data farm 26
Been here a while
- Location
- Casablanca
Do any
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S
- Thread starter data farm 26
- Start date
flushcut
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Delavan, WI
Are you personable? Sales you need the gift of gab and being able to read people.
Brando CalPankian
Carpal tunnel level member
- Location
- Pine City, MN
Have, and do... Sales is sales.
Matias
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Butte County
Yea, I remember working at the garden store, and we had a list of items to sell that earned us bonuses. I sold a lot more of those than everyone else, and I do feel like that skill is the same for selling anything that you wanna sell. You ever try knocking on a strangers door to see if they want their tree/s worked on @levi r ? Give it a try. I think if you can get a 50% or better hit rate on cold calls, then you could crush it in any sales job. That said, I hate sales, and would only do it for a really fat check.
Stumpsprouts
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Asheville
Yes, I do sales. I work for 1) the trees 2) my employer 3) the client and 4) the crew and sometimes in the middle of that venn diagram we are all happy. The client needs a lot of therapy. Glad we are past the lockdown days when boomers would talk my ear off for an hour about nothing. I try to hold their reality and educate in a non-pushy way. And do sales in a non pushy way too. Give them lots of options and tiers of urgency.
I still climb which is important I think, so I can occasionally get my butt kicked on a bid and remind myself how much work it takes.
I take a commission / percentage of total job cost as well as fee per. I won’t disclose those numbers here but would be happy to dm them. It’s good money but it’s not stealing, you earn it. I’ve had several people choose my bid even though it wasn’t the lowest just because of vibes. But it’s a lot of driving and talking and emails texts phone calls to client, crew, and business owner, so you have to have the stomach for all that.
I still climb which is important I think, so I can occasionally get my butt kicked on a bid and remind myself how much work it takes.
I take a commission / percentage of total job cost as well as fee per. I won’t disclose those numbers here but would be happy to dm them. It’s good money but it’s not stealing, you earn it. I’ve had several people choose my bid even though it wasn’t the lowest just because of vibes. But it’s a lot of driving and talking and emails texts phone calls to client, crew, and business owner, so you have to have the stomach for all that.
Mick Dempsey!
Participating member
I was a salesman in a previous life, still am I guess.
Real salesmen are born, not made, I worked with a few and they are a different breed, immune to the sort of embarrassment and shame that crushes most normal mortals, they take rejection and disappointment without it costing any part of their self esteem.
I admire them, but I wouldn’t want to be one.
Real salesmen are born, not made, I worked with a few and they are a different breed, immune to the sort of embarrassment and shame that crushes most normal mortals, they take rejection and disappointment without it costing any part of their self esteem.
I admire them, but I wouldn’t want to be one.
Stumpsprouts
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Asheville
Brooklyn hardened me. My folks were hard to please too. lol
It also helps when it's not your business, you don't have that little touch of desperation and need. You're there and then you're not. Que sera sera.
Psychedelics help too. The ego is not a very useful tool most of the time.
Basswood
Carpal tunnel level member
- Location
- Long island
I do plenty of support for them. It can be soul crushing for some, and a welcomed transition for others. I think the soul crushers typically put way too much pressure on themselves, get stuck in the past (missing production work, or past roles) and try to take too much at once. Support systems matter and good leadership is a must for general success, but if you’re strongly independent and honest you can also do very well. Leave the ego at home, know when to say “I don’t know but I will reach out to xxxx and find out”, use resources and take responsibility.
Mick Dempsey!
Participating member
Not sure client visits on LSD is the future, but I’m happy to be wrong.
Could be a Hunter S Thompson-esque concept.
’buy the ticket, take the ride ma‘am’
I was a sales arborist for about 3 years, ten years ago. I loved it. I don't do it anymore; I prefer the sawdust and smell of diesel in the morning. It is still the highest I've ever been paid. I have thick skin and felt like more of a therapist than an arborist at times. When I interviewed, my boss said we're all selling something...I didn't know how true that was. Truth is, a lot of what I learned and was forced to navigate through has stuck with me for a long time and I'm better for it. Mainly how to deal with people.
macrocarpa
Branched out member
- Location
- Midwest
As an owner operator, I don’t really consider myself a salesman, but I am the salesman for my little business since 2004. I did start off knocking on doors which looking back took a lot of nerve. I actually really enjoy meeting with people and talking to them about their trees. A lot of people are super appreciative to learn what they have if they don’t already know. I probably have over 90% acceptance of my proposals. Sometimes I think the best salesman is the one who is prepared to walk away without a sale if there’s no work there to be done/just being honest.
