Cheers
Bluey
Adelaide Home & Garden Solutions
http://www.ahgs.com.au
"Success occurs when no one is looking, failure occurs when everyone is watching."
Had a quote today,didn't make me grumpy just made me laugh.
House probably worth 4 to 5 mill conservatively.Small front lawn area full of weeds and clover,a few small gardens that haven't been touched for prolly 6 months or more. I gave him a couple of options the dearest of which was $460.00 to get them cleaned up and looking neat and tidy again, a fair price I would have quoted for the job not matter what the house was worth. He ummed and ahhed with that "thats expensive,it's only gardening" look on his face. I left him with my card and said call me if you want to go ahead,I might just be to busy if he rings back.
"I'm not alone cause the tv's on yeah,I'm not crazy cause I take the right pills.... everyday" Jimmy Eat World
http://www.dreamlawnsandlandscapes.com
2 weeks ago Monday I took a call from ashwood area. Said his regular guy had an accident and needed a new fella. Said ok leave the cash as he was off to work - $40 (as his fella charged $35)and i will get it done for you because he wanted regular. Called me later that day from work to make sure it had been done and said he would talk to the missus if she wanted me
No call for 2 weeks & started at ashwood 7am this monday. Got a call at 8am (which i took the mesage at 10am) saying this is Di**
hed here - i am confirming the regular mow for today or tuesday!!
Having trouble with the clutch on my Rover Procut. Dropped it at the mower shop to get fixed just over a week ago. Pick it up and go to use it on a job yesterday and it lasted about 1 minute before it stopped moving again.
Customers are making me grumpy and i have found they don't seem to give a thought anymore about things like the old school would,,
These days you can give a quote its all organised and you get there and its done or some ones in the middle of it and i am talking the jobs all been finalised not just doing a quote and nobody rings to tell you,,
The other day i had family that had a rent inspection so i gave them a price and once it was all done they came out and said they just got into a fight with Jims because they just cancelled the quote and he was not happy and the quote was supposed to be just before i started,,,we just wanted to see if he can do it cheaper they said,,this was after saying they were happy with the quote and would cancell others they had lined up,,
If jims showed up a minute before i got there and was cheaper they would have thought nothing of telling me they don't need me anymore ,,people don't give a rats anymore and i go to xmas dos,BBQs with these folks,,
That Jim would have been charged a fee for the 'lead', then spent time calling them to arrange a time to quote and scheduled a time to visit - perhaps re-arranging his day to accomodate it.
I'd be grumpy too if I was him...
Many times I've missed a call while on the phone to a client, but checked the voicemail straight away and rung the missed caller immediately, only to be told they have already found someone else - it happens more and more, people want what they want right NOW
I got to the point that I began asking prospects how many quotes they were getting - if more than two then I wouldn't even quote...
Treat your existing good clients like gold - it's far easier and less stressfull to look after them well than sift thru the PITAs
David
Mr Sparkle Car Spa
I was going to quote and the "prospective client called back to say he was going out , and arranged for me to meet him at 2.........got there , no one home ....job done...F...u mate, have the courtesy to call , lucky his letter box is still standing..that makes me grumpy
client now wants monthly visit in lue of weekly ....geez are they to pay with the revised figure..
Surely thats for gardening Geoff and not lawnmowing, they cant possibly expect you to mow once a month the way its growing down here at present.
Isn't it funny how some customers as soon as it's dry or the growth slows are very quick to fob you off but when its growing like it is now and we should be mowing weekly down here they are nowhere to be seen.
"I'm not alone cause the tv's on yeah,I'm not crazy cause I take the right pills.... everyday" Jimmy Eat World
http://www.dreamlawnsandlandscapes.com
i hope you gave appropriate response which of cause is i told 2 clients that were 3 weekly that they would have to go 2 weekly and told a landlord whose tenants are complaining about the amount of lawn clippings left behind that i could go from 3 to 2 weekly ,continue doing the same as now or he could find someone else his choice
Anything Ian says may or may not be garbage, it may also be his own opinion or it may not be his opinion at all, it may just be something he felt like stating anyone following his advice does so at their own risk and may be doing something Ian would actually advise against.
And if you don't like what Ian has to say use the ignore function if you don't know how ask i will gladly tell you
I had no jobs booked for today so made an appointment in town.
I got a late call asking if I could do a new residential job in town ASAP. Residential jobs are rare for me as I mostly do larger jobs with the ZTR.
She assures me no need for the ZTR as it's just a regular block and not overgrown.
So I throw the pushie and trimmer on the ute as I'll be in town anyway.
When I get there the 'regular block' is a corner block with 6 metre strips outside the fence to the roads. Also 2 metre buffer in the vacant blocks on the other 2 sides. To rub salt in, there wasn't an inch of the lawn that I wouldn't have got the ZTR over.
Just about finished that job, and I get another call for a clean up of an overgrown yard, and could I take the clippings away please. Cursing my silly little pushie, I vowed never to leave home again without my ZTR.
On the upside, the second job turned out to be my best before/after result so far, so went home happy.
I turned up at a pitas place today start brushing edges get on to the mowing when one of her kids come out and say mow it lower. I'm mowing on a number 3. I said if I go any lower I will be scalping a lot of the lawn. He says just mow it lower.
I'm thinking to myself I not going to be told what to do by a 13 year old snot nose kid. I said I'm not going to blunt my blades for a $25 dollar job and kept going. Next thing the mums out there complaining about the crap job I supposedly did last time. Mind you as has happened many times before the lawn had been left to grow for 2 months before she would get me to mow. She said last time 2 days later there was bits sticking up everywhere. I tried to explain to her that when it keeps getting left to grow for so long it will never come up very well, but she cut me off and said this is costing me money. I want the job done properly. I've had other guys do it and it has always been really good. ( really so where are they) If you don't want to mow my place just tell me and I will get someone else and walks back inside.
Told my son put the gear in the trailer, jumped in the car and left.
What a dumb @ss be ache.
Ring some missed calls about an hour later and turns out 1 of the numbers is her. I told her that there is no point talking to you because you don't want to listen. She says you left the place in such a mess I will get someone else to do it tomorrow. So I said good luck with that and hung up.
Should have told her to go jump a long time ago like when I copt a mouthful of abuse because I wouldn't slash down each side of her house (that was 3 feet high with weeds) for free. She reckons it was part of the lawn. I've never seen a lawn planted in gravel paths.
Good riddance once and for all.