bussiness calls off

[howel07264]

just curious, anyone noticed a decline in customer calls since katrina spiked fuel and nat. gas prices? ive noticed my yellow page calls are way down since katrina.

 

[TackleTree]

I noticed a decline here in georgia when the gas prices went up. There was a definate decline for about a month but has returned to normal for me. I am only a part timer that does work only by word of mouth so a little different but it is kind of like when christrmas rolls around. Everyone gets tight with there money. So i do think the the hurricanes have an effect on the business. I had to start charging a fuel charge for work when the gas was over $3 a gallon. hated to do it but with the trips to the dump at 15 miles away no chioce.

 

[begleytree]

No, just the opposite. More work now than ever this time of year, during the $3/gal era, work volume stayed the same.
-Ralph

 

[TreeJunkie]

dunno about katrina affect the christmas afffect is a real issue.

 

[Redbull]

I feel ya there, Brandon. I'm dyin right now. Every call I made today got the same response, "Sorry, we're recovering from Christmas, call us in the spring."
:bang: :bang:

 

[Dadatwins]

Dog days of winter setting in, have a few jobs set up but waiting for dry ground so I can access, more rain today, ground is swampy. Tax time is coming around, once those checks start coming around the phone calls pick up quickly.

 

[Koa Man]

I got a few calls today and told them all the same thing. Can you wait until February? January is booked up and if you need it done this month, I won't be able to do it. All were willing to wait, but they were people I had worked for previously. Getting a loyal and solid customer base is the key to staying busy. I quickly drop those who nitpick, like one guy who watched me deadwood his tree with binoculars and wanted even 1/4 inch stuff taken out. I told him my proposal said industry standard and showed him the old NAA standards where fine pruning was 1/2 inch and bigger, which was what I had did. Two years later he calls for me to trim his trees again and I told him I was too busy, call someone else.

 

[Redbull]

I'm workin on it Koa. I envy your customer loyalty. It is a testament to your knowledge and high level of customer service. Either that, or your the only one that trims trees in your area, J/K! Good for you!

 

[PTS]

I would say that when fuel went up calls went down. I have had several people tell me that they want to hold off to see what fuel prices do. Around here we have lots of hard core conservatives.

 

[TreeJunkie]

Koa,

Keep in mind you are in Hawaii, and the seasonal slow down we experience is also related to that people in cold weather areas don't spend much time outdoors in their yards. The trees then become out of site out of mind. With the type of weather you get there you don't have these same probs.

You also deal w/ a loyal cust base b/c you've been in business for twenty years. Most of us in this thread have less than a couple years running our own business.

 

[Koa Man]

OK, so what is it going to take to convince some of you guys to move to Hawaii and give me a hand here.

Here is a technique I use to get loyal customers.
When you talk to your customers, don't only talk about trees. Get to know them personally so they think of you more as a friend
instead of their tree guy. Express interest in their hobbies, family, occupation, whatever. I sometimes spend 30-40 minutes just
talking with my customers, after I gave them the price and set a date. I have talked about stuff like cars, boats, golf, stamp collections,
model trains and airplanes and whatever interests them, even though half the time I am not even interested in any of that stuff. The
thing is THEY are interested in it and everybody loves to talk about their interest. Act like you find all of this stuff new and interesting
to you and they will love you. You need to get them to like you personally. I know others who do very good tree work, but their
customers are not their "friends", just customers....I did the job, pay me and I'm on to the next. Believe me, make friends with your
customers and they won't call anyone else. I have customers who will wait for next year, if I can't get to their fruit trees this season,
instead of calling someone else.

 

[daveyclimber]

Koa .... True , very True . This is an aspect I do on a regular basis quite often . Everybody wants a friend right ?

 

[Tree Machine]

Good suggestions, Koa. One of the mainstays of my customer service is remembering names. First and last. This is tougher to do when your customer base gets wide, but just as important. People like to hear their names spoken and if this person is truly a friend, as well as a customer, you will remember their name.

To go a step further, remember the spouse's name, their kids names and possibly the sports they play. Just as importantly, remember the dog's name. If there is a dog present I will drop to my knees and offer it ten seconds of focussed attention. I don't entirely understand this phenomenon, but if the dog likes you, it's like you just got adopted for life.

To remember names, pour over previous months contact tracking sheets every now and then. I do this to make sure that no one has slipped through the cracks, but as I work my way down the page, I review each and every name, jotting additional notes if needed and refreshing myself with the details of their job. This only takes a few seconds per client but if you consider your previous clients as the source of your future business its time well-spent.

