# Advertising? What do you do?



## Ryan Willock

What works for you? What doesn't? What is the most bang for your buck? In the past most of my work has come from referals but since I left the area and have now moved back after four years its almost like starting over. A lot of my old clients have moved out of town so I am having to build a new client base so I am now faced with having to do some form of advertising. So far I have ordered magnets for the side of my truck the phone book doesn't come out till august so I am SOL on that one.


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## Adkpk

Word of mouth.


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## Manco

I've been pondering the idea of mail-in estimate requests. For obvious things like "dead pine in front yard" "broken limb hanging over driveway" or "stump by birdbath".


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## younggun

Adrpk said:


> Word of mouth.



same here


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## Ryan Willock

Word of mouth is what I have always relied on but now that I am for all intents and purposes starting over in this area..... I'd like to step the work flow up a little bit.:greenchainsaw:


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## Menchhofer

Unfortunately yellow pages works for us even though it is a bit expensive. Referrals are also a good source but they are not constant. Yes, we get the shoppers, but in the end it usually works. Our current advertsing costs run about $15,000 per year.


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## Kneejerk Bombas

If you're slow, take a day or two off during the week, and then go out and do some tree work on a Sat. or Sun. 
There's something about the sound of a chipper and/or chainsaws that attracts neighbors and passer bys.


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## treeseer

Ryan, in Chapel Hill most of the tree owners are online. A good website costs few bucks but gives big bangs. YOur url should be on your signs.

Also check into local schools and do a little volunteer work for them. Then write up a ditty for the pta newsletter about how the good trees on campus have been made better by a little care. That's free advertising for you.

The durham-chapel hill book now has an Arborist listing. If you want to do more than urban logging, that is a great source of quality, non-shopper calls. I get maybe 5 calls a week from that ad, but 80% will be automatic goaheads for mtc work once I get there.

O and hook up with a local consultant. 

Mike, good idea about working weekends for better exposure.


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## Dadatwins

Hand out flyers in an area works, pick an area close to home or dumpsite if possible and put out a few hundred flyers at a time. You will get some estimate shoppers but at least they will all be in the same area as the work, to cut down the driving time. This will get your name out, folks see the name on the truck and so on. Of course biggest thing is do quality work and be fair on price. Yellow pages nice but so many folks shopping prices you have to really screen the callers to weed out the 'free estimate shoppers'. good luck.


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## Ryan Willock

Quality of work has never been an issue for me as I have a sever distast for hack work. I did two take downs this week and five prune jobs and have a couple of others lined up for next week. I prefer pruning to TD's but I'm not picky Guy, you wouldn't happen to know a good CA would you???LOL 

I've missed the phone book for this year.....soooo I guess that leaves the other routs. Guy did you get my voice mail?

Thanks for the replys. I hadn't thought about weekends but you are right about that attracting more people. I'll move my schedual around and do one or two of my prune jobs this saturday. Its for a doctors office right across from a shopping mall near down town chapel hill, so that ought to be good for visablity!

Oh, Guy on the subject of liabilty ins. that you and I were talking about the other week I found a $1 million gen liabilaty policy for $980. I was expecting my insurance to be more than that down here. In va for logging and residential it cost me $1,100 per year if memory serves me correct. Oh, and thats with NO claims ever!


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## treeseer

Glad to hear the ins. is set in place, now you can roll. yes I got the msg and that client has called yet again but I've been slammed busy with consulting and campaigning. I'll be working in durham sunday morning, and have a stop in carrboro too-maybe later that day?

I agree flyers are good to pepper your neighborhood with. I also like the isa's Why Hire an Arborist and other brochures too.


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## ROLLACOSTA

If you rely on word of mouth you will starve period!!


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## jazak

word of mouth, business cards, ad in yellow pages, fliers, signs, lettered up trucks, ext.

Oh door hangers- not illegal and works just as good if not better then fliers in the mailbox.


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## maxburton

What didn't work at all:
Mailers. Sent 1,000, spent $1,400. Calls: 0.

