Client Red Flags That Should Send You Packing ASAP
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
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"If you can help me out with this one, I know a lot of people that might need your service!" lol
Yep!
Hey Brother, I'm New to your channel. I live in Eugene, OR and am About to take my CCB to become a licensed Handyman. I have a bunch of homee owner clients right now doing small stuff - new trim and doors, caulk and paint, deck and fence repair upgrades. I'm a carpenter by trade, and cabinet rip & replacement. Grateful for your advice.
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord turn His face to you, and be gracious to you.
The Lord lift up HIs countenance unto you and give you Shalom.
Thank you sir!
Yes, don't give out hourly rates and NO to come by and take a look, unless it is a $500+ job. Describe your issue and I will come prepared. "Thermal stat is not working." Obviously they meant "thermostat" and I knew right away that the furnace wasn't working as fall is arriving here. Came in with my electrical tool bag and fixed it on the spot. Never a need to take a look, provide a quote. I rush there and fix problems and then they pay which they did.
That's the best way to do it!
Thanks to you, I have become so determined now to NOT state hourly rate anymore for the many small routine jobs I do for move-outs, and I need to stop itemizing. So what to call it in my estimates or invoices?" Service charge" or "flat rate," e.g. for re-installing and securely anchoring that loose bathroom towel bar in the wall, using toggle-bolt anchors?
😂
Rich lesbian homeowners red flag
Lol my very best customer are a lesbian couple, super nice and they had gave us extra bc we are consistent
Your not letting us down! Your being honest that’s crazy valuable and even more rare
Thanks!
Only 19 minutes in so if this get talked about, sorry. I do auto repair and metal fabrication. My #1 hands down turn off for taking a job is when the person says, “it’s really easy” or “I’d do it myself but I don’t have time right now” those can also be in the same line together. That tells me right there that they think they know as much as you and they don’t wanna pay what you’re gonna charge. Another one is when they tell you they have had other people look at it and no one could fix it. That isn’t always a no go but it usually tells me they just weren’t willing to pay what the others quoted them.
Agree
"Respect" a so important detail as a handyman.
Thanks!
For me, red flags have been; real estate agent or broker, house flipper, rental property managers. I have more problems with real estate people by far. I install plumbing fixtures and water heaters.
Same here. Some people say that's the way to go, but I've never had any luck with it.
I always charge for estimates for realtors. It weeds out the sketchy ones.
My biggest red flag is anytime a customer says " I don't care".
That's a good one. They always care later
Lots of good info, thanks! I can’t even count how many times you expressed in some form ‘ don’t waste my time’ in this video. And I applaud your efforts to clearly explain this to the viewers- solid educational material!
Assuming other viewers are as sophisticated as you, no one can ‘waste your time’ in a literal sense. I realize this is a common term, prolly has roots in sales ad ‘asking price X, no low balls, don’t waste my time!’
Accurately said, you can choose to not allowing anyone to ‘waste your time’, because in reality it’s your choice …not theirs. The overwhelming majority of people who use this statement have an employee mentality, not a business owner mentality. …so there’s always a balancing act to clearly express your position w/o coming across as an arrogant azzhole.
No one works for free, myself included. I never ask ANYONE to work for free, and NEVER ask for any type of discount for service work. Period.
When I buy something it’s different, I almost always try to negotiate price in some form….and I have no problem trying to negotiate price at Walmart, or buying a used car from a private seller.
As a seller of an item I usually have a little room to negotiate. But if someone wants to spend much time negotiating I’ll cut right to my floor price and tell them. It’s going to take x amount of cash right now to buy this item…are you a buyer or not? If you wan to finance, I can accommodate that, but I don’t ‘wait’ for you for free, which is really working…my time is valuable and so is yours.
Providing service - When I quote a price, as an estimate, I always have a little fluff added, with a narrow range, my estimate is $600-800 for this job, total. Sometimes I can ultimately give them an invoice for $580…but that’s my choice. I’ll go to the ends of the earth to not go over, on rare occasion when I’m buried in a job I choose to eat the loose versus surprise the customer with a bill for $940. This is a tough lesson in business that you won’t make many times …forces you to be accurate. And this works both ways, nearly always in my favor - I present a bill for $760, which is within my estimate range, and I have $120 worked into this number as additional profit.
