working for the wealthy

[Page]

just landed a good client down in chestnut hill.(pretty ritzy area if your not familiar) Trimming up some large zelcova's by the pool. the last time I spent that many hours in a tree it was a locust removal over a house and some primary's and I had no ground support for the first half of the tree. I'm sure I was moving slow do to the snow and Ice and the 3 preceding days of drinking and land clearing in jersey, but I guess also feeling a little nervous getting such a potentially big client, I wanted to make sure these things were perfect. two more tree's to go. a bucket truck would help.

 

[flushcut]

What ever you do DO NOT KISS THEIR ASS. I have worked for two billionaires and a whole bunch of wealthy people and they have enough "yes" people around them and they appreciate a straight answer. Now the hard part is actually talking to them because you more than likely will be talking to a few handlers.

 

[candoarms]

I've worked for the wealthy most of my life. It's easy to get caught in the "While you're here" trap. Stick to your original plan as closely as possible. Too much additional work should be scheduled as a return trip.

It's not easy to follow these guidelines. Don't ask me how I know that.

Joel

 

[woodworkingboy]

Rajan, great advice! Lots of wealthy folks are tired of people sucking up to them or whatever. I had a rather wealthy client that told me that once. He said that all his usual friends wanted to mainly talk about finances, so he didn't like hanging out with them. He preferred the lowlier economic scales for his socializing. My own philosophy was why not enjoy the spoils of work, so I would jump into the beautiful pool on the expansive grounds after, or my client's lovely wife might tell me to help myself to what might be in the frige, since she had just gone shopping. I loved those people, rich, but most humble and sharing in spirit. My client also had a nice garden where he grew plants with a thick resin, maybe that was part of the reason they were cool there. He had made his dough in banking and investment. Getting paid was a beautiful thing, had me just submit my hours to the secretary that worked there at the house, to get an immediate check. I don't think my client ever looked at the numbers. The first time I went to his local bank to cash the check, the teller wouldn't honor it. I asked to speak to the manager, and when he looked at the name on the heading, he told me to just ask for him when I bring in a check. Although my client kept no money in his checking account, they would always honor his checks. There was an understanding.

There are some cool rich folks out there.... Hope your client is that way.

 

[cory]

Great post, Page, good luck with the job. 3 days of boozing and land clearing?? Sounds like fun!

Nice story, Jay.

 

[Altissimus]

...I have worked for some very rich clients...the main big one definetely wants to be shown respect yet also wants to treated like a regular guy....hmmm So obvious he has $$$ to buy and sell twenty Tree companies. It has been my experience not to let all that wealth and lifestyle distract me , Yeah I will chat him up about the buildings or the BMW collection but I am happiest focusing on the job he needs done

 

[Page]

Great post, Page, good luck with the job. 3 days of boozing and land clearing?? Sounds like fun!

Nice story, Jay.

yeah, might not always be the best combo but whats a crew to do when on a work field trip. It was snowing or raining most of the time so that kept me alert.

 

[lumberjack]

I usually bill hourly with my more affluent customers. I'm also a "Yes Man" when it comes to them asking if I can do this or that. We've worked over 1100 billable hours for him this year, and we're still working for him.


Like Jay's fella, he's supper easy to get along with, I normally bill him monthly, and he gets me a check toot sweet.

 

[Grendel]

I've worked for the rich for my entire career, and I really can't think of any tried and true rules about dealing with them. . . It's a total crap-shoot. Some of them are very cool people, and down to earth. A few of them behave like nobility. Old money, mostly. I'm sure you do quality work, and that's all it takes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huron_Mountain_Club

This is where I live and work. It's closer to 27,000 acres

http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/story.aspx?id=132343#.Uq_MgtJDtIE

 

[squisher]

Cool. You won't be tossed out for mentioning it will you?

 

[Grendel]

No worries

 

[woodworkingboy]

The worst kind of rich to work for are the ones that have recently made their fortune and are very paranoid about it. They think that because of their wealth, everyone is out to rip them off. Rather insecure, they might not know a good deal if it is staring them in the face. Consequently, without some offer from them that has you on your hands and knees trying to suck oxygen, they will think that they are being taken advantage of. That was my experience with the movie producer pig, George Lucas. I imagined him sleeping in bed, and without his satchels of money with him under the covers, he could get no rest. My advise for dealing with people like that, don't, and be glad you aren't them.

 

[flushcut]

I think the ones that have new money and some money are the worst to work with the true fat cats are just like "I don't care what it costs I just want it done". One guy plants 100,000 tulip bulbs a year and digs them all out every year and just gives them away. He is a major player on the CBOT and has away of writing everything off as a deduction.

 

[cory]

This is where I live and work. It's closer to 27,000 acres

That sounds like paradise!

 

[Page]

I have never had a problem working for the rich. I don't charge them more per say, I just charge the poor less if that makes any sense. These people are cool that I'm working for now, I just wanna make sure my work matches the rest of their well kept property. working out in the woods or country I'll be floppin' shit all day long without much care for the ground. In chestnut hill that will not be the case.

 

[cory]

Well there ya go. Variety is one of the perks of tree work.

 

[Tucker943]

Don't worry about if they are rich. That's their concern. Do the same work you do anywhere else and charge the same rates. They didn't get rich by letting tree companies gouge them. Don't cut them any breaks either. They also didn't get rich but cutting society a break. I used to get all weird inside when dealing with my wealthy customers. Now, I just don't give a hoot who they are. I treat everyone the same and give everyone the same quality job. I do hate trying to do business with people that just came into money. They are jerks usually. Old money is cool. Do a good job and hand them the bill. We are all the same inside, rich or poor.

 

[MasterBlaster]

But my insides don't pay the billz.

 

[Mick!]

I would have thought very few people who could be termed as "poor" can afford a tree surgeon (or whatever we choose to call ourselves these days)

 

[Altissimus]

I would have thought very few people who could be termed as "poor" can afford a tree surgeon (or whatever we choose to call ourselves these days)

...ha, True ...my old Ground Girl friend found it in a book....since the days of the Romans, only the wealthy could afford the Arborist....true historical fact

 

[woodworkingboy]

I would modify that to being only the wealthy and or the wise.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Well said Jay.. The wise money hires us as well.

 

[FJR]

The extreme wealthy are great to work for. It is the "I think I am wealthier than I really I am" type that can be a pain.

 

[rumination]

The few jobs I've done for the super wealthy have been very easy. I never met the actual client, but instead dealt with a property manager or some other sort of assistant. No quotation necessary, just do the job however you think it needs to be done, clean up well, and send us a bill. The only stipulation is to always do the work when the client is not at home.

The exception was the one time that I had to prune a tree to the specifications of a feng shui master. That was interesting. I was taken into the clients home office and seated at his (very nice) desk. (The client was not at home, of course.) The view out the window included two small islands out in the South China Sea. The feng shui master had given specific instructions on how to prune the tree so that it framed the view of the islands in such a way that it looked exactly like one of those old Chinese brush paintings. Perfect visual energy flow. It gave me a new perspective on view pruning.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Cool story, Leon.