lower pricing due to the economy

Gentlemen, gentlemen, and any gentleladies in on this discussion...

Please, let us remember what was said all those many years ago but the wisest man on earth,

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There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

<ul type="square"> [*]A right time for birth and another for death, [*]A right time to plant and another to reap, [*]A right time to kill and another to heal, [*]A right time to destroy and another to construct, [*]A right time to cry and another to laugh, [*]A right time to lament and another to cheer, [*]A right time to make love and another to abstain, [*]A right time to embrace and another to part, [*]A right time to search and another to count your losses, [*]A right time to hold on and another to let go, [*]A right time to rip out and another to mend, [*]A right time to shut up and another to speak up, [*]A right time to love and another to hate, [*]A right time to wage war and another to make peace. [/list]

But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I've had a good look at has been given us to do -- busywork, mostly.

True, Everything was made beautiful in itself and in its time — but we have been left in the dark, so we can never know what is truly up with this world.

I've decided that there's nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life.

That's it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It's the gift we have been given.

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So, "Save Every Tree!" and "Cut Them All Down" are both error in the extreme!

Let us endeavor to discern when is the right time to save and when is the right time to harvest or thin.

There are trade-offs for every decision and some decisions carry less cost and not just in monetary terms. Humans are stewards of this planet and that means working with and managing that which is around us.

Will we always do the right thing? Probably not! But we can always approach such decisions in a carefully thought out way to arrive at the best solution, given the goals, needs and circumstances.

As I oft tell my customers, whether the discussion is pesticides, removal, pruning or repair...

"There is a time and a place for everything, including those things we may find repugnant. And whatever course You choose, there will be intended and unintended consequences.

You must be willing to live with those consequences"

Our job is to explain those consequences and remind them that they should be willing to live with them if they choose a particular course of action.

[poster gets down off soap box hoping to not get hit with flying objects on his way out stage left...]
 
Well put. It's not with some regret I take down any tree. I question the client's motivations for removal to see if it is an informed decision or one based in unfounded fear. I just recently was asked to quote on a removal of a tree due to sidewalk damage. When I looked at this behemoth I was struck by it's size and health. A 40" DBH street tree that spread out from across the street to the back of the house. Only one major piece of deadwood. This had been growing in this spot for as long as the street was present if not longer with no ill effects. I've convinced the client that there are solutions to repairing the sidewalk that don't involve removing the tree and that it would be better for him in many ways to leave the tree in place.

The pricing is fair though I'm sure he could get cheaper.

I try not to drop the price without taking out some element of the normal job. Degree of clean up, leaving wood, mulch left onsite, etc....
 
I'm the same way on removals.

It is tough on several fronts because we have to be careful about leaving marginal trees in the hands of homeowners who may not ensure continued care, who then have the potential to haul our butts into court.

At the same time, when they say they want a tree removed I try to find out what they want to accomplish with the removal. Often enough, they don't really want the tree gone, but thought that removing it would give them the desired results. In that case, they get to keep the tree and enjoy it's benes for a few more years.

Had a Pear last week: rot column from root flare extending up into over 66% of the main trunks, visited by the pileated pecker-woods daily and simply dying. Causes included mowers and recently installed driveway.

Told the customer we could chase the decay and keep the tree looking somewhat presentable, but if there were ever a tree that was a removal candidate this tree was it.

Also suggested that since there were no targets and the tree was small enough they could watch nature work in the final decline of the tree, enjoy the wood peckers and other wild life, and perhaps discover something about trees they never knew before.

They decided to let the tree stand, not prune it, and let nature have its way.

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I try not to drop the price without taking out some element of the normal job. Degree of clean up, leaving wood, mulch left onsite, etc....

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I'm with you TH. We've pared our pricing down where we are barely paying the bills and payroll. Certainly no padding for extra cap growth.

Our policy is that we give our best price up front. We'll change it if the job specs change or we made a mistake. Adn we definitely won't don't do price matching.

As I tell our customers, "If you can't trust us to give you our best price first why should you trust us with your trees?"

I will admit, it is becoming more tempting to do so but our company is respected for shooting straight with people from the get go.
 
"As I tell our customers, "If you can't trust us to give you our best price first why should you trust us with your trees?"


Becuase the economy is crashing and the trees are the last things on our mind . The best price is gonna be the best price believe that , oh yeah. Battle gear , don;t kid your self , this is real . Wishing you his peace , Please !
 
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"As I tell our customers, "If you can't trust us to give you our best price first why should you trust us with your trees?"

