Yeah, boy, I really want to do this bid---

[Sunrise Guy]

OK, so this woman calls me, last night: "I'd like a bid on work that needs to be done at my home." "Yes, M'am. What is it that you would like done?" "Well, I've been at my present house for four years and haven't done anything to my trees. They need to be trimmed and some might need to be removed." "I want your opinion on what needs to be done and how much you will charge me to do it." "Yes, M'am. I will send one of my guys out tomorrow morning and we'll get the bid to you by Noon." "OK, but there will be other companies out there, too, so I just wanted you to know." "M'am, how many other companies did you call, if you don't mind my asking?" "Oh, quite a few." "Have you told any of the companies exactly what you want done?" "No, I'm leaving it up to each one to tell me what they think I should do." "How will you know who is giving you the best price, then, given that each one may give a bid based on entirely different work?" "Well, I'll just listen to what they have to say about what they think needs to be done and then see if it makes sense to me."

Now I don't know how many of you would do this bid, and it involves driving across town, but I just texted this gal that I am removing my company from her bid selection process. If she was someone who had gotten my name from a friend, past client, etc., I might feel differently, but the way I see this, it is, quite possibly, a waste of my time, as she has already involved "quite a few" other companies in this thing. Who knows which company will share her exact tastes in aesthetics, as it pertains to the trees around her home? I don't like playing guessing games, when it comes to business.

Would you guys bid this gig?

 

[Treetom]

First of all...

Sunrise Guy, I never bid when another tree service is at a job site. What a frickin' circus. Set up a specific time where you can do your presentation. And approach this opportunity with an open mind. I've dealt with some eccentric clients, who, at first, seem kinda wierd, but just need a little professional guidance. This woman probably only has a vague idea of what she wants. If she's only looking for the best price, forget about it, the low-baller will get the job. But if she's looking for the best plan for her yard and you've got the skills, it may be worth a look. If she's in a part of town where you'd like to do more work, this job could be the show piece that gets you in the neighborhood. Just some thoughts.

 

[capetrees]

What she's actually looking for is a landscaper to come and tell her what to do with her neglected yard. After she gets the advise on how to clean up her property, thats when she should break down the jobs, some to the landscapers, some to the tree guys. I'll bet she's looking for hedges to be trimmed and trees to be manicured along with removal of some. Let her get some ideas from someone else and remind her to call you for a comparative bid AFTER the others have diagnosed her problem. 10 companies will have 10 ideas on what to do with her property. When she nails one down, have her call you to bid apples to apples.

 

[arbor pro]

I'd approach this with a multi-part bid: "here's a plan for what NEEDS to be done as a bare minimum and what it will cost and here's a plan for what I would do if it were my own yard and the cost to do that".

Sell your experience - not your price. Make sure she understands that there is a big range between what NEEDS to be done and what probably SHOULD be done and that you are willing and able to work with her to stage work on her yard to fit within her budget.

Once you've established a high and low bid for the work, let her tell you how much she can afford to spend so you can then detail exactly what you would do for that price and why you are prioritizing your work the way you are.

In a case like this, how you sell yourself & your company's services is going to be key.

 

[mckeetree]

I don't fool with bullsh*t like that and have never been the poorer for it.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

I'd approach this with a multi-part bid: "here's a plan for what NEEDS to be done as a bare minimum and what it will cost and here's a plan for what I would do if it were my own yard and the cost to do that".

Sell your experience - not your price. Make sure she understands that there is a big range between what NEEDS to be done and what probably SHOULD be done and that you are willing and able to work with her to stage work on her yard to fit within her budget.

Once you've established a high and low bid for the work, let her tell you how much she can afford to spend so you can then detail exactly what you would do for that price and why you are prioritizing your work the way you are.

In a case like this, how you sell yourself & your company's services is going to be key.

Great advice. Thanks!

I have blown this potential client off, though, but I will use your ideas if this situation presents itself again. The blow-off was done for the reasons I posted, originally, plus I got bad vibes from this gal on the phone, right off the bat. I'm sure everyone of us has had those potential clients that just put off "no-go" vibes even during that first phone call.

