Helping landscaper take down trees?

[Sharpie]

There are two tree removal services in my area, me Sharpe Tree Service and my competition The Tree Trimmer. I was contacted tonight by a landscaper that has the word "tree" in his company name and people are asking him to take down trees, he called me and asked me to help him with take downs because he doesn't want to turn down any jobs. Wondering what your advice is. Should I help him or not?

 

[appalachianarbo]

I wouldn't do the job as an employee of his. If he wants you to do the work, have him let you bid the job and do it independently of him. Then give him a cut for the referral.

 

[oldirty]

I wouldn't do the job as an employee of his. If he wants you to do the work, have him let you bid the job and do it independently of him. Then give him a cut for the referral.

yup.

 

[Sharpie]

Any suggestions on how much of a cut I should give him?

 

[Blakesmaster]

I usually offer 10%. More or less depending on the size and hassle of the job.

 

[Sharpie]

Thanks for your help.

 

[BCMA]

We do a lot of contract work for other contractors. I give them the option of working directly for them (the contractor) or for the property owner. If we work for the contractor, then it is up to the contractor to get the contract with the property owner. Make sure they are a quality reputable contractor if you go this route. If we work for the property owner then the referring contractor give us the property owner’s information, and I set up my own contract.

I do not give referral fees as this has caused us problems in the past. Contractors refer a lot of work to us simply based on our reputation, and we do not have to “buy the work”. If you give a 10% referral fee, then you must mark up the work 10%. I have had this make us non-competitive in the past. I do not mind giving a kick-back if the job turns out fine and profitable. Usually in the form of a gift card to a nice restaurant.

 

[Rftreeman]

I do not mind giving a kick-back if the job turns out fine and profitable. Usually in the form of a gift card to a nice restaurant.

you would never get another referral from me for a lousy gift card

I landscape/lawn care & tree work (been doing trees a lot longer) , I help a friend of mine do all his tree work and I've gotten some good money from him but I make it plain & clear what I will do and what I expect from him and have never had a single problem, I have also done work for other people and it's the same with them, I make it plain & clear what the deal is.

 

[treeseer]

The reward of referring is in ensuring quality for your client, not just getting a percentage.

Referral is a 2-way street.

 

[treeman82]

I do work for some landscapers from time to time, but in all honesty it SUCKS. Their guys are landscapers, so when you need to lower a piece, or have even a stupid little task performed, it becomes a project because they don't have a clue. Give me the referral, and I'll do the same for you.

 

[Curbside]

Sharpie

I don't know why you wouldn't work for them. They become just another customer as long as you are not working as their employee. They would subcontract you and you would do a job for a set price or hourly whatever you guys agree on. More power to them if they can make money off of your work. As long as your happy with what your making. That's kind of how everyone works.

 

[capetrees]

10% seems right for the referall even if you have to jack the price 10%. If there is no bid to the job, just price it and do it, the 10% is absorbed. It seems the landscaper is getting jobs from clients(?) and thus no competetive bid. Do the work as a sub to the landscaper and it should work out fine. Just don't show him your tricks. You'll get cut out of the game when he decides to do it himself or has his employees do it.

 

[TexasTreemonkey]

I wouldn't do the job as an employee of his. If he wants you to do the work, have him let you bid the job and do it independently of him. Then give him a cut for the referral.

And make sure he is not there to watch you. You mite be training your competition.

 

[Toddppm]

I gave up on trying to do the referral fee , they always feel like you made out too good, they don't know how to help or anything about the job. They'll frequently give some BS advice to the homeowner and then you have to explain to their custoemr how things really are.

Just pass the job on to me or let me go with you to price it first and work out what we both get ahead of time. I'll refer back to them for things we don't do or out of our area.

And I'm a landscaper too.

 

[masterarbor]

I give business back and forth from my associates. If they are good, then it makes me look good to refer them and vise-versa.

 

[NetreeLady]

Why not just sub out to the landscaper? Erik deals with several, and makes out quite well.

 

[pdqdl]

From my point of view, it makes no difference whatsoever who pays my bill. Sometimes I do tree work for one of my competitors, and they pay me directly.

Other times, they ask me to contact their customer directly with a quote. In those cases, I think a 5% referral fee is appropriate. I reserve 10% for a sales commission, where the salesman (whether it be an employee or another contractor) has done the bidding, plans the project, supervises the execution, and collects the fee.

Naturally, no one gets a sales commission if the job is bid improperly, or something else is wrong.