I find it hard to consider sales “work” compared to when I come back and do the physical work. But I think I would have a different perspective if I was running quotes 40+ hours a week.
Sometimes I too wonder what it would be like to do sales fulltime for a larger company, but driving in a big cities on highways all day would be hell. Some people don’t seem to mind. So for me a lot of it would depend on location. For example, if your company operates in a city with a population of 50 - 100,000 including some smaller towns on the outskirts, I think that may be enjoyable. But operating in a big city and having to cover all the surrounding suburbs in heavy highway traffic all day is not for me.
I find it hard to consider sales “work” compared to when I come back and do the physical work. But I think I would have a different perspective if I was running quotes 40+ hours a week.
Sometimes I too wonder what it would be like to do sales fulltime for a larger company, but driving in a big cities on highways all day would be hell. Some people don’t seem to mind. So for me a lot of it would depend on location. For example, if your company operates in a city with a population of 50 - 100,000 including some smaller towns on the outskirts, I think that may be enjoyable. But operating in a big city and having to cover all the surrounding suburbs in heavy highway traffic all day is not for me.
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Basswood
Carpal tunnel level member
- Location
- Long island
It’s just a support role through the company I work for. I cover multiple offices and depending on the need and what’s going on I’m either with sales arborists or production workers providing support/training. The lions share is with new people, but it’s pretty varied.
I will also say to your point of view ”the grass is always greener”; I see alot of people who move into a sales role before they are ready. I urge all new production workers who have their sights on sales to really work two years in production soaking up as much as they possibly can. This is a long game and it’s a marathon, if you sprint too early you burn yourself out and you lose.
What kind of work would you be selling? Figure out where your weaknesses are and focus heavily on that.
I hear ya but disagree a bit- you knew the productivity and capability of your own company and successfully sold accordingly. You'd simply have to spend some time learning same about a new company and then off you go!
Mick Dempsey!
Participating member
I quite enjoy spending Saturday afternoon driving round the countryside quoting a half dozen or so jobs.
Bit of music, nice scenery, bit of chitchat.
Especially when I land a big one early and get on a roll.
Bit of music, nice scenery, bit of chitchat.
Especially when I land a big one early and get on a roll.
flushcut
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Delavan, WI
I think it’s a bad strategy if you come into the estimate excited. A bit of “it’s a big tree but we’ve done bigger in worse locations” helps. Exuding a calm confidence in your sales approach is key. There really are few and far between trees that get me excited anymore. Look at the tree/s slap a number on it, explain a little bit of the work flow process, and the challenges of their over decorated postage stamp backyard but nicely.
Serf Life
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Maine Island
Man I’d get burnt out being over socialed and with so much of the inevitable therapist type conversations we get pulled into. I’ve improved at not engaging with overly personal or emotional topics, but some people are very sad/lonely/open/demanding and it’s nigh impossible to extract w/o some empathetic fatigue.
What’s helped: get 90-100% quotes done in one day/wk, acknowledge but don’t overly engage in tricky topics, explain less (don’t over explain or be the only one talking), give fewer options than when I stated and quote accordingly for an option you don’t want to do, smatter in vibrant descriptors/adjectives, include some scientific/ecology background and reasoning, include “do nothing” as an option when applicable.
What’s helped: get 90-100% quotes done in one day/wk, acknowledge but don’t overly engage in tricky topics, explain less (don’t over explain or be the only one talking), give fewer options than when I stated and quote accordingly for an option you don’t want to do, smatter in vibrant descriptors/adjectives, include some scientific/ecology background and reasoning, include “do nothing” as an option when applicable.
Serf Life
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Maine Island
I was asked into a house to kill a spider this Fall, lady was petrified. Picked it up bare hands and took outside, she was icked!
Treetopflyer
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Coastal N.J
Cash me outside how bout dat!
I knew a guy who couldn't sell tree work. He didn't know what he was selling. When the client knows their tree better than the salesman, the bid ain't gonna bite.
Levi, I know that's not the case for you. Been locked up inside with cabin fever. Longing for full work weeks instead of a weeks worth per month. Made me want to click on your thread. One outfit I contract to doesn't know trees very well. I am slowly teaching the owner though. He's got the gift to gab to make up for it. Me....not so much. Need to sell more of my own work. My gab is slowly improving.
Levi, I know that's not the case for you. Been locked up inside with cabin fever. Longing for full work weeks instead of a weeks worth per month. Made me want to click on your thread. One outfit I contract to doesn't know trees very well. I am slowly teaching the owner though. He's got the gift to gab to make up for it. Me....not so much. Need to sell more of my own work. My gab is slowly improving.
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