What worked:
Servicemagic.com. Spent $300 so far, sold over $2500.
Fliers in mailboxes. Worked great, illegal.

I reccomend using servicemagic. You pay for leads, and you get 'em.


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## DFD34

*Advertising*

We are in several different phone books for each area that we do business in. In some areas we are in 3 diffrent books. It is expensive but it pays off with the amount that your phone will ring. We also just got a couple of business signs made up. They look just like those metal real estate signs that you see in peoples front yards. Mine were $140.00 each to have made up but the return has more than paid the cost of the 4 signs that we have. They especially work great in high profile area that are on busy streets. Word of mouth is great but you must advertise in the phone book as well. This is just my opinion. Thanks DFD34:greenchainsaw:


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## John464

In order of biggest success

1 word of mouth/referals

2. yard signs left at every job customers has to leave it there atleast a week. some leave it there for months. I order 250(ct) every 6-8 months

3. big yellow page ad

4. seeing our bright red trucks with huge signs (mobile billboard)

5. direct mailers 

I have been meaning to get a website done


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## BlueRidgeMark

Very good stuff for any small business:


http://www.gmarketing.com/


Some of it is even free!


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## John464

DFD34 said:


> They look just like those metal real estate signs that you see in peoples front yards. Mine were $140.00 each to have made up but the return has more than paid the cost of the 4 signs that we have.




you should look into corrugated plastic signs with step stakes. I pay $4 per sign and that way I dont have to go pick it up. I just tell the customer to leave it there a week or more and they can dispose of it. If i paid $140 per sign Id have to take a full day to gather signs we leave each week. less the headaches of keeping track where they are all at!


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## xander9727

For me I get the most calls from the yellow pages. I also have about a 25%-30% close ratio with the yellow pages. Internet gives me the second most calls. I close 55%-60% of my internet leads. Referrals and BNI (www.bni.com) are my third source. I close 95% of these leads. I have also benifitted from having clean trucks with well designed and laid out avertising on them. This has increased my "down the street" estimates while on the job by a factor of 5. I also have printed material for the tree health care products we offer and to leave with every estimate. I also have estimate sheets that are specific to my company not generic office max, staples,etc forms.

I don't knock on doors, cold call or bulk mail. Most of the clients that respond to these are price minded. I want service/quality minded clients. You need to define your target clientele and then figure out how to appeal to them.


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## M.D. Vaden

One thing that always works well for me, is black and whiter flyers. I've done color sheets, but the black and white have brought better results. I don't put a hoard of information, just the basics, a nice clip-art and border. If you have a good black and whiter image of yourself, that can be a good addition if it's a bit bigger than a thumbnail image - small, anyhow.

When I work, I'll have any help, or myself, go 6 houses one way, and six more walking back. That's a quick 10 minutes to get out about 25 at a time.

I'd prefer a small local paper over a large paper. Some small papers will insert flyers. And I prefer flyer inserts - full 8 1/2 x 11 - over a display ad. Because they can easily slip the sheet out.


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## Tree Machine

Mike Maas said:


> If you're slow, take a day or two off during the week, and then go out and do some tree work on a Sat. or Sun.
> There's something about the sound of a chipper and/or chainsaws that attracts neighbors and passer bys.


We seem to have a general agreement on that.This is a _personal way of marketing and advertising_


Xander said:


> I don't knock on doors, cold call or bulk mail. Most of the clients that respond to these are price minded. I want service/quality minded clients. *You need to define your target clientele and then figure out how to appeal to them*.


Perfect. Summed to a fine point. This is another _personal_ approach, in contrast to more traditional and thought-of 'shotgun' methods to advertising. Remember this key nugget of wisdom: Impersonal ads cost money and produce marginally. Personal approaches generally cost nothing and produce magnificently. Personal marketing approaches are many, they're custom-tailored to the setting and conditions and truly become more a way of being, as well as a way of doing.


Max said:


> Mailers. Sent 1,000, spent $1,400. Calls: 0.


Shotgun approach.



