sales calls

[treeman82]

I've been very quiet for the last few weeks, but earlier this week I got a few phone calls.

1 lady calls and says she needs a tree or a few trees taken down immediately. I go there and take a look, it was the 5th. The lady tells me that she needs at least 1 gone by the 15th. Big red oak, gotta drag the brush and move the wood the better part of 400 feet by hand. All kinds of stupid questions from this lady, when I tell her how much, she no longer needs the job done. Then she wants to know about cutting 1 branch off the tree which is "so easy" according to her, it's only 40' up in her back yard. I told her $100 - $125 + Again... she no longer needs it done.

Another lady calls me up, now these are both referrals. This was Wednesday that this one called. She had a tree come down in her back yard and was getting several estimates. We made an appointment for me to go down there this afternoon (probably a solid 40 min from here). I told her to e-mail me the information on how to get there. Never got the e-mail, so I call her this morning and say I need directions. Her response... "Oh, I already found somebody who is going to do the job."

Some people are such wastes of time.

 

[bowline]

What a nightmare ,been there many times .Whatever happend to manners,EG hi just phoneing to say i have i have found someone to do the job.saves fuel and time been wasted and lets face it its polite.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

"Oh, I already found somebody who is going to do the job."

Well at least you did not make the 1.5 hour round trip.

If thr tree is on the gorund, I usually try to get out there with a truck right away. Most often I can close it there and get it done, or at least started so it's off the house.

Not allways practical, but we can charge a little extra for "jumping through a hoop"

 

[jefflovstrom]

Live and learn , bud. That is why I very rarely do residential work. Only if you know me and promise not to tell all your friends how good I am!
Jeff Lovstrom

 

[teamtree]

love the storm damage calls

after a storm we usually get several calls and I love the ones that call up and then an hour or so l call them back and they already found someone to do the work.....

but in this business be ready for anything....

i have had people give me work and then take it away so many times

it is heartbreaking and funny at the same time

i used to fume over losing jobs....now I just laugh at the idea of someone doing it for less

 

[ironpig70]

how is it that i'm a home owner and have called 12+++ companies over two weeks ago and only 3 guys have come out??? or the fact i have been playing phone tag with one guy for the last week. it's just not customers it's also businesses that are giving people the run around.

 

[DDM]

Welcome to the business world. Happens every day.

I've been very quiet for the last few weeks, but earlier this week I got a few phone calls.

1 lady calls and says she needs a tree or a few trees taken down immediately. I go there and take a look, it was the 5th. The lady tells me that she needs at least 1 gone by the 15th. Big red oak, gotta drag the brush and move the wood the better part of 400 feet by hand. All kinds of stupid questions from this lady, when I tell her how much, she no longer needs the job done. Then she wants to know about cutting 1 branch off the tree which is "so easy" according to her, it's only 40' up in her back yard. I told her $100 - $125 + Again... she no longer needs it done.

Another lady calls me up, now these are both referrals. This was Wednesday that this one called. She had a tree come down in her back yard and was getting several estimates. We made an appointment for me to go down there this afternoon (probably a solid 40 min from here). I told her to e-mail me the information on how to get there. Never got the e-mail, so I call her this morning and say I need directions. Her response... "Oh, I already found somebody who is going to do the job."

Some people are such wastes of time.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

how is it that i'm a home owner and have called 12+++ companies over two weeks ago and only 3 guys have come out??? or the fact i have been playing phone tag with one guy for the last week. it's just not customers it's also businesses that are giving people the run around.

If you are near Medford, you probably didn't call me.

If you are near Portland, you probably didn't call Roots and Shoots.

That's at least warm, if not getting hot, right opcorn:

Did you get a referral, grab the phone book, or use the ISA site to locate an arborist near you?

Since you were in the rental business, do any of those tree guys that you called know you? Would that affect their communication with you one way or the other?

Now, I never get more than 2 contractors to come out. 3 is a waste of time. But 3 is maximum. Word gets around in the industry about customers who get more than 3 estimates. It's a subtle under-current in the professional's communication network.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

I've been very quiet for the last few weeks, but earlier this week I got a few phone calls.

1 lady calls and says she needs a tree or a few trees taken down immediately. I go there and take a look, it was the 5th ...... Never got the e-mail, so I call her this morning and say I need directions. Her response... "Oh, I already found somebody who is going to do the job."

Some people are such wastes of time.

It doesn't go on forever.

I only had one call like that, maybe 7 or 8 weeks ago. Someone in CA who owned a rental property here, said they needed a bid on tall trees. When I got there, they were beat up 100' tall hazard tree poplars with big deadwood hanging over buildings. The tennant comes out and let's me know that two people already came and gave bids of $975 and $2000. I got on the phone and told the owner that he was wasting my time. Told him to jump on the Christmas present bids he got.

Uniquely, the mail carrier and nieghbor asked me for my card, so some good came out of the trip.

You must have some weeks where you feel like you're riding the wave, though, right?

 

[ironpig70]

If you are near Medford, you probably didn't call me.

If you are near Portland, you probably didn't call Roots and Shoots.

That's at least warm, if not getting hot, right opcorn:

Did you get a referral, grab the phone book, or use the ISA site to locate an arborist near you?

Since you were in the rental business, do any of those tree guys that you called know you? Would that affect their communication with you one way or the other?

Now, I never get more than 2 contractors to come out. 3 is a waste of time. But 3 is maximum. Word gets around in the industry about customers who get more than 3 estimates. It's a subtle under-current in the professional's communication network.

worked the rental industry in california. i live in eugene currently. and i grabbed the phone book and started with the lower ccb numbers(logically lower number means longer in business) and i feel if you have been taking out trees for 20 years you must be doing something correct. unfortunately i didn't find this site till after i committed to a company. i like to get 3-4 quotes to see what the general price is.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

worked the rental industry in california. i live in eugene currently. and i grabbed the phone book and started with the lower ccb numbers(logically lower number means longer in business) and i feel if you have been taking out trees for 20 years you must be doing something correct. unfortunately i didn't find this site till after i committed to a company. i like to get 3-4 quotes to see what the general price is.

Sometimes people happen to call when the services are so busy, they can barely call back. That's not always the case though.

There's a landscape irrigation company in Tigard - Down to Earth - and they might not call for two days. But their work is good, and I've seen how busy they get, so I just waited for them. Unless Lewis Landscape was free.

On the bid thing - some companies hire an estimate person. So, the more calls that people make for estimates, the higher they jack the tree care bids over time. Estimates in tree service are not really free once you hire somebody.

If 3 people each call 3 tree services for estimates, then 9 estimates are given. If each person hires one of the 3 companies, then each person will pay for three estimates by the time the work is done.

So estimates are free until you hire somebody.

If we have to pay for the estimates in the long-run, we may as well get good service for it :greenchainsaw: