screening calls???

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pro94lt

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Any one have some tips for screening calls? I've got my own list of red flags or if I have a feeling their going to waste my time... This time of the year a couple waisted trips can be the difference in getting everything done on the schedule or not... And I don't go bid every job I get a call on...
 
I assume you are using a 'Cell Phone'. Many have a built in blocking system. By listing it in your contacts as 'Bad Caller' or such, and put a block on that #.
 
+1 on that! I gave up doing real estate/strata work a couple years ago. Just too many fingers in the pie, meetings, emails, wanting more options on the quote etc etc... too many people approaching you on the job as though they're the boss, and slow payment.
 
Commercial, you gotta wait on the money. Residential is wam,bam,pay me!

Once you're on the cycle it doesn't matter. Work today, get last month's money today. It's what differentiates the big boys from the rest.

Jeff's company is big enough, it has the cash flow to be able to wait the month for the money, thus allowing it to play in the big boy markets.
 
Once you're on the cycle it doesn't matter. Work today, get last month's money today. It's what differentiates the big boys from the rest.

Jeff's company is big enough, it has the cash flow to be able to wait the month for the money, thus allowing it to play in the big boy markets.

True, but not my company. I am just an op's manager. Every one started somewhere and once you go big, (leaving behind residential), you should have a hefty amount of working capital. Yeah, you may have to wait a month or so for that payment, but I like jobs that take 2 weeks to 2 months to finish.
If you had 8 climbers and 7 groundies, you would need to make your desired man hour rate. With that many guys, you go commercial with the occasional resident that fits. We are three branches, so I am not speaking of the LA crew or the Inland Empire crew,,I think they do residential more than we do. Not too many residents care if you are a TCIA Accredited company or employ CA's,,they just want a good deal.
Jeff
It was a beautiful day!
 
I really need this done as soon as possible is an always fail for me. Anxious sporadic non comital people. They call and cancel for me on a 100% rate no matter what the schedule. Oh just whenever I'm in no rush they are pretty good for me.
 
I really need this done as soon as possible is an always fail for me. Anxious sporadic non comital people. They call and cancel for me on a 100% rate no matter what the schedule. Oh just whenever I'm in no rush they are pretty good for me.

May I say?,,,,,you make no sense,,,did you bite the troll bait?
Jeff ;)
 
There's more to it than just the delayed pay cycle. I find there is more grief/work involved in real estate, council, strata, commercial generally, but the prices the work brings doesn't reflect it. The only benefit is the volume of work, and the consistency of work is higher for sure. In my experience, if anything its lower paid than residential though. I have a buddy that does only strata work, and he pretty much just has the one large client with thousands of strata properties to care for. He has to kiss ass all day long, no matter if they left the job till the last minute, waited till a month after he quoted then got in **** from their client because they dropped the ball then get back to him at the last minute with a work order and want the job done tomorrow meanwhile they've blamed the delay on him so when he turns up at site people are already furious with him and want something extra for free etc... I just couldn't deal with that, even if the money was better (it isn't).
 
Had one Monday pull up on the job site and say I need a price on dropping a couple 100ft sweet gums, the tops are tangled up and broke out leaning over the house. Said he had a price of 50$ to drop them and I told him hire him I can't help you. He went on to say he couldn't get a hold of him and I waisted another 5 minutes of my life explaining I'm not going to lose money and for 50 I'd be losing money. He kept on and asked if I was bonded and insured I told him yes and your 50 dollar man is not insured his truck or car probably isn't even insured... These people are getting under my skin!
 
Had one Monday pull up on the job site and say I need a price on dropping a couple 100ft sweet gums, the tops are tangled up and broke out leaning over the house. Said he had a price of 50$ to drop them and I told him hire him I can't help you. He went on to say he couldn't get a hold of him and I waisted another 5 minutes of my life explaining I'm not going to lose money and for 50 I'd be losing money. He kept on and asked if I was bonded and insured I told him yes and your 50 dollar man is not insured his truck or car probably isn't even insured... These people are getting under my skin!

Give him the "I can do it for $5000, when do you want me to start, here's the contract to sign." That'll shut him up.
 
There's more to it than just the delayed pay cycle. I find there is more grief/work involved in real estate, council, strata, commercial generally, but the prices the work brings doesn't reflect it. The only benefit is the volume of work, and the consistency of work is higher for sure. In my experience, if anything its lower paid than residential though. I have a buddy that does only strata work, and he pretty much just has the one large client with thousands of strata properties to care for. He has to kiss ass all day long, no matter if they left the job till the last minute, waited till a month after he quoted then got in **** from their client because they dropped the ball then get back to him at the last minute with a work order and want the job done tomorrow meanwhile they've blamed the delay on him so when he turns up at site people are already furious with him and want something extra for free etc... I just couldn't deal with that, even if the money was better (it isn't).

We have the opposite experience working with strata complexes. We can push the prices to the upper end of the acceptable range and usually don't have any problems with the tenants. We occasionally have issues with board members, but not that often.
 
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