How to choose a tree contractor, or any product or service.

There are a number of factors to consider when choosing a tree contractor to carry out any tree work at your property, 

 for E.g.   tree cutting, tree lopping, tree removals, tree pruning, tree shaping, stump grinding, wood chipping, landscaping, gardening, or any treescape work.

Below is a couple of  questions to ask when selecting possible candidates to carry out the work,

·         Do they have  adequate insurance cover for the work to be carried out?,   

·         How long have they been operating for?,

·         Why should you choose them? (put them on the spot)

·         Is the quotation in writing or verbal?

Local Papers

In the early days of Just Love Trees, establishing and growing the client base was a very important factor in the longevity and successfulness of where we are today. Potential customers have a variety of choices in how they select the possible contractor to carry out the work.

The local paper is one way to choose your next tradesman, although, the local paper, does not mean local contractor, For instance, I can elect to advertise in Gold coast editions of the newspaper, Brisbane Newspapers, Ipswich Newspapers, Sunshine Coast Newspapers, or the area in which i live, Logan Newspapers,... Which area is local to me?, Just because i advertise in an area newspaper, does not mean I’m local.

Some customers want to give the local contractor a go, Don’t automatically assume local newspapers mean local tradesman, In the tree care section of the papers, you will have a wide variety of tradespeople and companies vying for your work.   Ultimately, you want a quality company that cares about you and your property, and one that will offer complete satisfaction. The local papers is an affordable means of advertising for any contractor in any industry.

Yellow Pages.

What can I say, the yellow pages is where all Australian Businesses have their phone number listed in the alphabetically categorised  sections, The more money, a company has to spend on advertising, the larger the add in the listing, A Big Add , does not always mean Best Service, Sometimes, Big means, I don’t care, just give me your money,   I had a quarter page listing, and yes, it attracted an avalanche of enquiries for tree services, I choose to only have a minimum listing with yellow pages, does that mean I’m only a small operator, NO. Within Any industry, and generally speaking, the larger the business, the less the owner has a hands on approach, If a owner is involved in the running of the business, he will ensure that a quality standard is maintained, otherwise, sometimes, the management don’t understand the fact  that the customer is the most important factor in their relationship with the company, and sometimes that there is  less care and responsibility for  other people’s  concerns or property .  Don’t assume that the largest advertisement is the most qualified or caring to carry out your work, Big Businesses operate on a numbers game, they need big turnover  of money just to cover their operating expenses, don’t get me wrong, you don’t get to be big and stay there if you don’t offer quality, it is just that you should not always believe that BIG IS BEST. The small operators, are competing with the large companies and in a lot of cases, offer better service and value for money, one reason is because they care about what you think about them and their services, and will go the extra mile to make sure of your satisfaction, there future depends on it, whereas in some instances, the basic values of how some big businesses get to where they are today, are forgotten, E.g. service, value and customer satisfaction,

Internet.

The evolution of the internet has allowed any business a chance to expose themselves to the world wide web. Having a web presence allows a business to express themselves in a multitude of ways, and offer a complete picture to prospective clients, it enable us to present the many different alternatives to the customer, and hopefully, satisfy any questions or concerns relevant to the enquiry. A web site gives a business owner an opportunity to put all his Products, Services, Contacts, Address, Qualities, and Options, for a presentation to you, in one location, in a easy to understand form for your consideration. The Internet today has become a valuable marketing tool for businesses wanting to reach a wider audience, If there is to be true transparency in offering themselves, a successful business will put all their cards on the table for inspection.

Personal Recommendations.

For me, this has the loudest ring, I have come into contact with many 10's of thousands of people in my business dealings, and i have come to understand, that other peoples recommendations in a product , or service, carry a lot of weight, We don’t always have to dothe  test and try, when someone else has already done the testing for you. Their complete satisfaction, makes selecting a suitable product or service a easier task, as long as the same set of circumstances are valid. I continue to use what is tried and trusted, from who I know can give me what it is that i am seeking.

Conclusion.

For me, when I choose the products and services that i require in my day to day running of my business, i use each of the above depending on what it is i am seeking. Ultimately, we get what we pay for and  if we only want a budget product or service and we only want to pay the cheapest price, we get a number of  quotations to compare prices. You cannot compare the true value of say, e.g. Cubic Zirconium Ring to a Diamond Ring, because the underlying value is not the same. You do not get the same expectations from the cheaper version!.  When it comes to close examination, the cheaper version is superficial and flawed, whereas the diamond will flourish under all testing conditions. If we want a quality product or service, and know exactly what or who it is that is required to provide it to us, I trust that the person who is offering it, is giving me the value that i am seeking and i  continue to recommend their products or services to others.

When doing your homework in finding contractors, an important factor  to consider when choosing  to invite someone to  enter your property  would be, 

• 
  
  Does this company care about me?
  
  


• 
  
  Does this company care about my property?,
  
  


• 
  
  Does this company care about my neighbours?
  
  


• 
  
  Does this company want to help me?
  
  


• 
  
  Does this company offer complete satisfaction?
  
  


• 
  
  Does this company only want my money?
  
  

Having been around for approx 17 years in the industry, we understand the pre-requisites for customer satisfaction,  you don’t get to stay around for that long and grow, if you don’t satisfy the needs of the clients,

Ultimately, your choice of which company you choose will  have a long lasting effect on you, After all is said and done, and the exchange is complete, what will you remember the most out of the transaction?

Will you have  total fulfilment and gratification for quality work carried out?  

The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of a low price is forgotten! 

By Colin Saul