ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Business Related Discussion Job Too Small?

Hi,
i get a lot of calls for minor stuff that sometimes seems like a job that is just too small. However more than once a small job has turned into a big profitable job.

I have a hard time deciding which job is too small and which job is not.

I also get mad when I get a call to be at a clients house at 9am and then no one is there and they do not bother to call. I always leave my card but never call back.

I guess it is dependent on how busy I am at the time.

Regards

Greg

Greg,

I know what you mean about customers not being there when you show up.
I went out to a guys house to look at a job and when I knocked on the door he didn't answer. I went around back and knocked on the back door. Still no answer. Called his number from my cell phone. I heard his answering machine pick up and I left a message. Waited around for a 1/2 hour to see if he would show up. He never did.
Double checked the address to make sure I was at the right house. The name on the answering machine matched his name.
Drove back to the office and when I got there he called wanting to know where I was at. I setup another appointment for the following day. It was a repeat of the day before only this time he never called me back and I didn't try contact him again.
Kind of strange.

Hi,
Lord knows i have been late a time or two myself and I realize things happen.

I have never billed anyone for this but there was a time or two I wish I could have!

I never wait 30 minutes I amy wait 15 but after that I am gone!

I have left after waiting 15 then get a call...hey i am sorry I was late can you come back?

yeah I always do!

regards

Greg

When it came to small jobs, here's a tip to remmember.

If the customer states to you:

"I just need this little job done right now, and if your price is good, I have alot more work that needs to be done"

Hang up. 9 out of 10 times, he's gonna hose you.


Dnk.....

I just wanted to mention that the guy I was refering to in my previous post claimed that he was home all day and had never left his house.

Hi,
My trip charge is $45 and covers the first 1/2 hour.

I have driven 30 miles to reset a breaker. One time I drove 30 miles to flip a 3 way switch. The elderly husband was suffering from alzhiemers or something and the wife did not have a clue what to do.

Turns out the three way was wired wrong and had to be in a certain position to allow the other to work...somehow the miswired switch got set in the offending position and the lights would no longer burn!

I could not charge them for that.

The small job is a hard animal to tame!

Small things lead to big things sometimes!

Regards

Greg

Like the LOL who works in our police records department. She calls when her light bulb burns out. I don;t charge her, since she always tells me "whenever you get the chance", and she's sent me via ref. to several $$ jobs.

Went out to change a bulb for a legaly blind woman. Twice, same bulb about a year apart. Free the first time, $75.00 this last time. She had me fill out the check and she signed it. Went to meet a realtor today. Guy is buying house wants est for work, blah blah blah. Usually I say "When you close on the house call me" to avoid being the goof that just gives everyone estimates so they can try to get the price of the house down. Guy sounded sincere, has a closing date and everything so I went out. Nobody showed, got stuck in the snow and was generally annoyed.

Had my own remodeling business years ago. Sometimes I got these little fix stuff calls that just filled in between the nice big projects. But when I looked at all the numbers, I made way more money on the little jobs. If I was to do it again, I'd be a handyman instead of a contractor and try to do 5 or 6 little, high profit repairs a day. People will pay to have you come out and solve their emergency but they want to nickle and dime you if you're there over half a day.

hey electricmanscott? did you say you changed a light for a blind person....lol thats too funny... kind of like the drive up atm with the brail numbers on the buttons...