Must admit . I have just retired after working my own gardening business for 23 years. In all that time i never lost one client. And only got rid of one. The secret is reliability. So many Gardeners are not. Loads of them start up but then find its hard work so fizzle out. Great channel Rob.
You are spot on. Yoou just get a sense when people are gonna be a nightmare and want stuff done for pennies. They'd happily hand 10 x the amount to a plumber for to do work for the same aount of time, but they want to pay you the minimum wage, while youre paying for van, energy and tools.
Some people just have ridiculous expectations and standards.. I've just picked up a lovely new job which has been a breath of fresh air... Lovely couple very understanding etc. Like yourself I have no time for bad customers!
Well done on the new customer. I am now full but still trying to find quality customers , ie if I get a call which I think might be a great new garden , I go and meet them. It’s an ongoing challenge to improve. All the best and thanks for watching.👍
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices thank you, you're right about getting a general feel about the customer as soon as you meet them, sometimes you just know whether it's gonna work out straight away or know they'll be a pain ass! All the best 👍🏻
Just started up my wee garden business on Tuesday past...so far the clients have been really encouraging when they know this is my first year. There's 2 or 3 of you lads that I've been watching, and every one of you have really given me the courage to go for this...thanks guys and keep posting your journey...the experiences that you've had have been learning curves for us all...😊👍
Hi there youre right. Nowt as strange as folk. They will pay through the nose on nights out. Tech. Parties holidays certain services but when it comes to hard work they don't appreciate it
Hi Rob we have a “bad list “ next to the phones. If they ever ring us we say there is a 12 week lead time. Always puts them off. We also tell any new clients when we quote. Always mornings between 830 and 1145. If they can’t make those times we don’t go. If they’re trouble before they start they will be trouble when you visit. Almost without exception. It still amazes me even after 30 years that when people ring up for a quote they think they are the only one to call. We will have done 50 (😮) quotes by end of tomorrow morning this week in 4 days. The BBC keep telling us we’re in recession and there’s no money about. How wrong are they. Keep up the good work fellow gardeners and Rob 🫡
@@darwinbeagle9394 hi Darwin. No we spend close to £2000 a month on marketing and sit back and wait for the phone to ring off the hook. It does ! And with 10 full time staff you have to find 375 hours work per week so word and mouth won’t cut it I’m afraid.
Bad customers are for sure everywhere. I always use to allow a 30 minute window (running 30 minutes early, 30 minutes late). Bad customers always stand out a mile off and sadly, they don't even realise it. Alot of customers need to understand that the 1st visit is always more price wise to get it underway.
spot on, honest comments, as usual Rob. The "spidey senses" thing really hits a chord with me, if I find a customers attitude puts my back up within the first few messages/calls/meetings then I walk away or quote high in the knowledge they want a cheap job not a good one, so far it's proved true. Keep speaking from the heart mate.
Great you found out what the customer was like before you even started. Lucky escape. Any sensible person should realise gardeners can not stick to schedules with precision. Traffic, weather , jobs over running etc I send new customers a schedule of my services I might add a few terms and conditions at the base of this. Arrival windows, pick up the dog poo , payment terms etc
Just discovered this channel and I think its fantastic. I took early retirement at 55 from a stressful job in November last year and have now become a self employed gardener on a steep learning curve and find these videos brilliant! Thanks for all the advice. 👍
Spot on Rob. Not garden related, but I told one of my customers that we would not be able to accept any further commissions after he complained about everything we had done so far. He keeps hassling me to explain why we won't do anything more for him!
You must be reading my mind Rob because I've definitely had my fair share of bad customers and timewasters this week, trying so hard to bite my tongue and be professional!
hi rob i always give a 1hr window, i think that's fair for both parties. keep up the great videos , nobody gets more wound up with bad customers than me.
Absolutely spot on rob i know the vibes your talking about lol good craic mate this had me laughing i do the same jobs in southtynside love the channel mate
Well said Rob. Sometimes customers see no value in what you do. It's very frustrating and sometimes demoralising. Good luck with the visit. I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on. You're in a strong position with all your other clients. Glad you dodged the bullet.
Quite agree. I’m a retired maintenance gardener. My method was sending customers I wanted rid of the big mowing contract letter. Very politely I’d say I’ve just taken on a big job and unfortunately have to give up some of my customers. This was only with the sort of people you’re talking about. I think I was always too cheap which is obviously a mistake as it’s much harder to increase your prices later on, especially with the meanies!
Thank you for that . Letting poor customers go and replacing with quality customers is an ongoing process, something we don’t always do. A small increase every year on those most difficult gardens helps. Ie £30 to £32.50 and so on. It’s makes things more bearable. Thanks for watching and your comment.
Lovely ending with the summing up you're a real natural in front of the camera Rob! So true about keeping the gold dust customers sweet.. some are absolutely delightful eh? Gotta go outta your way to keep those happy.
Unfortunately, there are some people who think that one man band gardening businesses are run by people who have retired or doing it as a side hustle. New customers should sign a contract and pay a deposit, so if they cancel, you can keep the deposit. As much as it pains me to say, we, as sole trader operators need to be more corporate up front, and let these people know that they are not dealing with someone who they can mess around. Its harsh, but needs to be done.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices all the best too! Good to share funny stories about customers! Thankfully you can normally tell them a mile off on phone… how much to cut mi grass ‘mate’ 🤣 Can’t afford me ‘mate’ ha
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices took me several years to not let rude/ bad customers affect me, although still get that what a waste of my time feeling.
Hi Rob, I have a small Decorating buisness,, 25 years in buisness now, I just want to say your 100% bang on😂, I always go by my gut instinct, just take a deep breath , and move on to the next, 😂 All the Best.
Hi Rob great work as usual and bad customers yep they’re everywhere have had a guts full of them all ready every week now I’m getting a couple of people wanting their lawns cut now today etc to busy and it’s amazing how they react when you give them the next earliest date your not that busy your a gardener oh will try else where and yes they have phoned back and asked for that date as they can’t find anyone else really shocks them when it’s sorry that’s dates gone now should have booked it when you could 😂have a goodbye bank holiday all
Great video mate, I've had a bad week with one lady customer, and I've let two other customers go 😂. We are on the same wavelength there. Have a good weekend, keep them videos coming. All the best, the grumpy gardener.