That's really thorough, thank you for that. You have a solid system.
Oh my goodness, all you share as red flags is what I have been and keep hearing from some, apparently lots of red flag clients on my list. Just today, someone who fired me two years ago suddenly came back and asked for "small" drywall repairs. Next they asked what material to buy. I beg your pardon!?!? Almost ten years of experience here, always carry a dedicated tool bag for drywall repairs with my favorite tools and materials in my truck, do them all the time... Thanks Mr. customer, but I don't need or want your screwdriver. Probably have three dozen always on my truck, around 20 dedicated screwdrivers in my electrical tool bag alone, yes a $300 torque screwdriver as well.
Those torque screwdrivers are nice! I used to use them working on planes all the time.
The more I watch all your videos the more I'm confident of running my handyman business someday...
Would you be so kind to include and example of a contract or invoice you send to PMs and or some homeowners you do business with?
Also, do you do minor welding repairs? AC maintenance and minor repairs? landscaping? landscape maintenance? Tree trimming? Tree removal? to what jobs do you draw the line? I think streamlining your job is more profitable by sticking to the PM move outs and such? I yet to watch you other videos, but if you covered this already, I love to watch it...
Yes, I can definitely try to include something like that in my videos. I've been kind of planning on a video like that soon, but first I'll have to get some of my invoices and estimates together and redact all of the personal information and client information.
I don't know how to weld yet, which seems insane to me because I've had a welder for the last 7 years but just haven't needed to learn yet. There have only been two or three jobs I had to turn down for lack of welding. I do sometimes do landscaping work but that's only if it's a very expensive property and they really want to make sure that it's done right or if it's short notice and the landscapers don't have the availability.
For one of my property managers, she has made me pretty much her move out guy. She sends a few other smaller jobs but she basically sends me every move out. Honestly, I love move outs and I've considered heavily changing my business so that I only do move outs, then scheduling doesn't become such an issue.
56:46 Your step Dad is an absolute boss 😂 it's hard for me to say no to cash. My current "remodel" is with a customer I have some rapport with. I asked for half up front/half on completion or 3% discount if they paid in full up front. They took the $100 discount and we are both happy. I deal with residential but I look forward to contacting some property management companies because of your content.
That's an interesting system. You probably have a good reputation of people are willing to pay in the full up front.
@@bulletproofhandyman I do what I can. You said it best in one of your prior videos (probably multiple) any guy can have the knowledge or the tools, some have both, but successful tradesmen will have the mental fortitude to stay on task until the job is done and done right.
The amount of stories I hear about guys who started but didn't show up for multiple days, wouldn't return calls, etc really makes it clear how to shine in your industry.
Had the hole check thing with a door job. I always look to see if the person I'm talking to is the home owners on an app I have this one did not match. So I went along with this text to see where it was going they wanted to send a check over the amount quoted so I could pick up the door some kind of a scam I told them to just pay with Jobber.
That's awesome. I hope they didn't waste too much of your time
Excellent stuff thank you.....
Very encouraging.
I thought I was nuts thinking this way!!
God bless
Wayne
You're welcome
Can't wait to see the jobber videos. I was curious about the features
I'll get them knocked out as soon as I can. I think I'm going to start with how to use the mobile app because a lot of people seem to be confused by it while the other half seem to find it very easy to use. I rarely use it but I spend a couple hours yesterday going through it to prepare for a video and it really seemed like it did everything just fine.
I have been playing around with it and I have a friend who I send test quotes to and whatnot. I think it works great and so does she. I just would like to see if there's anything im missing.
I can promise you there is a lot that you're missing. The longer you use it and the more comfortable you get with it, the more you start, exploring some of the lesser used options and find out that those are also extremely useful. I think I'm going to get streamyard software set up soon so that I can do a live while sharing my screen so you guys can ask questions and I can show you some of the finer details.
Awesome thanks! 👍🏽
clients not paying attention or answering questions during an initial meeting. they're using you for a number and are planning to go with an earlier estimate anyway (17 years home theater installation experience)
Absolutely!
31:00 i offer kick backs for referrals, not price decreases.... referrals are not signed contracts.