 

[ropensaddle]

I would do the bid just to see what was up. I would tell her by handing
her pamphlets etc. that there will be those telling her to top her trees
or remove them and that, I don't care if I get the job, that I am there to
educate her in her selection. I have done this a few times here in hackville
and it has opened some doors and slammed some shut. The ones that
shut, sometimes opened back up with apologies and removals of starved
trees!

 

[Prune Juice]

Another Point

You show up on the bid to find out this is the situation. When I see a competitor approaching and they are a good treeman I slap a big bid on the owner. If not me at least someone might make a reasonable wage. Their 500 won't look so bad against 975................

 

[tree MDS]

You never know, if yer good at selling and actually know what you are talking about sometimes you can still do good on that type of deal. This spring I looked at a nice sized takedown or two for this lady, gave her a fair price, all went well, then she says she of course called a couple of other people. I asked her who and she told me two names of tree services that just started out last year, one of wich does'nt even have a chipper and his old lady drops him off at the job with his gear-yeah, no truck either! The other one is this hillbilly outfit thats got an old wisper chipper and a flatbed ford for estimates, works for another guy in town so he can learn how to be a treeguy at present. So I'm like well I might as well forget about that I says, to my shock she interupts and says that if I'll throw in the other (drop and chip one shot) two Tulips, well then she's "not going to quibble", and gave me the job. You never know, maybe it was the 110' twin tulip and the fack that niether of them have a tractor, but still, not bad I was surprized on that one, thought the job went to the wolves.

 

[treemandan]

I would make an attempt at tossing in a bid, go over maybe poke around, get a scope of the project, maybe try to see if I could rattle a ding bats shutters.
I like doing the estimate on my clock which may mean a walk through the place alone. If i see someone else bidding on it I smile and talk with them. I always make sure to phone the homeowner when I do this to let them know even if they are not there. I prefer to leave a message so not to be bothered by their bull####e but if they are around we walk and talk.
I think I look for most of my clients within a 5 or 6 mile radius so if I can beat out the competition I will have a job. If you beat me its yours. Unless they just really want a good guy then the job is mine... but that is rare, just enough to keep me going.

 

[treemandan]

You never know, if yer good at selling and actually know what you are talking about sometimes you can still do good on that type of deal. This spring I looked at a nice sized takedown or two for this lady, gave her a fair price, all went well, then she says she of course called a couple of other people. I asked her who and she told me two names of tree services that just started out last year, one of wich does'nt even have a chipper and his old lady drops him off at the job with his gear-yeah, no truck either! The other one is this hillbilly outfit thats got an old wisper chipper and a flatbed ford for estimates, works for another guy in town so he can learn how to be a treeguy at present. So I'm like well I might as well forget about that I says, to my shock she interupts and says that if I'll throw in the other (drop and chip one shot) two Tulips, well then she's "not going to quibble", and gave me the job. You never know, maybe it was the 110' twin tulip and the fack that niether of them have a tractor, but still, not bad I was surprized on that one, thought the job went to the wolves.

Sometimes I think I get some jobs by fluke. When they say yes right off the bat I think" really?" These peolple know what they are looking for and know what is fair. You might find these people are more apt to say" can I pay you in cash?" and be right there to pay at the end of the job thanking you.
I can't say for sure where these people come from but I am thankful and show my appreciation in return.

 

[tree MDS]

Sometimes I think I get some jobs by fluke. When they say yes right off the bat I think" really?" These peolple know what they are looking for and know what is fair. You might find these people are more apt to say" can I pay you in cash?" and be right there to pay at the end of the job thanking you.
I can't say for sure where these people come from but I am thankful and show my appreciation in return.

Yeah dan, actually I didnt think I could bank on that one either, but as it turned out it was alot of work too, at least I got paid and things went on time pretty much. Probably due to having equipment/knowing how to use it. Not being smug as many have more than me, but I earned mine and when I see it work/work it, well, all is good. Got my cell phone lost today though, that cost me $300, so I may as well have been working fer $#!%! Damn it!

