Members LiveMusic Posted November 29, 2007 Members Share Posted November 29, 2007 I had a dead pine tree in the yard. A guy comes by and says he will cut it and haul it off for $100. Man, I jumped at that. The lady across the street got big-time ripped off. A large oak fell recently. A huckster nailed the little old lady for $3,000. You read that right. Three grand. Yes, it was a large tree but all they had to was cut it up and haul it off. If they got $500 to $1,000, that would have been a great day. I watched what they did. Anyway, so, this is a young countrified couple. The wife helps, too. The guy mans the saw, she does other things and then helps him load the truck. They gotta be dog-tired at end of day. Very physical (and dangerous) work. BTW, it took them an hour and a half to cut and haul my tree. So, they didn't make much money but $100 is $100, especially when you need it. And they did. So, they are seeking advice on how to advertise. They bought a $35 ad in a songwriter showcase program I did. The wife is the marketer and she admits she knows nothing. She mentioned a billboard and also the yellow pages. Both of those are very expensive. As for yellow pages, I'd say yes if they could get in the small town book. Not the big city book; I figure it will cost too much. These types of workers get work by literally knocking on doors. In a small town or the country, it's okay to do that. I mean, people don't shoot you or turn you into the cops. So, I'm thinking they should just do that... knock on doors. Here are some suggestions I have come up with. 1. The wife is cute as a bug and has one of the best personalities I've ever seen. I think the guy should bring her into the solicitation instead of keeping her in the truck like a dog. I think BOTH of them should go to the door. The guy is okay in personality but she's better. Plus, people would likely trust a woman more. 2. Buy some high-quality (not home grown) business cards to hand out. 3. Buy some refrigerator magnet business cards. People would not lose those. 4. Make up a well-written tri-fold brochure that highlights why they need to keep the promo stuff. For when they need tree service. 5. Give a biz card and brochure to everyone. Ask everyone if they would like to have a frig magnet. If they say yes, they get one. 6. Ask for email addresses. Tell people this is only to send a reminder of their services every few months just to keep their name known. Got any opinions? P.S. I helped them get three more jobs from neighbors. (Lots of trees here!) They brought in $1,000 in three days. They made decent money. I figure they should raise their rates a bit, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Richard King Posted November 29, 2007 Members Share Posted November 29, 2007 Keep a yard sign with them and post it when they are on the job. Leave it overnight if the customer doesn't mind. I had a friend trim some palm trees for me. Before he was done he had 3 more jobs in the neighborhood lined up because of the signage on his truck sitting in my driveway while he worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted November 29, 2007 Members Share Posted November 29, 2007 I think he should take advantage of the fact that his wife is cute. Sex sells! He should advertise her and not him. Watch how business booms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphajerk Posted November 29, 2007 Members Share Posted November 29, 2007 get a truck magnet and call it a day. $50. man, that $3k job probably netted them even more when they sold the wood. i have a guy who has the most BACK ASS COUNTRY guys working for him, i can barely understand them, but they are cheap and scamper up trees like squirrels, even this half rotten one i had cut down that i was afraid was going to fall on my house. they cut down 4 trees for $300, and they left the wood all cut up into logs [i had a nice fireplace and hickory makes for some nice burning, though hard to split]... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GY Posted November 29, 2007 Members Share Posted November 29, 2007 This kind of {censored} works every time.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted November 29, 2007 Moderators Share Posted November 29, 2007 Keep a yard sign with them and post it when they are on the job. Leave it overnight if the customer doesn't mind. I had a friend trim some palm trees for me. Before he was done he had 3 more jobs in the neighborhood lined up because of the signage on his truck sitting in my driveway while he worked. This one! This is how I found my tree guy and how the neighbors after me did too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boosh Posted November 29, 2007 Members Share Posted November 29, 2007 Yeah,... let him make a sign with a picture of his wife on it saying : " Hi I am Brenda and I take care of your wood,... If you have a massive trunk you need to get rid of,..call 555-3574665" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted November 29, 2007 Moderators Share Posted November 29, 2007 Yeah,... let him make a sign with a picture of his wife on it saying : " Hi I am Brenda and I take care of your wood,... If you have a massive trunk you need to get rid of,..call 555-3574665" Do NOT mention the chipper / grinder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Super 8 Posted November 29, 2007 Members Share Posted November 29, 2007 This kind of {censored} works every time.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ3oHpup-pk No skool like the old skool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ernest Buckley Posted November 29, 2007 Members Share Posted November 29, 2007 Yeah,... let him make a sign with a picture of his wife on it saying : " Hi I am Brenda and I take care of your wood,... If you have a massive trunk you need to get rid of,..call 555-3574665" Exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John Sayers Posted November 29, 2007 Members Share Posted November 29, 2007 I helped them get three more jobs from neighbors. if the next 3 do the same they should build up a business and reputation in no time. Word of mouth always seems to work. otherwise what Booshy said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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