Where has all the business gone?

[Sunrise Guy]

I have never had such a long, dry spell as I am having, at present. The weather sets new records for heat, each day, and people just don't want their trees worked on. It was 106F, yesterday! Hot or cold, I need to work. I'm starting to feel like I'm going to knock on doors and offer to take down limbs for $50/hr., no minimum. This is getting painful. Anyone else out there in the "oven belt" noticing a drop-off of business?

 

[prentice110]

You aint kiddin! I dont know about the "heat belt", but I just did a pine removal the other day for 40 bucks cash. I didnt want to but I needed the $ for fuel so I could do the next job. Two years ago I wouldve had no problem selling the same tree for 150-200 without the stump all day long. Thats the thing I hate about knocking on doors. When someone calls you, they need something from you. But when your doing the knocking your more at there will.

 

[Treetom]

slow around here, too. on a job i bid last week i was the tenth tree service. many more clients keeping the wood and doing their own clean up, too, trying to save a buck. i haven't resorted to knocking on doors yet, but i will if it gets too slow, or just go through my client list and do some telemarketing.
maybe go door to door pulling that promark and drum up a few stump jobs.

 

[tomtrees58]

yep here to jobs go chep back to 1980s price tom trees

 

[prentice110]

yep here to jobs go chep back to 1980s price tom trees

80's prices? What are you talkin about? there hasnt been a price increase in this whole forsaken industry since the 80's

 

[treeman82]

I went to look at one yesterday, the landscaper took me over. The client has been out of work for 9 months and wanted the lowest price. I bid at $1,200, and they had already had at least 5 other prices, ranging from $850 - $1300. Thing is you need a backhoe or a log truck to be able to do the job in an efficient manner.

While things were on the rise for a while, it looks as though we are gonna be on another downward slope for a bit... people are holding onto money again.

 

[senechal]

It's pretty slow here. Our two crews are on 4 day work weeks with some short days on top of that. I know that we are slightly more fortunate than arborists at a couple other big shops in town, but if things don't pick up...

 

[prentice110]

I know a guy with 2 GIANT red oaks. The kind that are 85 feet tall and all trunk. I wanted to stock up on firewood cuz this winter is going to be brutal, so I gave him a "nice price" of 700 per tree without stumps. He said some cash raiders told him 800 for everything! He told me who it was and I couldnt believe it. If he even goes with them, I might sit across the street from them with my bob cat and watch them quarter the rounds and load them by hand into there pickup truck. Knowing these guys itll be six hours to get em' down , and two days of cutting and loading. I shouldve stayed in med school. jk

 

[mckeetree]

Thats the thing I hate about knocking on doors. When someone calls you, they need something from you. But when your doing the knocking your more at there will.

You are right. When you go knocking doors you are someones punk and I would just not do tree work if it came to that. My Grandfather was one heck of a business man. Better than I'll ever be. One thing he told me was never get into something where you have no options to change horses if it quits making money and I took every word to heart.

 

[tomtrees58]

80's prices? What are you talkin about? there hasn't been a price increase in this whole forsaken industry since the 80's

your nuts we got in the 90s $ 2500.00 a day 3 man day now its$ 900.00 and happy to get that tom trees

 

[ozarktreeman]

slow around here, too. , or just go through my client list and do some telemarketing.


That has worked really well for me in the past,or just pay past clients a visit
usually good for some work.makes em think you care.which I do!
maybe thats why it works so well.
hope bus,picks up for everyone.

 

[Rftreeman]

I haven't done any tree work in weeks so I'm glad I'm a jack of all trades.

it will get worst before it gets better.......

 

[Tree Pig]

Well idiot home owners like this dont help. If you guys havent read this post yet its worth the price of admission, this guy takes the cake.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=103561

 

[ozarktreeman]

wow,that,s one cheap sob!
not wishin any bad luck on anyone but maybe the nieghbors seen him snap crackle and pop!

 

[prentice110]

your nuts we got in the 90s $ 2500.00 a day 3 man day now its$ 900.00 and happy to get that tom trees

We could pull 5 g's a day in the late 80's early 90's but we were the only ones around with 2 clam trucks and a 20 inch chipper then. Back then there were maybe 15 co's in the yellow pages. Now theres over 80 and thats just whos listed. Theres way to much competion and thats a fact. Maybe in your neck of the woods there isnt 500 cash raiding crackheads or brown boys drivin the price down. But here in the real real world even when things were good you were hard pressed to get more than 2000 a day. Unless its a crane day. Or your just lucky.

 

[senechal]

Maybe in your neck of the woods there isnt 500 cash raiding crackheads or brown boys drivin the price down.

No better way to drum up business than letting colleagues and clients know you have anxieties of different skin colours in the industry. WTF

 

[mckeetree]

No better way to drum up business than letting colleagues and clients know you have anxieties of different skin colours in the industry. WTF

Take all that smart talk off some where else cat. The man made an accurate and honest statement.

 

[senechal]

Honest statement indeed. The racist BS I don't much care for.

 

[prentice110]

If you think thats racist .... Some of my best friends are mexican. Im just pointing out facts. So I have a foul mouth. I really dont care what you think cuz Im not gonna change your mind any way so ignore it or go home.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

We have a lot of lowball hacks of every color, many of them come form upstate Mini-soda. Dunlap likes to call them wood ticks.

There is a local father & sons outfit here that does a lot of raise and guts that look like a home owner rented a bucket.

I too feel that the racial reference is inappropriate, that is unless it is Irish you are lambasting, them Mic bastages aint worth the ink their...oh wait, my grandma's grandaddy came from Ireland...