# phone answering wages?



## Ghillie (Apr 6, 2009)

When I went out on my own in January this year, I got a second cell phone as a dedicated business number.

I thought I would kep it with me untill the phone calls start interfering with my work and then forward the calls to someone who has agreed to answer my calls and schedule estimates and such.

She won't be doing any other office work or book keeping. Just answering the phone from her home.

What would that be worth, monetarily?


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## forestryworks (Apr 6, 2009)

federal or state minimum wage...

since you're in ohio - $7.30/hr


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## ozarktreeman (Apr 6, 2009)

to me gill depending on how big you are,bus wise.
I prefer to where good bluetooth unit and answer it myself.nobody can speak better for you or your bussines than yourself.even if you cannnot answer it every ring you will still be to get more personel with your custumers and not miss a thing.
thats just me though,small outfit 5 man crew.
works well for me.


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## Raymond (Apr 6, 2009)

Man I'm thinking a couple pizzas on Friday's.


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## Blakesmaster (Apr 6, 2009)

Ghillie said:


> When I went out on my own in January this year, I got a second cell phone as a dedicated business number.
> 
> I thought I would kep it with me untill the phone calls start interfering with my work and then forward the calls to someone who has agreed to answer my calls and schedule estimates and such.
> 
> ...



I know a lot of guys use answering services. Ya know, some lady who sits there with her headset on just answering the phone and letting potential clients know that someone will call them back shortly. I've considered looking into this option but when it comes down to it, my most annoying phone calls are from the telemarketers. I rarely answer my phone and I've found that most customers are more than happy to leave a message. The biggest downfall of this system is that EVERYONE would rather speak to a person than a recorder. I do intend on checking into an answering service this season or next so if you get any info on that plan of attack give me a heads up and I"ll do the same for you.


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## yooper (Apr 6, 2009)

I am a small business but full time..(full time as it pays my yearly bills) I have all my calls answered on a machine during the day when I am working and return as soon as I get home. I do check my machine often during the day to make quick call backs, and to make sure I am not making second trips 1 day to the same area.


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## Ghillie (Apr 7, 2009)

ozarktreeman said:


> to me gill depending on how big you are,bus wise.
> I prefer to where good bluetooth unit and answer it myself.nobody can speak better for you or your bussines than yourself.even if you cannnot answer it every ring you will still be to get more personel with your custumers and not miss a thing.
> thats just me though,small outfit 5 man crew.
> works well for me.



I have a pouch for the cell phone attached to my saddle. It works all right for now ( I get a kick out of people's reactions when they realize I am talking to them from the top of a tree!). I use a bluetooth earbud for when I am driving but generally don't like them, maybe I am not using a good quality unit.

I only have two guys working for me right now and the call volume is not bothersome, I am just planning ahead. Trying to put a monetary value to having a human answer the phone and screen the calls. I know that I almost never leave a message when calling businesses, I keep going down the list untill I talk to a person.

Case in point, last year when I was working for another tree service. Someone would check the machine and call my cell and give me the phone numbers to call back. Several times I would get a number, call it immediately and the person on the other end would say "No thanks, I already have someone coming to look at my tree and give me an estimate.". Now this tells me that the other service is not going to get there any sooner than I could but since the customer got a confirmation that someone is coming to give them an estimate, they aren't interested in my services.

That may only be a small percentage of business lost but it is a loss and one that (I think) can be prevented easily.


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## Ghillie (Apr 7, 2009)

Blakesmaster said:


> I know a lot of guys use answering services. Ya know, some lady who sits there with her headset on just answering the phone and letting potential clients know that someone will call them back shortly. I've considered looking into this option but when it comes down to it, my most annoying phone calls are from the telemarketers. I rarely answer my phone and I've found that most customers are more than happy to leave a message. The biggest downfall of this system is that EVERYONE would rather speak to a person than a recorder. I do intend on checking into an answering service this season or next so if you get any info on that plan of attack give me a heads up and I"ll do the same for you.



That was another option I was considering. I did a quick search and there are quite a few answering services that popped up.

When I get some time I will have to fill out some quote requests. If I find out anything I will let you know.

I am hoping to know something this season also, trying to figure out what type of advertising is going to work best for my area. Right now, word of mouth and walk-ups while doing other work is keeping me busy enough but I would love to have more work scheduled.