Max said:


> What worked:
> Servicemagic.com. Spent $300 so far, sold over $2500.


I would see this as the cutting-edge for advertising a tree service. Still a shotgun approach.


jazak said:


> ad in yellow pages, fliers, signs, lettered up trucks, ext.


Shotgun, shotgun, shotgun, shotgun, verging on personal. 


> John464
> Quote:
> Originally Posted by DFD34
> They look just like those metal real estate signs that you see in peoples front yards. Mine were $140.00 each to have made up but the return has more than paid the cost of the 4 signs that we have.
> 
> 
> You should look into corrugated plastic signs with step stakes. I pay $4 per sign and that way I dont have to go pick it up. I just tell the customer to leave it there a week or more and they can dispose of it. If i paid $140 per sign Id have to take a full day to gather signs we leave each week. less the headaches of keeping track where they are all at!


This is one of the most sensible approaches. You couldn't have said that better. Still shotgun.



> ROLLA	If you rely on word of mouth you will starve period!!


Rolla??? You're a success and a legend where you live, but that's because you do your gig a certain way, _and it works!_ Pretty much everyone here agrees word of mouth is numero uno in generating a *magical, drop-in, call outta nowhere call* from a client you don't know, but who says. These calls are like ....life blood. They have a very, very, Very high sell rate and are themselves self-propagating. You can have these as an innate part of your marketing forefront. If you're fully dialled-in, word-of-mouth, and business cards ARE your marketing campaign. You spend Zero on advertising. Your clients do your marketing _for_ you. The more NEW clients you add, the more word-of-mouth referrals you get out of that. Your base clients grows, and they never forget you.

Getting to that place, I think, is the jist of the question for most any startup Tree Service. Ryan's difference is that he just HAD what I described above, and has left it to start fresh, Where again, Ryan? And how far away are you from your old stomping grounds? What are you gonna do with you stomping ground calls? They don't stop just because you've stepped away. You've left behind a machine in motion, a self-generating, self-perpetuating referral machine that needs managing in your abscence. Is your client base in some written form somehow, computer or on paper? Is your stoming ground phone number available? You left behind a gold mine. You're gone, but it's still there. The potential problem is the time-suck of AGAIN, politely declining someone who cares and wants you to care for their trees. 

or

the potential solution of you selling it to someone who wants a jump-start and wants to live near where you did, which from what I understand is areally nice area for a lot of things, especially suited for hardwood, deciduous trees. Long growing season.

Advertise that at the forestry urban forestry schools in your region. I'll bet there's a Dad out there who'd invest in his son's assured and secure future. An ad in TCIA. Or offer your database and customer base to a local tree service. What you worked to build has value. But it can be a liability, like I say, because the phone will keep ringing.

Again, on the positive side, Ryan brings with, his full experience of having done it one already. And Arboristsite. Plus you've already got jobs in progress and jobs on the book. You're rollin, and you're fine because you understand the _very bare minimum basics_ it takes to succeed; *Treat people right, and do your job in excellence.*

Word-of mouth is based on just that simple formula. When you understand that it takes fuel to run any machine, treating people right, and doing your job in excellence is the fuel for your referral machine. Part of it has to do with the trees, but mostly it's a human-to-human thing. Your impression, as well as what you left behind.

Getting your first jobs is the absolute hardest part. The rest is just about being out there and then implementing some effective strategies, each of which should be optional and a choice based on 'flexible' choice, not because you have to, but because you see an easy and free opportunity to create more business. Come from a place of abundance; You only need to support you and your family and get off to a strong start. If you approach your journey from a standpoint of scarcity it will not be as much fun. You'll feel like you're moving forward, but you might starve. Ryan Willcock is not gonna starve.


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## Ryan Willock

Tree Machine, I'm back in my old stomping ground. I have been gone for four years but am now back. I've got work slowly starting to roll in now. Gave a $1250 quote for a nast TD, just put it on the ground no clean up. I have a 50-50 chance on it. Best way to take it down would be a bucket truck or a lift but no access for either. I have room to flop one half but the other must be climbed. Forgot to mention that its a 26'' DBH soft maple with a CD about 10' up and each side is about 18''. The right side has split out and is hung up in a large whiteoak AND a red oak. You'd have to climb the RO first clear it then put a line in the white oak clear it THEN finish blocking of the rest of it.... THEN the other half can be felled.


