[P-Train]

Maybe this will help. It's just a template. I've catered it to fit me personally.

[Dale Wiley]

Originally posted by PSUscaper
"As for quiting installation...no way"

I love you dale. About a month ago you told us about how the installation market was absolutely dried up in your area and now your making it a prority to stay in it. What happened to 'we are focussing all our efforts to turf field work"? . What happened to 'hard economic times' in your area and the lack of work due to the economy?

I like the idea of focussing on turf work and thought that was the way you were going. I get nervous when I hear someone say a 100k job is going to take 6 months.

I know you are going to explain what you mean by this, and most likely get mad at me for saying something again, but that is what you typed, so sorry if I question what is going on. I believe you when you say you get these fees for your design work, but when you bounce around with everything else, it hard to take it seriously.

Got to love the difference between East and West Coast.

Your right I did say that,.. but I should have prefaced it by saying that I was not going to actively seek that kind of work, and I was not and did not. Not making it a priority, but not going to turn away qualified work.

The last 3 jobs to come our way have come from internet searchs and are out of our local service area. And there is still very little work in my local area. And I still continue to focus on sports field work. I was responding to the ludicrious idea of just doing designs.

As for the 100K job taking 6 months.... from start to finish yeah...
We will do the walls and rough grade and then let it sit for 3 to 4 months as the Oregon Coast gets about 30 inches of rain in the next 6 months. Go back and finish in the spring. House won't be done until then anyway. Thats 6 months... not 6 months consecutive...come on now...

The mrusk chimes in with his 50K is not much of a job.... maybe not in your area, but it sure as hell is around here. So stop comparing old money New Jersey and the Upper East Coast with the Pacific Northwest.. no comparision in economy's, people or lifestyles.

Believe it or not, take me seriosuly or not ,I really don't give a damn....

You have to be ready to make changes in your business at a moments notice..I do and did. I am not going to actively seek new installation work... if people respond to our websites and refferals, then by all means we will... those are usually well qualifed people and jobs and we will make our margin on them, and a response to a static marketing item is usually required.

We have done some other things... but the members of this site felt that my input was good enough to vote me as Member of the year in 2005, something I appreciate, and I hope I helped some people out.

And I am not going to get mad... that is a wasted emotion...you can feel free to disect my posts for your percieved inconsitencies, and I will be glad to set you straight every time.

[autophil]

Here's mine...

[edit] nevamind...I can't seem to get my real name off the "author" line. call me crazy, but I'm not putting my name on the internets.

[autophil]

K fixed...

[Alberto]

[i].........
The last 3 jobs to come our way have come from internet searchs and are out of our local service area.......[/b]

Sorry folks, but I gotta get back in on this!

Dale, I checked out your website and I see lots of mulch, small plant materials, and some stone work of questionable workmanship. I don't mean this to sound critical, I really don't, but my question is: what would a potential customer see on your website that would make him or her willing to spend $2000 on a landscape plan from you? I mean this as a serious question, again not a criticism. Realistically, those jobs on your website look to be $2000 or less for the entire JOB, forget the plan. I'm sure you put pics of your best work on your website, and I think it's great if you can get $2000 for a landscape plan. What am I missing?

[johnkeegan]

...I guess that I too am a little confused on that issue too. What on that website inspired someone to write check for a $2K design fee? What am I missing? Perhaps there's an updated link? Or the work involved alot of drainage, irrigation, grading issues rather than plants and hardscaping?
As Alberto says, I don't mean to be critical, I'm just a little baffled.

[autophil]

That's pretty f'd-up. I don't even have a website and I'm currently working on two designs for $2K each. If anybody doesn't believe me or wants me to justify anything, he/she can go pound sand. BTW, I've taken and executed exactly ONE landscaping contract to date.

[Stonehenge]

George Carlin had a great line many years ago that I think is analogous to this situation. He said he thought it was funny how anyone out on the road driving faster than him was crazy, and anyone driving slower than him was an idiot. The funny part being how every other person on the road has also set their own standard for what the right speed is, like George did.

That appears to be applying here, in this thread. People seem to think Dale is crazy for charging the amount he is for a design (and incredulous that he could get it). And maybe they also think that anyone charging less than they are (maybe $0?) are idiots.

Who decides what the right price for a design is? You? Me? I say leave it to the client. If they are willing to spend $2K on a design, why would you not allow them to do so? Isn't that what a free market is about? Charge what the market will bear?

As for the website - maybe in this day and age the expectation is that everybody's website is a perfect match to their operations and accurately reflects the clientelle and revenue stream of the company. But it ain't so. I have a local competitor that has carved out a very nice higher end client base, but their website looks like "Maw and Paw, Down on the Farm." Again, the client gets to determine where they see value in spending their dollars.

So with that, I'd ask that folks get up off Dale and look at their own operations to decide if what they're charging for designs is enough. For me personally, every design price is going up next year, because I'm tired of creating big, full plans for little to no scratch.

For now, I'm closing this thread.