Dead End Bids

Jamin_Mayer

Jamin_Mayer

Location
Longmont, CO
Is there such a thing as a "dead end bid?" Or, are there "dead end bids" all over the place?

For many years I have taken every call/bid seriously. But, the problem with that is (as most of you would know) it seems to be a waste of time and money.

For example, say someone in a very low income neighbor hood calls... Before I move any further, that is a RED FLAG. Although, I have sold jobs in low-income areas and I was surprised...
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How about some one who calls, but doesn't know what they need to do? (Could go either way, but you almost feel like a sleezy salesman telling them what they should buy).

I could go on with examples, but I'm sure you all know what I'm saying.

So, I'm wondering if there is a way to ever tell someone, "I don't want to bid on that because I won't get the job. Therefore, it is a waste of my time"?
 
The only good I can think of is, someone remembering you and giving you a second chance in the future when they "move on up". Or, they could give you a referral that is worth bidding on...
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I know that Spring is right around the corner and the calls will be crazy. I'm pondering the idea to not chase down every call (especially if they are certain dead ends).
 
You can do whatever you want. That's why you run your own company. But fer sure I think it's called qualifiing on the phone. It's better than having to run out of a yard to get away from the crazy lady.
 
The ones I like to avoid are the ones when they are calling every number in the phonebook just looking for the lowest price regardless of anything else.

Chris
 
Had one (crazy lady) getting 3 prices on 3 small branches. 1-3 hours drive for everyone but me. I was 3/4 hour away. I was working in the area or I wouldn't of bothered. Didn't get the job but we got a good laugh out of it.
 
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But fer sure I think it's called qualifiing on the phone.

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That is a skill I'm getting better at too. It can be tough. Usually I don't withdraw until after a few exchanges with the customer.

Had one last fall flat out told me I needed to jump through some pretty lame hoops to start with then through in a couple more saying, "it will make me feel valued as a customer."

For me that was red flag, light, danger-will-robinson territory and I withdrew from the process.

The lady ended up getting a liontailed silver maple and one removed that only needed pruning along with the small removal she wanted and from the looks of it the company that did it charged her half again what it should have cost.

It was a shame to walk away from two days of work like that but when a customer interacts with me that way I know I'll end up chasing my tail or the check. I don't have to play that game any more so I don't.
 
Ideally, you would like to get to the point where you are telling the customers what you do, how much its going to cost and leave it at that.
Before I moved, I could do that. I stated up front that they would have to pay for me to show up, and then we would go from there. But as we have discussed on other forums, it depends on your demographics. Because now, I cannot do that.

I think a big thing to try and remember, no matter how hard it is because we have bills to pay, is that we are running a business. Have questions that you ask to everyone and don't be afraid to say this is the way I do things. Obviously, there has to be some wiggle room, but I think by having that process you can weed out the customers who are trying to make you chase for work.
You should be able to tell after asking a few simple questions whether its the kind of work you want or not. I have the time to chase around trying to get every bid, but then I find my self lowering my standards and prices just to get work. I feel I'm worth more than that...
 
I try to 'qualify' my phone calls. It is a real art and sometimes I get it wrong.
Mostly, if the caller sounds like their price shopping, I wait one day to call them back. They usually say they hired one of my competitors. I say thank you for the call, sorry I am soooo busy these days. They are usually annoyed to have to answer my return call. Their time is money, right?
One tree guy in town advertises his cell phone, does not work (climb trees-nothing!) so he has all day to track jobs for his ragtag crew. They snatch up all those crappy jobs and deal with all the headache that goes with working for everyone. Removals only... no repeat customers. Works every day... kinda annoying.
I am in this business for a little quality of life, right? Sure ain't making a million dollars.
 
yep, qualifying a client is first step in the sales process. When someone doesn't know what they need, they do know what they want. It's our job, when we put the salesman's hat on, to ascertain what that is and then connect it to the work we do, if it connects at all.