Rob. You know my mantra..... You never lose customers. You just replace them with better ones. It's served me well these last 7 / 8 years. Oh. Good luck with that job. It may turn out okay. Hope it does. But I'd always advise to go with your gut feeling. 👍
Gary my gut feeling was right. They wanted three hours mowing, strimming and leaf blown for an hourly rate. £15 per hour. I am sure my face said it all.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices 😂🤣 you must have a face like mine that can say "off" and "fuck" but not necessarily in that order. All without moving my lips. 🤣😂
Absolutely spot on! We seem to all have the same issues. My biggest one right now is the same customer as last year keeps either forgetting my scheduled visit for her do i can only weed the front while the back lawn has no access unless she's in, and must be a foot long now. When this happened last year i kept explaining i dont have extra spare slots in my diary to do neglected gardens as the following customers are awaiting me and they can't miss a cut to allow a month's growth. All 3 visits this year have gone wrong. Might deliver cards around there one sunday to see if i can replace her wiith someone reliable
you're right you develop a sixth sense with customers,i got stung a few times early on and then i binned the timewasters and tight wads,think you've got that sorted,good luck👊
Hey mate. Thanks for sharing. Best advice on timings is to provide a range... E.g. 3-3:30, between 4-5 etc. We all know how the day can drift and this gives you some breathing space. Dig out blind 👍
Good video. It's good to go by your spidey senses. The jobs you don't take can be just as important as the jobs you take. The ones that bug me most are the customers that want a bit extra for free after a price has been agreed to. I had a bloke who I mowed his lawns regularly at a set price. Every third visit he wanted a bit extra for free." Just do this job , before you leave" Glad to have good customers.
You said it Rob, dodged a bullet. I had a similar story, only emails back and forth and got a bad feeling even from the emails.. eventually replied that I couldn't take on any new customers due to workload, perfectly polite email I sent only to get a big rambling essay back full of abuse! And I'd never even met the man.. but instead of getting angry, I took a minute to process and like you I actually felt relief and validation that I made the right call, they're out there aren't they! 😂🙈👎🏻💩
With the first example, always try to let a client know in advance if you're going to be late. It could have been the uncertainty of not knowing if you were going to turn up that put them in a negative mindset. Anyway... just a friendly point, lets not overthink it. :) If I get a weird feeling about a client, I start writing the job down on paper, in detail. That way you're setting a clear description of the price and work. Otherwise some people will try it on! "I didn't think it would cost this much / I thought the hedge would have been included too" etc. Stay positive mate! Your upbeat personality is a great asset to your business, and clients will feel your positive vibe and energy. ...I know that sounds BS, but it ain't!
What i've been having to deal with is customers sending me pictures that are a month old, ive had a few recently, so when you turn up everything it 3-4x longer than it should be
Yep, they're here in Scotland as well! Haha, I came on your channel this morning looking for a nice reassuring rant (I know you get it!), after a bad experience with one of my 'one off' customers yesterday. I've been painting her huge perimeter fence, and sheds, on an hourly rate of £15 because I had no idea how long it would take. After 53 hours (7 hour days full pelt, no breaks except lunch, and still not finished!) I told her what it was costing so far, and she was Not Happy, told me to stop, and she'd find someone who'd do it faster and cheaper. She gets the boy across the road to do jobs for her - I actually think she'd been planning to chuck me a couple of hundred quid pocket money for it!! She seemed nice, but now I'm holding my breath to see if she's actually going to pay me. Dealing with people is the worst part of this job!!!
Got recommended by a customer, went to price the job 20 minutes each way from my house, said yes but kept pricing me down for completely digging out two very large over-grown borders and weeding it out. Two days later got a phone call, and the proposed client decided to postpone the job for £160 day rate, they already had a gardener who didn't touch it - tells you everything.
Rob.......honest and to the point as usual. Gut feeling is the best guide there is. It's a funny thing though......my "problem" customers are all loaded. Unfortunately, I seem to be stuck with biggish gardens and that's not where it's at I'm afraid. Always informative mate.....keep 'em coming. Best Dave (North Yorkshire)
Great video, that delay before the appointment time was unfortunate but showed up the potential client for their intolerance… wonder why the last garden maintenance provider left? Keep up the good work.
Just a comment on your first example…….and I am speaking from much experience. The best way to have handled that would have been to have pre-emptied their call by contacting them when you knew you wouldn’t make it on time. I’ve been self employed (joinery) for many years and I have always been up front in that situation and have found most people very understanding . That said……self employment is not the easiest path in life. Best wishes my friend .
,,, yep yep yep ,, all of the above ,,, I've got the best customers anyone could want , it's taken me 7 years to get to that ,, at the beginning some are just awful ,, because they don't garden they know nothing of it and think , aww it's just a hobby £10 and hour , what they don't realise is the physical effort that goes into it , the knowledge , it's a skill the time the patience , because nobody has that now ,it's all " I want a chelsea show garden for £50, I hate chelsea flower show and all the garden makeover programmes that put stupid ideas in peoples heads , remember they spend about £5k on some of those gardens and all hands on deck ,, it really makes me chuckle , so yeah my friend I know what you mean 👍👍
The thing is you have a busy schedule and when you employ workmen/gardeners you have to accept they won't always run to time. I didn't get arsey when our fence guy didn't show up - turned out his daughter was seriously ill and we weren't his priority. But that was OK and we rearranged.
Just had one over 3 acres of grass hasn't been cut since September oh my husband can cut it in 45 mins!! (Ride-On) I asked why is it so long then? Oh he's been busy. Quoted day rate as was lots of hand brushcutting too. Done the job really really happy getting others to quote on job now it's looking decent. Live & learn eh?
