Time Wasters

[mckeetree]

I've noticed the last few years of my almost 33 years in business the percentage of calls that are time wasters, nickel dimers and tire kickers seems to be exponentially rising. From probably 20% eighteen years ago to I'd say 60% or more today. I have got to the point that if I even remotely suspicion a caller is a tire kicker or a nickel dimer I just tell them we are five years behind or just never show up to look at their nonsense and have to listen to them. What percentage of your calls, and don't count repeat customers you already know about, are just time wasters.

 

[Little Al]

Don't know if i'd term them time wasters but a much larger #of get it done for as little cast as possible or can I swap wood for the work is much commoner than years back the seeming need of max work for min cost is much more prevalent = good job until bill is presented then a lot of problems with the carried out work rises to the surface

 

[Del_]

70% of my work is for existing clients and if I give them a bid not accepted and they get the work done by someone else.......I'm done with them.

I will not give an estimate for tree removal if they are not an existing client.

Of they are price shopping trimming and I can tell I let them know about my $20 estimate fee. An no, it doesn't get taken off of the bill.

I'm just not interested in joining the race to the bottom.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Good reasons not to do residential,
Jeff

 

[ATH]

Less than 15%. Most of the clients who call me already know they want us to take care of their trees - we just need to offer a reasonable price. Several clients just tell me what they want done and don't even ask for price - we've done work for them in the past and they trust that we will treat them fair.

I do try to sort them out with good questions on the phone. Don't do large removals, so those get kicked out right away. I ALWAYS thank them for calling even though we aren't going to help with their project - I'm never disappointed the phone is ringing with a potential customer on the other end.

I do charge a diagnostic fee, but not (yet) an estimate fee. There are times that can be a gray line...I try to be friendly to the client about that, but when I tell them on the phone "If I ran around looking at every tree we got a call about without charging, I wouldn't be able to feed my family" most people are very understanding. Some say they'll talk it over with their spouse. Maybe 30% of those folks call back...

If you just never show up...I suspect your calls will start to drop of quickly as word spreads. Tell them you are overbooked. Charge an estimate fee. Schedule initial appointments for 3 months out. But don;'t just not show up!

 

[Groundman One]

Very few are time wasters. We do exactly zero advertising. We're working off a 25 year customer base, and the friends and neighbours of that base. We almost take it for granted that if they call, we already have the job.

One shmuck, a long time customer, dropped us on a $450 job because he got another quote for $25 less. And we took good care of this guy over the years. He's toast to us.

 

[mckeetree]

70% of my work is for existing clients and if I give them a bid not accepted and they get the work done by someone else.......I'm done with them.

Same here. I started that practice about eight years ago. If I give an existing client a quote and they go "another direction" as some of those clowns like to call it I'm finished with them.
I'm also finished with the fools that say put them on the calendar and then use someone else citing some nonsense as being the reason. One guy told me last month "Maybe next time"
No, asshat, there won't be a next time.

 

[ATH]

I disagree with kicking clients to the curb because the hire somebody else. If they choose somebody else for job, so be it - I'm pretty booked, not gonna cry about it. When they call me back next time I'm thrilled. They tried somebody else, then realized that was a mistake...probably not gonna happen again.

I've had several clients that use us for tree health care and somebody else for pruning. Sometimes because the other firm referred them to us for pest management (I'm not going to try to get those pruning jobs and bite the hand that feeds me!). Other times they know we do the tree health stuff and didn't even realize we prune. That is fine by me - I've got work and I'm not going to complain about it.

 

[mckeetree]

I've had several clients that use us for tree health care and somebody else for pruning.

Well, I differ from you there as well. We do a ton of PHC and I'm not going to try and keep your trees healthy while some other joker is hoping it dies because cutting down trees is about all
he does. I had that happen just a week or so ago. I told that client, now ex-client, to lose my number. I guess that's just the kind of SOB I am.