You get a call.......

[MASTERMOWER]

i get at least 6 messages a day to return from people wanting my services or wanting services i don't do.

No offense Sporty, but if you're receiving that kinda volume of calls each day, you ought to have expanded your business LONG AGO! Diversify...hire some buddies....sounds like you could easily do 5-10x more business than you already are! At least 6/day?!?....I mean com'on, that's a minimum of 180 calls a month! What's your secert you ain't sharing?

"i don't do that kind of work but i know someone who does, eh give me a second and let me see if i can find his number, well i can't find it but he's in the yellow pages". that looks really tacky and unprofessional IMO.

I guess I fail to see how that is tacky and unprofessional? If anything else, buy a Rolodex.

[yardboy]

No offense Sporty, but if you're receiving that kinda volume of calls each day, you ought to have expanded your business LONG AGO! Diversify...hire some buddies....sounds like you could easily do 5-10x more business than you already are! At least 6/day?!?....I mean com'on, that's a minimum of 180 calls a month! What's your secert you ain't sharing?
.

If I could get that many calls, I would hire more beeoooocchhhhs and watch the $$$$ roll in!!!!

[Blake]

You never know what some people want until you see the property and talk to the person face to face. Everyone uses different terms for different services. Like "trimming", could be boxwood or grass in a ditch or low hanging branches. The caller wants to know the mininum charge........that's just good business. Do you ask a car salesman for his "worst price"? Some of you have forgotten where you came from. At the end of the day I'd rather have 250/$50 accounts than one $125,000 acct.

[yardboy]

At the end of the day I'd rather have 250/$50 accounts than one $125,000 acct.

YES!!! Never put all your eggs in one basket!!!!

[spotremix]

No offense Sporty, but if you're receiving that kinda volume of calls each day, you ought to have expanded your business LONG AGO! Diversify...hire some buddies....sounds like you could easily do 5-10x more business than you already are! At least 6/day?!?....I mean com'on, that's a minimum of 180 calls a month! What's your secert you ain't sharing?



I guess I fail to see how that is tacky and unprofessional? If anything else, buy a Rolodex.

sorry my fault i ment to say 6 calls not necessarly messages but also notice i said some of the calls were for services i don't offer. actually probably about half are from people wanting things done i don't do. the rest either don't leave a message so they never get called back, aren't interested in my price, or have found someone else by the time i return there call.

i run my business a little bit like steve does. by that i mean steve does what he wants and things are on his terms. as far as people calling me to get estimates and what not i do it on my terms and don't stray from my terms. if your going to call me leave a message with your name, number, and what it is your looking for. i will call back usually in the evening hours (i don't sit infront of propertys to call people back, i don't talk and drive, and i don't use my lunch hour to make calls either), and i return calls in the order they are received. so even if someone calls me 5 times (which has happened) in a day and doesn't leave a message i'm not returning the call.

a rolodex would come in handy but my point is i prefer to have my information ready before i make the call to the person. being prepared looks more than professional than being unprepared.

You never know what some people want until you see the property and talk to the person face to face. Everyone uses different terms for different services. Like "trimming", could be boxwood or grass in a ditch or low hanging branches. The caller wants to know the mininum charge........that's just good business. Do you ask a car salesman for his "worst price"? Some of you have forgotten where you came from. At the end of the day I'd rather have 250/$50 accounts than one $125,000 acct.

YES!!! Never put all your eggs in one basket!!!!

please explain this logic to me because i have always heard and i personally believe it is better to have 5 $10 accounts than to have 10 $5 accounts. makes sense to me. you make the same amount of money with less work.

[yardboy]

please explain this logic to me because i have always heard and i personally believe it is better to have 5 $10 accounts than to have 10 $5 accounts. makes sense to me. you make the same amount of money with less work.

^^^ Save your pennies on this chain of thinking^^^^^^^^
Duh, Sport, If you have one large account and lose it, it will be hard to replace.If you have several quality smaller ones you will not be affected by taking such a large loss at one time. I take on large accounts, but that is not what I target. Medium size accounts will bring in the bacon and do not hurt the pocketbook when some clown underbids us.

[Blake]

^^^ Save your pennies on this chain of thinking^^^^^^^^
Duh, Sport, If you have one large account and lose it, it will be hard to replace.If you have several quality smaller ones you will not be affected by taking such a large loss at one time. I take on large accounts, but that is not what I target. Medium size accounts will bring in the bacon and do not hurt the pocketbook when some clown underbids us.

Is that logical enough? Yep.

[spotremix]

Is that logical enough? Yep.

it is if you actually are talking having 1 account vs. 5 accounts. i was personally referring to having 10 $5 accounts vs. 5 $10 accounts. which is better? IMO having 5 $10 accounts.

[yardboy]

Spotty, Confucious say - Look in three dimension, not one.

[MASTERMOWER]

But Sporty, with 10 $5 accounts I can upsell 10 $50 fert apps vs having only 5 $10 accounts to sell 5 $70 fert apps to.

Mowing provides chump change.....I want the other goodies to sell, and with more clients...............well...............it's only that much easier. Just one more incentive to have more clients.

[spotremix]

But Sporty, with 10 $5 accounts I can upsell 10 $50 fert apps vs having only 5 $10 accounts to sell 5 $70 fert apps to.

Mowing provides chump change.....I want the other goodies to sell, and with more clients...............well...............it's only that much easier. Just one more incentive to have more clients.

i would too if i did fert apps.