I agree
I do overhead doors. I take my cost of materials and multiply by .4 to .6 % depending on the "red flags you talk about. Doesn't take much to read between the lines. My labor is included in that cost. I also make it clear in the contract that any changes to the job after I submit a quote, which may be due a change in the building plans etc., are paid for by the customer or contractor. Just before I order the materials, I reiterate that. Contract gets agreed upon and I do the job. If there are too many red flags, I'll request a down payment that covers my costs before I order anything. Often, a garage door is a custom style, color or size that I may have to sit on for a long time or not be able to sell to another customer at all. I can easily make a $3000 to $5000 profit in two higher end custom color doors, in 2 days.
Thank you, that is a good system.
Definitely a red flag and this happened to me a week ago Saturday I was with a prospective client and all she did was badmouth the people that were in their previously. Turned me off absolutely not interested in working for this client.
Good call!
Very good info as usual.
Thanks!
Have you ever had trouble with customers paying you with a credit card then doing a chargeback and if so how do you deal with something like that and how to prevent that
There's really no way to prevent that. That's one of the reasons I don't work for homeowners. If a property manager did that to me they would only do it once because I would drop them and cancel all of the jobs that I had scheduled for them and find a new property manager immediately
Wow im an east texas native now in Tucson!
Awesome!
The market seems to be good here.
$100 per hour fellas
Yep!
Checks are easy enough. Digital deposit with a phone app for instant clearing.
As long as I get paid I try not to worry too much about what form they pay me with
(materials + labor) X 2: anything less isn't success.
I would not agree with that statement, but there's nothing wrong with it either. Success is defined by goals. If you're meeting your goals then you've succeeded at meeting your goals. Your formula is a good one, but it's one of many good ones.
These videos have been great, I think the volume/amount of them has been fantastic, I still haven't gotten around to watching several and this one I had to spread out over 4 or 5 sessions throughout the day today, lol. Pretty spot on with these red flags, I found out quickly through IRL and other handyman forums/comments sections/videos, etc. Any new folks in the business would do well to remember these. I'm sure I'll think of some more too in a bit.
Thanks!
Love your videos 🙌. Good stuff
Thanks!
Id love to see your day in action. GoPro brother. Just a thought.
I've done just a couple live streams while I work. I'll be doing more though!
Alot of us contractors/ Handymans (handyma'ams!). have a guilt / ppl pleaser complex. Plus if you are a chick, like me, even more likely that you don't know how to say NO to red flag jobs/ clients. The sooner you do it, the more $ (and sleep!) you'll get!!!
I couldn't agree more. There men are almost equally guilty of being people pleasers. It's natural to want your current to be happy but it can't work if the only way they're happy is by paying less. Good for you for figuring it out!
@@bulletproofhandyman Thank you!
As for me, I'd rather wait for content from you, then you feel like you are failing us, and quit. I enjoy your info. Like you I having tons of work, I have tons of creators, should unsub many of them.
Thank you for that, that's very nice
My red flags:
“I could do this myself but I…..insert excuse here”
I find these people DO NOT VALUE me.
Yeah, at that point they're basically just looking at you as an hourly laborer.
Never ever discuss politics, religion or $ex with a customer. Sometimes they want to drag you into a conversation about their spouse. No way.
Thats True!
Hey can you have a discussion about contracts?
Yeah I could do that. In the meantime and approve a testament that has been signed for work to begin serves as a contract. Just make sure you are clear on what you are and are not providing and have a line in there to say that no work not specifically listed here is not to be assumed and make it clear when payment is due.
I find it a huge red flag if the customer says they want to help. It's never any help. I say to customers who want to help., "Here is your estimate. If you want to help, I charge double the estimate." They often smile and laugh, however, I'm serious.
That's actually a really nice way to decline help. I could see where they would laugh and smile at that.
Non-trades people that try to "help" tend to really get in the way, don't know how to work efficiently/safely/ergonomically, etc. One of my biggest pet peeves is when they think I need help with my own ladders (I DON'T), oh don't get me started...
