Does Appearances Matter In This Industry?

[treemandan]

I wouldn't let treeguy number one anywhere near me or my accomplisses and treeguy number 2 looks like he keeps the pole saw up his butt, way up. He probably don't want me around him and I don't blame him, nope.

So I guess appearances do matter but keep polyester out of it please?

 

[treemandan]

:agree2:

Or so it would appear these days.

FWIW I had a potential client balk at my bid to remove a large dead removal with zero drop zone over the house and right up next to the privacy fence. The area where the tree grew had about 4' of room between the house and privacy fence on the side and the only way to remove it safely was with a crane. The contractor who was remodeling the house to resell told me he was going to just hire a good old "tree guy" to do it... His exact words.

SO how did it go? I like to follow up on these types, believe it or not the guy they get usually has a very hard time, and he is doing for less than I was gonna.

 

[tree md]

SO how did it go? I like to follow up on these types, believe it or not the guy they get usually has a very hard time, and he is doing for less than I was gonna.

Not sure Dano. I haven't been back to see if the job has been done. Lots of risk in that one as it had been dead for awhile. When I got there the contractor told me that if the tree hadn't been so risky they would have just called a good old "tree guy" to do it. I told him that I was a good old "tree guy" (you'd of had to been there). I think I quoted him $3200 for a complete removal but I threw in a medium sized pine that he wanted gone in the front yard for that price. Not a bad price for a large crane removal and a medium pine. The guy was a cheap skate though. He didn't want to pay what it was worth to me so I moved on and never looked back.

 

[gr8scott72]

Especially in language. I agree that polo shirts and khakis are overkill, a clean company shirt and blue jeans are good enough...and expected. But regardless what you look like, it's how you speak to your potential client. If you sound like a dumb redneck, you'll get hired at dumb redneck prices.

LOL, I wondered if anyone else would catch the does instead of do thing. (Read thread title again if you didn't catch it.)

 

[corsair4360]

How You Look / Act

My two cents... When you are driving in a company truck with the company name on it, or any interaction with a customer where you can be associated with the company appearance counts. Example: If you are driving down the road in a beat up filthy truck with stuff just piled in it haphazardly and the name of the company on it, people notice, and the impression is not positive. I for one don't do business with companies that appear to not care unless somehow they overcome that bad initial impression. Same is true if you cut me off or behave in a way I consider improper on the highway. Some may not like that but I still have some choice how and where I spend my money (for now)..

 

[StihlRockin']

What's amazing to me is that you guys wear blue jeans to work in. I wore blue jeans for about a month and then realized they were the least functional most uncomfortable thing you can possibly wear.

I disagree. Wear Levis 550's or 560's and you'll have nice jeans that are loose and comfortable to work in. They have plenty of leg and thigh room to move around without any restrictions like tighter fitting jeans. Guess it depends on what kind/style of jeans you get. SilverTab Baggy is a loose fitting jean as well.

StihlRockin'

 

[Slvrmple72]

Arborwear pants, clean t-shirt, clean cut, beard in winter, mustache and gotee in summertime. Nice, courteous, and respectful to all customers and even those who would test the patience of a nun. Talking to customers at an appropriate level for their interest in the work they want you to do.

 

[TreeTopKid]

Especially in language. I agree that polo shirts and khakis are overkill, a clean company shirt and blue jeans are good enough...and expected. But regardless what you look like, it's how you speak to your potential client. If you sound like a dumb redneck, you'll get hired at dumb redneck prices.

Are we talking about the same Khakis? Logo Polo shirts seem to be standard at the printers they are cheaper than regular work shirts ($12.74 each incl embroidery) there was just an initial 'artwork' charge despite me supplying them with my logo on disc. The Long sleeve polo's were more at closer to twenty but I'm not getting them again as they were too hot to work in.

 

[TreeTopKid]

Arborwear pants, clean t-shirt, clean cut, beard in winter, mustache and gotee in summertime. Nice, courteous, and respectful to all customers and even those who would test the patience of a nun. Talking to customers at an appropriate level for their interest in the work they want you to do.

Aborwear now thats the kind of khakis I'm talking about. Nothing overkill about them, and they keep the sweat off too.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

Doubt a suit from the Men's Wearhouse is neccessary, but appearance not only matters, but it alters the course of living.

Now ... I've lived in the USA most of my life since 1961, but was born in Canada and kept that citizenship until about 15 years ago.

When I went downtown Portland to get my US citizenship wrapped-up, I work nice slacks and shirt, and polished dress shoes. I wanted to eat lunch, and walked into a commercial restaurant supply business to ask where a place to eat was - they sent me to a fine dining French restaurant.

A week or weeks earlier, I was wearing jeans with holes in the legs, etc.. I stopped into a Goodwill store to use the restroom. The guy looked at me from head to toe and mentioned they had nothing available.

(Which I knew they did have available from earlier experience when I was dressed in clean jeans and stuff)

What a great Goodwill too, when it fiirst opened. Once word gets around, they get picked clean pretty quick. Have not been to a Goodwill since the 90s - but sure fit the need back then.

Clean affects people - nearly controlling in some cases.

At one municiple golf course, we manicured our sand traps over the course of 3 months or so, and they were nicer than any private country club in the area. We knew, because one fringe benefit was greenskeeprs golf at private clubs on Mondays and we went to them all. Our sand bunkers were the nicest in north Oregon.

