i dont think so!

[treeman82]

went to look at a tree job last night, it was originally prune 1 silver maple off the house, 2 sugar maples, and prune 1 tree in back up a bit, just 2 branches i think. well the guy said last night that he wants the tree down. its about 5' at the base, and is about 10 feet from the house, leans right up over the house. all the wood has to go. guy wanted me to cut it down, and prune the other 3 trees for 1800, and get rid of the wood for another 200. i told him no, then he gave me a hard time, oh this guy a few years ago gave me a price of 1300 for the one tree, everything goes. i figure it will be 2 days for the one big tree, 1 day to prune the others, and 1 full day with 4 guys, full size backhoe, and dump truck. i figure we will load up about 3 trucks of wood no problem. 10' dump mitsubishi. his friend however does want the wood, so we gotta move it about not even 5 miles away. i am thinkin more like 5K is good for this job. he said to write it up. so that is what i am gonna do.

 

[Deere John]

Sounds like a crane job. Plunk - right into the truck and eliminate 1 plus days plus the backhoe maybe.

 

[monkeypuzzle]

I too LOOKED at a job last night.Ruined my whole evening also.The middle aged lady who was obviously more intelligent than I didn't care to be educated about her tree,all she wanted was the cheapest price.People,when I checked my messages,ALL I could make out was the tele#,that is it.When I called I think she had a mouthful of cornbread and ox tails,(with me now),because I still couldn't communicate.Long story short! She wasn't "studin" this or "studin" that. So I let her know that she WASTED my TIME and MONEY and hit the road.Like a few of you guys have said,JUST WALK AWAY

 

[Treebeard]

If a job will cost quite a bit I try to work with a potential client, spread the work & cost over time rather than a big indigestable chunk at once. We can prune these trees for X, remove the other one later for Y. Cost still works out the same but the client blood pressure remains lower If a job costs more than the client has in mind you can try to educate them but if they are expecting cheap work no matter what, I walk. This is not charity work, nobody is gonna help you out if you get hurt, bust a saw, or damage their property at or below cost. If they'd rather hire someone with no experience, no insurance, and take the risk, so be it.

 

[treeman82]

i saw a friend of mine today at the gas station. he needed work. so i showed it to him. he figures he can get it down in 1 1/2 days. which isnt that bad. so he said "matt. price it for $4,000" so that is what i did. i gave the guy 10 days to accept. now lets see what happens.

 

[JJ Joyce]

tree estimates

If a customer requests you come out and give an estimate, don't fail to do so. If you can't understand them, figure out what they want by pointing. Leave the job description and the price if they are not willing to sign yet. But, ALWAYS, leave the estimate. It is better to have spoken with a customer in person than to leave an estimate without them having been able to be there. All we sell is ourselves and our experience. Like you've been saying around here, anyone can use a chainsaw and cut down a tree, but who's best at it? I have many times recieved jobs months later, as well as, jobs whose prices were thousands of dollars above competitors. Be confident with people, gentle with your approach, and secure with the result of what will happen-------they will sign.

 

[treeclimber165]

Excellent attitude, JJ. I have found over the years that MOST (but not all) potential customers are looking for help. Not many of them know exactly what is best for their trees and they are willing to listen to positive suggestions. After a few years it is easy to spot the 'expert' guy shopping price. I just toss him his price and go on to the next one. If you spend 15 minutes discussing the customer's trees with them, you have an excellent shot at getting the job even if you are not 'low bid'.
"All we sell is ourselves and our experience" I'd like a bumper sticker that says that!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Yep I agree with JJ! I have "bid to the client" if I know that they are fixed income or whatnot. But I specify that it is at ny convieniace, something to fit in when things slow down a bit.

On big nasty removals, look for a freelancer in your area who specialize in them. You may be able to get something done in half the time. Just get a cert. of ins. with a current date mailed from his agent. They charge by the day, so it may cost $600 and he's walking away in four hours.