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## doggonetrees

Referals and good work ethics keep our business busy. Currently, I have 17 different tree jobs lined up- but can't get started on them due to my deployment. My wife has just been taking the calls and making a list. Of course, I should shudder due to the fact I have yet to see the trees. Cards in local businesses( Western Auto, etc.) and bulletin boards have netted good results also. I have the pattern for our logo for the side of our truck- bluetick hound treeing- all set up for the truck when I return.


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## okietreedude1

Hook up w/ a local landscaper or nrusery that only sells new trees and landscaping. I get some calls that come from there as people come in to buy new stuff and ask if they know anyone to call.

Also, you havent been gone that long so you should still have friends around. Give them some cards and ask to hand them out for you.

I also advertise in the local paper in a service directory. get calls there.

Sure word of mouth works, but it takes a long time to rely soly on that.

Good Luck!


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## RedlineIt

Coming up in two months time from now is a really good public profile opportunity (at least is is here) and now is the time to get involved.

Lion's Clubs, Rotary's, etc., hook up with shopping malls and shopping centres to dispose of Christmas trees for a donation to the public service club. You donate your services to the service club, they get every penny of donation, you get local market visability, free advertising in front of a large audience and brownie points for community service.

It's a win for the consumer, it's a win for the charity, it's a win for the shopping centre, and it's a win for you.

Plus kids in the 8 to 11 range just dig seeing their Chistmas tree go through the chipper!

Time to set it up is right about now.



RedlineIt


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## ROLLACOSTA

Menchhofer said:


> Unfortunately yellow pages works for us even though it is a bit expensive. Referrals are also a good source but they are not constant. Yes, we get the shoppers, but in the end it usually works. Our current advertsing costs run about $15,000 per year.




Same as Mench,word of mouth is good but you can't rely on it,unless your a very very small outfit...

I've tried just about every form of advertising imaginable,when it boils down to the nitty gritty ,'its not what you know its who you know'


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## John Paul Sanborn

RedlineIt said:


> Lion's Clubs, Rotary's, etc., hook up with shopping malls and shopping centres to dispose of Christmas trees for a donation to the public service club.




Now there's a twist I've not seen. I've thought about fliers to get on a property to leave an est'y. "Recycle your Christmas tree for $10". Then leave a quote for some tree work with the bill/invoice. "

Remove all lights and orniments please"


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## John Paul Sanborn

In my experiance, local fliers, weather on a door or in the mailbox will yeild the best results per dollar spent.

If you do it tastefully and state that you were working in their nieghborhood it seems to work better.

If you have a website, ensure that it's on the flier. Email along with phone.

I have a few friends/clients who do it in neighborhoods they want to build buisness in. High-end developments with established canopy, or smaller trees that are have been in the ground for a decade and may need some work.


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## woodchux

I do YP ad, cards, fliers, signs, pens, matchbooks, and calenders.

The absolute best is ........

Well,.... it works so good I'm reluctant to share.


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## Tree Machine

Aw, c'mon Woodchux, we're your brothers here, not your competition.

Spill da beans!


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## woodchux

I will say that it is a shotgun route....

But soooo cheap, easy and effective.


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## Tree Machine

Sooooo, what's the tactic???


Woodchux, 

........you're holdin out on us.


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## woodchux

OK
I've tried many forms of advertising, but by far, Dollar for dollar, the best would be....


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## woodchux

Business cards with calenders on the back side.

They pass themselves out, dont get thrown away, are usually kept in a place that is memorable and easy to find [wallet, purse].