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## Ghillie (Apr 7, 2009)

yooper said:


> I am a small business but full time..(full time as it pays my yearly bills) I have all my calls answered on a machine during the day when I am working and return as soon as I get home. I do check my machine often during the day to make quick call backs, and to make sure I am not making second trips 1 day to the same area.



I don't have a landline at all, and I usually have the second cell/business line in the truck on site (when it is not on my saddle with me). It does save time not having to make a call to check a machine and it is working OK for right now but I am thinking big and being optimistic. 

Second place is first loser!!!


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## yooper (Apr 7, 2009)

Ghillie said:


> I don't have a landline at all, and I usually have the second cell/business line in the truck on site (when it is not on my saddle with me). It does save time not having to make a call to check a machine and it is working OK for right now but I am thinking big and being optimistic.
> 
> Second place is first loser!!!



I wish I could not have a land line, I dont get a cell tower at my house so I need the land line. In the small area I live and having only so many exchange numbers having a local exchange is good, or one that is locally known. good luck with the new business though, I went on my own 3 years ago was the best thing I ever did, hell even with the way the economy is is now if it fails at least I knew I tried, kudos to you buddy!


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## tree md (Apr 7, 2009)

Ghillie said:


> I have a pouch for the cell phone attached to my saddle. It works all right for now ( I get a kick out of people's reactions when they realize I am talking to them from the top of a tree!). I use a bluetooth earbud for when I am driving but generally don't like them, maybe I am not using a good quality unit.
> 
> I only have two guys working for me right now and the call volume is not bothersome, I am just planning ahead. Trying to put a monetary value to having a human answer the phone and screen the calls. I know that I almost never leave a message when calling businesses, I keep going down the list untill I talk to a person.
> 
> ...



Whenever they tell me that I say "are you sure you wouldn't like to get a second bid"? I tell them that it is customary for people to get a second opinion and bid. I explain that it is just good business and that I would appreciate an opportunity to earn their business. Normally this gives me the opportunity to give the final competitive bid and I get a lot of jobs that way. Just something to think about.

There used to be a girl back in Atlanta where I started out that had a black book or blue book or whatever you call it of unlisted phone numbers. She would set around all day with a headset and cold call high end neighborhoods and say that this was such and such tree service and we are working in your area today and thought we'd call to see if you are in need of having your trees serviced, we are giving excellent prices while we are in the neighborhood... Yada, yada yada. She was a better sales person than me! She would then sell tips to some of the tree guys in the area. She would sell a lead for a hundred bucks I believe. I never bought one from her but I knew her pretty good and know that she did well. This was back in the 90's. For anyone who didn't know, there are some real sharks out there.

We had a girl that answered the phone for the guy I worked for and later did it for me as well when I went out on my own. The guy I worked for paid her 10% for any job that panned out but she did a lot of phone work. He had 2 full page yellowpage ads as well as a large clientele built up. Plus she did a lot more than answer the phone. Back then we were running two crews, me and the owner and we had map books of the city. She would answer the phones, set up meetings, route plan for our jobs and highlight our routes on our maps. Plus she cooked for us, washed our clothes half the time and gave us a place to stay when our old ladies kicked us out.  She was like our den mother. She also had 3 kids besides us.

Myself, I have my business land line set up for call forwarding to my cell phone but I plan to look into an answering service as well.


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## Ghillie (Apr 7, 2009)

yooper said:


> I wish I could not have a land line, I dont get a cell tower at my house so I need the land line. In the small area I live and having only so many exchange numbers having a local exchange is good, or one that is locally known. good luck with the new business though, I went on my own 3 years ago was the best thing I ever did, hell even with the way the economy is is now if it fails at least I knew I tried, kudos to you buddy!



Thanks, I thought it was time. I'm not overextending myself and putting all the profits right back into equipment right now. Got a good feeling about this.


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## Ghillie (Apr 7, 2009)

tree md said:


> Whenever they tell me that I say "are you sure you wouldn't like to get a second bid"? I tell them that it is customary for people to get a second opinion and bid. I explain that it is just good business and that I would appreciate an opportunity to earn their business. Normally this gives me the opportunity to give the final competitive bid and I get a lot of jobs that way. Just something to think about.



Thanks for the advice.

