and rest of the World! 

   They've ALL become POTENTIAL DEALERS for YOU, now!  The WEB
has brought them to your door!  All you have to do is find them
on the web . . . then make contact and begin negotiations
via e-mail! 
   It may be as simple as doing a specific web-search for the
specific brand-name you may be seeking!

HERE'S ANOTHER THOUGHT . . .
   When we buy from our local dealer, (here in the U.S.) . . .
we'll often end up paying a state-sales-tax.
  
   * When we buy out-of-state, via the web . . . we may
AVOID that tax, and it might mean an additional savings.

   HOWEVER . . . the typical web-page dealer may
legitimately need to consider adding DOUBLE-shipping to THEIR
prices!  First, the order must be shipped to them . . . then
they will ship it on to you.  Excess shipping charges
may be involved in some cases.
   This levels the playing field for us . . .
 
WHY?
   Because the above fact 'may' wipe-out
the 'saved' taxes I mentioned
in the other tip above . . . (The EXTRA

shipping costs may wipe-out the saved taxes.)

   It means NEITHER dealer has
a major advantage!  That's another big
PLUS for us!  It means our decision will become a bit
easier to make when all factors have been taken into
account.  The BEST price-quote is the important factor!
That's the BOTTOM-LINE!

SUMMARY . . .
   * Shop the WEB to gain leverage, getting 'numerous' price-quotes
   * Negotiate with all dealers, 'apples to apples . . .'
   * Know the dealers cost . . . then hold firm for a 'fair' discount
(of 30% or better.)
   * Be ready to pay upfront, then order . . . and wait a few days.
   * Deal directly with the owner, if possible.
   * Be ready to accept your drumset 'in-the-box' . . .
.......................................


NOW, HERE'S SOME SPECIAL HELP FOR
BEGINNING STUDENTS OF DRUMSET:

FOLLOW THIS LESSON-PLAN, FOR BEST RESULTS:
    The drum lessons at  are arranged
(from the top-down) at the web site in such a way as to
allow you to achieve the BEST possible results, in
the LEAST amount of time, while enjoying the MOST
POSSIBLE FUN  . . .
    We would follow this exact same plan if you were
to enroll as a private student at my private teaching
studios.  I use this lesson plan because it works!
    You'll be WISE to follow the plan, FROM THE TOP DOWN,
in the (early-beginner) stages of study.
    MEMORIZE the  BASIC DANCE BEATS!

ADVANCED STUDENTS . . .
    Skim lightly over any material that seems too basic
or too simple . . . BUT DIG-IN AS THE LESSONS GET MORE
DIFFICULT.   Almost every lesson in this 100-lesson
course is intended as one-week of study for the average
student in private study.  Some students move faster
while others, slower. 
     Here ONLINE . . . Many of you may find it easy to absorb
SEVERAL lessons per week, while others may need several weeks
on each lesson!  That's the advantage of online lessons!

........................................................


    This 120-lesson course provides the knowledge
you'll need as a working-pro when playing in a band.
    My sole objective as a teacher is to help
get you playing in a live band, as soon as possible.  These
lessons have been structured and streamlined to accelerate
that possibility.

........................................................

    Set your own pace . . . and dig-in for the long-haul! 
Think of the whole thing as PRIVATE DRUM LESSONS, online.
That's exactly what it is, but YOU set the pace!  :>)
 

__________________________________
|___________HUMOR? ______________|

CHIVALRY IS NOT DEAD!!!

"Your Honor, my wife is just being ridiculous. 
Most women would love to have a husband who
still believes in chivalry and I was only
opening the door for her out of chivalry."

"Mr. Smith," replied the judge, "I am granting
the divorce.  I cannot believe chivalry was
your motivation while driving 65 mph."
_____________________________________________
Thanks again to my old friend Jim Casey at
Vermont Drums Online: www.vermontdrums.com
_____________________________________________

 

Your future drumming career may LITERALLY hinge on  THIS IDEA.

END OF TEMPO DISPATCH #60 DEC 5, 2001





Copyright Bill Powelson 1994 all rights reserved.