That's a good read but not for what is needed. This is copied from a Sales management website.

Here is what makes a "qualified" client:

1. Has a need or want your product will address
2. Has the means by which to purchase the solution
3. Has the authority to purchase the solution
4. Will make the choice in a reasonable time.

"Qualifying the lead" is about asking the right questions when the person calls.

Some examples:

* Tell me about your situation that causes you to call?
* In addition to yourself, who else would need to be involved in the decision?
* What circumstances are causing you to consider doing this work now?
* What type of research have you done on tree care so far?
* How open are you to alternative solutions if they provide a better value?
* In addition to overall value, what other questions or concerns might you have?
* Who else's input would you like to have in making this decision?
* What have you budgeted for this?
* When did you plan to have this done?
* Is this part of a larger project?
* Why do you feel this is important to be done now?

If you find they are going to go out for 3 quotes, (a recommended approach to buying anything) then ask them what is the most important quality in the company they hire.

Hope that's some food for thought.
 
I've said it again and again, but I believe the best way to qualify a lead is to adopt a "No Free Estimates" policy. For example, that old lady with three branches would probably want to pay less for all the work than my initial site visit fee (which is not really that high). Problem solved.
 
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I've said it again and again, but I believe the best way to qualify a lead is to adopt a "No Free Estimates" policy. For example, that old lady with three branches would probably want to pay less for all the work than my initial site visit fee (which is not really that high). Problem solved.

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I think you're right. I've tested that and it worked for a while. But, my area is tough to do that 100% of the time.

I wonder... What if our qualifying questions raise some red flags and we said the quote would cost them... say... $20 dollars. I wonder if they would move to the next tree company and refuse our bids. It would then be a way to scare them away.

It would then mess with the heads of competitor's if they thought we were charging for bids.
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...don't be afraid to say this is the way I do things.

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I agree.

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And I would add, "...and here is why..."

It is a perfect segue into what sets you apart from the competition and why your services will be more valuable to the customer than that of the competition.
 
We all need to understand the "value proposition" a prospective service supplier is offering. It's all well and good to say this is what I do but we need to finish it with the benefit to the customer, i.e., what's in it for them. When you have an intelligent, logical discussion with a prospect then you'll uncover better clients. Qualifying leads is part of business. We will see a better quality of client and tire kickers and low bid buyers will disqualify themselves.
 
It is interesting...

Last week I did a bid for an older lady who said, "I can't afford much, I got hurt at work and I'm on disability." She lives about 40 minutes from me too.

So, I asked a bunch of questions (qualifying her) as well as looked at the Google Street View of her home. I could see the two trees she was talking about. So, I gave her a broad number and said, "I'll give you a ball park range over the phone and you can compare other bids. If you find that my ball park bid is worth putting in writting I can do that." She said something that I didn't expect, "Oh, I hate calling around. It sounds like your bid is just fine."

Prior to our conversation, I searched the property records and found that her home is assessed at $400k. So, her impression of "not affording much" can be relative to most others.
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Point of this lesson: I was given red flags, but I was also given clues that she'd actually be a new customer. If I had "thrown her out" because of her first comment, I would have lost a customer.

Qualifying a customer means... "User discretion is advised".
 
I got a call several weeks ago from a lady who said "i need an expert to come out and tell me what condition my trees are in and what work needs to be done" I told her that is a consultation and depending on the size of the property I charge between $30-$75.

She said "ok, I'll check my schedule and get back with you". That was her way of getting off the phone.

Then another tree company I work with from time to time that does not offer plant health care called and asked me to come out and take a look at a property in need of potential insect/disease issues.

Sure enough it was the same lady's property that denied my consultation fee.

It was a low end neighborhood, all her trees were previously topped, and I have not and most likely will not hear back from her for my bid to remove her crap topped trees, replant new trees and treat for obscure scale on some decent trees.

As I was on the property I thought "i'm wasting my time and the charging for a consult really did weed out this situation".
 
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