Clients talking to me slow me down.

15 years ago

Help!

I need some good tips to help with a particular client. she comes out about every half hour to 'check in', ask questions that derail my train of thought and generally slow me down.

I work by the hour and this is an installation,so perhaps I shouldn't complain too much. But it is starting to really get on my nerves. I can hardly schedule correctly cause what should take me 3 hours is taking 4.5 with all the interruptions and pulling me away to look at things and hear stories of her past ( she is late 70's and from our church , so I cant really afford offending her, but I just want to work in peace)

" Are you actually under the deck, what are you doing under there?" ( well installing the drip to the plantars I just did for you, remember we just talked about that?)

"So what do you think of this blouse with this jacket? My niece gave it to me.....................ya da ya da" ( well let me get up off my knees from doing drip AGAIN and see )

" maybe when you are done with this area, I'd like to do this other area too, what should I put there?" ( HMMM "I do better concentrating on one job before starting another............let me just finish here then I will look" HINT HINT)

sometimes I just want to bean her!!

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Comments (4)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
You are in a service business. Dealing with customers that sometimes make your job more challenging is part of the deal. I'd be as kind and patient as possible, while at the same time maintaining a business-like air. "Excuse me, Mrs. Smith; I had better get back to work." "I really can't stop what I'm doing right now; I'll be with you shortly."
Embothrium
15 years ago
Unless it cuts into you getting on to another client and throws your whole week out of alignment since you are charging by the hour it just means she is going to be paying a little more for the extra time. That is one reason to charge by the hour - a situation where you might come up short if you were instead being paid a pre-determined amount based on a bid or estimate.

With some clients it does seem the social interaction is part of what they are paying for. I've been on a site working as an assistant to another gardener, applying herbicide and seen a second gardener from another company (her own) chat with the client just about the whole time I was there. If the customer doesn't think it matters that they are paying you to shoot the breeze, then maybe it doesn't.
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If I were But you, I would also have my house checked for termites. But don't be surprised if you are told you need a different kind of treatment. Because as you have already seen on this thread people have stated that they had their ground treated. some have used oils, and others have had theirs tented. I had termites in my garden and put down baits to kill them. It did not kill them at all. Then the house next door had their house tented. Not long after that I found some termite damage in my house. I called the same people that my neighbor used and had them come out. I thought maybe some of their termites had escaped and came to my house. Nope. I had a different kind of termite. They had to drill holes in the slab of my house to poison them. We didn't even have to leave the property because the poison they put down would only hurt the termites... unfortunately because I was hoping it would get rid of the palmetto bugs as well. I had asked about the termites in my garden and he gave me some stuff to put down and said I needed to keep the pets off for 12hours. A few years after that I had a wind storm take down a live tree, when we went to cut the tree up to remove it we found termites in it. I had been under the impression that termites only ate dead wood. WRONG. And guess what it was even a different kind of termite from the one in my house, my garden and the neighbors house...... So I guess there are many various types of termites and different kinds of treatments....... So I tell everyone, have their house checked..... not just because their neighbors have them because you may have them and have a totally different kind..... Good luck.
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nwnatural
15 years ago
This is so, so common. Clients at any age can be lonely, it's human nature. I know this sounds a little cold but, I often find myself making money to be someones garden friend or being paid to tour a client's garden. I do a lot of gushing over their plant choices and I even find myself doing a little marriage counseling (aka: listening without judging). It's not what I signed up for, but I'm good at it and I make money doing so. Those are also many of my best clients that keep-a-calling.
debinca1
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks guys, for putting me back into perspective.

I have been working way too many long days and its starting to wear on my better manners. You are all, of course, correct.

That day I had to take an irrigation timer back into town for a replacement, the new one I had just installed was defective. This has never happened before and I was not happy about loosing the time = money. But it was not the clients fault and I didn't feel I could bill her to install it twice.

O well, the new one works like a charm, the the irrigation store was 'sorry for my trouble'

I am taking 3 days off starting tomorrow and will look at things with a kinder light by Monday I am sure.

Thanks again, debinca

Clients talking to me slow me down.

Comments (4)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

Embothrium

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Clients talking to me slow me down.

Comments (4)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

Embothrium

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nwnatural

debinca1Original Author

COMPANY

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debinca1
Original Author