Looking for work everywhere you go....

My attitude is, let it burn in a small town.

I am not a push over. I offer a QUALITY service, packed with value, for a fair price.

I am not running around insulting other business owners. I am not insulted myself if they don't like my price. What DOES insult me is when they are already buying a service, a service that is total crap, and insinuate I should lower my prices but offer them my high quality.

I don't see you guys clamoring to do $8 motel rooms. I'm not going to do $1 window cleaning. I'm also not going to do business with people that either want to screw me over, or take advantage of me. The lady at the check into cash wanted me to give her my services.

I don't disagree with your stance at all, I just find that in my small towns that everything I say or do will be known by 70% of the town within a week. It can be a real phone booth around here and so I act like everything is being filmed / recorded and operate accordingly.

I would not take a cheap price like that either, definitely would walk from it. I am just very careful how I end the conversation. Keep in mind, these towns are all about 8,000 people, so these are small ant farms.

Well, my town is bigger. But I understand where you are coming from. It's similar to magic telephone in every town.

However, I just don't care what people think of me anymore. If they want to play the any penny game, I am going to call them on it.

And that sir, is one of the great things about being the owner....you get to make the call.

milspec6 wrote:And that sir, is one of the great things about being the owner....you get to make the call.

Thats my favorite part about running my business.

Yesterday I had a scheduled job when I got there she had more carpet than what she mentioned over the phone. She said that she understood it would be more.

When I gave her my total she said that the last guy did it for less. Usually Ill ask about the other guy etc. But this time I just decided to stay quite, just looked at her with out acknowledging the comment. Then she responds, "all right just go ahead and do it"

On the way to the next job I get a call from her neighbor saying that Paula had just refereed me and the last time she had her carpet cleaned it took 2 days to dry.  Probably the same guy that cleaned Paulas carpet

I hear that Mo!
You are Rob are right. I truly love being able to do what I want in my business.

It's funny you mention your sale. I had a similar experience on the phone with that HUGE estimate I did.

I called her to be sure she got the estimate. Sometimes they end up in a spam folder. She said she got it, but it was TWICE what the other guys were last year. The other guys happen to be the slobs that I'm trying to wrangle the dentists office, away from.

Anyway, I took the opportunity to explain what I'm offering. I hit on the points:
1 I'm THE local guy.
2 You get me and my wife. Not some $8.00 an hour employee.
3 We don't use dish soap that leaves a film and attracts dirt quickly.
4 We have a vested interest in providing you the best quality available. The life of our business depends on it.

She went from "no thanks" to she was going to talk it over with her husband and get back to me. If she will book, who knows. I told her if she was happy with the other guys, she should keep using them, but if she wanted to try me, I would be happy to book her appointment.

You know something, the line about getting ME and not some $8 an hour employee really changed her attitude. That's really ONE thing that attracts most of my clients. People that can afford to hire someone to clean their glass, worry about someone stealing their stuff, or breaking in, in general.

You guys that are on the truck, really should mention that more often as a selling point.

Excellent Freemind. If doesn't accept your bid now it would be just a matter of time

With regards to hiring an owner op. I hear that from customers quite a bit. Maybe thats just a small town thing

They would prefer to hire the local not just for the reasons that you mentioned, but they also want to keep the money in the local economy.

I think it is more of a small town thing. I often schedule customers that are undecided for weekends telling them that "my guys" are off, so she would be stuck with the owner doing the cleaning.

That often works!

I suppose I shouldn't complain, but GEEZE....

Why all the sudden are umpteen million people wanting glass cleaned, NOW?

I have a job tomorrow, 2 Saturday, and one Monday. Sure, it's better than 2500 in work, but damn.....

Give a guy some REST.

Same affliction here right now......booked solid all weekend. The phone just keeps ringing.

Yes, you can throw that back at me in December when I start complaining about being dead.

Were never satisfied.

I think if we were balls out day in and day out our bodies would wear out a lot faster. Just call the off season the healing season

It sure feels that way now. I have nothing left when the day ends right now so there is no running at night for awhile.

