# Increase Advertising or change my bid?



## YoungTreeGuy (Jun 12, 2009)

Went and bid a Big Nor. Maple. It was about 8.5' wide with 7 leads about 16" wide all of 70'/80' or so and he wanted to keep all the wood except but-log. Usually charge about $10 a foot to where I have to climb. I've been doing alright like this but things are slowing down cause gas is almost $3 a gallon now. No way the guy would go for a $2.8k bid so told him $1.4 take the brush and but-log. He hasn't called back and I've been sitting around for almost a week. I can knock the tree down in a day cleaned up and stump ground. All the leads are in close proximity and wouldn't have to climb every lead. But the tree is huge couple tips over a shed. Should I call back and try work something out to get the work or increase my advertising?

Was thinking of calling him up seeing if he got another bid and try to beat the competition without cutting my own throat.


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## bulldoglover (Jun 12, 2009)

Ya I've had a few of those this summer. Give the HO the quote and the response is "oh" or "wow". People think we run our companies on selling the wood from their trees for firewood. I am fortunate that I have very low overhead, but you have to make some money. I have done some follow ups and a few people just decided to hold off all together.


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## tree md (Jun 12, 2009)

I did this one for $800 last month. I also did a medium Hackberry in the back fence line for $800 and Knocked another small tree, Can't remember but I think it was a Catalpa, down for $250. Minimal rope work. $1850 for the whole job but I was hungry. Would have normally charged around $2400 for the job, back when times were better. Lady told me that her other bid was $800 higher than mine. What you gonna do, you got to eat. I have a yellowpage ad in two different towns and I'm not getting many calls. I don't think more advertising is the answer.


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## Toddppm (Jun 12, 2009)

Damn, couldn't imagine doing that tree for $800. We're doing a couple dying oak takedowns in a couple weeks that I bid about $900 on the first one + stump that aren't near that big but are over the house, she was so suprised at the reasonable price she wanted a quote on another and gave her the same price. I know I underbid it a little but with the 2 together we will do pretty good. 

Tree work prices are in the crapper big time again. When things were rolling the year before last they were just getting to where I thought they should be, now you can hardly buy a job. Glad we do alot of other types of work.

I don't think more advertising is the answer either at least not the expensive kind. We're not getting hardly any new calls either but our existing customers are keeping us loaded with work right now. Call all of your previous customers or send out a newsletter.


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## tree md (Jun 12, 2009)

Toddppm said:


> Damn, couldn't imagine doing that tree for $800. We're doing a couple dying oak takedowns in a couple weeks that I bid about $900 on the first one + stump that aren't near that big but are over the house, she was so suprised at the reasonable price she wanted a quote on another and gave her the same price. I know I underbid it a little but with the 2 together we will do pretty good.
> 
> Tree work prices are in the crapper big time again. When things were rolling the year before last they were just getting to where I thought they should be, now you can hardly buy a job. Glad we do alot of other types of work.
> 
> I don't think more advertising is the answer either at least not the expensive kind. We're not getting hardly any new calls either but our existing customers are keeping us loaded with work right now. Call all of your previous customers or send out a newsletter.



I think I roped 3 limbs out of this tree. Had it on the ground in 2 hours. I agree, I under bid it but I was hungry and absolutely had to have the work on that one. around $1600 profit on that one so I wasn't crying the blues. Took me 2 days because of rain, otherwise I would have done it in a day. I can do them quick and profit but it really irks me to do them at less than market value.


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## Toddppm (Jun 12, 2009)

If that's all you had to rope that's not bad at all. From the pics it looked like alot more needed roping down. Yup, if it's possible to add more work at the same time it almost always is more profitable. 

I've been trying to go to every call instead of blowing them off with a high minimum lately too just to get to talk to them in person and try to upsell even the smallest jobs.


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## YoungTreeGuy (Jun 12, 2009)

tree md said:


> I think I roped 3 limbs out of this tree. Had it on the ground in 2 hours. I agree, I under bid it but I was hungry and absolutely had to have the work on that one. around $1600 profit on that one so I wasn't crying the blues. Took me 2 days because of rain, otherwise I would have done it in a day. I can do them quick and profit but it really irks me to do them at less than market value.



Grats. I get bids $1k and lower. Most peoplethink I'm a little older than I am and some don't take me serious when I've said I've climbed since I was 17. So I would bid something like that for $750 / $800 with the stump. Probably knocked down in 2 2.5 hrs. But my over head is low. Just got lower. 

Got into a fight with my father who I was buying the eqiupment from so he could put the money toward the morgage. Paid for 50 630b teeth at $10 a pop. He use half of them dulled them up broke one and thinks sharpening cuts it... Was like those are NEW teeth thats what I paid for not teeth you dulled up. Needless to say, got my own trailor, 2 new saws, 3 new ropes, belt, spikes.... Working with family sucks. Little less I have to pay out, probably wont see my money for the teeth, and got a new bill for the loan... But the knot in my stomach of trying to impress the impressiable is gone.

But because I've been lower I've been getting more work from neighboors or their family memebers but I only advertise a little add in the pennysaver. I've only got a few jobs off of it. My signs are doing better and word of mouth. Maybe another newspaper 2 ads running?


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## ponderosatree (Jul 5, 2009)

Phonebook advertising is dead. Nobody uses the phonebook anymore. I get almost ALL my new clients from Google. I'm about to spend some money getting my webpage redesigned.


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## MillerTreeMN (Jul 7, 2009)

ponderosatree said:


> Phonebook advertising is dead. Nobody uses the phonebook anymore. I get almost ALL my new clients from Google. I'm about to spend some money getting my webpage redesigned.



true. the few calls i get from the phone book pays for itself 

find someone AWESOME at websites whos great with keywords, my best keywords are locations / what cities i work in and what work i offer. 

word of mouth is 40% of my calls, internet is 40%, and phone book is 10% of my calls

and my website only costs about 100 bucks a year while the phone book is $245 a month


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## southsoundtree (Jul 15, 2009)

YoungTreeGuy said:


> Went and bid a Big Nor. Maple. It was about 8.5' wide with 7 leads about 16" wide all of 70'/80' or so and he wanted to keep all the wood except but-log. Usually charge about $10 a foot to where I have to climb. I've been doing alright like this but things are slowing down cause gas is almost $3 a gallon now. No way the guy would go for a $2.8k bid so told him $1.4 take the brush and but-log. He hasn't called back and I've been sitting around for almost a week. I can knock the tree down in a day cleaned up and stump ground. All the leads are in close proximity and wouldn't have to climb every lead. But the tree is huge couple tips over a shed. Should I call back and try work something out to get the work or increase my advertising?
> 
> Was thinking of calling him up seeing if he got another bid and try to beat the competition without cutting my own throat.




I didn't follow your pricing formula.





You don't really have much to lose in calling him. 

I would say that I was just calling to touch base. Reinforce that it is a very good price, and you are skilled. You can put him in touch with many references. Let him have some time to explain where he is at with the situation before offering to lower the price, or suggest that he be seeking other bids. 

If he asks if there is any more room to move, try to put him off a bit, reinforcing the discounted rate already, then maybe move down if need be. 

Consider his motivation in the removal (is it danger to his house because its dying, or he just doesn't like the leaves, or ...). Maybe he doesn't have the money right now. You might be able to give him a better price if he is flexible on the timeframe, for when you are slow, or need to plug a hole in the schedule. Maybe he was just shopping, or thought it would be cheap.


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