Customers also have a sense for dodgy tradespeople. Those who want the maximum money for minimum work. You say you're quality, but how would a customer know that, until you do the work? I think your attitude to move on is healthy, you've learned from experience no doubt.
Gut reaction yes you`re right Rob, and one of the worst scenarios is when you`re recommended by a good customer to one of their pillock friends , the type you would normally backheel!
im only a small scale garden tidy business, over the years the odd bad customers have appeared, one being i decided to put an increase on price a job the customer decided to start timing me , had to explain even though im leaving her property ive still go to get rid of the waste......think we lasted 2 more cuts, she never got another garden person as wouldnt pay the rate or the customer that pays say £20 for an hour, but slowly starts adding things without wanting to pay more......last year a grass cut job a very long lawn, the lady wanted to pay a £20 hourly rate giving me 2 hours a week so do weeding as well as the lawn, after about 3 weeks the weeding was done by a neighbour, so im down to just the big grasscut, which takes 30-35 mins shes still wanting to pay me an hourly rate so for grass cut £15, but i stuck to wanting the £20........i didnt go back this year ..........anyway love the videos and im in the north east to, just praying for some stable weather as its been so random so far
I live in Birmingham and they're a nightmare. To be fair most my clients are great, it's the ones I don't take on are the bad ones. But totally agree with everything you said. It's like panning for gold at times, but I wouldn't want to do anything else.
Great video as usual Rob, your sentiments are exactly like all us other gardeners, we had a lady all last season, bit "stand offish" despite our best efforts to accommodate her, no real complaints from us as such, but one of those customers who want the mower down one, down another one, bit more till we get to the point where we have to tell them it's not good for the lawn or the machines, all good in the end so we thought, then the start of this season we couldn't get round to hers for a few cuts, bad timing with the weather, etc, and despite us having asked for contact details numerous times they didn't give them so we had no way of contacting them, so needless to say we turned up 3 cuts into the season only to find the lawn had been done, knocked on the door and she seemed surprised we were there, explained we hadn't been round because of the bad weather (Scotland, say no more) and she just was not interested, seemed awkward, asked if she was still wanting her grass cut she said no, cool, no worries, but ironically on that weeks schedule we gained another 3 customers !!. I mean, if a customer doesn't want to give you details what else are we meant to do, go visit them all in the pouring rain to tell them we can't cut their grass!?!. We inherited a lot of the customers as we bought over the business and have tried streamlining it, most customers were on board and appreciative, but it's natural selection now I reckon with the ones we lose. All in all, lost some, but gained more. Their loss, our gain, keep up the good work :)
Thanks Marko for sharing a great comment. I am with you. If a customer won’t pass on their contact information. They are gone. How are you supposed to get paid. All the best.
Great video mate I had a customer I looked at start of the season looked at a private job just as I was about to leave said just comes down to your price thought this one's not for me walked away rung 10 time's I was working told me what a terrible service it's been two days not got back to him with a price I told him I'm not interested now he was not happy but I am not got to deal with him 👍👍
Trust your gut but stay calm. In the grand scheme of things just rise above some of the customers. Take customers who value what you do and don't stress about the other messers. Keep the awkward customers till better ones come along :-)
Hi Rob had tell a customer there garden will have to go up this year by a fiver a visit after cutting there lawns and tidying the borders up they turned around to me said what you going to do for the extra fiver next time a said l going to turn up in 14 days got to get tuf Rob
I love these stories Rob and there isn't a trades person who doesn't have to deal with this type of thing. I had a lady once ask me to quote for work and told me how bad her old garden was ( I should have known at this point) I said i would go and quote either Saturday or Sunday and would let her know on Friday afternoon I send a message at 4pm on the Friday and Said would 11am on Sunday be ok to take a look at the garden? Her reply was don't bother your obviously to busy if you can't come on Saturday like you said 🙄. I was pissed of about that for about 2 weeks wondering what I'd done wrong 😂😂😂😂
Hey Rob you have a great channel really interesting I learned a lot watching some of your videos it's something I'm looking into starting in the future I have a job at the moment that I love doing but not all jobs last forever lol keep up the good work and the videos they really do help people. I have a question when I eventually start the gardening business in a few years what do I do with a customer that doesn't pay but I've done the work I know in one of your videos you like payment straight after but what if the customer comes up with an excuse and can't pay. Have a great day I've linked and subscribed 👍
You can work out who are potentially bad payers . If they don’t pay for a visit I won’t do another visit. The worst is you lose one visit. Thanks for watching.
Approximately means about 3.00pm, not dead on 3.00pm. I once went to look at a job and the lawn was basically a mud patch with a few grass blades, my heads got more hair on it than this had grass, and I’m bald. Customers, clues in the cus part.
Had a good LOL at this vid. trust those spiddy senses EVERY SINGLE TIME. The longer you are self-employed, the better trained they will get. Seems to be an anger in people since lockdown - almost like 24/7 delivery has made them think they can have everything they want immediately and nobody should dare ever say NO to them. Had a call from a 'lady' last summer - wanted her hedge cut, and the elderly neighbours on each side. She thought it was a great little job and that there should be a discount for the package....I was too busy anyway and said I couldn't fit it in before mid October. She emailed me back a few weeks later especially to let me know that she had got the job done by somebody else and was very very pleased with the work they had done........bullet dodged.
Those 2 types of people you mentioned are actually OK. You forgot the 3rd type which is the worst. Those who want to pay 10£ per hour but wand a professional high quality job. 😆 People who wanna pay less for a not much quality job is alright, it really depends on your priorities. I mean I don't mind paying cheap for a tool that I know it's going to do the job but I'll use it only once. It's a different comparison but you get the point. Yeah, those who want cheap but quality, those are the real annoying clients. 🙂
Alright Rob. Hope you are well. On a totally unrelated subject. I was wondering what hedgecutter do you use. Mines knackered and I'm after recommendations. Thanks very much. All the best
I agree they are everywhere..the reason i have a settled round. An dont advertise..yes i have some awkward gardens but lovely owners off..sick of ball busters wasting my time .u deffo dodged a bullet with that guy ..he be someone elses problem nxt week..best of luck 😁
Great video! Rob! Out there in England, how much does an hour of lawn or hedge cutting cost? How much does an hour's work usually cost? Greetings from Hungary!