I have surprised myself on my salesmanship but I still come up against customer replies that I have no "rebuttal" to. It is a weakness I know I have and I am working on it.

The more I read, the more I learn, the more comfortable I am in answering customer questions and that makes them more comfortable in my services I offer them.


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## thejdman04 (Apr 7, 2009)

I would give her maybe 2 dollar per call. If she isnt getting calls she isnt working. I would give her times and days you can go look at and bid out jobs and she can set up appoitments for you with customers.


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## pdqdl (Apr 8, 2009)

Ghillie said:


> Thanks for the advice.
> 
> I have surprised myself on my salesmanship but I still come up against customer replies that I have no "rebuttal" to. It is a weakness I know I have and I am working on it.
> 
> The more I read, the more I learn, the more comfortable I am in answering customer questions and that makes them more comfortable in my services I offer them.



Ask her what she thinks it is worth. You will often find that folks will undervalue themselves more than you will. Then you can offer a bit more, and they will have some loyalty. If that doesn't work out, you can always negotiate.

In my experience, nothing sells like having someone answer the phone. If you have two cellular phones, give her one, and she can forward calls to your phone when you are available. 

With a little training, she can handle the job better than you can: 
Ring! [customer calling]

[receptionist]: Good morning, XXX company, how can I help you?
(pleasant voice answers with no chainsaws in the background, the customer is left with the impression that they have called a REAL company, not some yahoo with a chainsaw and a pickup truck)

[customer]: Could you give me a quote for trimming my trees? I live at...

[receptionist]: Certainly. Mr. Treesales is out on a job right now, I'll give him your information and he will probably contact you later this afternoon. What is the best time for him to meet/call you?

[customer]: I will be home from work after 5:30 this evening.

[receptionist]: I'll be sure he gets your message. Thank you for calling XXX company.

Receptionist then sends you a text message with ALL the details to the phone you keep with you. You lost no time, everything is recorded, and you have it all in your hand in five minutes. ZERO job time lost, and the customer might even get a better impression than if you answered the phone in your truck, scrambling around for some paper to write on. You can choose to call then, or later, according to what works best for you.

*******************************************************
Regarding rebuttals to customers comments:

Don't even try. They are probably trying to play a game, or put you in an uncomfortable position as a negotiating tactic. The best response is honesty: [somewhat confused look on your face] "Gee! I had never thought of the problem that way. Let me think about that for a minute. I'm afraid I can't give you a good answer right now."

In the end, they are so convinced that you are a man of integrity, they will overlook any perception of you being a dummy (which we both know you are not). They will feel better about themselves for being so smart, and any conflict with the customer is resolved by you deferring to them without conceding that they were right. Then you take your sweet time and come up with an excellent answer that persuades them to be quiet and give you more money.

I have found that people like me much better for my faults honestly confessed than for any of my impressive talents shoved down their throats.


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## Ghillie (Apr 8, 2009)

Thanks for the advice. The person I am thinking of is a family member that is retired and could use some extra income (who couldn't use some extra?).

Even though they are family, I want to fair and keep things above board business wise.

I need to get a form together, kind of a checklist of questions to ask a potential customer and figure out how to get her my schedule so that she knows when I will be free and when I absolutely can't do an estimate.

Your dialogue (PDQDL) helped jog some thoughts on what I want to add to the form, thanks.

I agree on the value of a person answering the phone and it not sounding like a worksite.

On the customer rebuttals, you are right. I have been totally honest with cusomers and told them " I cannot answer that question right now but I will find you the answer and get right back to you." Most people respect that answer and appreciate the honesty.


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## pdqdl (Apr 9, 2009)

I really like the retired relative idea. I don't think you could do better than that, unless they just don't deliver the service you need. I presume that loyalty and honesty would not be an issue.

Many years ago, I had a "boiler room" of telemarketers selling service. It was a well known trick in that trade to sell leads to other companies, as was mentioned in a comment above. A relative is not probably going to do that to you.


Customer rebuttals: I am kind of a know-it-all, and sometimes the customers really resent that. I try to keep that in check, but I don't always get the job done. It's probably best to seem knowledgeable, but receptive to customer opinions.

I guess I am not too bad a salesman, I have a very high "closing rate" for my tree sales. Being a poor, miserable, low-ball bidder probably helps. Competition in our area is really tough.

