Are we all rubbish?

[Pat Ferrett]

I earn more now Im sick of tree work than I ever did when I enjoyed it.

[oldwoodcutter]

every jobs different to a degree,and 'know your customer and know your competition' have always been tips well worth knowing.

electritions and plumbers were mentioned earlier,my mate is an old sparky and he freelances at 300 for his days which are never long,bringing home 1500 a week,and he barely takes more in his box than a screwdriver and wire cutters.

[ballymac]

TomD's advice to price work at an easy Fridays pace has got me thinking. I usually look at potential work and figure out what the absolute quickest and best way is to get it done and then apply an hourly or daily rate including kit required etc to quote the customer. But in my minds eye when I'm figuring out how long its going to take me I'm working like a dog.

The next few quotes I'm going to apply the easy Friday rule and see how it goes. Thought provoking thread Tom - has made me stop and think more like a business person rather than someone who bumbles along enjoying tree work (most of the time)

[Mark Bolam]

Ballymac I could have written that myself.

What have we got to lose?

[D A Tree Surgeons]

TomD's advice to price work at an easy Fridays pace has got me thinking. I usually look at potential work and figure out what the absolute quickest and best way is to get it done and then apply an hourly or daily rate including kit required etc to quote the customer. But in my minds eye when I'm figuring out how long its going to take me I'm working like a dog.

The next few quotes I'm going to apply the easy Friday rule and see how it goes. Thought provoking thread Tom - has made me stop and think more like a business person rather than someone who bumbles along enjoying tree work (most of the time)

 

Good post :thumbup:

[tilleytrees]

So what is the going rate for two men truck and chipper ?

I'm south west

If I tried for anymore than £360 a day I would be sat at home

Most I've had a day is £450 as it was a horrible ash

 

£150 per climber, £60 for chipper

Cheap I know but people just won't pay more,

What can we do?

 

I am in the south west and we charge out at £ 200/ man per day plus the vat with two trucks and a chipper. We are lucky to be busy. People do tell me that I am notcheap but the quality is there and they are Always suprised how much we get done and then say we are not that much different to the rest, in the area.

My rate has not gone for about 5 yrs and feel that the rate should be about £ 600. Plus the vat/ Day. Fat chance

The issue is the under current of New tree surgeons not charging enough and generally doing it for nothing. ( they seem to be about for a couple of years and then disappear).

 

As for logs well I did have a customer who was suprised I had not put it up from last year.

But again to many people running around delivering for nought.

 

But on ghe bright side I am still here 14 yrs later so should not moan really

[Mike Hill]

I think the influx of new firms "starting out cheap and then we'll bump the price up" is what is holding the market down in the UK and elsewhere.That and lack of savy on the part of business owners to get the most money out of people for their service as possible,which is what business is all about.

 

Tree work has a pretty static demand curve outside of natural events like Storms,coupled with a increase in supply means price goes down.

 

Where I live there used to be three companies in town,now there are seven.I do roughly the same amount of quotes however fewer jobs are accepted.All quotes that we don't hear back from are called back two weeks later,those that are won by my competitors are lost by price.

[Ty Korrigan]

I have a base hourly rate.. the minimum I am willing to invest resources for return.

every factor increasing the difficulty and technicality of the job increases the price.

 

when you price the job who are you actually competing against?

-every gardener with a hedge cutter. or the 3 teams in your area that can do the job with the right kit, skill and efficiency?

 

would you charge the same day rate for 2 man days trimming 5ft hedges as you would for 2 man days dismantling Sycamore leaning over conservatory?

 

Ty

 

We have a minimum charge we 'try' to stick to of 150euros

We can move a lot of waste and we can move fast, that's another of our advantages locally plus we are in with the local tips as it's us who have the contract for landscaping them.

[jnoon]

It doesn't, but it does enrich your life. I did say it wouldn't suit everyone but it works for me. I also spend 2 days a week (Thu/Fri) at home with my little girl because you can't put a price on the value of that!

 

Fair enough mate, wasn't having ago at all

Yes I bet they grow up fast

[gensetsteve]

I find at least half my jobs have complications so I quote on that basis. If things go very well its to my advantage not my detriment. I used to book jobs in for say 6 hours work then have 2 dead hours at the end of the day. That 6 hours is now 8. I don't need every job that comes through the door and if there is no work its a fault with my marketing not my quoting.