Appreciation

[TREETX]

I don't know how things are there but here, this can be really thankless work at times. Some people are really happy and you know this mainly by the volume of references. Other people are just not happy no matter what you do.

In Germany, people seemed to really appreciate you. They would give us lunch, coffee, and tip each crew member. It is not like that here.

I worked for the sweetest old lady yesterday. 2 half dead hackberries. I sent them down piece at a time and it was a good days work. She almost talked my ear off when I would stop for a minute. When we finished, she came out and offered to pay me $250 extra and was so appreciative. I told her I wouldn't take more than my quoted rate.

It has been a long time since I have had a customer so nice.

Old trees like old people are our living connection with the past. Go see them both, and discover something about yourself; discover something about our history. It’s better than reading about it.

The more I learn about customers and human nature, the more I learn about myself.

 

[Stumper]

I guess that I am blessed more than most.-The majority of my customers are appreciative. Perhaps 20% add a tip. I agree whole heartedly that the time spent visiting with customers-particularly elderly customers-is seldom "wasted" time. Not because of tips mind you but because they are people.

 

[tshanefreeman]

Living on the prairies one must realize that the urban forests are man-made, meaning that from high above, the cities stand out as small forests in the middle of barren land. Whereas, coastal cities appear as clearcuts in the forest, which had to be done to make room for colonization. Sometime in the past, our ancestors who developed the prairies into agricultural lands also planted trees for shelter, fuel, and to create a pleasant atmophere.

I find that seniors are the best teachers when it comes to understanding how these urban forests of today came to be. I have one particular regular elderly customer that loves to share many interesting things from the past. One example delt with the abundance and origin of Burr Oaks in my area. The majority of seniors from my area always refer to them as 'Scrub Oaks' and I never could understand why? Turns out that the same oaks found in yards today, grew naturally in the woodlands surrounding the lake situated in the center of town. These oaks were only a few feet high and 'scrubby' in appearance when this lady was a little girl, thus explaining the unique common name. She said that once the hazelnut undergrowth was cleared to make way for development, the oaks thrived to become the marvellous trees they are today.

Point being, I too agree with the others and would strongly advise talking with seniors..................for you never know what you might learn!

As a side note, people should keep in mind that this doesn't only apply to trees. The many men and women that served in WWII are lessening by the day. It won't be long before their stories will be taken to the grave and remain a mystery to upcoming generations for years to come. I strongly believe that such stories should be told and charished to allow today's youth a chance to somewhat comprehend what yesterday's heros went through to ensure our freedom today!

 

[Jock]

What history

 

[TREETX]

We have a lot of history here. History is not a European invention. There is a long history of America. Part of it is America keeping your tiny country from being the western most province of the Soviet Union.

Talk to your elders and you would know this.

Old trees like old people are our living connection with the past. Go see them both, and discover something about yourself; discover something about our history. It’s better than reading about it.

Back on ignore

 

[Greg]

You need to be kind and very respectful of those old geezers because they do talk so much. Piss one off and they will bad mouth you till the day they die. Have them see you as a kind considerate professional who did a good job on their trees, and that is the message they will spread. A number of people in my yellow pages advertise a Sr. discount, I wonder if that brings in business? If they asked I would take off a few bucks, but they never have. Some of my best customers are 65+, many of them are also very rich, but tight with money. Once they know that you are not out to try and steal their money they will not question your advise. I think customers in general like to see you trying to save them money, I try to use the phrase "if these were my trees/yard/house.." I would do X, and wouldn't do XX. They also love those little freebies --- a great one is if you have your ground guys on the roof throwing off branches, have them take a minute to clean out the gutters, I have done that several times and have always had a positive response. They see that as somthing that they normally pay $75 for, and have a hard time finding someone to do it. Just don't break it!!
Respect your elders!
Greg

 

[treeclimber165]

I 100% agree with using phrases like "If these were my trees I'd ....... , not .......". I also think most seniors don't fall for the 'senior discount' gimmick. They have been around long enough to know the deal on that. They want to be treated like a valued customer, not a commodity to be bought with discounts and advertising.
And you are right about most being truly appreciative of little extras like blowing out the gutters, snipping a few small branches overhanging the walk, a little extra raking of built-up leaves near the front door, etc. And I LOVE the homemade chocolate chip cookies! :blob1:

 

[treeman82]

Administrators feel free to remove this if you feel necessary.

My post has to deal with history and WWII. The other day I was with a group of "friends" at school reading a paper and one of them decided to draw a swastica on said paper. I got pretty offended by this and stated so. They then informed me that I had no reason to be offended, blah blah blah. I believe there is some quote about if you don't study history, then it is bound to repeat itself? The strange part of this story is that I had asked a fellow Jew who is a part of my group of "friends" if he would have been offended if the same had happened to him. He replied that he would not have been offended.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

A funny thing about the twisted cross; I've heard that if you inverse the rotation you have an Amerind sign for peace.

I feel you have a right to be offended by the symbol of a regime that may have murdered some of your kin, and did wipe out vast populations of the Jewish people.

"it means over 22 million people killed, beacuse they were different"