I have at least 6 pretty good sized tree services within 1/2 mile of my shop, not counting the several branches of Nelson/Asplundh that are working the area too. Two of the businesses are being run by Board Certified Master Arborists, so I have 1/2 of the state population of BCMA's as neighbors. 

All the gas stations in our area look like a tree trimmers convention every morning.

I should start a thread entitled "How tough is the competition in YOUR area?"


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## outofmytree (Apr 14, 2009)

pdqdl said:


> Ask her what she thinks it is worth. You will often find that folks will undervalue themselves more than you will. Then you can offer a bit more, and they will have some loyalty. If that doesn't work out, you can always negotiate.
> 
> In my experience, nothing sells like having someone answer the phone. If you have two cellular phones, give her one, and she can forward calls to your phone when you are available.
> 
> ...



Best answer by a country mile. My calls are screened by our call centre ( part of the franchise deal ) and I can't tell you how many times I have had clients say that they called other tree companies but hadnt had a call back or just plain didnt want to leave a message.

Customers are often playing the game. Like pdqdl I tend to talk more than I should and it does work against you. The old sales rule is 1 mouth and 2 ears to be used in those proportions. Ask lots of questions and then shut up is a great technique to apply when selling yourself. For example 

CUSTOMER"I already have someone coming to quote". 
YOU "Thats a good start. When are you getting your second quote done?" 

By asking a question rather than making a statement you take the aggression out of what you are saying and indeed make the customer feel as though he or she is actually in charge.


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## Henry111 (May 4, 2009)

I forward my office phone to my cell phone and check it a few times a day. just making contact sooner means alot these days. works for us.


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## John Paul Sanborn (May 14, 2009)

> Thanks for the advice. The person I am thinking of is a family member that is retired and could use some extra income (who couldn't use some extra?).



Give them the phone and have them fill out a lead sheet for you so that there is a standardized response, with minimal questions. "Sorry, he's the expert, all i do is take the calls."

As with the above dialog, provide a script for the person to go off of too "Hulkomania tree trimmers, how may I help you"

good time to contact
Trim or remove and reason why
on removals, leave wood, grind stump...

keep it simple and evolve it over time.

You only need a lead sent to you if it is in the area you are working, otherwise you just pick them up at the end of the day, or whatnot.

As for compensation, how about a flat rate for each contact and a small percentage for anything that closes?


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## Ghillie (May 14, 2009)

John Paul Sanborn said:


> Give them the phone and have them fill out a lead sheet for you so that there is a standardized response, with minimal questions. "Sorry, he's the expert, all i do is take the calls."
> 
> As with the above dialog, provide a script for the person to go off of too "Hulkomania tree trimmers, how may I help you"
> 
> ...



That is pretty much exactly what I have settled on (in my mind) I haven't come up with a lead/contact sheet yet but my phone hasn't been ringing off the hook either. I won't be in the yellow pages 'till September, and if the yards don't stay dry I can't finsh work and put up yard signs.


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## John Paul Sanborn (May 14, 2009)

Ghillie said:


> I haven't come up with a lead/contact sheet yet



KISS principle

Name, address, city 
phone, alt phone spouse's name
major intersection for map reference

what tree & location, trim/remove
stump? leave wood?

If yo do not have it on your bid sheets, put a Y/N checkbox for UG locate/AG disconnect for utilities, everyone forgets it once and a while. If you make a habit of checking it off yo save yourself a headache later.


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## FanOFatherNash (Apr 3, 2011)

ozarktreeman said:


> to me gill depending on how big you are,bus wise.
> I prefer to where good bluetooth unit and answer it myself.nobody can speak better for you or your bussines than yourself.even if you cannnot answer it every ring you will still be to get more personel with your custumers and not miss a thing.
> thats just me though,small outfit 5 man crew.
> works well for me.


 
amen


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## hassanzobeen (Sep 29, 2011)

Thanks for the information


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## eschurke (Nov 17, 2011)

I use a call center called VoiceNation and it's worked great for me. When I can't answer my phones I forward my calls to a phone number the call center provides me with. They answer 24/7 and can capture leads that otherwise I'd never get, patch through emergency calls after hours etc... I don't have to hire a family member (we know how that can turn out  or a full time employee. I only pay for the calls they take. One new lead they capture pays my entire monthly bill.


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