How much work is too much? How long will clients wait?

[benedmonds]

First off I'm not posting this to brag..

 

We've been ticking over Ok for the last 6 months, not overworked and we've not been giving our subbies as much as we were at the start of the year. If it wasn't for a few big jobs we'd have been struggling in the summer.

 

We have been slowly expanding from a 3 man team and have two transits which we have been working together for the last year. We're getting our dead chipper fixed so will potentially have the ability to run two teams and so get through work much quicker.

 

Work has been steady up till last week when I got a number of big jobs accepted. In the current economic climate would people just book in work into the next couple of months and therefore risk losing jobs that won't wait 8 weeks, or should I bring in the subbies and get the work done quicker?

 

I don't normally like having more than months work booked in and am happier at 2-3 weeks, I hate it when people say "how long?"

 

I know its a good position to be in. I am thinking of just plodding through it which has not been my business stratergy up till now....

 

If your one of our subbies your views might be biased:001_tongue:

[Mr Ed]

I would get the client to sign for the work (so they cant go eleswhere), book it into your schedule and work your way through it.

[gibbon]

I am in exactly the same boat. 3 men, 2 trucks 2 chippers. We have work booked 6-8 weeks from Jan, but I wont commit to extra labour untill I sus the new year out. Most people can be convinced to wait so long as its done before spring sas long as they know they are getting a good job and its going to happen before the buds break.

 

I would rather miss out on a few "can you do it next week?" jobs than put extra guys on the books only to lay them off in spring

[Stephen Blair]

your a wise man ed,

they obviously want to use you ben when there are loads of us guys twiddling our thumbs.but if your subbies have been good to you and you can throw them a bone i am sure they will appreciate it.

[Frank]

Aside from emergencies, it is first come first serve as far as I'm concerned. a vast percentage of work to be done isnt desperate, so explain how busy you are because of the good reputation that you have. You may have to jig some things round i.e the ones that arent fussed at all and the "desperate dans", to keep everyone happy.

 

How long a customer will be prepared to wait will depend on so many different factors. Me and a friend of mine quoted 14 trees at an equestrian centre, quoted per tree as seperate jobs. Quoted 14 months ago. 12 trees down.

But then again I quoted a scotty for a builder that needed to be down by lunchtime the next day, so a quick jig, couple of phone calls and an extortionate invoice later, job was fitted in and everyones happy.

[A_lopa]

The more work you can get thru will lead to more work from being "out there working"IMHO.Extra decent ground staff might be a thought.