Time to cut out the freebies

[Mike Draper]

nothing, his guys do it all the time for a ten buck tip.

sometimes they do the whole house for free when its cash :shock:

 

[Steve Toburen]

http://sfs.jondon.com/2999/resources/sp ... ur-company[/url]

Steve toburen
http://www.SFS.JonDon.com

PS I know your comment was in jest, Mike. But the whole "side work" issue is a hidden tumor eating away at many multi-truck companies. And of course the customers are willing accomplices in this dishonesty. What my "Secret Homeowner" program did was add accountability to the daily mix!

 

[Ken Snow]

http://sfs.jondon.com/2999/resources/sp ... ur-company[/url]

Steve toburen
http://www.SFS.JonDon.com

PS I know your comment was in jest, Mike. But the whole "side work" issue is a hidden tumor eating away at many multi-truck companies. And of course the customers are willing accomplices in this dishonesty. What my "Secret Homeowner" program did was add accountability to the daily mix![/quote:n32sjvzi]


We have the same no whining, no appeal process as well Steve. Due to the liberal unemployment rules & lawsuit happy climate we also take it a step further and give them the option of writing a letter of admission or we call the police and file charges. Only 2 times out of maybe 8ish total over my tenure did we actually call the police and then 1 written confession came quickly for agreement to not continue pressing charges. The other ended up going all the way to trial where his lawyer and the judge told him he was an idiot if he didn't plead out cause he was going to jail. He pled out.

 

[Mike Draper]

I know you run a tight ship ken, I was being silly.

 

[bob vawter]

I had a couple of custys that would "test" my employees for honesty by offering cash for that extra br......

 

[Brian R]

[quote="Brian R":vq45fclt]Comes down to reading a customer....Will you ever see them again? Do you not care to ever see them again?

I'll do free stuff for people who are not assholes, not moving out, not cheap already etc etc.

I also believe a $10.00 free service can earn you repeats and referrals.....But after a few years in this business you tend to know what is going where....Usually.

It all depends on that customer. Shame on me.

Nice customer profiling Brian You should be ashamed.[/quote:vq45fclt]



I am

 

[Ron Werner]

my employee gets offered to do work for cash quite a bit lately
we try to keep a record in the quotes at the very least, then we can remember what he did

 

[-JB-]

great posts guys!

a few things struck me, on the "value" of freebies, back "in the day" I tried HP's FREE ROOM NO STINGS ATTACHED delio,
F L O P, no value whatsoever, had it on all my bus cards, and adds, had referral stations at pet stores, and dog groomers. I had two folks do the offer in one year, BOTH just took the free room and that was it, in fairness, one does still call, every time there's a REALLLY good deal, or every 3 years whether it "needs it or not", the other, his house? I wouldn't let my dog live in it, thankfully never called again.

another, to assign value to the services we DO "give away" I ALWAYS add a $ to it and put it on the bill as a line item, so there will NEVER be the old "oh, well, LAST TIME you did this or that and didn't charge me?" THEN I wright it off on under discounts line as a "courtesy" discount ..... always has a value that way.

also, I will give a FREE Starbucks card WITH my business card in it, when I leave larger quotes, feeling that, for the cost, it's worth the risk to try and kick start the reciprocation factor.