Paying for referrals

I am trying to generate enough work that we need to hire another three guys just to keep with it. As it stands, we almost never get calls from new potential customers, as they have been very low key about their tree division for the nearly thirty years it's been in operation. I am working on getting access to their token Facebook page, which has almost no followers. They have basically just been cruisin' on the fact that they have a handful of huge contracts, and have never worried about drumming up new work, but now they want to grow the tree side of the business. They have the trucks and equipment to justify hiring another crew, but not enough work to match.

They aren't even on Google, so they are hard to find even if you wanna find them, and their website was miimalist when it was created in 2010. I keep hearing that the new website will be rolled out any day now, but they have been saying 'a week or two away' for five weeks now.

I know it will only get better as things progress, and there is little pressure on me to sell, as they need me enough just to field the calls they get from existing clients needing arb reports and wanting to consult with a CA, but I only get commissions on new clients, so I am personally motivated to find them.

I can only push so hard for them to get the website finished so that I can really get the online ball rolling. but I wanna have a super solid plan ready when that time comes.
 
@Matias would it be worth having a talk with them about temporarily bumping your base pay since you are not earning commission because somebody else is not doing their job to help with marketing to get new clients? They might say no to that, but maybe that will get the ball rolling faster???

Let them know you appreciate the compensation package they have offered, but express concern about how you're supposed to get new clients with weak marketing programs.

I say all that, while doing almost no advertising myself... But people know we are a tree company. It sounds like this is a landscape company that also does trees? Do you get a commission if you convert an existing landscape client into a tree client as well?
 
I have started those conversations, but, to some degree, I also feel like those are points I should have asked about during the interview. I could have known before signing, what I was signing up for. They definitely made it clear during the interview that the main reason to hire me was to find new clients, and I knew beforehand from my own research that they had basically zero online presence.

Like I said, they aren't stressing about it because they have some epic contracts, especially on the landscaping and maintenance side of the business. I am able to get by on my base, so I want to prove my value before I press them for better pay, and I am working on how exactly to pitch to them the notion of advertising. and I want to figure out the best way to go about advertising this particular business. The biggest complication so far is tgat they don't want me to advertise the landscaping side of the business- just the tree division- but the company is just called
"[COMPANY NAME] Landscape and Maintenance",
so any ad will have to say that.

I fear that they may need to separate the two divisions into different companies for this to make more sense.
 
southsoundtree said:
@data farm 26


Interested about @Matias, too.
Click to expand...
Hey Sean! Thanks for the message, I've been meaning to call you but haven't found a free moment yet.

As it happens, we just got clobbered by a huge spring snow. Suddenly I have way too much going on.

To answer your question though. Yes, I am just trying to get a basic pruning/removal/rcx/planting operation going again. A solo operation, or working with the help of my wife on occasion. I'm trying to get 2 or 3 6hr days per week scheduled.
Subbing for some friends to fill in in the mean time if this storm work dries up.
 
Matias said:
I am trying to generate enough work that we need to hire another three guys just to keep with it. As it stands, we almost never get calls from new potential customers, as they have been very low key about their tree division for the nearly thirty years it's been in operation. I am working on getting access to their token Facebook page, which has almost no followers. They have basically just been cruisin' on the fact that they have a handful of huge contracts, and have never worried about drumming up new work, but now they want to grow the tree side of the business. They have the trucks and equipment to justify hiring another crew, but not enough work to match.

They aren't even on Google, so they are hard to find even if you wanna find them, and their website was miimalist when it was created in 2010. I keep hearing that the new website will be rolled out any day now, but they have been saying 'a week or two away' for five weeks now.

I know it will only get better as things progress, and there is little pressure on me to sell, as they need me enough just to field the calls they get from existing clients needing arb reports and wanting to consult with a CA, but I only get commissions on new clients, so I am personally motivated to find them.

I can only push so hard for them to get the website finished so that I can really get the online ball rolling. but I wanna have a super solid plan ready when that time comes.
Click to expand...
2010 is ancient.

Marketing companies put our basic, modern websites like nothing.
 
data farm 26 said:
Hey Sean! Thanks for the message, I've been meaning to call you but haven't found a free moment yet.

As it happens, we just got clobbered by a huge spring snow. Suddenly I have way too much going on.

To answer your question though. Yes, I am just trying to get a basic pruning/removal/rcx/planting operation going again. A solo operation, or working with the help of my wife on occasion. I'm trying to get 2 or 3 6hr days per week scheduled.
Subbing for some friends to fill in in the mean time if this storm work dries up.
Click to expand...
Anything you going to implement for burnout or exit?
 
Or use a thick veneer... Or maybe even take three very thin pieces of veneer and put a middle one at 90° to the other two (mini plywood as it were)??
 
ATH said:
Or use a thick veneer... Or maybe even take three very thin pieces of veneer and put a middle one at 90° to the other two (mini plywood as it were)??
Click to expand...
Cards of Wood uses two thin layers of veneer with a very thin plastic layer in between, so their cards are quite flexible. In fact, they can't be broken, I've tried.

The three layer concept is a cool idea, but it seems like a rather difficult thing to make at home.
 
ATH said:
I'd rather cut wood than plastic with the laser cutter... If you just are doing business card shapes, you can cut those with other tools but I like the Washington State shape @southsoundtree had. PA would work well too. OH, is probably not an ideal card shape
Click to expand...
I wonder how the plastic would cut in between the wood layers? You would of course still get a bit of plastic fumes though, I suspect that is your concern. I am not fond of plastic fumes either, I would much rather breathe wood smoke.
 
The laser cutter I used was very well exhausted, with something like a hood vent over it. The whole shebang was in a closed box with a clear lid and vented out of the roof with a strong fan.

I cut 3/16" plastic with no problem and no fumes.
 
Reach said:
I wonder how the plastic would cut in between the wood layers? You would of course still get a bit of plastic fumes though, I suspect that is your concern. I am not fond of plastic fumes either, I would much rather breathe wood smoke.
Click to expand...
I have a hood and vent everything outside, so not a huge concern...but yes, that's my primary concern. I suppose it really depends on what kind of plastic. I'm also not sure how it'd burn clean vs. melt and make a funky edge???

Doing it on a large scale, I'd sure they have a die cut stamping them out. Not sure how much small batch/custom shape you can do and expect to make money? I thought it'd be fun to do a handful just for kicks.
 
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