How many ads

[ropensaddle]

I have looked at my competition and wonder what
they are thinking, seventy percent advertise topping!
How bad is it in your area it seems malpractice is a
marketable product these guys have been in the yps.
ten years some of them!!!!!

 

[husky257]

The employer I worked for is typical of that sort of questionable business practices. He is arrogant and self righteous, the tree business is not about caring for trees it is simply a good way to make a fortune. The customer is given whatever they want if they are willing to pay, and will never hear how potentially damaging something is, after all if we come in and make it look good and they are happy, he reasons that when the tree dies in a few years they will hire him to remove it, and he makes money off of it twice. He charges more then anyone else and cant keep up most of the time. There are many instances where I just wanted to shake my head at the client and ask, didn't you get a few prices? WTF

 

[clearance]

The employer I worked for is typical of that sort of questionable business practices. He is arrogant and self righteous, the tree business is not about caring for trees it is simply a good way to make a fortune. The customer is given whatever they want if they are willing to pay, and will never hear how potentially damaging something is, after all if we come in and make it look good and they are happy, he reasons that when the tree dies in a few years they will hire him to remove it, and he makes money off of it twice. He charges more then anyone else and cant keep up most of the time. There are many instances where I just wanted to shake my head at the client and ask, didn't you get a few prices? WTF

Sounds like you need to look elsewhere for employment.

 

[diltree]

I have looked at my competition and wonder what
they are thinking, seventy percent advertise topping!
How bad is it in your area it seems malpractice is a
marketable product these guys have been in the yps.
ten years some of them!!!!!

Sounds like you are in a situation where there is a great opportunity to set yourself apart from your competition. By educating yourself, your clients and incorporating a culture of true professionalism in your own company; you will set yourself apart from the hacks!

 

[husky257]

Like I said, WORKED for. He may be able to set himself apart, but guys like that and my former employer are so confident and arrogant they can smooth talk clients and brainwash them to the point where they disblieve everything you tell them. Like I said my former employer is what I would consider WAY overpriced and yet cannot keep up with demand much of the time. And the kicker? Many people will actually wait two months of more for him to show up to be price goughed, he's that good at bull????ting!

 

[rebelman]

Unfortunately, this industry is heavy with bs. It's about political spin and false perception, fraud and outright lies. Establishing some sort of pruning standard to use as guidelines might help. Wait that was done in 94.

 

[clearance]

Unfortunately, this industry is heavy with bs. It's about political spin and false perception, fraud and outright lies. Establishing some sort of pruning standard to use as guidelines might help. Wait that was done in 94.

Yes, and its not just the "hacks", how about the sellers of false hope? "I know you have been told your tree is dying/dangerous but we can prune it, fertilize it, etc, for a "reasonable" fee" Then when the p.o.s. dies or falls on the house, they have to pay someone to do what should have been done in the first place. Political spin?, Uhhh, its the treehuggers that spin the most, so p.o.s. trees around powerlines, for example, are kept.

 

[ropensaddle]

Sounds like you are in a situation where there is a great opportunity to set yourself apart from your competition. By educating yourself, your clients and incorporating a culture of true professionalism in your own company; you will set yourself apart from the hacks!

Already set apart from hacks, been doing quality work for years and get a lot of removals that hacks caused! I am not certified yet, but am trained in proper pruning and been practicing twenty years. I am studying and keeping up with times, when I don't know awnser to a clients question I tell them I will get back to them and go home look it up! Is this wrong I assume certified members have to look up things at times as trees are complex as well as disorders that effect them?

 

[treeseer]

Already set apart from hacks, been doing quality work for years and get a lot of removals that hacks caused! I am not certified yet, but am trained in proper pruning and been practicing twenty years. I am studying and keeping up with times, when I don't know awnser to a clients question I tell them I will get back to them and go home look it up! Is this wrong I assume certified members have to look up things at times as trees are complex as well as disorders that effect them?

That is good, but carrying the books with you enables you to look it up on the job and show the client right then and there.

It is better to sell hope than fear. All our sales are beased in part on guesswork.

The yp here used to have more toppers than CA's. Now only one advertises topping and there are dozens of CA's. progress is possible. Keep telling success stories, tell em far and wide.

 

[ropensaddle]

Good ad vise I will look in to carrying at least some
of the precious material that sounds like a plan with a purpose.

 

[lxt]

Ok this probably wont go well but here it is!!! I advertise topping in my ads, WHY? because most of the people in my area have heard or request this practice.

HOWEVER!!!! I DO NO TOP & ADVISE AGAINST IT!!! if I did not advertise it I would loose 50-60% of my calls and would be unable to discuss alternate methods. try advertising crown reduction & pull ends to laterals 1/3, all the while making collar cuts,etc.........

I apprise the customer of proper pruning techniques, take pictures along to show the difference and have several ISA publications(including arborist cert, study guide) to provide a means of proof to the methods they are not familiar with.

you may not agree with this method but so far it has worked for me and I have educated alot of people as to proper practices and am turning around the thought process(hopefully).

LXT............

 

[treeseer]

Sounds like a brilliant strategy. The old bait-and-switch ad game, yeah, that's the ticket!

 

[ScottTree]

I just found this site and i love it. Keep up the great work. Topping is a major practice in my town. Even the the city tops their trees. They have planted thousands of Modesto Ashes and now they are infested with Mistletoe. So they top them to reduce the weight because the mistletoe is so heavy. You can drive down a street and there will be 40 50ft street trees that are all topped and full of mistletoe. It's disgusting. Simply put it is all about the buck. I do my best to explain to customers about topping, showing them information etc. etc. Unfortunately they tend to believe the first person they speak with. So when you try and explain why it should not be done they think it's a sales pitch. Fortunately i sway most of them to the good side because of the info i take with me to show them and my reputation. It doesn't help when they see all the city trees that have been topped. I have even been asked that very question. " Then why does the city top their trees " My answer " they messed up planting that variety of tree and they won't spend the money to handle the Mistletoe the way it should be handled." This is due to the fact they planted thousands of them. Every time i have an estimate like this, when i leave i tell them that " it doesn't matter to me who you hire for this job weather you top it or not, just want you to know that topping is not the right way to go." I'd rather lose a job then butcher a tree . I HAVE NEVER TOPPED A TREE AND NEVER WILL !!!! It is a breath of fresh air to see there are so many quality professionals out there like yourselves that practice the right way............ Because there are more hacks ( including all the big operations ) in my town than not. I can count the good ones on one hand. Keep up the good work fellas.

 

[ropensaddle]

I do not top and would feel responsible for
falling limbs or tree dying if I did! Polarding is a different
practice but I wouldn't consider it proper for tree health
either and very costly to perform proper.

 

[hornett22]

i don't see much of topping if any around here.

i was in knoxville tn a couple weeks ago and i saw it everywhere.what ann eyesore.i cannot believe anyone would allow that on their property.

 

[kennertree]

i was in knoxville tn a couple weeks ago and i saw it everywhere.what ann eyesore.i cannot believe anyone would allow that on their property.

Yep, its everywhere down here. There are only three companies i know of around here that wont top, i am one of them. Everybody else thats all they do. Maybe people will start to wise up no that so much information is available on the web. You still coming back down this way hornet?