My pet hates are customers who leave dog mess and kids small toys all over the lawn and those who want a cut every week but pay you every month after many reminders if you are lucky.
Yeah, it might be the cost of living crisis. From my experience, people think they can/should save money on tradespeople, when times are tight. They don't seem to realize or care. people like you need to make a living also.
You are very wise. If they pay peanuts they will get monkeys. The unreliable, inexperienced, and probably the most important point the uninsured. Keep smiling mate.
Haha you keep saying it's a beautiful property ..... One thing I've learnt is you can often make more money stringing smaller basic jobs together than going for big fancy £700.000 + houses Infact you can make more money working for the poor on council houses and there often nicer people I've 2 big jobs , the rest a middle and lower class and iam tempted to quit the good 2 lol there a waste of ruddy time Older people in middle class homes can be good as there garden proud and are willing to invest properly and most the time nice people lol
It’s not just the poor who live in council houses any more 😂 things have moved on. I think the ideal scenario is to have multiple small customers in the same street
@@whitevoodooman7276 it’s funny I know exactly what you mean. I detect some frustration that you’ve had some bad experiences with bad customers. It’s frustrating because no matter how hard you try you always end up with a bad customer . It drives me insane at times actually. I’ve had experience doing work for a lady in a £2m house after six months working for her it ended badly. She was selfish, disrespectful, unappreciative, rude and irrational . She rang me and I could tell it gave her joy to be quite nasty to me on the phone. I remained polite and professional and know I didn’t do anything wrong . I never knew anyone could be that bitter and nasty. I don’t ever want to work a minute for anyone like that ever again. I want to work for nice people who appreciate what you do
Must admit . I have just retired after working my own gardening business for 23 years. In all that time i never lost one client. And only got rid of one. The secret is reliability. So many Gardeners are not. Loads of them start up but then find its hard work so fizzle out. Great channel Rob.
Congratulations on your retirement. All the best.
You are spot on. Yoou just get a sense when people are gonna be a nightmare and want stuff done for pennies. They'd happily hand 10 x the amount to a plumber for to do work for the same aount of time, but they want to pay you the minimum wage, while youre paying for van, energy and tools.
Your right mate. All the best.
Some people just have ridiculous expectations and standards.. I've just picked up a lovely new job which has been a breath of fresh air... Lovely couple very understanding etc. Like yourself I have no time for bad customers!
Well done on the new customer. I am now full but still trying to find quality customers , ie if I get a call which I think might be a great new garden , I go and meet them. It’s an ongoing challenge to improve. All the best and thanks for watching.👍
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices thank you, you're right about getting a general feel about the customer as soon as you meet them, sometimes you just know whether it's gonna work out straight away or know they'll be a pain ass! All the best 👍🏻
Just started up my wee garden business on Tuesday past...so far the clients have been really encouraging when they know this is my first year.
There's 2 or 3 of you lads that I've been watching, and every one of you have really given me the courage to go for this...thanks guys and keep posting your journey...the experiences that you've had have been learning curves for us all...😊👍
Thanks for watching and your comment, good luck with your business I hope it goes well.
Great stuff
Hi there youre right. Nowt as strange as folk. They will pay through the nose on nights out. Tech. Parties holidays certain services but when it comes to hard work they don't appreciate it
Your so right.👍🏻
Hi Rob we have a “bad list “ next to the phones. If they ever ring us we say there is a 12 week lead time. Always puts them off. We also tell any new clients when we quote. Always mornings between 830 and 1145. If they can’t make those times we don’t go. If they’re trouble before they start they will be trouble when you visit. Almost without exception. It still amazes me even after 30 years that when people ring up for a quote they think they are the only one to call. We will have done 50 (😮) quotes by end of tomorrow morning this week in 4 days. The BBC keep telling us we’re in recession and there’s no money about. How wrong are they. Keep up the good work fellow gardeners and Rob 🫡
A great comment, thank you for sharing it David. All the best.
Very true. How do you get so many clients? Is it simply word of mouth?
@@darwinbeagle9394 hi Darwin. No we spend close to £2000 a month on marketing and sit back and wait for the phone to ring off the hook. It does ! And with 10 full time staff you have to find 375 hours work per week so word and mouth won’t cut it I’m afraid.
Very wise advice
I had a client who once complained i was 10 minutes late, my reply was, sorry about that, but other people wanted to use the road as well! 😂
Great response.
I do approximate times.
If they complain, they are gone.
All the best.
A very interesting video Rob thanks for sharing your experience
Your welcome.👍🏻
Bad customers are for sure everywhere. I always use to allow a 30 minute window (running 30 minutes early, 30 minutes late). Bad customers always stand out a mile off and sadly, they don't even realise it. Alot of customers need to understand that the 1st visit is always more price wise to get it underway.
Thanks David, appreciate your comment.👍🏻
spot on, honest comments, as usual Rob. The "spidey senses" thing really hits a chord with me, if I find a customers attitude puts my back up within the first few messages/calls/meetings then I walk away or quote high in the knowledge they want a cheap job not a good one, so far it's proved true. Keep speaking from the heart mate.
Thank you for the advice. Appreciate your comment.
Great you found out what the customer was like before you even started. Lucky escape. Any sensible person should realise gardeners can not stick to schedules with precision. Traffic, weather , jobs over running etc I send new customers a schedule of my services I might add a few terms and conditions at the base of this. Arrival windows, pick up the dog poo , payment terms etc
Very wise. All the best.
Loved your message! Spot on! 😁👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you .👍🏻
Great advice Rob. Life is too short pal.
Thanks Richard.👍🏻
Just discovered this channel and I think its fantastic.
I took early retirement at 55 from a stressful job in November last year and have now become a self employed gardener on a steep learning curve and find these videos brilliant!
Thanks for all the advice.
