Service Area Map

[MasterBlaster]

What is a 'softwood' crane?

 

[stig]

A hardwood crane with erectile disfunction.

 

[Thor's Hammer]

This is -

Look how fast and nimble it is unloading shortwood. High Flow twin pumps, lightweight, large capacity grapple. Compare it to the second crane, slow, big lift, heavy duty with heel for handling large lifts

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/EmmaYFgA9dE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmmaYFgA9dE

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0ndKgjFLEsc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ndKgjFLEsc

 

[MasterBlaster]

Interesting. I call those things grapple loaders, not cranes.

 

[mardenm]

Nick,

What about having a sliding rate which will adjust up when the job is outside of "zone 1". Since working further away means you will get less done, then your income per hour/day should end up the same or better, and the only wear and tear is more time traveling.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I will travel outside my regular service area. For the right price I will. I tell them straight up how much more over the phone and why. We do NOT travel for free. We add a point of origin charge for every vehicle and person travelling. Weeds out the cheapos quick.

 

[NickfromWI]

Nick,

What about having a sliding rate which will adjust up when the job is outside of "zone 1". Since working further away means you will get less done, then your income per hour/day should end up the same or better, and the only wear and tear is more time traveling.

I think a lot of guys handle it this way. And the truth is, that makes sense. But for me, it's best to focus on staying close to home. On a day I go to the OC to scope out a potential job, I could go to 4 properties in my area.

Continuing to do work outside the area is just going to cause more referrals and what not. What ends up happening is a few years later I built a bigger service area, but the company is making as much as we would have had we stayed close.

So why not just stay close to home and focus on making that same amount of money in a smaller more tightly knit service area?

Because I have the opportunity to do that here, there isn't a suitable incentive to seek ways to serve a larger area....yet.


love
nick

 

[Bermy]

A hardwood crane with erectile disfunction.

Giggle...

A grapple came up from the sawmill at one of the properties where I work...ripped out a stump, took away a huge trunk secion, and then picked up all the piles of brush we'd made...all in about 15 mins, would have taken us three loads and about an hr just to move the brush!!!

If getting out and back in a day is essential, then a service area makes sense...we've just gotten a small camper to take for multi-day jobs that eat up too much travel time and diesel, and for those further out than normal.

 

[ClimbMIT]

I'm with Chris on trying to have a person manage the phones. Also think that getting connected with other local tree guys on opposite sides of town could be really good for a new business or small business like myself. I think if people are in need and don't like what the locals are offering they may be more inclined to get you out in their area to take care of their trees. It will happen regardless of maps or telling someone on the phone that you don't sevice their area. If your honest and courteous that could make them want your business even more making it a door you may not want to close. Sorry to repeat what's been said

 

[Tucker943]

I think willingness to travel can be affected by what kind if work a company does more of. Pruning/trimming work, well, you'll hear back from those folks at some point. In that case, you might travel the same circuit your whole career. I do a fair amount of jobs where I remove the only tree in someones yard. Unless they buy a new house, I wont be hearing from them again in life. While I keep it close to home, I also go a few miles out of my way for the right jobs. For the fact that in the first decade im in business, Ive got a strong focus in rounding up my customer base. Granted, new ones come, and old one go, but that base is critical in my mind. If for nothing else, the referrals.