What i do is order 10 to 20 thousand per year, nice glossy color print. They come in boxes of 250, so I turn all the cards face down, calenders up. Take them to all the local stores , they each get one box near the register. People snatch those little calenders up so fast. Later they look at the other side and say "hey i need tree work done"

I've given my card to many people, only to hear "I've got that card in my wallet right now"

It is a shotgun method, and you will get some price shoppers. But hell the cards are only like .02 cents each. This time of year is the time to do it too. Christmas shoppers will take all the cards before new-years!

Of all my paid advertising, 65% calls are from these cheap card/calenders.


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## a_lopa

Proper pruning techniques and surgery are the bread and butter of the "tree care profesional"ive put this short video together to give the public proper knowledge,hope you like it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZqKsY3h4rU


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## a_lopa

Proper pruning techniques and surgery are the bread and butter of the "tree care profesional"ive put this short video together to give the public proper knowledge,hope you like it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZqKsY3h4rU


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## Tree Machine

woodchux said:


> Business cards with calenders on the back side.
> 
> They pass themselves out, dont get thrown away, are usually kept in a place that is memorable and easy to find [wallet, purse].
> 
> What i do is order 10 to 20 thousand per year, nice glossy color print. They come in boxes of 250, so I turn all the cards face down, calenders up. Take them to all the local stores , they each get one box near the register. People snatch those little calenders up so fast. Later they look at the other side and say "hey i need tree work done"
> 
> I've given my card to many people, only to hear "I've got that card in my wallet right now"
> 
> It is a shotgun method, and you will get some price shoppers. But hell the cards are only like .02 cents each. This time of year is the time to do it too. Christmas shoppers will take all the cards before new-years!
> 
> Of all my paid advertising, 65% calls are from these cheap card/calenders.


Wow. That is truly a new one. Very original and I can see the public appeal, the reason why your cards do not get thrown away and how they stay with the client where they know right where it is all the time.

It IS a shotgun method, but with a personal flair. You have given someone something for free. People LOVE freebies and cool things. Your card has all that. I moved over to a new chipper knife company because they gave me a pen. When you give something for free (and this is just my personal theory) people innately want to reciprocate a favor, either by calling you when they need work done or telling a friend about you. When your 'freebie' costs you next to nothing, and produces for you, your goose has laid you a golden egg.


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## Mike Barcaskey

I haven't advertised in 3 years and have more work than I can handle. That said, you guys have posted some great ideas, which I may use if I'm going to hire on another fulltimer next spring.

I've always said the best advertising is concentrating on the job at hand. Satisfied customers are the best.


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## SRT-Tech

i dont advertise, i have a core group of customers and the other customers come from recomendations by them. Even with just that little word of mouth advertising, i have to turn away customers. I'm upfront and honest, tell it like it is, professional and use all the PPE that ius required. 

nuff said.


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## SRT-Tech

Tree Machine said:


> Wow. That is truly a new one. Very original and I can see the public appeal, the reason why your cards do not get thrown away and how they stay with the client where they know right where it is all the time.
> 
> It IS a shotgun method, but with a personal flair. You have given someone something for free. People LOVE freebies and cool things. Your card has all that. I moved over to a new chipper knife company because they gave me a pen. When you give something for free (and this is just my personal theory) people innately want to reciprocate a favor, either by calling you when they need work done or telling a friend about you. When your 'freebie' costs you next to nothing, and produces for you, your goose has laid you a golden egg.



VERY TRUE!! i once gave a free 1/4 cord of dry wood to a customer, simply because i needed my truck to move a huge BBQ. That free load turned into a bi-monthly cash purchase of wood.


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## ROLLACOSTA

HAHA great vid Aussie,chit that made me laugh..


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## treemonk

Ryan Willock said:


> What works for you? What doesn't? What is the most bang for your buck? In the past most of my work has come from referals but since I left the area and have now moved back after four years its almost like starting over. A lot of my old clients have moved out of town so I am having to build a new client base so I am now faced with having to do some form of advertising. So far I have ordered magnets for the side of my truck the phone book doesn't come out till august so I am SOL on that one.


