Callout fee

[ians]

I havent done jobbing in a while ... I normally have projects on the go that keep me busy all day even on weekends ... we got off to a slow start this year ... so we have been doing a lot of jobbing type work ... a quick way to go bankrupt if you dont charge right (call out fee) ... throw in the slow or bad payers and I can see why sparkies starting out dont last long and why it important not to waste money on new vans ... expensive equipment when starting out.

What happens is you tend to waste more time collecting goods and fault finding or discussing the job.

You clock up the mileage on the vehicles going to site then the wholesaler ... back to site etc. ( we all know how expensive fuel is)

Instead of booking your average 6-8 hour day ... you end up with 3 maybe 4 hours productive hours ... you have to carry more bits and pieces in the van etc ... creating more overheads.

This is why a callout fee and travelling is so important when "jobbing".

[Justloadit]

Another point to watch out for.
Customer requests a quote, and then tells you he needs three quotes for what ever reason, so there is no guarantee that you will get the job.
This costs your time and traveling.

First find out if this is the case, and if so, state before even going the cost to provide the quote.
If you do get the job, then there will be a discount to the value of producing the quote.
This has saved my beacon a number of times.
As a professional, if I don't invoice my hours, then there is no income.
The case is if you are not billing for your time, then you do not get an income.
Doctors/lawyers/conveyances bill for their hours, in some cases, they even charge you to make a damn phone call, and bill in full even if they don't get the job right first time.
This then makes no reason to work quickly to resolve the problem, but more to milk the client for as long as possible in some professions.
Maybe that is why they call it a "practice"

[ians]

We have created our own mess in this industry ... be it pricing ... the way we do invoicing and payments etc etc

There are so many things that the trade people should be changing ... starting with quotes.

Nothing has changes since I started this business 31 years ago ... I dont deposit cheques ... but other than that everything else is the same.

We should be evolving with time ... from quoting to payment stage.

Technology today allows for immediate payment ... there is no reason why you should be still posting invoice and waiting 30/60/90 days.

When you arrive on site ... you should have an electronic clock in method ... as you purchase material or use stock it should be loaded straight away ... and when you are ready to leave you should automatically create an invoice and send it to the customer ... then wait until payment is confirmed.

I want to try out a package called tradify ... I have a feeling this program has exactly what we need.

[ians]

Those days of jumping in the van and rushing out to do free quotes are long gone.

I had a customer the other day who wanted a quote ... when I gave the price of the labour plus travelling ... he no longer needed a quote.

[ians]

What I have noticed in the last 6 months is how the jobs are getting less and less and payments are getting more and more difficult ... paying R50 000 for school fees is not even funny ... I dont know why people are all up in arms for free varsity ... when people should be standing up for free education for the children ... you dont really need to go to varsity ... but you do need a basic education ... add 3 kids to the mix and who can afford basic education.

I have also noticed the houses in our area are also starting to look more "rustic" as the grass is cut less frequently ... the verges are over grown ... not only are the properties and houses looking worse for wear ... but also the roads .. .all the street light cables hanging because the lines have been cut and stolen ... you cant even see orange lines anymore ... the bush is in the road.

When I move into this area ... there was no crime and the properties were well kept ... how things have changed ...