[Fine Edge]

Just opened my email and this is what I get.

"Would you come to my home and give suggestions or submit a plan without
a commitment to purchase your plan? I would like to get several
suggestions before deciding on a specific one. Thank you."

The town is only about 1 1/2 hours away from my office, that's all.

If anybody wants this one, PM me!!!!

[Lanelle]

In your shoes, I might tell them, "Sure, consultation and plan will be a minimum charge of $2000 (or more) and probably more if they have a complex project in mind." If they bother to reply and raise any objection, ask them where the free gas station is that they want you to use to get to their house.

[agla]

I'm shocked that you got that from an email - not.

You've just been pre-screened. It is probably blind cc'd to 30 other landscapers as well. Think of it as a cheap ba$tards way of pre-screening his contractor. You won't bite, but someone else will at least respond. Even if they won't do a free design, the emailer knows that the landscaper is either dumb enough or desperate enough to do stupid pet tricks in order to get work.

The goal is to get something with as little effort and money as possible. They don't want to waste their time talking to someone who values his work. Nothing makes that easier than sending one emaill to a whole lot of people.

[johnkeegan]

You should email them back and say you're willing to meet them at, say, 2:00 on Saturday afternoon (tell them it's your only available opening). Pick a time like that because you know it's probably "valuable" to them. Then, of course, don't show up, thus wasting their "valuable" time. And then at about 3:00 that same day email them and say, sorry, but they were replaced on the schedule with a customer who valued your time and skills and was willing to pay for your time....but you would be willing to reschedule them to a time on your schedule dedicated to people who don't value or respect what you do.....

I know that's not professional. But we should be allowed to do that at least once per year.

[PSUscaper]

I would go on the estimate but not give them a free design. I've done free designs for jobs that I want or for people that I get a good feeling from. You don't have to do a 'design' either. Most people are very pleased with a quick sketch, which I usually put together with my estimate anyway.

I'm not sure how things are in your area, but people aren't knocking my door down. If there's a oppurtunity, I'm going to take it. I'd rather spend a few hours on free sketch than be paying my guys to paint my garage door in June because there's no work.

Keep it professional.

[GLAN]

As much as you'd like to do something nasty........don't.....not worth it


3 choices.

Respond and go there.
Don't respond at all
Respond and decline

[4seasons]

If your going to do free estimates I will send some of mine in emails and maybe you can do them for me?
Just until I get over this nasty flu though!

[Stonehenge]

lol - Agla's response was unpredictable. Not.

I don't think there's as much premeditation to what happened there as what Agla suspects. Yeah, they're probably new to hiring out contracting services and have no idea how much something like that will cost, so they're casting a wide net to see what they can catch for free. They probably don't realize this is a humongous red flag that will likely result in only getting the least experienced contractors to their door.

I'd just politely tell them that what they are asking for is a professional service and as such, you should be compensated. Compensation for something along the lines of what they're asking starts at $X. Ask that if they are interested in moving forward (you know they aren't), then please let you know.

That's my two pennies, anyway.

[GLAN]

The premise of that email is becoming all to common today.

In my advertising there used to be "Free Estimates"

When a prospect called inquiring about design work.....I informed them that design work was not "Free"......for the most part it was understood

For last year I had to change that "Free Estimates" to "Free Maintenance Estimates"

2 years prior to the change....I was getting screamed at, cursed at....being told "Everyone gives Free Designs"

Look around.......There is "Free" this or that every where......"Buy one get one Free"

I'm waiting for the call that asks me if I am giving 20, 50% or more discounts like the retailers...........Oh and "Free Shipping"

[agla]

It could also be a little too much HGTV. Some people might be expecting three award winning designers to show up with multiple renderings and sample boards, so they can pick their design and go shopping at the nursery together.

[Ston Wurks]

Don't respond, mark e-mail as spam for your filter-it is spam after all.

Then go spend your time on real clients who "value" your services.

[Fine Edge]

And the final answer is:
Responded politely thanking them for their inquiry.
Let them know that an initial consultation fee would be needed as well as a 50% deposit on the design I was going to do.
Needless to say, I haven't heard back.
Once in a while, I think everyone needs one of those emails just to remind us that we are professionals and can't cater to everyone's whims and desires.

Plus, it makes me laugh!!

[GLAN]

Laughing is so much better than screaming

[kinnanscaping]

I like what AGLA said about HGTV. I was watching that a couple months back. I started to PANIC. I pale in comparison to any of the three plans that I saw. Actually, I don't draw plans. I sub out any drawings, and those pale in comparison to what was on HGTV. Once I started to think about it, everyone is on that show because they are all getting paid to be on tv. Those designers were probably paid MORE than what they normally charge. Anyway, it is definitely a fantasy world that some people live in.

[Stonehenge]

Not to side track this Kinnan, but we have at least two winning contractors on this site from that show (Landscapers Challenge), and I think they'd both tell you that the show producers recognize the value of the PR, and that if anything, they're getting paid less than what they normally would. They do it in the hopes of the punch of PR more than compensating for the lost dollars at that moment. Like a marketing expense.

@ FineEdge - I think that's the right call. With the power of people to write reviews online, it might take very little to score yourself a black mark on your record for not being polite even when the other party is being unreasonable.