A lot of times just being quiet can help sealing the deal, like I said price shoppers bothers most of you guys, especially Dave, he hates price shoppers, lol.
I just flat out tell them my price is my price, I won't budge and most of them just say, ok I'm going to call around, I say "have a nice day".
If they ask why is my price is very high compare to other companies, then and only then I explain to them the reasons.

I think I will just try the boxing stare down with the next one to challenge my price.

Don't know what happened to the lounge for the past few days. It was saying the domain had expired....

I see you guys have been able to post though. Weird!

I don't like the price shoppers. I don't like people who don't pay at completion even less..... My Friday job was like that. His house keeper scheduled the job, I've never spoken to the home owner.
Job gets done and "oh he won't be here until Monday. He'll cut you a check then".

I about went ape crap on her. I kept my calm, and told her if he cut me a check Monday, fine. I reminded her the payment was DUE when services are complete. I am not a bank giving loans. If he doesn't have payment Monday, I will hold her financially responsible.

I don't know what the f**k is wrong with people. I explain the payment is due at the completion of services, then they act like they can take their time about paying me.

I still get jerks like that as well. Normally, I will give them 3 days and if they are honorable, they will get me paid in 2. If nothing by day 3, I show up at their house at dinner time and don't leave without payment plus travel fee.

The can dodge you by phone for ever, but it is hard to ignore a pissed off person at their door at dinner time with the family watching. I always stay polite and quiet and let the awkward tension do the rest.

It looks like I might have one this week if not paid by Tuesday. People are just not honorable any more. Taking them at their word and a handshake is getting to be a rare event.

I want the old days back....tired of cheats and needing to lock my doors. I am really tired of having to carry a pistol as well. It used to be only the thugs carried a gun, but now the good guys have to carry them as well.

I hear you Rob. People seem to want to cheat and steal all the time anymore.

And at times, it's everyone. Rich or poor. I too, miss the old days.

Being honorable, is something many never try to achieve anymore.

I was at a local steak house recently sitting next to an elderly couple. The guy complained about his steak and sent it back. He put on a big show over it until the Manager came out, apologized, and tore up the check.

Before leaving (no tip of course), the guy turns to me and says that he does that at least twice a week around town and hasn't had to pay for eating out in years.

He actually bragged about it!! Meanwhile, the waitress didn't get a tip and the cook likely got docked for the meal.

The world is starting to fill with scum.

Well, it's my belief that the scum rises to the top, because no one calls them out on it.

What is abnormal, becomes normal, when no one says anything about it.

I am generally an introvert. I am also an opinionated d*ck sometimes. People don't like me in situations like above. I would have told him he is a thief and he should be hung from a tall tree with a short rope.

He was a thief, and he knows he was a thief, but had developed the belief that being a dick was okay.  Just like so many people these days, he only saw it from the angle of what he could do for himself.

If I ever see him in a restaurant again, you can bet that I will let management know before he is served anything.  

But I guess that is what bothers me the most about these kind of people, the fact that they know exactly what they are doing and are proud of it.  This deadbeat is going to get a visit from me tomorrow and I WILL get paid.

I already told the real estate agent that I am not above placing a lien against the sale of the house with a 15% penalty added weekly.  He can pay me now or at the closing, but it will be a lot cheaper to do so now.

Here, you can't close on a house that has liens on it, like you are talking about.

Three years ago, I was ready to close on a house that a mortgage holder had put a lien on, after the homeowner filed bankruptcy on a second mortgage. Even though he "didn't owe a debt" to the mortgage company, it could not come to close. They held a lien through bankruptcy, and refuse to release it until they got their 10K.

Here, real estate agents are 50/50. They are either good to work with, or they are scum bags, screwing everyone they can. It's hard to know who is who, until you get screwed.

That is my plan, but I might not have to now. The listing agent just text me asking if I could come down to his storage building and clean 2 boats on Tuesday.

Looks like it might cost him a full house cleaning attached to the bill.

Pretty ballsie to ask you to clean more, when he already owes you and can't be bothered to pay.

No, he doesn't owe me on this one, the homeowner hired me to clean at this agent's recommendation. He will just end up paying me or else squeezing the owner for me.

I do a lot of work for this agent, he will not want to alienate me.

Gotcha!