Monday, January 29, 2007

Wind and more wind!

Greetings readers,

The last two weeks have been almost non-stop due to adverse weather and especially high winds. I have been inundated with requests for fence replacements, tree clearances and the like, so the Blog has been somewhat neglected - apologies but only so much time available in a day.

I thought I would share a story today of something which I have touched on in the past, however this really brought it home to me.

I was in my regular garden machinery supplier last week sorting out my very overworked chainsaw when this chap came in. I was not in a great hurry, so I let him get served first. This guy was in his late 30's, very well spoken and obviously had a bit of money behind him. The sales guy pounced on him to see if he could help relieve him of some cash.

As it happens, the chap had a small wood which had been hit hard with the wind so wanted to know about chainsaws. As I ear wigged the conversation, the sales guy lead him to the display and started to go through the range with him. Insanity/shopping frenzy kicked in as he pointed to the largest pro saw on the shelf and said "That's the one".

I use chainsaws a lot and I don't have anything like this thing - nor does any of the tree surgeons I know either!

The sales guy obviously thought Xmas had returned and flogged him this monster without mercy (or discount either!) and this chap soon became the proud owner of this most impressive beast.

As the sales guy ran through the "safety features" of the saw, it turned out this guy had NEVER used a chainsaw in his life!

As he staggered out of the shop, loaded up with files, oil, gauges etc, I gave him a card and told him to ring me if he wanted a few hours training......I haven't heard from him yet so he is probably dead by now.

I grabbed the sales guy after and quizzed him on corporate responsibility and why he had sold this beast - apparently there is nothing to stop anybody over 18 buying any chainsaw (except a top handle pro saw). There is also no requirement to advise them of safety clothing (the sales guy missed an opportunity here and realised it too at this point!).

You cant blame the sales guy, he is just doing his job and fulfilled his obligation and responsibility in showing the saws safety features - but I think its time for a change in law. These tools are lethal and should simply not be sold to the public unless they are trained in its use - regardless of the size or type of saw.

I would be interested in any feedback on this one.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

The Power of PR

I have had a string of enquiries over the last few weeks - the New Year has heralded a time for change no doubt and also people actually seeing their gardens in daylight over the xmas period has also had a lot to do with this I am sure!

As I have said before, I use a few carefully monitored sources for new business;

  • My Google Campaign (quiet costly and a lot of "interested only" people, basically tyre kickers),
  • My "Best Of" advert and sponsorship of their newsletter (very cheap for what you get and all excellent opportunities ie people who want to do work),
  • My networking group BNI Kennet Chapter (weekly group meeting combined with a minging breakfast, but some great business opportunities and advice comes from here),
  • My website www.garden4you.co.uk (this is the dogs danglies and is such an asset, supplied at a very low cost by Webbuildpro which I am constantly updating)
  • And last but not least, my PR Guru Nigel Morgan of Morgan PR.

I monitor all enquiries to see where they came from and decide on what marketing is or not working and change accordingly. My criteria is simple, if I cover the cost of each method plus a small margin to cover the hassle and time, then its worth it. If I can get it for free (like PR on occassions) then any return in any form pays dividends on the bottom line.

For instance, I had a call out of the blue this week originating from a press article that Nigel Morgan did for me in the NWN Business Section a few weeks ago. This is a massive quote, and I am the favourite to win at this point (fingers crossed on this one). Looks like another meal out with the Morgans is on the cards!

What this goes to show is that you need to have multiple channels to market yourself, monitor the spend and return and do more of what works and less of what doesnt - common sense really but I still come across other businessmen who have a strange approach saying things like " I have always had an advert in the paper and am not interested in the internet".

All I can say is I am glad, cos this means there are more opportunities for me!

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Bad Weather Warning - Trees and Moles!

What a miserable start to the year - grey sky's, rain and wind.

This has been a busy week for me - the wind has brought down quite a few trees and branches, luckily for my regular customers I am only a call away!

This time of year pretty much restricts what can be done in the garden, so having big trees to cut up and log is an added bonus - for me and my customers - I get lots of work and they get lots of logs for next year.

I purchased an hydraulic log splitter a few years ago and it really has earned its keep over that time. Whilst it is a bit cumbersome to use, it is really powerful and quick so goes through just about anything - I am still amazed at it when it groans through a really knotty bit of Oak which could never be split with axe and wedges......medication time again methinks!

One side effect of the wet weather has been to produce an epidemic of moles. Whilst these cute little things are great in the woods and hedgerows, god help you if they get in the garden!

As a pest controller, my arsenal of weapons to deal with these dark destroyers has been almost wiped out by legislation. The use of Strychnine as a poison (one of the most effective and safe ways of dealing with them - in the right hands of course!) has been banned for some time now, so we are pretty much restricted to trapping (very costly and labour intense due to the amounts of visits you need to do to catch a few moles) or gassing (again quite costly and not without risk either).

My advise is that at first sighting of a mole hill in your garden, call me. Don't deal with it yourself unless you really know how to trap (it takes years of trial and error). You will not get hold of gas anyway as it is a controlled substance.

Once they get established, goodbye lawn. So call me.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

New Years Eve


New Years Eve went off with a bit of a bang.

This year we decided to stay home and invite a few people round for a murder mystery evening. None of us had done one before so we bought a DIY kit and set about it.

We invited the usual suspects; Neale and Sam of Breathe Pictures, Sammie (one of N&S's mates) and Adam & Emma of Verbatim Call Centres - so we knew we were in for a bit of a session what ever happened!

If you have never done one of these events before, you really need to prep for them - everybody dressed in period costumes - Adam was a Reverend and dressed like the Exorcist, Emma was a "lady" with a Little Britain wig, Sam was in an evening gown as she was her Ladyship, Neale was a poet with a large white wig (hair, something he has only a distant memory of...) and spouted hilarious poems at each and every opportunity. I was Lord Clifford and Karen was the Reverends assistant.

It was a bit hard work, but after downing loads of cocktails and various other beverages, Sam was declared the murderer - all the girls guessed it, all the boys were too hammered by then!

Midnight came and went and the obligatory hangover the next day heralded the start of a new year.

Happy New Year to you all!

Picture = Adam as "The Reverend"