👍
Thanks Chris. I am pleased that they are helping. Good luck with your business. 👍🏻
Spot on Rob. Not garden related, but I told one of my customers that we would not be able to accept any further commissions after he complained about everything we had done so far. He keeps hassling me to explain why we won't do anything more for him!
Sometimes the truth is the only option.
Ie your a difficult person to work for and there are better more appreciative customers on my waiting list.
Wise words thank you 🙏
Thanks Stewart. 👍🏻
Great video m8...you're spot on.
So many customers take the piss and bad mouths of us traders. Annoying when it's not deserved.
They are everywhere. 😂 All the best.
You must be reading my mind Rob because I've definitely had my fair share of bad customers and timewasters this week, trying so hard to bite my tongue and be professional!
It’s not easy. Keep smiling. All the best.
Always go with your gut feeling 👍
Me and you both. 👍🏻
Top talk agree agree agree 👍
Thank you.👍🏻
As a Self Employed Lady Gardener I’ve learned a lot from your videos keep up the good work Rob
Thank you Beverley, good luck with your business.👍🏻
Wise words, great video
Thank you .
Another excellent video. I am a beginner and I am learning a lot from you, thanks.
Thank you Patrick. Appreciate your comment. Good luck with your business. 👍🏻
hi rob i always give a 1hr window, i think that's fair for both parties. keep up the great videos , nobody gets more wound up with bad customers than me.
Great advice. Thank you.
💯 hit the nail on the head Rob on everything you said. I'm like you need to clam down, clam down 😂😂
Smile and wave is my new saying, all the best.
Absolutely spot on rob i know the vibes your talking about lol good craic mate this had me laughing i do the same jobs in southtynside love the channel mate
Thanks for that. All the best from Low Fell. 👍🏻
Well said Rob. Sometimes customers see no value in what you do. It's very frustrating and sometimes demoralising. Good luck with the visit.
I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on. You're in a strong position with all your other clients. Glad you dodged the bullet.
Cheers Adam. All the best for the bank holiday weekend.👍🏻
Quite agree. I’m a retired maintenance gardener. My method was sending customers I wanted rid of the big mowing contract letter. Very politely I’d say I’ve just taken on a big job and unfortunately have to give up some of my customers. This was only with the sort of people you’re talking about. I think I was always too cheap which is obviously a mistake as it’s much harder to increase your prices later on, especially with the meanies!
Thank you for that . Letting poor customers go and replacing with quality customers is an ongoing process, something we don’t always do.
A small increase every year on those most difficult gardens helps. Ie £30 to £32.50 and so on. It’s makes things more bearable. Thanks for watching and your comment.
Great video Rob. Definitely some beauties out there alright 😅
On the other hand ive met some fabulous people who appreciate the value i provide them.
Your so right, there are lots of wonderful people out there.👍🏻
Once you’ve been dealing with people for a while you get to know, very quickly.
Thank you .👍
Great vlogg here Rob appreciate your advice and experience.
Damien
Thank you Damien. Appreciate your comment. All the best.
Good customers are everywhere too luckily 🙂
Yes they are! Thanks
Lovely ending with the summing up you're a real natural in front of the camera Rob! So true about keeping the gold dust customers sweet.. some are absolutely delightful eh? Gotta go outta your way to keep those happy.
Thanks Neil. All the best from Newcastle.👍🏻
Unfortunately, there are some people who think that one man band gardening businesses are run by people who have retired or doing it as a side hustle. New customers should sign a contract and pay a deposit, so if they cancel, you can keep the deposit. As much as it pains me to say, we, as sole trader operators need to be more corporate up front, and let these people know that they are not dealing with someone who they can mess around. Its harsh, but needs to be done.
You are so right. We all need to be stronger and charge more for our skills. 👍🏻
O ye Graham did it for a tenner 🤣 Absolute classic that one! Where the bloody hell is Graham now then and phone someone else up!!
Made me laugh Ben. All the best.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices all the best too! Good to share funny stories about customers! Thankfully you can normally tell them a mile off on phone… how much to cut mi grass ‘mate’ 🤣 Can’t afford me ‘mate’ ha
Your right . If they start with, it’s only a small garden, it won’t take you long and how much.
It’s a no thanks from me. 👍🏻
Spot on! happens now and again when I get that gut feeling and guess what ? It’s never been wrong once !
I agree with you. Thanks for watching and your comment.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices took me several years to not let rude/ bad customers affect me, although still get that what a waste of my time feeling.
Well done Rob- certainly dodged a bullet there -
Cheers Buster. All the best.
Hi Rob, I have a small Decorating buisness,, 25 years in buisness now, I just want to say your 100% bang on😂, I always go by my gut instinct, just take a deep breath , and move on to the next, 😂 All the Best.
Wise words Eddie. Thanks for watching and your comment.
Hi Rob great work as usual and bad customers yep they’re everywhere have had a guts full of them all ready every week now I’m getting a couple of people wanting their lawns cut now today etc to busy and it’s amazing how they react when you give them the next earliest date your not that busy your a gardener oh will try else where and yes they have phoned back and asked for that date as they can’t find anyone else really shocks them when it’s sorry that’s dates gone now should have booked it when you could 😂have a goodbye bank holiday all
I agree. May is a time when people call because there lawns haven’t been cut since last September.
It’s not for me.
Great video mate, I've had a bad week with one lady customer, and I've let two other customers go 😂. We are on the same wavelength there. Have a good weekend, keep them videos coming. All the best, the grumpy gardener.
It’s not just you Steve. Selfish people are everywhere. All the best from another grumpy gardener in Newcastle.👍🏻
Rob. You know my mantra..... You never lose customers. You just replace them with better ones. It's served me well these last 7 / 8 years.
Oh. Good luck with that job. It may turn out okay. Hope it does. But I'd always advise to go with your gut feeling. 👍
Gary my gut feeling was right. They wanted three hours mowing, strimming and leaf blown for an hourly rate.
£15 per hour. I am sure my face said it all.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices 😂🤣 you must have a face like mine that can say "off" and "fuck" but not necessarily in that order. All without moving my lips. 🤣😂
Your so right. All the best.
