Ask Rhiannon Series: The unique abilities and knowledge behind being a violin match-maker

 

variety of violins in black and white with one colour one in the middle

Question

Everyone says you're the best at selling the right violin to your customers every time. And you do it all over the internet.

I’ve been thinking on how is it that you can match a violin to the player without the customer being there with you to try your violins? What do you do? Is there an assessment I need to fill out? Is there a page on your site that explains how you do it? Do I have to try lots of violins to tell you exactly what I am looking for?

Sorry for all the questions. You’ve been very generous with your knowledge and time so far.

I'm just so curious because so many customer reviews say you got it exactly right and I am really curious to know how you do it.

 

variety of violin scrolls all together

Answer from Rhiannon

I have a gift, a magical ability, if you will.

Haha! Joking! 

Seriously, though, it’s about skill, experience and working with the best possible instruments for each budget point.

For starters it helps tremendously that I am a player, and a professional level orchestral player at that. I don’t know if many other symphonic violinists at my level who are running violin shops. Most sellers who play can play at a decent level, but most are stuck in their brick and mortar shops hearing customers one at a time. Whereas I spend a lot of time with amateur to professional musicians, playing in a mix of groups and paying close attention in hearing many people blending on many different instruments.

I also possess a unique skill set in my ability to listen and easily identify the best tone in violins. In addition to being blessed with perfect pitch, I was self-taught in violin since I was 12, which required an extraordinary amount of ear training to make up for lack of instruction. I have sold violins since I was a young adult just out of music college and further trained my ears at their absolute prime to recognize things many people who start violin businesses later in the game simply cannot hear or differentiate.

I think there’s an intuitive element with my methods as well simply from working with these instruments and my customers for so long. Having done this for so long, all of my adult life, I really know my instruments inside and out. My violins are made specifically for my shop, to my standards, and most of the time the materials in my violins are also upgraded beyond the usual levels. This allows me to pick the best bang for the buck for my customers.

You will also notice I only sell a handful of violin brands under a few labels, which enables me to focus only on the best options for the price. Sure, anyone can sell the widely distributed box store violins, where there is way less consistency. Many of my competitors are apparently selling some of the same brands as I am, such as the Zhu workshop violins, but they have not had the direct relationship with the maker for decades as I have. They're just jumping on the bandwagon selling what seems to be popular. Of course, my Zhu and all other violins are setup here at my shop and then tested individually by me. 

I don’t sell cheap junk despite consumer requests for a starter violin. That’s just not my way of doing things. 

You asked about information on my my site, and the best place to read up on the process of buying from afar is in the testimonials about my match-making and trials. There my customers share their experiences and how they went through the process and came to be thoroughly satisfied.

It takes trust on the customer’s part. And trust on my part, sending the violin out with only 50% down! But it almost always works out for a purchase and my reviews in social media reflect this. 

Not all trials result in a purchase. I have taken all those experiences and tracked it, coming to the conclusion the expectations were higher than the budget. Some people sadly don’t have the money for the sound they have locked into their minds, can’t provide a $10k sound for $2k. And also remember, my prices are really low because I deal directly with the makers, I don't pay salespeople or teacher commissions, and my limited overhead is meticulously managed to keep it low. 

What do I think will make a trial and purchase work for you? Frankly, you will need to trust me, have a tone and playability in mind and have a very clear idea what you are willing to spend before violins are sent out to you. If you are willing to spend $5k but only try out $2500 violins, I am pretty darn sure you will be disappointed.

That is not said to talk you up in price! I won’t tell you how to spend your money. I do know, from a lot of years doing this, you will be happiest with best violin you can afford (stay within your means, please) and may be disappointed if you hold back or don’t know in advance what you want.

Also, pushing a trial through when the customer is not ready to buy never results in a successful purchase. Both sides need to be patient and proceed when everything clicks.

I hope this helps. You have noticed, kindly, that I have invested a lot of time into serving you. That’s why I earn customers and do my job well. I focus most on repeat customers because these are relationships worth nurturing.

I can close by saying when you are clear on your budget and have a sound in mind, then let’s setup your trial. I’m sure you will read and ruminate until that time comes. That way when the time is right for you, it will be an easy process with an obvious winner.