Today I saw a very unprofessional tree worker. I was talking with a friend and saw this white car drive around slowly he was writing stuff down. It was a plain white car. My friend approached him and asked what are you doing. With that he said none of you business. My friend said well how do i know your not up something shady. With that he told him go f@#& your self. Then my friend called the police to have them check him out after he got hostile with him He gets out after sitting in his car for about 10 mins gives estimate and leaves. How was my friend supposed to know was a tree worker. What I do when i get people asking me what i am doing i tell them I am here at this place to give a estimate and i hand them a card. It has paid off so much doing stuff this way. The neighbors see what you did at that house then they want the same. Always keep cards hand shake and a smile in your truck. That will keep busy
Dont be this guy
- Thread starter xxl
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
Me being a large shady lookin dude, i absolutely have to be friendly, otherwise its real tough splainin to the police
Treebark19
New Member
Always important to look the part when on the job. Being like that guy will only put obstacles in your path.
Jared Siler
New Member
I feel like this is becoming the new norm. I am having a harder and harder time winning bids because these other shady companies have less than standard safety practices which can help them sell their services for cheaper. Not sure how to get around this. But I definitely don't want to be in the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" crowd.
Welcome to AS @Jared Siler and @Treebark19
Tenderfoot
ArboristSite Guru
Don't compete on price and emphasize quality. A lot of those guys don't clean up too well afterwords and leave lots of yard damage. No point in competing for the cut-rate market in a race to the bottom. Nobody wins and everybody loses.
Jared Siler
New Member
Thanks! That was always my feeling, but it doesn't make it any easier to see business flow towards these guys because people are cost conscious (which they should be) and very rarely do the due diligence necessary to choose a tree removal company.
Tenderfoot
ArboristSite Guru
It wont flow that way forever. As homeowners become more and more internet savvy, due diligence will be easier. By the time you account for cleanup costs (especially if you have to hire someone else after) the better crews are the same price, or cheaper. The pendulum may swing the other way soon enough.
Timbrcutr
New Member
Im feeling the same, There's also a ton of tree companies and some have 2 or 3 climbers bucket trucks so they swarm a job do it well in short time and move to the next one, I also lost out to some very good timber cutters that are sniper accurate what I would climb for 800 bucks they fell for 350 and took the wood and moved onto the next one also. There's too many variable's but if you do your clean up great be on time do what you say and deliver value that's about all you can do I suppose. Good luck and dont compromise your safety or method's a man that's beyond reproach in his business will stay busy by word of mouth.
Nosy neighbors.
Can't even give an estimate without their nose in the way.
Can't even give an estimate without their nose in the way.
Stay that way! Short term may be tough sledding, but it will pay off in the long haul.
ValleyForge
Liberty Farms
What do they say?
“If you think it’s expensive getting a professional to do it, wait till you get an amateur”.
benjo75
ArboristSite Guru
I've watched them come and go for 30 years. There will always be the "Will beat anyone's price" tree service around. They can't last very long though. The first major breakdown or bad winter and they starve. Then the " How cheap can you do it" customers come crawling back. It's a cycle that repeats itself every 3 or 4 years.
As far as giving estimates, look legitimate and be nice. I usually drive a truck with my name on it but I also have an unmarked estimate car. I always wear an orange company shirt and if I think there might be nosy neighbors I have been known to weat a hard hat. I also carry my estimate book and a few business cards to hand out.
As far as giving estimates, look legitimate and be nice. I usually drive a truck with my name on it but I also have an unmarked estimate car. I always wear an orange company shirt and if I think there might be nosy neighbors I have been known to weat a hard hat. I also carry my estimate book and a few business cards to hand out.
sirbuildalot
Addicted to ArboristSite
I can't believe I'm about to type this, but I agree with Del. Having given free estimates for many years, you just want to get in and out some times. If the guy wasn't causing any trouble and was just writing on a paper, it seems overly dramatic calling the police. He probably didn't tell them why he was there because he probably knew they'd ask a million tree questions probably even want him to go look at stuff in there yards "while he was there"
These type of people don't value your time at all. I see a lot of companies giving estimates without even looking at the jobs now. I'm not just talking tree work. That includes construction trades as well.
The Wolf knows how it goes around here. **** rolls down hill and there is always a big pile at the bottom. Did I mention bottom feeders are EVERYWHERE around here?
I'm out, done, roasted, had my fill so I'll just mill. Having too many of everything is starting to come in handy. Take the cream and leave the butter for the butter-heads, slacks and cracks. Don't forget the pill heads. They are some dangerous peoples!
I'm out, done, roasted, had my fill so I'll just mill. Having too many of everything is starting to come in handy. Take the cream and leave the butter for the butter-heads, slacks and cracks. Don't forget the pill heads. They are some dangerous peoples!
World's too small for that kind of behavior to not get around. Hopefully that guy's either fired, or his company is out of business now. Pull that in my neighborhood, and guaranteed you won't get a dime from anyone in the neighborhood, and we'd make sure everyone else in the state knew about it too.
sirbuildalot
Addicted to ArboristSite
Sorry, but I'm gonna have to disagree.
If your neighbor asks someone to give them an estimate, you feel it is that companies duty to inform you of why they are there? You didn't call them, and its not your property.
I could see him letting the property owner know who he is, but him being demanded to answer inquiries from "concerned" neighbors is a bit much.
This wasn't an estimate, nobody knew that's what was going on. Some random jackwagon, driving an unmarked car, casing houses, yes he's going to get attention in my neighborhood. Yes, the cops are getting called if he's ****** when people ask what he's doing there. This is 100% the correct response, and exactly why I bought a house here. We look out for each other.
If he doesn't want that response, then YES, he has a duty to inform people why he's there.
"I'm with Friendly's Tree Service, just doing estimates from my own car today. Wasn't expecting to be in the field, so I just wore office clothes, not a uniform shirt. Here's my business card, give me a call when you're ready for your own estimate."
Easy.
Similar threads
Want to Sell
4 free saws