The result was a gigantic reduction in footprints left unraked.

Protocol is that you rake your footprints.

There are signs already.

Before the manicuring, there were 2 to 3 sets of prints in bunkers at EACH one of the 18 holes PER DAY. After the manicuring, there were maybe 8 sets of footprints PER WEEKEND on all 18 holes combined.

 

[Slvrmple72]

Fellas got a good chuckle while back. Victim of static cling and a g-string! LOL!

 

[fishercat]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

which guy would you want to hire. All else even (price, cert, Insurance, Experience)

Choice #1

Choice #2

it appears choice #1 has gotten a lot more accomplished.i don't need choice # 2 to draw pictures of trees.

 

[Tree Pig]

it appears choice #1 has gotten a lot more accomplished.i don't need choice # 2 to draw pictures of trees.

yeah when I posted it I was meaning if you were THE HOMEOWNER looking to have a tree removed which do you hire?

 

[BarkBuster20]

lol well if i or anyone else on this forum was the homeowner wed prolly do it ourselves

 

[Blakesmaster]

Are we talking about the same Khakis? Logo Polo shirts seem to be standard at the printers they are cheaper than regular work shirts ($12.74 each incl embroidery) there was just an initial 'artwork' charge despite me supplying them with my logo on disc. The Long sleeve polo's were more at closer to twenty but I'm not getting them again as they were too hot to work in.

Well, I guess arborwear khakis are a different story but I still think polo's are a bit much. Unless I'm headed out dressed to the nines with my girl I don't wear collared shirts and am suprised that anyone who does physical work like us can stand them. Last time I went to the gym no one was wearing polo's. I think you should like like you can do the job. Neither the guy from pic one or pic two gave me that impression. One is a dumb redneck and the other is a pencil pusher. I try to put myself and my appearance somewhere in the middle of those two extreme's.

 

[BarkBuster20]

yeah i would say a happy medium is in order. i am gonna try pushing my dresss code on people now. jeans steel toed boots t-shirt and a flannel. its a nice look functions well, and its what a person expects a "tree guy" to look like.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

lol well if i or anyone else on this forum was the homeowner wed prolly do it ourselves

Which roofer would you be more comfortable with, the one who shows up to estimate looking like a successful contractor, or the one who looks like a guy who dies it because it is the only thing he can do? All else being equal.

 

[arbor pro]

yeah i would say a happy medium is in order. i am gonna try pushing my dresss code on people now. jeans steel toed boots t-shirt and a flannel. its a nice look functions well, and its what a person expects a "tree guy" to look like.

There is no difference between a sales appointment with a potential customer and a job interview with a potential employer. In either case, you're trying to make a good impression so they'll give you a chance to prove your worth and earn an income.

A suit and tie can indeed be overkill; however, more times than not, overkill will garner you more respect than underkill when it comes to making a good first impression.

Sorry, nothing about a baggy flannel says, "wow, he's a real tree guy" to me. Anybody can show up with a saw and baggy flannel and call themselves a tree guy. What's going to set you apart from the rest of the guys who are all vying for the same job?

Again, I'll ask the question, "who are you marketing your services to?" Is it a 30-year old guy in a t-shirt and flannel who can proabably do the job himself or a 60-year-old banker who'd prefer to spend his day in Khakis and a polo shirt out on the golf course?

 

[ChiHD]

I disagree. Wear Levis 550's or 560's and you'll have nice jeans that are loose and comfortable to work in. They have plenty of leg and thigh room to move around without any restrictions like tighter fitting jeans. Guess it depends on what kind/style of jeans you get. SilverTab Baggy is a loose fitting jean as well.

StihlRockin'

Jeans are the worst, chainsaw pants are hot but the best. wash em twice a month and good ta go!

 

[ChiHD]

doubt a suit from the men's wearhouse is neccessary, but appearance not only matters, but it alters the course of living.

Now ... I've lived in the usa most of my life since 1961, but was born in canada and kept that citizenship until about 15 years ago.

When i went downtown portland to get my us citizenship wrapped-up, i work nice slacks and shirt, and polished dress shoes. I wanted to eat lunch, and walked into a commercial restaurant supply business to ask where a place to eat was - they sent me to a fine dining french restaurant.

A week or weeks earlier, i was wearing jeans with holes in the legs, etc.. I stopped into a goodwill store to use the restroom. The guy looked at me from head to toe and mentioned they had nothing available.

(which i knew they did have available from earlier experience when i was dressed in clean jeans and stuff)

what a great goodwill too, when it fiirst opened. Once word gets around, they get picked clean pretty quick. Have not been to a goodwill since the 90s - but sure fit the need back then.

Clean affects people - nearly controlling in some cases.

At one municiple golf course, we manicured our sand traps over the course of 3 months or so, and they were nicer than any private country club in the area. We knew, because one fringe benefit was greenskeeprs golf at private clubs on mondays and we went to them all. Our sand bunkers were the nicest in north oregon.

The result was a gigantic reduction in footprints left unraked.

Protocol is that you rake your footprints.

There are signs already.

Before the manicuring, there were 2 to 3 sets of prints in bunkers at each one of the 18 holes per day. After the manicuring, there were maybe 8 sets of footprints per weekend on all 18 holes combined.

wtf?