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Had a lady call me yesterday and ask me to come down 45 dollars on a 500 dollar prune job, so she could afford it. I told her that if I could do the job for 45 dollars less, I would have put that amount on the original bid, and I can't move an inch on it. She called back today and confirmed the job. I am trying to sell less and less jobs on price, and more and more jobs on qualifications, service, referrals, and results.
 
i told a customer the other day, I'm not a used car salesman, i don't through out a high price and give room to come down.
 
I think it's all about working within ones budget. I'm still selling work but folks just don't have the money to do all of what needs to be done. So, we prioritize or the customer get's involved where they can. Most are happy to do their own clean up or schedule more work the following year when they have more cash.

Anyway, that's seems to be working for me.
 
That's the ticket Noel. DON'T SELL ON PRICE! A client once told me he'll always ask for a better price even if he likes the one you gave him. Politely say that is the best price but if it is outside your budget we can do something to help you with that. Whether it's leaving something for them to do like Jim454 or offering a payment schedule. The budget may just be a monthly line item thing.

Tough times call for better marketing and selling skills!
 
I always get a kick out of how people have no trouble paying a plumber $100 an hour to show up in a rickety pickup with his crack showing, yet think a skilled arborist is worth so much less.

I don't budge on price; I give a fair one to start with. If you want to find some uninsured hack to come and do it for half of that, then good luck.

X-man has it right.
 
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I always get a kick out of how people have no trouble paying a plumber $100 an hour to show up in a rickety pickup with his crack showing, yet think a skilled arborist is worth so much less.

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The plumber doesn't show up with $100,000 worth of equipment or risk his life like we do either!
 
The plumber gives his price then shuts up. Too often we don't. I had a client tell me the price I gave him was outside of his budget. I gave him payment options not a lower price. He was happy.
 
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Gentlemen, gentlemen, and any gentleladies in on this discussion...

So, "Save Every Tree!" and "Cut Them All Down" are both error in the extreme!



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who on here said; "cut them all down"?

It wasn't me!

I'll muyda da bum if I find out who it was!
 
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but given a choice, you would never work on any of my clients' property. Sorry if that offends you hahaha.

-Tom

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Sure I would, I do it all the time. I know how to let a sick coughing hairless poodle lick my face and piss on my tools while saying how beautiful of a dog she is... for a $10,000 job. I even do it now a days for $2,000 job. Nor do I use the word murder around important prospects. I do however use it from time to time around my drinking buddies
and they know what it means...as should all of you.

And...believe it or not, I also try to talk people out of taking out (murdering) a tree that I would give half of my life to have in my yard. I find myself often saying to people, Why are you removing this giant beauty? but it doesn't always go the way I think It should and when that happens I don't lose a bit of sleep over it...especially if it is I who gets the job
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sadly there is much misunderstanding in reading &amp; writing
 
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I had a client tell me the price I gave him was outside of his budget. I gave him payment options not a lower price. He was happy.

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when I offer payment options I give a higher price, than the one I just quoted, (about 10%) for the cut now pay later option. Think abot it...it might be a good way for you all to lose more business...
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This whole stupid argument with you started over some strong words and semantics. You and I are probably much more alike than it looks like from this ridiculous banter. It's so easy to point fingers and assume how other people are when it's in cyberspace.

Having said that, after 18 years of trying to save trees (I took down a few healthy ones in the beginning), I am lucky enough to be able to walk away from jobs that don't fit into my business model. In the end, the clients that want to remove large, significant, or otherwise healthy trees that pose little or no hazard, that I cannot convince to save a tree, are usually looking for a different type of tree service anyway. I don't acquiesce to poor landscape decisions because I have to live with the results in a relatively small community here in RI.

-Tom
 
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I had a client tell me the price I gave him was outside of his budget. I gave him payment options not a lower price. He was happy.

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when I offer payment options I give a higher price, than the one I just quoted, (about 10%) for the cut now pay later option. Think abot it...it might be a good way for you all to lose more business...
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I thought about setting an interest rate on this but in the end I'll take it as is.

Conversely, has anyone ever offered a discount on immediate payment? This is common with commercial sales.
 
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I had a client tell me the price I gave him was outside of his budget. I gave him payment options not a lower price. He was happy.

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when I offer payment options I give a higher price, than the one I just quoted, (about 10%) for the cut now pay later option. Think abot it...it might be a good way for you all to lose more business...
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I thought about setting an interest rate on this but in the end I'll take it as is.

Conversely, has anyone ever offered a discount on immediate payment? This is common with commercial sales.

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Someone pointed out on TB in the past that to charge an interest rate could put you in the catagory of "Creditor", meaning lots of regulation (though you wouldn't have thought so with the housing fiasco as it is) and licensing, etc, etc.

A service fee or just plain and simple different price with payment options is probably better, with late fees if they don't pay on time.

It probably only would matter if things get ugly, but those are the occasions to protect oneself against.
 
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