By help they mean teach them
@@youtubecontractor
😂 Double charge is right for that one. Double time doing Instruction and Construction.😂
@@youtubecontractor I some woman who wanted to help ,. and learn. Because I was doing 2 jobs here (I know, terrible idea), she balked at the labor cost LOL
Had to drop a client who was a retired injured and subsequently disabled NFL star. He hired me to swap his toilets, watched the whole time, told me afterwards how he could have done it himself but he just cant anymore and then protested for me charging him 100 dollars per toilet. Told me “thats more than the plumber gets” and i proceeded to show him how i was 150$ below going market price for a toilet swap and he still wasnt happy. I stood firm, and he paid me and that was the last job i accepted from him. Nice guy. Wrong client. Needed a local kid he could tell what to do. Not a handyman.
That's the way to do it. Sounds like you handled it well.
@@bulletproofhandyman really appreciate the prompt response and encouragement. Good luck out there today.
Or properly manager who says clients don't pay for call backs after they told me I had to fix cabinet base bottom, after I replaced leaking faucet! Lost a lot of money ! They nuked the bridge that day! I will hopefully never work for them again!
Offering solid advice. Some clients are not worth the hassle. It cost you more in the long run
Sometimes you have to look at the price and look at how much time you'll waste and just let the numbers decide.
I had a classic red flagger, in the middle of the estimate he told me he was planning to replace all the flooring on the main floor. On my way out he told me their was another guy getting him a price.
My price reflected the fact that i didn't want the job, and i never heard from him again.
Fine by me.
Sounds like your dodged a bullet
I recently went to a job where I soon learned someone else had already worked on this bathroom vanity faucet. It was badly corroded, plus the threads damaged and the through-tube on the spicket was crushed. The lady said, ‘we’ll my husband tried, and another brandy man quit partway into the job’
Me ‘ma’am, I can do this job, and do it correctly which will ultimately result in you having a nice looking and fully operable sink when I’m done. But I can’t under bid this job and then quit part way through and then become the next azzhole handyman that couldn’t compete the job. I have the charge a price that’s equitable to both of us’. My phone estimate is no longer valid after I discover this extra work. As mentioned, I can do the job nicely and start on it right now …going to take me several hours, the total cost will be $570 versus the $125 I said on the phone.
I think she was shocked at my honesty and ability to fully understand what’s really going on.
I did the job, she paid in full and was thrilled. Went on to tell everyone of her neighbors, plus leave leave me positive reviews on Nextdoor, Facebook groups, and google. This lady has sent me $10’s of thousands of dollars in business
Great content! I am new to the business and here’s a red flag I’ve encountered: no respect for your boundaries or safety. Client wanted me to lean way out a window to install a flood light. I said no that’s not safe and they still pushed it! A few month later, my back starts spasming when moving some furniture with the same client. No concern at all from them. They’re also slow to pay. They are getting dropped!
Hope your back is ok!
I could write a book all about "bad" customers. The reality is there are a lot of kooks out there. Also, I live in an area with many first generation Americans (translation: tech workers) that seem to have different cultural beliefs when it comes to things like not paying the agreed upon price.....or not paying at all. That being said, I've also been taken advantage of by white customers. But the bottom line is this: the more desperate you are for work, the more you are willing to put up with. That's why it's always better to have options.
Yes, diversify your clients so you're always in a good position to move on to better work
Dude I've had that same experience... I'm in San Diego area, definitely run into some cultural differences I didn't understand before.
Day Drinkers scare me away. They always seem to be excited when you show up, then when the job is started, they get drunk bold and become a terrible headache.
Yep!
I just ran across your channel today. I'm a tax accountant in Tucson and you mentioned that you pay all your sales tax. If you are referring to the transaction privilege tax (TPT) you actually do not have to pay the tax since it is a repair. You still have to report the income on your monthly TPT tax return but you can deduct the entire amount since it is classified as a repair. Now if you are working on a new build then the entire amount is subject to the TPT rate.
If you get this message, please email me at bulletproofhandymanbusiness@gmail.com
Transaction privilege tax?!? And they say California has too many taxes.
People don’t want to admit that they are paying for the convenience of having someone else do the job. That knowledge comes at a price, and the convenience is valuable on its own.
Yep!
"Are you going to clean the gutters too" ?
Famous words from little old ladies when you are getting done power washing their house and the subject of cleaning the gutters has never been brought up.
