Quotes

[Ty Korrigan]

When it comes to negotiating, I often use the stump grinder as the winning card by offering the stumps at 'cost' rather than my usual profit margin.

No loss, just no big gain on stumps.

It's a very good bargaining tool.

I hate to lose a job just for a few 'sous' especially if I've had to travel any distance to quote.

Ty

[ballibeg]

NO,no,no,no, lets please not start a race to the bottom, prices are already low enough, with this kind of thing.

 

That's the free market in action. Competition is healthy.

 

That's why I'm no fan of 'the market'.

 

Dave

[Hodge]

I did exactly that a few year ago . I got asked to remove a 50 ft Sycamore in a really limited drop zone ( Courtyard ) . The client called me and said that she had a cheaper price and that they could start this coming Saturday . I only priced the job on Thursday ? Lost the job to a local gardening company . So I thought I got to check this out anyway it pissed down all day . I watched them from the comfort of my truck with coffee in hand for 20mins . 4 Men truck chipper 3 days £ 400 I got the stumpgrinding job £ 150 for 90 mins . To be fair the tree was down by noon of the second day . Just really restricted access .

 

 

I'm not sure what's most disturbing, sitting in your truck for 20 mins watching or the fools doing it for so little money, just forget it and move on mate.

 

 

Hodge

[skyhuck]

That's the free market in action. Competition is healthy.

 

That's why I'm no fan of 'the market'.

 

Dave

 

So all tree work should be controlled by the state???

 

Sure democracy and the free market are awful, in fact they are the worst systems except of all the other systems

 

(Churchill, I believe)

[ballibeg]

The market would tend to agree with Mr Churchill!

[combined tree services]

Personally I go by the theory of working for what I/ my company needs to earn to cover all of the expenses , wages etc etc and the profit margin that has been factored in which is the same on every job regardless . I'm not going to play the game of dropping my prices just to compete with a firm that may not worry about profit or servicing costs etc . As a sole trader it was the same only I didn't have anywhere near the outgoings so clearly I was cheaper than some . As your coatings change so does your client base . It's a sad fact that most customers in the domestic world are only interested in paying the least possible and not interested in value for money or or a professional service .