# advertising for spray work?



## treeman82 (Dec 16, 2007)

I picked up a sprayer this year, just a little guy. Fits in the back of my pick-up without any real problems.

I only have 2 spray clients so far though. For fert I did maybe 15? jobs this fall. I had 2 other fert jobs lined up (about 500 gal each), but when I called to say I was going to be there... they cancelled... "it's been taken care of".

What actions can I take to grow the spraying side of my company? Apparently I'm enjoying the work (the spraying, NOT the fert). I've offered incentives to spray customers for referrals... nothing yet though. I do business with a few landscapers from time to time... 1 actually got me the first spray account, another has another job for me to look at... but I'd really like to be able to go this coming year and do AT LEAST a solid day a month of spraying... not a few hours every few months. 

I had a few thoughts during the year about this one group I used to be associated with... but it's probably not a good idea. One guy who I was friends with, he's got an office complex and would love to have the trees fertilized and sprayed... but we're not friends anymore. Going back there looking for work probably wouldn't be a good thing. Now this friend of his... is EXTREMELY wealthy. I've met the guy once or twice, and his wife is a landscape designer... for something to do (I've never met her, but we've spoken on the phone a few times). They've got a bunch of crab apples along their driveway which I heard Save-A-Tree charges $1,600 per round to treat. I was thinking about calling up to see about maybe doing it for $1,500 per round. There's 2 downsides I see to that though... 1) when you're making $1,000,000,000 per year... a couple hundred $ per year is NOTHING. Also... my former friend had purchased a 20? gal sprayer a few years ago and offered to hook his buddy up for the cost of the chemicals... if that. He didn't go for it.


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## treeman82 (Jan 4, 2008)

I'm starting to give some though to hiring a salesman for spray work. The guy already works with me on my regular jobs, and has given me a bunch of pointers on pricing, and other things when it comes to the spray end of the business. He used to have a company about 15 - 20 years ago with WELL over 1,000 spray customers. I think he said that back when he was in business for himself (late 80's early 90's) he was doing about 1/4 mil a year in spray work (if not more?) 

I'm wondering about turning him into a salesman... comission (10 - 15%?) not sure what else I could offer... pay for his phone... a fuel allowance or something??? not sure exactly.

I've seen his old customer list before... but that was sold to Save-A-Tree in the early 90's.


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