 
I had the same problem in the spring when i started my company with a friend
what we did isa simple flyer with our services and targeted key areas in the city(mature trees. old neibourhood,parks schools ect..)and i would deliver flyers by foot on days off but we got to busy so we got the local post to do it. it's afordable and it works and once they see you work the neibers come out and ask you for quote on there trees


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## a_lopa

ROLLACOSTA said:


> HAHA great vid Aussie,chit that made me laugh..



thanks i do try and educate rolla.


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## Ekka

Palm Problem? Just call the Plam Slayer, problems solved for life. :hmm3grin2orange: 

Nice video Lopa.

There's this "suss" guy on the Gold Coast, well known but lets say .... hmmm; anyway, he cut down a protected tree and got on the news. He verbacially and boldly claimed that all rights to dispose of trees remain that of property owners and he dont give a hoot if they're protected, to hell with them trees. Apparently he got tons of work from that as hundreds of people wanted him to rid their property of trees.


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## treeseer

Ekka said:


> he cut down a protected tree and got on the news. He verbacially and boldly claimed that all rights to dispose of trees remain that of property owners and he dont give a hoot if they're protected, to hell with them trees. Apparently he got tons of work from that as hundreds of people wanted him to rid their property of trees.


And what did the council do?


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## Ekka

They fined his ass! But it didn't stop him, he's a tree outlaw.


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## Mike Barcaskey

Ekka,
was the tree on private or public property?


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## Koa Man

ROLLACOSTA said:


> If you rely on word of mouth you will starve period!!



You have to be in business for a while first. Your statement is true for the first 5 years at least. After 20 years in business, I would say 99.5% of my work comes from repeat and referrals. .5% from YP, in which I only have the small free listing that automatically comes with business number. I do maybe 1 job every 2 months that originated from the YP.


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## JohN Dee

:OFFTOPIC:
Mike Barcaskey, 

Over here it doesn't matter whether its public or private, you HAVE to get permission(by law) if its protected... Even if you planted it in your own backyard...

Ekka,
I heard something about that awhile back... To here that the bastard got so much work for what he did really chits me, then again i'm probably jealous about the publicity... Do you know what his fine amount was?


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## Ekka

The tree was a protected tree on private property.

From memory the magistrate fined him the quoted price of the tree so he made no money.

But he still does it today, just a tree outlaw.


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## Timberhauler

I've tried the yellow pages several times,and usually ended up spending more time on the phone than working.Most of the calls I got from the phone book were from price shoppers.We all want to be fair,but there are getting to be too many people around here getting into the tree business without a clue as to what they are doing.I've seen some price jobs at half of what I bid.I've met with most of the bigger tree services in this area,and we have all agreed on an hourly rate so that we are all fairly close when bidding jobs,and not cutting each others throats.I have had great success with getting 18x24 real estate type signs with my business name and number on them and putting them in my clients yards when I do work there,and at strategic locations here and there.You may also try calling some of the larger tree services in your area,and see if they have any work they would be willing to sub out to you.I have a few larger outfits that hook me up like that from time to time when they get burried,and of course,I return the favor when I can.I have also had good luck with just a small classified ad in a few of the local newspapers.They have actually made me more money than any of my yellow page ads.


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## toscottm

*Web Site: Easy Maintenance & Low Cost*



treeseer said:


> A good website costs few bucks but gives big bangs. YOur url should be on your signs.




Guys,

Agree with this one very much! An informative web site that provides 'value added' information can quickly provide the extra push someone needs to use your service as it let's them know that you know what you are talking about and that your business has substance. I have found in my own business as well as from others that supplementing conventional advertising with a web site is very important. You get the consumers attention with conventional promotion that encourages them to look further into you via a web site.

Many object to web sites, having heard that they can be expensive to set up and maintain. This usually comes from those who haven't looked into this for quite a while. Using a web site that provides a 'content management system' enables the business owner to do your own updates. My own site cost around $2,000 and as a 'content management system', I can do everything. Select colour schemes, header graphics, page text, picture editing, etc. It uses what is called a 'wysiwyg' (pronounced whiz-e-wig) which is an abbreviation for 'what you see is what you get'. The user interface is very similar to what we use here at this site to post these messages. If you can use this web site, you can use a 'content management system' to create your own web site.