 

[ClimbinArbor]

I would do the bid just to see what was up. I would tell her by handing
her pamphlets etc. that there will be those telling her to top her trees
or remove them and that, I don't care if I get the job, that I am there to
educate her in her selection. I have done this a few times here in hackville
and it has opened some doors and slammed some shut. The ones that
shut, sometimes opened back up with apologies and removals of starved
trees!

lol hackville!

 

[MattB]

She sounds like the client I want to have. If she decides that the advice that you give is better than the competition and that the price you charge is fair, then you've won her business for life. Once folks find a good arborist or tailer or mechanic they are loyal and tell their friends and that is how you build a client base. But I'm just starting out so I need to have that attitude.

 

[Sunrise Guy]

She sounds like the client I want to have. If she decides that the advice that you give is better than the competition and that the price you charge is fair, then you've won her business for life. Once folks find a good arborist or tailer or mechanic they are loyal and tell their friends and that is how you build a client base. But I'm just starting out so I need to have that attitude.

Yeah, you're just starting out. While word of mouth and loyal customers are the way to build your business, after you've been in it for a bit, you will find that you can do great work for some clients, leave them totally satisfied, and then, a few months or years down the line, stop by their properties to find that they've hired others who butchered their trees after you did your great work. If you stop and ask them why they didn't get in touch with you, you get: "Oh, this other company knocked on my door and offered me a great deal. They were there so I just gave them the work. Do my trees look OK?" I don't want to rain on your parade and idealism, but you'll find out, sooner or later, that these things do happen.

 

[reachtreeservi]

Yeah, you're just starting out. While word of mouth and loyal customers are the way to build your business, after you've been in it for a bit, you will find that you can do great work for some clients, leave them totally satisfied, and then, a few months or years down the line, stop by their properties to find that they've hired others who butchered their trees after you did your great work. If you stop and ask them why they didn't get in touch with you, you get: "Oh, this other company knocked on my door and offered me a great deal. They were there so I just gave them the work. Do my trees look OK?" I don't want to rain on your parade and idealism, but you'll find out, sooner or later, that these things do happen.

Absolutely !

What really hurts is finding out what they charged for their hack work,
and it's more than you would have charged for your quality work.

Some great deal , huh ?

 

[lt1nut]

As a homeowner I wasn't going to respond to this thread but the three above me "made me" think I could give some input due to what they posted.

I don't know enough about trees to make long term decisions about what needs to be cut so I look to an arborist or tree guy with a good history to let me know what to do. My Dad just went through the same thing on his property and was surprised at how much needed to be done. I haven't looked at what was recommended or by who but did tell him that he probably doesn't have to do everything at once and to talk to the guy about that if he wants to. I don't know if he will call someone else or not but if he does it would be the same thing, to see what is recommended. He will go with whatever guy he is comfortable with and can explain all the what, when, were and why's. Granted my Dad is more analytical than most (he's a CPA) but I have found that most clients that I wanted to have greatly appreciated my input as a contractor (when I did that). They may tell you what they want but if they start acting as a micro manager during the estimate I did not want them because no matter what I did they would not be happy. It's a relationship thing after all. He and I would have no problem if the arborist gave the option of an estimate or charging $50 to do more than that by recommending what needs to be done with a plan and all. Granted, we do not have a lot of land, his is an upscale lot and mine is 1.6 acres, so a full fledged forestry plan is not needed but by you charging us to do that we know that you have put more time and effort into it than just a walk through. We understand it would not be a multi page report, rather a long term plan explaining what needs to be done and the outcome along with some "why's".

Matt B, you'll get burned but please don't ever lose that belief in people. There are those of us out here who do operate that way, others who are always looking for the lowest cost and the vast majority that is somewhere in the middle. Those in the middle need convincing as to why you are the one to use and then some follow-up every year or so to keep you and their trees in mind. Doing that also shows that you are relationship oriented, putting them at ease and giving them more confidence in you.

Hope this helps....