Absolutely spot on! We seem to all have the same issues. My biggest one right now is the same customer as last year keeps either forgetting my scheduled visit for her do i can only weed the front while the back lawn has no access unless she's in, and must be a foot long now. When this happened last year i kept explaining i dont have extra spare slots in my diary to do neglected gardens as the following customers are awaiting me and they can't miss a cut to allow a month's growth. All 3 visits this year have gone wrong. Might deliver cards around there one sunday to see if i can replace her wiith someone reliable
Replace and improve sounds like a great plan. 👍🏻
Spot on 👍🏼
Thank you Mickey. 👍🏻
@Maxwells Grass Cutting Services no worries. I have my own Lawn Care business and enjoy watching your channel. Pls keep it going, it's mega 🤜🏼💥
I will try. Thank you . 👍🏻
you're right you develop a sixth sense with customers,i got stung a few times early on and then i binned the timewasters and tight wads,think you've got that sorted,good luck👊
Thanks for watching and your comment.👍🏻
👍👍
Hey mate. Thanks for sharing. Best advice on timings is to provide a range... E.g. 3-3:30, between 4-5 etc. We all know how the day can drift and this gives you some breathing space. Dig out blind 👍
Wise words, thank you .👍🏻
Good video. It's good to go by your spidey senses. The jobs you don't take can be just as important as the jobs you take. The ones that bug me most are the customers that want a bit extra for free after a price has been agreed to. I had a bloke who I mowed his lawns regularly at a set price. Every third visit he wanted a bit extra for free." Just do this job , before you leave" Glad to have good customers.
Well said! My reply would have been that I can’t do it today but I will sent you a quote for next time.
They take the piss.
You said it Rob, dodged a bullet. I had a similar story, only emails back and forth and got a bad feeling even from the emails.. eventually replied that I couldn't take on any new customers due to workload, perfectly polite email I sent only to get a big rambling essay back full of abuse! And I'd never even met the man.. but instead of getting angry, I took a minute to process and like you I actually felt relief and validation that I made the right call, they're out there aren't they! 😂🙈👎🏻💩
You were fortunate not to meet the bloke . Thanks for watching and your comment.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices Exactly.. all that aggressive communication (from his end not mine) and I'd not even met him 🤣
With the first example, always try to let a client know in advance if you're going to be late. It could have been the uncertainty of not knowing if you were going to turn up that put them in a negative mindset. Anyway... just a friendly point, lets not overthink it. :)
If I get a weird feeling about a client, I start writing the job down on paper, in detail. That way you're setting a clear description of the price and work.
Otherwise some people will try it on! "I didn't think it would cost this much / I thought the hedge would have been included too" etc.
Stay positive mate! Your upbeat personality is a great asset to your business, and clients will feel your positive vibe and energy. ...I know that sounds BS, but it ain't!
Thanks for watching and your comment. All the best.
What i've been having to deal with is customers sending me pictures that are a month old, ive had a few recently, so when you turn up everything it 3-4x longer than it should be
That’s terrible, I always try and visit. Thanks for watching and your comment.
Yep, they're here in Scotland as well! Haha, I came on your channel this morning looking for a nice reassuring rant (I know you get it!), after a bad experience with one of my 'one off' customers yesterday. I've been painting her huge perimeter fence, and sheds, on an hourly rate of £15 because I had no idea how long it would take. After 53 hours (7 hour days full pelt, no breaks except lunch, and still not finished!) I told her what it was costing so far, and she was Not Happy, told me to stop, and she'd find someone who'd do it faster and cheaper. She gets the boy across the road to do jobs for her - I actually think she'd been planning to chuck me a couple of hundred quid pocket money for it!! She seemed nice, but now I'm holding my breath to see if she's actually going to pay me. Dealing with people is the worst part of this job!!!
Your so right. I hope you get paid. All the best.
Got recommended by a customer, went to price the job 20 minutes each way from my house, said yes but kept pricing me down for completely digging out two very large over-grown borders and weeding it out. Two days later got a phone call, and the proposed client decided to postpone the job for £160 day rate, they already had a gardener who didn't touch it - tells you everything.
People are awful.
Rob.......honest and to the point as usual. Gut feeling is the best guide there is. It's a funny thing though......my "problem" customers are all loaded. Unfortunately, I seem to be stuck with biggish gardens and that's not where it's at I'm afraid. Always informative mate.....keep 'em coming.
Best
Dave (North Yorkshire)
Your right Dave. Big gardens can be a pain and not always lucrative. All the best from Newcastle.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices Ha ha Rob........we're virtually neighbours!!
Great video, that delay before the appointment time was unfortunate but showed up the potential client for their intolerance… wonder why the last garden maintenance provider left? Keep up the good work.
So true! Thank you . 👍🏻
Just a comment on your first example…….and I am speaking from much experience. The best way to have handled that would have been to have pre-emptied their call by contacting them when you knew you wouldn’t make it on time. I’ve been self employed (joinery) for many years and I have always been up front in that situation and have found most people very understanding . That said……self employment is not the easiest path in life. Best wishes my friend .
Your right Richard.
Sometimes the day just gets away from you.
Thanks for the advice, all the best.
,,, yep yep yep ,, all of the above ,,, I've got the best customers anyone could want , it's taken me 7 years to get to that ,, at the beginning some are just awful ,, because they don't garden they know nothing of it and think , aww it's just a hobby £10 and hour , what they don't realise is the physical effort that goes into it , the knowledge , it's a skill the time the patience , because nobody has that now ,it's all " I want a chelsea show garden for £50, I hate chelsea flower show and all the garden makeover programmes that put stupid ideas in peoples heads , remember they spend about £5k on some of those gardens and all hands on deck ,, it really makes me chuckle , so yeah my friend I know what you mean 👍👍
Wise words Stevie, I am not where your at , but still trying to move forward on my journey.
All the best.
