Hi all,
Reading threads tonight, we're coming out of a very long winter and should be switching in to flat-out mode now. Why are we still seeing posts from people who are struggling with awkward customers? I'm really not trying to single out anyone, but there are a few posts where I'd be thinking that the client is not appreciating my professional knowledge, and I'd be walking away.
Having renovated a house over the last few years, I know just how the various trades would have responded to me suggesting I knew better, or they should cut corners but still do a proper job somehow.
Are we the only industry that will allow the client to dictate to us? I certainly never tried that on with electricians, plumbers, roofers etc.!
Is it a confidence thing, where we are not selling our expertise properly, or are customers just expecting too much for some reason?
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i think the difference is that a gardening(not landscaping to some extent) doesnt really have to comply to any regulations, as does electrical work, plumbing, building, roofing etc.. so we dont have that regulated 'specification' to be lawfully met so corners are much more often expected to be cut and rules bent by the customer to try save some money.
i have dropped a paying customer already who just made me feel like i was going around in circles wasting my time being instructed to do something inappropriate or pointless and i feel much better for not having to spend those odd days being busy achieving nothing.
i am definitely of the opinion that we should all take advantage of being self employed and choose what we charge and who we CHOOSE to work for.
no point being your own boss if youre going to let yourself be unhappy.
There are and never will be any incentives to 'drive the standards up'. As Neil says above, plumbers and electricians are tightly regulated. We need to get used to the fact that 90% of our work is unskilled and virtually anyone can do it. It's whether you have the other 10% determines the standard and value of your work and it is this that will keep you going, allow your business to thrive and not worry about such things.
I don't mind being singled out in my case. Being 100% honest my situation is this; I am a 'jobbing gardener' supplementing my nursery wages. At work I am involved in everything from propagating right through to sales (with the enormous expectations put on horticultural salespeople), as well as horticultural and non-horticultural maintenance. My weekend customers are, on the whole, appreciative of the work I do, but just one....
I think one problem is that a lot of our profession cannot be quantified easily. How do you put a value on an extensive plant knowledge, or extensive experience in a particular field? We demonstrate our competence every day, but getting a customer (who is never a horticultural professional, and seldom has real expertise) to recognise our worth is very difficult. Often we have to rely solely on our work 'looking the part'. Let's take the example of a lawn; the grass is long so you mow it. The customer looks at their lawn and they're happy because the grass is neat and short. As a professional you can see, thanks to your knowledge and experience, that there is a problem, so you advise your customer or offer a service that you provide. Mowing the grass is easily quantified by the customer, but the quality of your advice is harder for them to put a value on.
You would hope that working for someone over a period of several weeks or months would build their confidence in you, but there's a hardcore minority out there who still believe that as they are the customer so they are also the expert. I see these people on the nursery; customers who visit and ask about a plant, and then argue with you or ignore your advice. A few weeks later they visit again, argue with/ignore you again... meanwhile their plants are suffering from neglect. When their plants die it's your fault because you didn't given them the right advice!
Yes we should be more confident about our abilities, but I'll happily put my hand up and admit that I can never quite muster the confidence to properly take control in someone else's garden. I am perfectly capable of doing the things that I do, and happy to put my hands up and admit if something's beyond me. I just need to build my confidence to take control, or to admit defeat with the customer and pack that particular job in.
Interesting about the plumbers and electricians thing. In my capacity as 'anything we can't do give to Ben to work out instead of buying in expertise'-man on the nursery, I often face challenges that are daunting and involve problem solving. Take, for example, a feed problem with a wood-chip boiler- I worked out the problem and solved it, saving the business a £45 callout fee, plus £65 per hour engineers fee. Likewise I dabble with the less complicated plumbing jobs. It strikes me that actually plumbers, engineers and builders etc are VERY good at selling their expertise. Anyone with sense can carry out basic maintenance jobs and simple building stuff with care, but it's simply accepted that if you want the job done properly you hire in the professionals.
Well we're professionals too!
(PS sorry for the ramble, it's been one of those days)
Ben - that's not a ramble at all and very well put. It won't be the last time I read it either!
The confidence aspect in someone else's garden is a key attribute to building rapport, trust and ultimately repeat business from clients who are prepared to appreciate (rather than consider it "another outgoing") your endeavours.
The fact that we are professionals too is always true and is often ruined (in our profession) by the minority. From my business point of view it's down to me to be professional and overturn the influence of the minority 'rogue gardeners'. Clients worth working for are those who will see that you are a professional guy with great knowledge, and in turn your confidence in their gardens (and the referrals you get from your work in those gardens!) will perhaps take you away from the nursery altogether.
Good luck, you deserve it.
Eugene
Never apologies:)
Ben sums it up perfectly, my case is closed!
Perhaps it's a confidence thing, perhaps it about doing the job well, being in it for the long-term, and having enough recommendations that you can pick and choose your work.
I'm not even sure that it's down to being regulated, qualified etc. My electrician doesn't refuse to do a bodge job because he's regulated, but because it could kill someone. If I refuse to use nasty chemicals on a client's lawn when they want to have the baby crawling about on it the same day, that's the same thing, and I will stand my ground.
Either way, I hate seeing people asking for advice here when they are being pressurised by a client in to something they feel is wrong. I wouldn't have done that with any of the trades I've used recently, and I have a feeling that they'd have walked from the job!
Glad to help. Thank you everyone for your support. :-)
Be a Professional : get pa1&6, chainsaw certs, waste license, good new pro equipment, have knowledge and experience, do a good job and give sound advice. use quality products for Everything'
Then charge for it as an electrician,plumber,carpenter. but mowing flat lawns is a joy (so knock a bit off) ;) for domestics especially !
cheap = unreliable,uninsured,less time on job/less care ....
ive siad it 100 times on here if you can find all my replies / posts.
Taken me 10 years to 'be confident fully (in 90% of aspects).
Be professional = get paid as a professional (it's up to you)
I'd say cherish all your good customers as they do appreciate you and your expertise and from there your confidence can grow. It's the hardest thing selling yourself with a price tag even if you're good at selling yourself!
We've just lost a client who, even after her previous gardener (a greenkeeper) and ourselves advised her to keep her lawn longer (as we live in one of the driest of the countries) she still wanted it shaved. She decided she wanted the garden maintaining every week and couldn't afford it but 'the grandchildren' want to earn some extra pocket money!!
I had to wait nearly all day before replying and nicely ending the relationship as I was so incensed to have our industry downtrodden like that - I really felt like saying 'how lucky you are to have such gifted grandchildren with such a wealth of knowledge and expertise!'
Here endeth the rant!
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