Yep!
honest truth always works " does the contract say to power wash the house or just the siding and paved surfaces " if it says house, yes, everything is included chimney, antenna bird feeder if it's bolted onto a deck , the deck and porch if it's attached to the house.
i say this because you said house, as a professional builder the foundation is part of the house, the drain tile in the foundation is part of the house. you my friend need to hire an attorney before you write up any more contracts. my suggestion on the attorney: get the retainer option...you are going to need alot of help!
The property manager should pay the handyman not the renter or home owner. That creates accountability.
I really agree with that, more than you know
People who demand to pay hourly rate, try to get you to think they are giving you a full time job with pension😂😂😂
Every time
Just being able to listen to anyonr legitimately talking about day to days of business is gold, ehen you dont always have the personal circle of entrepreneurs
I'm glad you enjoy it. I tried to cover everything I can think of.
Yes, I can relate. I don't necessarily have a core group of entrepreneurial friends. This helps on so many levels and is greatly appreciated.
My other biggest red flag is out of state property management companies. I've had so many stiff me payment or take forever to pay, that I refuse to work for property managers
I really wish I would have remembered that one, I'll try to give a warning here and there. You are correct. Luckily I was always too busy to take those out of state jobs, and too scared that it might be a scam, but I've had those exact offers.
Multiple exhaustive phone calls from a potential customer.
Yes, being needy
Exhaustive, needy phone calls that are all over the place, and when you try to start to assess one situation they start talking about 20 other things in rapid, simultaneous factory line style word spray.
@@motherfudger6664 Anxiety
Oh hey, "while you are here"
Every...F*****g...Time.
Not a problem with property management. If a tenant asks for extras I tell them I can only do approved work.
Thank you for your valuable time,really appreciate what you do
You're welcome!
You buy the material you hold the warranty
Real Estate work in Australia you want to avoid if you can. They don't pay or take forever to pay or just pay enough to keep you on the hook. Real Estate and property management are nearly the same in Australia
Your not letting us down! Your being honest that’s crazy valuable and even more rare
Thanks!
Thank you so much for creating this outlet of information
You're welcome!
Enjoying to watch you detailed explanation of the existing issues that I coming across with .You have a great talent to note all of this things and present it to us .
Thank you, I really enjoy it
Great content! I just relocated to Spokane, WA from NH (where I was a builder) am kicking off my handyman business here. Very different rule set to follow, taking a bit of adjusting.
😂brah.... the socks story had me. Reminded me of the scene from kingpin when the millionaire asked Roy Munson he'd give him 1 mil to sleep with his friend. 😂 Woody Harrisons character then jumping up and down on the bed throwing money in the air.
It was quite entertaining
I do some handyman work when times get hard but im a small contractor. Yoyr very intelligent and I will be watching and learning, thx
Good luck to you!
💯✊
Thanks!
must have line in every contract: "any change order requires a whole new contract and price which will increase due to extra time + energy&/stress* required"
I have a different line, but I agree there needs to be a clause inserted into every contract stipulating that the agreement is for the work and the contract and that anything extra is going to be extra.
"They are not serious, but furious" and surely an indicator to walk away. Native German and speaker here and love those plays on words. What do you prefer: Being famous or infamous? LOL
Lmao 😂
MY top red flags have become DIY'ers if they are used to doing their own projects they will view you as this swindler. In addition DIY'ers are often people wh make less money so thye cant afford you anyways. Another red flags is people who want you in their house for a estimate to look at 30-50 diffrent line items.
I really wish that I could charge more often for estimates, but in my area it dont fly that often too many others just offer free estimates.
I agree with your red flags.
As far as charging for estimates, that decision is heavily dependent on your clients and where you are. It's all good as long as you're getting those estimates approved.
@@bulletproofhandyman I have been loving your content recently I have been a self-employed contractor/sometimes Handyman when I get time for 10 years. My perspective has become I don’t like working for management or landlords because they pay less for jobs and they usually want to hire hacks. They want to hire somebody that can do the job cheaper most of them not all of them. I probably only have like one Landlord left that I work for yes the work is less stable but in the end you are making more money not tying yourself up to cheaper end-work. However me and you probably have completely opposite spectrums of the contractor/Handyman world I am in a rural setting or charging for an estimate is almost a blasphemy. In addition charging over $65 an hour is somewhat challenging for a handyman anyways electricians and plumbers around here get 125 an hour plus trip fees to the site. On most jobs I can get 65 to 100 an hour if it’s tucked in a bid.