The thing is you have a busy schedule and when you employ workmen/gardeners you have to accept they won't always run to time. I didn't get arsey when our fence guy didn't show up - turned out his daughter was seriously ill and we weren't his priority. But that was OK and we rearranged.
Kindness is free. Thank you for watching and your comment. 👍🏻
Just had one over 3 acres of grass hasn't been cut since September oh my husband can cut it in 45 mins!! (Ride-On) I asked why is it so long then? Oh he's been busy. Quoted day rate as was lots of hand brushcutting too. Done the job really really happy getting others to quote on job now it's looking decent. Live & learn eh?
That is so annoying. It happens to often. 👍🏻
Customers also have a sense for dodgy tradespeople. Those who want the maximum money for minimum work. You say you're quality, but how would a customer know that, until you do the work?
I think your attitude to move on is healthy, you've learned from experience no doubt.
Gut reaction yes you`re right Rob, and one of the worst scenarios is when you`re recommended by a good customer to one of their pillock friends , the type you would normally backheel!
Your right Nick. It’s a pain for everyone.
always listen to your gut feeling.
Your so right.👍🏻
Dodged a bullet there mate ! sounds like a right ball ache 👍
Thanks James. Appreciate your comment.
im only a small scale garden tidy business, over the years the odd bad customers have appeared, one being i decided to put an increase on price a job the customer decided to start timing me , had to explain even though im leaving her property ive still go to get rid of the waste......think we lasted 2 more cuts, she never got another garden person as wouldnt pay the rate or the customer that pays say £20 for an hour, but slowly starts adding things without wanting to pay more......last year a grass cut job a very long lawn, the lady wanted to pay a £20 hourly rate giving me 2 hours a week so do weeding as well as the lawn, after about 3 weeks the weeding was done by a neighbour, so im down to just the big grasscut, which takes 30-35 mins shes still wanting to pay me an hourly rate so for grass cut £15, but i stuck to wanting the £20........i didnt go back this year ..........anyway love the videos and im in the north east to, just praying for some stable weather as its been so random so far
Thanks for watching and your comment John. Finding good customers is a skill. All the best and good luck with your business.
I could tell you stories about awkward customers 😂👍
It's a skill in itself learning to deal with people.
Your so right John. All the best.
I live in Birmingham and they're a nightmare. To be fair most my clients are great, it's the ones I don't take on are the bad ones. But totally agree with everything you said. It's like panning for gold at times, but I wouldn't want to do anything else.
Cheers Mark. I will keep looking for gold.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices You're doing a great job, both in the field and on RUclips, appreciate your content, good honest advice.
Great video as usual Rob, your sentiments are exactly like all us other gardeners, we had a lady all last season, bit "stand offish" despite our best efforts to accommodate her, no real complaints from us as such, but one of those customers who want the mower down one, down another one, bit more till we get to the point where we have to tell them it's not good for the lawn or the machines, all good in the end so we thought, then the start of this season we couldn't get round to hers for a few cuts, bad timing with the weather, etc, and despite us having asked for contact details numerous times they didn't give them so we had no way of contacting them, so needless to say we turned up 3 cuts into the season only to find the lawn had been done, knocked on the door and she seemed surprised we were there, explained we hadn't been round because of the bad weather (Scotland, say no more) and she just was not interested, seemed awkward, asked if she was still wanting her grass cut she said no, cool, no worries, but ironically on that weeks schedule we gained another 3 customers !!.
I mean, if a customer doesn't want to give you details what else are we meant to do, go visit them all in the pouring rain to tell them we can't cut their grass!?!. We inherited a lot of the customers as we bought over the business and have tried streamlining it, most customers were on board and appreciative, but it's natural selection now I reckon with the ones we lose. All in all, lost some, but gained more. Their loss, our gain, keep up the good work :)
Thanks Marko for sharing a great comment. I am with you. If a customer won’t pass on their contact information. They are gone. How are you supposed to get paid.
All the best.
Great video mate I had a customer I looked at start of the season looked at a private job just as I was about to leave said just comes down to your price thought this one's not for me walked away rung 10 time's I was working told me what a terrible service it's been two days not got back to him with a price I told him I'm not interested now he was not happy but I am not got to deal with him 👍👍
Once a customer starts to haggle over costs it’s time to walk away. Thanks for watching and your comment.
Trust your gut but stay calm. In the grand scheme of things just rise above some of the customers. Take customers who value what you do and don't stress about the other messers. Keep the awkward customers till better ones come along :-)
I agree with you. All the best.
Hi Rob had tell a customer there garden will have to go up this year by a fiver a visit after cutting there lawns and tidying the borders up they turned around to me said what you going to do for the extra fiver next time a said l going to turn up in 14 days got to get tuf Rob
Not sure I would have gone back after that comment. Thanks for watching and your comment.
treat them with the same contempt they treat you....30yrs self employed
Wise words Nick. All the best.
It's a shame that these people exist Rob but take deep breaths and ride the waves Rob ride the waves
Wise words Wayne. Finding great customers is part of the process. 👍🏻
It most certainly is Rob
i find the more well off they are the tighter they can be.
That is so true. 👍🏻
You sound like a smashing bloke!
Thanks. I try. All the best.👍🏻
I love these stories Rob and there isn't a trades person who doesn't have to deal with this type of thing. I had a lady once ask me to quote for work and told me how bad her old garden was ( I should have known at this point) I said i would go and quote either Saturday or Sunday and would let her know on Friday afternoon I send a message at 4pm on the Friday and Said would 11am on Sunday be ok to take a look at the garden? Her reply was don't bother your obviously to busy if you can't come on Saturday like you said 🙄. I was pissed of about that for about 2 weeks wondering what I'd done wrong 😂😂😂😂
She would have been very difficult and challenging to work with.
You we’re lucky. 👍🏻
Lucky escape there mate!😂 plenty more customers like that to come.
Your right mate. All the best.
