Is honesty really the best policy!??

[jnoon]

Nothing wrong with being honest mate,

ive found that being honest has helped me to get a good reputation and i guess word of mouth travels fast.

 

id rather be a few quid down and be honest rather that have a jammed back pocket and feel guilty all day every day,

 

happy climbing!!

[likeitorlumpit]

I'm always honest about the situation though I usually say something along the lines of- If you want it felled then we can do it but it doesn't 'need' felling.

If you lie then you will get caught out.

Hopefully you have caught out some other less scrupulous firm.

Be guided by what the customer wants- no point saying a tree doesn't need felling if the customer wants it out and recognises that you don't want to. They just go to someone else. It's called salesmanship- nothing wrong with that.

[Czlowiek Drzewo]

Nothing wrong with being professional, but a lot of those issues could have been cleared up at the phone call stage. If you had asked the species you could have told them that ash flushes late, same goes for the one near the house. Asking a few simple questions at the phone call stage can save you loads of time and fuel..

 

TD Tree & Land Services Ltd.

 

Yeah, they thought it was a lime. sometimes i ask on the phone..but most of the the time they don't know.

 

The one near the house i should have asked for its size and distance to property.

 

win some lose some i suppose.

[Stubby]

Start by saying I can do it if that's what you really want but -----

[WorcsWuss]

I think it's a really sweet notion that being honest about a tree and saving it's life will get you a good reputation and more work in the future.

 

But it's niaive, and wrong.

 

If someone phones you up and asks you to take a tree down, do it, they're not asking for advice, they're asking for a service. They really won't lose any sleep over murdering a healthy tree.

 

If, on the other hand, someone phones you up and is worried a tree they have could be dangerous, be honest, don't rip them off and take it down if it doesn't need it, but there's no harm in offering to tidy it up to give them a bit of piece of mind if they reallly want, but reinforce that it's fine as it is.

 

Don't turn away work based on conscience and a love of trees as living beings. To many people they are nothing but a nuisance. Taking down a perfectly healthy tree in someone's garden because it kills their grass and drops sticks on their car is not exactly deforestation of the Amazon guys.

 

Don't over-think these things!

[eddiegts]

I think it's a really sweet notion that being honest about a tree and saving it's life will get you a good reputation and more work in the future.

 

But it's niaive, and wrong.

 

If someone phones you up and asks you to take a tree down, do it, they're not asking for advice, they're asking for a service. They really won't lose any sleep over murdering a healthy tree.

 

If, on the other hand, someone phones you up and is worried a tree they have could be dangerous, be honest, don't rip them off and take it down if it doesn't need it, but there's no harm in offering to tidy it up to give them a bit of piece of mind if they reallly want, but reinforce that it's fine as it is.

 

Don't turn away work based on conscience and a love of trees as living beings. To many people they are nothing but a nuisance. Taking down a perfectly healthy tree in someone's garden because it kills their grass and drops sticks on their car is not exactly deforestation of the Amazon guys.

 

Don't over-think these things!

 

You took the words out of my mouth ok fine you can sleep well at night but you will soon be sleeping in a box because you can't pay the bills.

If the customer wants it felled fell it as they will only get someone else to do it!

Yes honesty is the best policy but don't let it bankrupt you!

[MATTMOSS]

Things have slowed down a bit lately and i have not had much calls until yesterday. I went and quoted 6 of them today....but 4 did not need much work done.

 

1/ Deador - cedrus deodara aurea. 25 years old with perfect shape. told costumer is is a nice looing tree and just to leave it be. - Costumer happy with honesty...

 

2/ Large ash - costumer wanted it removed as it was dead ..was not dead..just not in leaf and all it needed was a deadwooding job. told them i would come take a look again when it comes into leaf but most likely it won't need removed. Costumer happy with honesty.

 

3/ Small birch - Costumer worried about roots on foundations - tree was far enough away. told them to leave it be.

 

4/ Large branch on beech in middle of garden costumer wanted removed - would have really changed structure of tree and i did not think it was best for the tree so told them to leave it and maye just take some weight of them end.

full day job turned into small 1 hour job.

 

I have been honest with all my jobs and told costumers that they need to think about conservation ..this has lost me a lot of work and with things slowing down ,expense of driving around looking at jobs. It makes me think - 'Its my helath or the trees health'

 

I also find that about 30% of costumers don't care about there trees and just want it felled or topped. When giving these costumers professional advice they look at me funny and i already know that they will get joe bloggs to hack it down.

 

oh well.

 

I dont think honesty is the best policy all the time! (like when your wife asks how many pints you have had when you have just nipped to the pub for an hour before tea and come back trying to act sober) but when you are giving customers advice it is a must, and you have been professional and honest. Qualities people look for and hopefully you will be the first person they think about when they have other treework they may want doing or if others ask them if they know anyone who does treework.

As far as giving people advice over the phone I think it is very limited information you can gain or give to a customer over the phone and I dont know anybody does it or would want to.

Carry on as you are is my advice!

[Pedroski]

If you believe honesty is the best policy then be honest. Hungry, but honest. What i would suggest, to maintain your integrity, is a side line where you can afford principles in tree work, supplement your income in other ways, perhaps gardening, fencing or hard landscaping.

 

Yeah, but if he's an arb taking on gardening and fencing and landscaping because he's short on tree work, I don't want to hear him then moaning about those of us whose core business is gardening and fencing and landscaping, taking on tree jobs when they arise.

[john p]

Yeah, but if he's an arb taking on gardening and fencing and landscaping because he's short on tree work, I don't want to hear him then moaning about those of us whose core business is gardening and fencing and landscaping, taking on tree jobs when they arise.

 

touche!

[Czlowiek Drzewo]

I dont think honesty is the best policy all the time! (like when your wife asks how many pints you have had when you have just nipped to the pub for an hour before tea and come back trying to act sober) but when you are giving customers advice it is a must, and you have been professional and honest. Qualities people look for and hopefully you will be the first person they think about when they have other treework they may want doing or if others ask them if they know anyone who does treework.

As far as giving people advice over the phone I think it is very limited information you can gain or give to a customer over the phone and I dont know anybody does it or would want to.

Carry on as you are is my advice!

 

Yeah i think your are right. depends on what you beleive in. if you are very much into conservation but will fell a tree because you need the cash..then you are not living in an honerable way.

 

I have recently set up a deal where costumers spend over a certain amount then i will donate so much to amazon rainforest re-planting...kind of helps me remove my carbon footprint. fell a couple trees here and plant somewhere else.

 

I do think in the long run honesty pays off.