I really do believe what you’re preaching about having to present yourself as a business and not a handyman is key because they will treat you as such then. Everyone but the handyman is getting paid to do estimates.
Around me if you wanna window company out they come to charge to measure. About the only free estimate you’re going to get is out of the larger project from a construction company.
My philosophy for the last few years has been sticking to specific types of jobs and then bidding them via text message where you can get everything in writing there so what I do is I will have them send me pictures rough measurements and I will get them a informal price through text message and tell them if they’d like to move forward I’ll draw a formal contract. Often times you will get people that insist on you coming out especially older people they just don’t understand today’s world with technology and then the price of gas is just killer on people like us and time. Anyways if they insist on me coming out if there is a multiple jobs on the docket I will bid one over the phone tell them the same as you if you hire me for the job I’ll take a look at the other stuff while I’m out there when you stand on your ground understand Professional and it’s either way or the highway not theirs.
I am currently writing a book on Handyman pricing taking info and data from myself and many other contractors all over the Internet. Data is king when it comes to this business she will be able to produce bids much faster than your competition especially if we’re talking about larger jobs.
I agree, things are different in different places. We all have to work out what our market will bear. However, it sounds like you've got a decent handle on your market. I was born and raised in a smaller town in Texas that I'm sure if I went back there I would never be able to charge these same rates since most of the grown men in that town know how to do stuff.
Customers who want to watch or oversee your work. Or don't want you working when they're not around. Red flag for me
28 mins into the vid and already 6 ads.. way to go yt.
I hate to hear that. RUclips doesn't allow us as creators to modify the ads that they display. In the past we had options to minimize ads but now it's only "monetization on" or "monetization off". I'm hoping to grow the channel enough and get enough sponsors that I can just turn off ads for all videos.
@@bulletproofhandyman I don't let it deter me from watching the whole video. The content is worth it to me. Thanks for the channel/ videos. Thanks also for such a quick, polite, and professional response.
Best wishes.
I'm glad you find the value there. What's must unfortunate is that the more valuable the video, the more ads they show. I'm confident I'll be able to remove all ads by the end of the year. Fingers crossed! 🍀
@@bulletproofhandyman thanks again. No worries. I will watch videos with ads as long as they hold content I find relevant or worth watching.
It just seemed more ads on your one video than on most. The algorithm..
I am a long time handy man but still can appreciate other's perspectives to add to my skill sets.
quit saying the same thing over and over im outa here
"$500?!?"
"Yes ma'am, $500".
Well, I never!
"Then the socks stay on"
Yep!
Biggest red flag I had was out of area number would only talk to me through texts. This is a typical of scammers. They claimed to own a property in my area and wanted some work done in yard. Did some research and knew immediately they were gonna ask for bank info to make deposit for work.
Very common
What would the contract be for?
To stipulate the terms by which the client has agreed to give you money for a specified list of work to be accomplished. Obviously not necessary for a quick job, but extremely necessary for large jobs. Contract stipulate deposits, payments upon milestones, and a very precise wording of exactly what work is or is not agreed upon.
Thank you buddy for your content. I’m a multi surface floor cleaner, sealer and refinisher. I’m new to the business life. I’m taking what I get from these videos and applying it to my business. My goal is to get the higher paying jobs because I offer a quality service.
You should be able to take nearly everything from this channel and apply it to that business. My specialty is being a handyman, but home service based businesses really all operate on the same principles. Good luck!
Your audio is good
Another red flag, before you give your invoice.. They say you did a good job, where can I give you a review... Hoping for a discount
Yeah that could probably be one too
Here's another Red flag: the damsel in distress. The reason that man or woman is acting like a damsel in distress is because they have made a bunch of bad decisions that have got them in distress. They will usually find a way to not want to pay you in the end.
I haven't had that issue, but I'm sure it exists. I've helped a few who actually were in distress due to factors outside of their control, but haven't yet had one that was just a bad decision maker. Like I said though, I'm sure they exist.