Back to the original point, my brochures, 'word-of-mouth', etc., gets peoples attention and then the quality of information and substance from the web site assures potential customers of my expertise.

Scott


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## woodchux

I use a company that charges only $25 per year!
http://www.doteasy.com/index.cfm?A=woodchux


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## treeslayer666

*Cut Throats*

TIMBERHAULER, we have the same problem around here. All of a sudden there are tree company's coming out of the woodwork. Junk equipment, NO EXPERIENCE, NO WORKERS COMP, and HUDGE yellow page adds. These clowns are asking customers for there best price because they don't no how to bid because they don't know how long it will take. 
I bid a large willow removal and stump grind last spring for $2850. Would have got it done in 8 or maybe 9 hours. ( 3 or 4 loads of logs = time ) Some local hack went in for $800!!! It took them 3 1/2 days. 
The bottom line is most customers know you get what you pay for but allot of people are looking for the cheap way out regardless.


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## toscottm

*Marketing: Dynamic Web Site v. Static Web Page*



woodchux said:


> I use a company that charges only $25 per year!
> http://www.doteasy.com/index.cfm?A=woodchux




Woodchux,

My thoughts are that a 'web site' should be somewhat more than just a copy of a newspaper classified ad hosted at someone else's domain. A web site, should provide the visitor with access to information of substance and not just be a repeat of the business name and phone number.

Using a good CMS (content management system) I've built a site with more than 50 pages of information that allows for a rotating header (although I only have one in there right now) providing the visitor with visual dynamics, there is an archive system for self-published or third party documents, a contacts system (also self-administrable) that facilitates bulk mailing, automatic follow-ups and reminders, as well as many other features. 

Where I believe most businesses fail to recognize the value the internet presents is that they basically take what they do in the yellow pages, scan it electronically and post it on the internet and then believe that they have a 'web site' but wonder why it doesn't produce any better than their yellow page ad. Of course it doesn't, why would it, it basically is the same concept! A web site with CMS system has the ability to dynamically change articles, pictures, graphics, that all the while provides the prospective buyer with as much quality information as you want to put in. A graphic image (that can't even be recognized by search engines such as Google) as a web page hosted on someone else's domain is quite a different.

Scott


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## woodchux

You do have a very nice website there Scott.

Most of us tree guys don't need a $2000+ website though. Heck for $25 per year you can have a very nice website. I mean $25 for everything! The www(your own domain name), the hosting, They even have an easy to use website building program that is included. No popups or ads on your pages. I have checked out lots of companies, and 25 bucks is the rock bottom cheapest anywhere. Actually if you purchase a couple years in advance, the cost per year is only $18 !! I have been using this company for a few years already, no catches, just good affordable websites!


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## M.D. Vaden

Good month for flyers.

I just gained 5 new customers in the past week and a half, from flyers that I left at homes during the past 2 weeks.

When I work, I'll walk 5 houses one way, and back, and then 5 houses the other way, and back. 20 house - maybe 7 minutes.

I do it just before starting to work, when in neighborhoods with homes close together.


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## Sand Dollar

*Missed opportunity*

Commercials on your local cable network!!!!!! I have first hand experience with this. It is about half as expensive as anyother media and provide far better results. Two things to remember when taking this route:
1. The price they quote can be negociated
2. Frequency is the key to results
It took two months, running everyother day, on certian channels to make five times what I paid.


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## FARMBOSS

*re*

I give very customer of mine a magnet with a picture of me, my crew and whole outfit posing nicely, everything all clean, with the yearly calender below the picture so they can have it on their fridge for immediate calling in storms, and I even give them to every customer i bid that doesnt hire me so when the hack that lowballs me screws up or doesnt finish because he knows hes not making money, they can have a quick referance back to me, i downloaded my own photo and got them from vistaprint .com and just under .50 each, 1 job will pay for as many as ive bought


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