We have to neutralize the abuse of multiple bids / free bids

[OutOnaLimb]

One of the things that I really hate being a sub is everyonce in a while I will show up, do the job and the customer trys to add on stuff. "can you chip up this pile of brush, or cut out this little elm sucker, or take out this other leader going over the drive way." I have even had neighbors ask to trim more off a tree that is going over thier property. The worst was when a guy said that cleaning his gutters out was part of the bid. This guy has so much crud in his gutters that he had plants growing in them. Yeah right, I dont think so. My groundie said he would come in and do it for $50.00 on a weekend but I wouldnt do it. Sorry nice try Slick Rick.

Kenn

 

[spacemule]

One of the things that I really hate being a sub is everyonce in a while I will show up, do the job and the customer trys to add on stuff. "can you chip up this pile of brush, or cut out this little elm sucker, or take out this other leader going over the drive way." I have even had neighbors ask to trim more off a tree that is going over thier property. The worst was when a guy said that cleaning his gutters out was part of the bid. This guy has so much crud in his gutters that he had plants growing in them. Yeah right, I dont think so. My groundie said he would come in and do it for $50.00 on a weekend but I wouldnt do it. Sorry nice try Slick Rick.

Kenn

Yeah, I'll go along with that being rude. What's really bad is selling firewood. Seems like the customer always has a different idea on measurement than the seller. I finally just stopped selling by any other measurement that x amount of dollars for this load of wood, regardless of cords or ricks or whatever.

 

[jmchristopher]

The vast majority of my work is done as either sole bidder or not low bidder. Who wants to do our kind of work and get paid less than everyone else? Low bid sucks!

 

[bottlefed89]

SM, I was only upset that he tried to haggle this petty job in the first place. Now that I GOT the job I'm not upset, but when I first posted, the job wasn't mine, and I didn't figure he'd call...

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I'm with the negotiation thing, on both sides. I'll try to dicker someone down too.

If the easy job next door wants a reasonable discount I may come down a little, but sometimes they act offended at my offer, and I'll respond that I cannot charge less then what I am charging my current customer.

Qualifying a lead is tough, what I have done in the past is base it on travel time. If I know a shopper will be near a job I'll be at soon I may look at it. I have requested a "small fee applicable to any future work".

It all depends on where you are with your company. If you have a good backlog do you really need to run all over town to generate enough new buisness your revolving accounts will make things roll allong?

Usually If I determined that they were shopping around I would tell them that i was real busy and could make it when i was in the area. Then hold the lead till i had others in that area and call back to see if they were still interested in me coming out.

IMO it's not the number of leads you run that effects your sales figures, as as much as the number of them you can get face to face with and physically sell yourself. Then follow up soon and often "just touching base with you". I had one $1500, one day job that I chaced after for over a year before getting ahold of the lady. Don't throw out the old ones as long as they dont say no, or you are sure the work is don.

But i digress

 

[alanarbor]

Yeah, I forgot to mention our consultation fee gets deducted from the job if they take it, so if they choose to do the work, then the estimate is free. If they want to farm my specs around town, then I can't complain, they're bought and paid for.

 

[a_lopa]

I know from experience that certain ethnic groups, like the older Chinese and Koreans, like to haggle on prices. I don't mind that, it is part of their culture (ever visited Hong Kong or even Tijuana?). I just know if I quote $535, they are going to say $450 but will settle for $500. So if my bid is $535, I'll quote like $585 and when they say $500, I'll try to get $550. Sometimes I'll get the extra $15, sometimes I may lose $10 and settle for $525.00. Just quote a little higher and beat them at their own game. I find it kind of fun, actually.

yes i get a kick out of that myself

 

[TREETX]

Qualifying is hard but I believe this is a qualifying problem, not a shopper problem.

Qualifying is hard. You win some, you lose some. You will get better and save countless hours as you get better. 1st step is realizing room for improvement.

Removals frequently are shoppers. Ask them is they have other quotes. If they say yes, then say, sounds like you have it under control......

 

[TREETX]

Another that I think I got from JPS. Good qualifier. Must say amiably.

Q - Do you give free quotes?

A - No, they are not free, they cost us a lot of time and effort but we do not charge for them.

Set yourself a list to get answered before making and appt.

1. zip code?
2. work to be done?
pruning - What species?
removal - Why?
3. other bids?
4. last tree service used?

You should have these answered before hanging up the phone. The skill is feeling people out without making them feel felt up.

 

[Can-Do-It]

Great Thread

This is a great thread. With the knowledgeable repy's from Mule, JP, Tex, Kao and others you can't go wrong.

I've been in the tree business awhile and the hardest thing IMO is what some of the others have already touched on, qualifying the customer. Sometimes I'll spend more time on the phone taking notes on what the customer is NOT saying as much as what they are trying to say. If I spend enough time letting the customer talk, (while I'm taking notes), and ask leading question about them-selfs, hobbies, what they do for a living, kids ..... the list go's on. I'm trying to bond with the customer on something other than tree work. I general know before the estimate if I can sell the job on something other than money. The estimate for me is the easy part.

I like the one about "is your price negotiable". I'm going to use it the next time it comes up.

You'al have a Blessed Evening

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Then on closing the sale, they signed on the line

Change the subject, get them thinking of something else.

Leave with them knowing that you are a nice guy and they want you working for them.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

This thread has some interesting replies. I only had time to read a few - will have to come back tomorrow or the next.

I'm doing a tiny landscape job - a 2 day thing - in exchange for a 1985 Komfort 17' travel trailer. Need to keep the pace going to make it fit in with the rest of my week's stuff to do.

 

[Local # 17 T.T.]

Getting screwed!

After this past season, I will no longer give estimates in writing. I will give a verbal estimate and if you hire me to do the job, you will receive a bill/receipt upon completion of the job, but I have had many a people call me for an estimate and I meet with them to see what they need done, then they ask for it in writing and I take the time to write everything out, only to never hear from them again and find out that they hired someone else to do the job . I have even made it clear to them that I will negotiate, but I never hear anything. I believe they take my estimate and call another company, then tell them beat it if they want the job. It makes me really want to choke' em! :blob5: Then after a storm, people whine about price gouging.