50:52 , " I would appear to be a red flag client " bro! I busted gut laughing! Great videos
It's true! I like to keep my options open but I don't waste people's time if I'm not serious about a project.
All good
Ohh handyman take those socks😂off
😂
Maybe they just want to meet you so they can decide if they can trust you and if they like you or not?
Perhaps. But if they want to schedule a piece of my time, it isn't free. I don't get to call an electrician out to get to know him before I hire him. He charges me for showing up just like any other profession.
@@bulletproofhandyman that may be true but your original statement was that if they want a personal estimate it means they are undesireable clients. Im saying maybe they just want to meet you before hirign you because of so many greedy scam artist handymans out there.
I apologize, I didn't rewatch the video to see which comment you were commenting on. I don't have anything against people wanting estimates as long as they don't mind paying for the estimates and as long as they don't want the estimate itemized, unless they also want to pay for another hour of labor to sit down and itemize everything. Time is money and our industry is full of people who want our time without wanting to pay for it.
when I first started 30 yrs ago I was naive ...I bid a few jobs where the homeowner would ask "how are you going fasten ____?" or "what are you going to deal with _____ problem?" I would answer and walk them through what I was going to do and what materials I would use . I finally figured out they were using me like their personal Bob Villa to figure out how to do it themselves, I doubt they ever even intended to hire ANYONE! Lesson learned...now I simply say "yeah , we can do that"
That happens for sure!
OK, but as a homeowner who's leary of handymen who shortcut everything, I wouldn't hire you. I'd want to know you're going to do it right. I'm not going to sign up for a surgeon who doesn't tell me what they plan to do either. Get over yourself.
@@ncooty oh yeah...the surgeon explains in detail what instruments he's going to use, and tells you every incision he's going to make lol...sounds legit! I think you've had some bad experiences, sorry. After working in the trades for over thirty years I've got nothing to prove..to anyone.There isn't one mistake I haven't made over the years...the difference is I've learned how to correct them and learn from it. And if it's any consolation, I probably wouldn't work for you...sounds to me like you prolly go for the cheapest price. you get what you pay for unfortunately
@liljimmy9201 Saying I want someone who'll do it right makes you think I want the cheapest bid? OK, guy. The bottom line is that defensive, insecure contractors who don't want to commit to how they'll do the job are usually avoiding accountability for a reason... and they like to blame their customers. I'm more than happy for those hacks to move on to a sucker.
fair enough@@ncooty
I run several apartment units. There is nothing wrong with getting the price for a roofer's labor. I got all the materials needed correctly and bought from Lowes for $785 CHEAPER...he wasn't trying to screw me over, he just gets his materials from a local store that helps him find clients, etc...sort of a loyalty thing...but that higher price shouldn't be passed on to the customer. Once I knew what his labor would be, i was then free to determine what level of shingle i could afford and from who...I was free to find the company who offered the best price, join their business rewards and use credi points. You as a handyman need to work with the client...if they want to know your labor, that should not be a secret and THAT is a red flag. I ended up hiring him and he did a great job and i tell everyone.
The value of a completed job is the value of a completed job. You hired someone who purposely spends the clients money on materials that are purposely marked up too high, in exchange for a kickback in the form of leads, so that he can overcharge for materials again. And now you recommend that person with those unethical practices.
I, on the other hand, provide a fair market value price to a handful of clients who are happy to send me dozens or hundreds of jobs per year each as they have been doing for multiple years in a row, each. And I do so without sneaky tricks like purchasing materials from shady overpriced companies that offer me kickbacks.
Judge a tree by the fruit it produces. I produce hundreds of thousands of dollars in value to consistently happy clients year after year by running an ethical company that understands my clients needs and fills those needs better than my competitors.
44:42
Just be honest with them.
No need for lying about having a boss, Especially if they find out you don't have one, But just in general, You shouldn't lie, As it probably won't benefit you physically, And it will never benefit you spiritually, As ethically, it is unethical.
For guys who work for me, it actually is the policy. For my property managers it's not policy, but it is still their preference. I won't try to argue that lying is better than honesty, but we do things the way we do for good reasons.
@bulletproofhandyman I mean, you're say you won't argue, but then you gave your argument, in that you're doing it for good reasons. Unless the ends justify the means, and I don't think they ever do, unethical practices can't be justified.