 

[Tree Machine]

Adding to what Koa had to say about what interests them, always attempt to listen more than you talk. Ask questions, and then ask more detailed questions. People want to be heard and like to be acknowledged that they were heard and understood. This should come through on your final quote as that document is really a paraphrase of their vision, with your prices. Some people want to hear you voice your expertise, and you'll know who they are, but I find most people want to know and feel that they've said all they wanted to say and that you got it. This gives them a sense of completion, of fulfillment, of satisfaction.

Remember, this is that proverbial 'first impression' and if they're impressed, they'll tell their friends.

And isn't a 'friend' someone who will truly listen?

 

[treeseer]

YOu guys are such schmoozers! I agree with the need to converse and get acquainted stuff to build the client base, but I'd rather probe for their goals on landscape use primarily, and not just chat about interests that are not relevant to what I'm there for. A lot revolves around the outside portions of their homes, and delving for that can help you provide more services to build that value, and o yes that's more work for you..

But the key point you make is a good one--if you remember stuff about them, they will more likely remember you, and remember you well! Some of my best friends I got to know first as clients.

Hey TM, what are these "tracking sheets" you speak of? Can you tell us how they work?

 

[Koa Man]

Guy,
I agree you need to find out what they expect of you and your work and their goals with the trees and landscaping. What I was primarily focusing on here was how to get your customers to want to call you and only you and have them willing to wait for you to do the work. I have given a couple of jobs to other friends in the business. Simple ones like trimming 32 coconut trees at a residence, and they did an excellent job, one that I would be proud of and I told the owner to call them back the next time because I pretty much have a full schedule and coconut trees are not my favorites. What happens 6 months later? The owner calls me to do it. He doesn't like the other guy. Why? Did he do something wrong? No, he did a good job but he's in too much of a hurry.

Get the owner to like you as a person, they'll keep calling and overlook the occasional screwup, like when my climber broke a $1400 table at a multimillion $ estate. The husband gave a funny look when I offered to pay for it and walked away. The wife said, "I didn't like that table anyway."

 

[Tree Machine]

Call us schmoozers, but the point is not so much delving into their personal lives, but paying attention to what is said. I call it listening intently. Getting them to get out completely whatever it is they want to say. I may have 12 dozen other things I'd rather be doing, but ya know what? When I'm in their presence there is nothing more important in the world and I want them to feel that. Once I leave, I'll move on to one of the 12 dozen other things I've got going. What I left behind is a customer who is certain of my professionalism, demeanor and intent.

I share this with everyone because my sales rate is well above 90%, I have about two people a year ask me for proof of insurance and have had two slow Winter weeks in the last 13 years. I had an exceptional tree week last week and I'm on vacation in Florida and don't even live here.

The higher the percentage of jobs you sell and complete in excellence, the more likely you are to remain busy when others are not. Having clients trust you and be impressed with your quality of work is what's going to keep them referring you on, regardless of the time of year.

There are more times than I can count when a client has told me that even though my price was higher, they decided to go with the Tree Machine. I don't even ask why, I just acknowledge that as the highest form of compliment and then come time to do the work, I strive to exceed their already high expectations. You will become their client for life, and likely any other person that they talk to.

It's actually a lot of work in the areas that are not actually tree work, but it may be as, or more, important than the tree work itself.

 

[Redbull]

Well said, TM.

 

[Tree Machine]

I hope it helps everyone

Thanks, RedBull. Keeping sucessful secrets to myself keeps the circle of benefit pitifully small. ( here's another really good one from BlueRidge Mark, http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?p=368123#post368123 )

Hey TM, what are these "tracking sheets" you speak of? Can you tell us how they work?

This is just the sheet you carry around that has current dates, names, phone numbers, addresses and descriptions of the job. Each quote sheet is all that for the one client, but the contact tracking sheet is all your current clients. I try to update and create a new one at the beginning of every month. It keeps me organized and all my clients in one place, who's been done, who needs an estimate, who's been finished, description of the job, how long people have waited, the dog's name, the next door neighbor's name, what sport the kid plays, etc. This is Arbo 101 stuff If I were a restaurant, this would be my 'menu'. This is how important it is.

I think we all have some form of this, some of you are computerized, some are a mishmash of post-it notes. Mine is one single dedicated sheet (two in the really busy months of the year, Feb - Nov).

 

[Redbull]

I keep files on every customer, even firewood sales. Each file has a folder in it. I keep past estimates, work orders, invoices, and anything else related to that account in their folder. On the folder itself, I write the customers personal info. Kids, job, dog, single, married, divorced, or anything else I can think of. It's a really good Ice breaking tool when making calls throughout the year.