Working with neighbors

[mikewhite85]

Hey guys. I seem to come across this situation semi regularly where 2 or more neighbors want to get quotes for tree work. When it works out it's super convenient to do both simultaneously since you only need to mobilize once. I often give some kind of a discount to motivate them to go in together. However sometimes only one neighbor decides to move forward and you get stuck doing one for a discounted price. After 15 or so years of doing tree work, I still sometimes make this mistake. You can guess what's motivating this post.

Just want to hear some of your practices, thoughts, and experiences.

 

[Del_]

Hey guys. I seem to come across this situation semi regularly where 2 or more neighbors want to get quotes for tree work. When it works out it's super convenient to do both simultaneously since you only need to mobilize once. I often give some kind of a discount to motivate them to go in together. However sometimes only one neighbor decides to move forward and you get stuck doing one for a discounted price. After 15 or so years of doing tree work, I still sometimes make this mistake. You can guess what's motivating this post.

Just want to hear some of your practices, thoughts, and experiences.

Over the years I have found this situation to be mostly a waste of time.

Maybe you should try giving a 5% discount if both accept your bid but no discount if both don't, or if both want the work done at different times.

 

[ZinTrees]

I don't give discounts, it's worked extremely well for me so far

 

[pdqdl]

I guess it all depends upon the size of the projects, and how they might be scheduled. There isn't any advantage to working on the house across the street if each job is a whole day's worth. Conversely, if you can do it at the same appearance as the other guy, build your price around that plan.

I've never had two neighbors come at me with a request to get a discount if done simultaneously. It sounds pretty easy to resolve, though. Just write your proposal with one total for the work to be done at each address (described separately), then have them both sign off on their portion of the bill. You could even quote them the full price for each component if either party declines.

This will eliminate the game-playing that might occur and still give them the discount they might deserve for combining the work. This might be particularly important if some of the trees are considered a shared responsibility on a property line.