Is it more comfortable to tell a lie and easier? Yes, but it's not "good" objectively, and thus not justified for any reason.
Of course, if we're all accidentally alive evolutions of muck, then why not lie?
Do for yourself. Help yourself. There is no objective right or wrong, only pleasuring yourself, only science, only random atoms randomly bouncing around. We have no standard above acting as an animal.
If there is an objective source for morality, then it can't be broken for
"Good reasons."
In the end, the extent of followthrough of your principles depends on whether or not you choose to believe that God exists. 🤷♂️
I am definitely an atheist.
An atheist can also argue that there is never a good reason to lie, Sam Harris is a perfect example. This is not a philosophy that I haven't explored, but in the end I do what I do and you are perfectly within your rights to do what you do. I did not make any arguments, I simply said I have good reasons. Making arguments would be to give you those good reasons so that you can rebut them. I don't care to do that. You do you, and I'll do me.
@bulletproofhandyman I understand, but I've heard Sam Harris' reasons, and they fall flat. The only possible argument one may have, are the negative consequences, but again, if we're just animals, there's no reason why someone else's pain should trump my pleasure, and it goes for other ethical issues, even so far as murder and rape. Nothing's bad. It just is. There's no moral duty. Which goes against the innate quality every human has to discern right from wrong, as well as to feel innate guilt as if falling short of a standard.
You either believe that standard is from God, and there's objective wrong to avoid, or atoms randomly bounced about to make us feel something.
I know where you stand, and I know you aren't looking for an argument, but the meaning of our actions, and even more important, the meaning of life, is something worth extensi study, because we're either valued and worth something, or we're ultimately nothing.
Well if it helps, I have studied it extensively. Maybe more extensively than you, but also maybe not, but definitely more extensively than 99% of Americans. I do value honesty, but I'm not a purist.
Also, although as I mentioned before, I don't care to actually engage in any debate about it, there are places you can be in between the idea that God made the rules and they are set in stone or we are just Atoms bouncing about randomly. I think if you knew me as a person you would find me to be in the top 10th or even the top 5th percentile of honest, moral, and ethical human beings. I have spent the majority of my adult life putting in a very sincere effort towards understanding right from wrong and altering my behaviors and my way of thinking to make sure that I'm living a good life that makes the world a better place rather than a worse one.
For me, as long as you are making the world a better place instead of a worse place, I respect whatever route you took to get there.
Just got an offer to do make readies for a property manager who focuses on multifamily apartments and condos.
I’m about to walk a small apartment 2 bed 2 bath
1,100 square feet
And she wants me to quote her for
Baseboard replacements
Any faucets needing replacement
Lightbulbs
Touch up paint
Ect.
I have been watching your videos on how to charge and I’m wondering if your standard method would work here
Making a list adding up the minutes and charging $100 an hour
Which is what I’ve been doing.
Or did you have another recommendation
I was just watching your “ how to charge seminar” but I’m about a quarter of the way in only
Any help would be appreciated
In my experience, apartment complex managers are cheaper, but that doesn't necessarily mean these guys are. I don't really have any experience working with them so the best I can say is don't put yourself in a position or you're not making enough money for it to be worth it. But also don't put yourself in a position where you're going to lose good work that you would have been happy to have. Sorry I can't be more useful on this one
4:00 "DISCLAIMER **ESTIMATE FEE WAIVED ON CONTRACTS OVER $X,XXX** " other wise find a good attorney to write you a good estimate form....probably get that attorney on retainer if you are going to need that much help.... you have alot of learning to do.
I do not waive the estimate fee if I get the contract. And you are right, I have a lot of learning to do. So. Do you, so does everybody else. The moment you think you're done learning is the moment everyone else is going to pass you by. I'm certain that you must be running a very successful business, but you seem very certain that you're the only one doing it right. I make it clear to my viewers that I'm only telling them what I figured out and that they should never stop learning, never stop researching, never stop trying new things.
You might be an honest handyman but here in California, about 75 percent of contractors will overcharge you and also buy the cheapest materials
No surprise there. That's part of the mission of this channel, to teach how to run a solid and honest business that is built to last, not to make a bunch of money today by overcharging.