Hey Rob you have a great channel really interesting I learned a lot watching some of your videos it's something I'm looking into starting in the future I have a job at the moment that I love doing but not all jobs last forever lol keep up the good work and the videos they really do help people. I have a question when I eventually start the gardening business in a few years what do I do with a customer that doesn't pay but I've done the work I know in one of your videos you like payment straight after but what if the customer comes up with an excuse and can't pay. Have a great day I've linked and subscribed 👍
You can work out who are potentially bad payers . If they don’t pay for a visit I won’t do another visit.
The worst is you lose one visit.
Thanks for watching.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices thank you I appreciate the reply have a good day
Approximately means about 3.00pm, not dead on 3.00pm. I once went to look at a job and the lawn was basically a mud patch with a few grass blades, my heads got more hair on it than this had grass, and I’m bald. Customers, clues in the cus part.
Thanks Tony. All the best and have a great weekend.
Had a good LOL at this vid. trust those spiddy senses EVERY SINGLE TIME. The longer you are self-employed, the better trained they will get. Seems to be an anger in people since lockdown - almost like 24/7 delivery has made them think they can have everything they want immediately and nobody should dare ever say NO to them.
Had a call from a 'lady' last summer - wanted her hedge cut, and the elderly neighbours on each side. She thought it was a great little job and that there should be a discount for the package....I was too busy anyway and said I couldn't fit it in before mid October. She emailed me back a few weeks later especially to let me know that she had got the job done by somebody else and was very very pleased with the work they had done........bullet dodged.
Great comment, thank you for sharing. All the best.
Those 2 types of people you mentioned are actually OK. You forgot the 3rd type which is the worst. Those who want to pay 10£ per hour but wand a professional high quality job. 😆
People who wanna pay less for a not much quality job is alright, it really depends on your priorities. I mean I don't mind paying cheap for a tool that I know it's going to do the job but I'll use it only once. It's a different comparison but you get the point.
Yeah, those who want cheap but quality, those are the real annoying clients. 🙂
Thanks for watching and your comment.
Alright Rob. Hope you are well. On a totally unrelated subject. I was wondering what hedgecutter do you use. Mines knackered and I'm after recommendations. Thanks very much. All the best
I use the Husqvarna Petrol Hedge Trimmers 122HD45 . It’s a brilliant tool.
For large work I have the Stihl Combi.
Good luck.
Cheers. Is it ok cutting thicker stuff
Yes to a point . For the money it’s great for shrubs and small hedges.
The big stuff may need loppers or a combi engine.
Thanks very much. Take care
I agree they are everywhere..the reason i have a settled round. An dont advertise..yes i have some awkward gardens but lovely owners off..sick of ball busters wasting my time .u deffo dodged a bullet with that guy ..he be someone elses problem nxt week..best of luck 😁
Thanks Johnny. Your right. All the best.
Ah Rob! When you getting some more Fleece's marra ? Garry's Garden Maintenance Solihull 😉
I don’t need any more. All the best.
They might just be savvy with the money.. and they might just get the carers to do it every time... make sure you go in high... good luck
It didn’t go well Shaun. 😂
Great video!
Rob!
Out there in England, how much does an hour of lawn or hedge cutting cost?
How much does an hour's work usually cost?
Greetings from Hungary!
Approximately £35 per hour.👍🏻
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices Thank you!
My pet hates are customers who leave dog mess and kids small toys all over the lawn and those who want a cut every week but pay you every month after many reminders if you are lucky.
Me and you both. I let them go after two warnings. All the best.
Phew, i thought it was just me ! The crap we gardeners have to put up with is a joke ,anyone thinking of getting into this game i wouldnt bother !
It’s definitely a challenge.👍🏻
100%
Thank you .
The best thing to remember when your self employed... we don't have a master. 😂
Live that comment. Thank you.
i think my skin is about 6 inches thick now rob 😂
I am catching you up. All the best.
Well Dodged
Cheers Stewart.👍🏻
Seriously....i hate customers!
😂 thanks for watching and your comment.
Yeah, it might be the cost of living crisis. From my experience, people think they can/should save money on tradespeople, when times are tight. They don't seem to realize or care. people like you need to make a living also.
You might be right. Or is it just that people are unkind and rude. 👍🏻
You are very wise.
If they pay peanuts they will get monkeys.
The unreliable, inexperienced, and probably the most important point the uninsured.
Keep smiling mate.
I agree with you. Some people think it’s Bob a job week. All the best.
Doesn't experience come through doing the job ?
Never give customers your personal phone numbers either 🤣, nothing worse than trigger happy neurotic customers
Wise words Matt. All the best.
We call them TC's. typical customers😑
Your right.👍🏻
Haha you keep saying it's a beautiful property .....
One thing I've learnt is you can often make more money stringing smaller basic jobs together than going for big fancy £700.000 + houses
Infact you can make more money working for the poor on council houses and there often nicer people
I've 2 big jobs , the rest a middle and lower class and iam tempted to quit the good 2 lol there a waste of ruddy time
Older people in middle class homes can be good as there garden proud and are willing to invest properly and most the time nice people lol
It’s not just the poor who live in council houses any more 😂 things have moved on. I think the ideal scenario is to have multiple small customers in the same street
@@whitevoodooman7276 it’s funny I know exactly what you mean.
I detect some frustration that you’ve had some bad experiences with bad customers.
It’s frustrating because no matter how hard you try you always end up with a bad customer . It drives me insane at times actually.
I’ve had experience doing work for a lady in a £2m house after six months working for her it ended badly. She was selfish, disrespectful, unappreciative, rude and irrational . She rang me and I could tell it gave her joy to be quite nasty to me on the phone. I remained polite and professional and know I didn’t do anything wrong . I never knew anyone could be that bitter and nasty. I don’t ever want to work a minute for anyone like that ever again. I want to work for nice people who appreciate what you do
I agree with everything you say. All the best.
I look forward to hearing it you or your wife is rignt. On this occasion i think there might be a hope that your wife is right, but let's see 😊
It didn’t go well. All the best.
@@maxwellsgrasscuttingservices oh dear😊
Cut out the awkward ones by slowly backing away while smiling. There is no reasoning with crazy.
Your right.👍🏻
Should call would be late be ponctuation must u are waste her time should avice