Free Inspections are killing me

Am I the only one who charges to inspect jobs here in Wisconsin? I get lots of calls, but when they hear that I charge 50 bucks to inspect the home they tell me that they got someone to do it for free. At least half of my appointments get cansled because of this.I dont think 50 is too much to charge, and I put it twards the work if I get the job.

Are you insured? Do you explain how the 50 is worth it?

50 bucks that's very cheap , if they don't charge a service call , how do they charge then , just per animal , every body here charges , from 70 bucks to 250 for the service call and inspection

How can I compete with that? Gass aint free, and yea Im insured for a million bucks.

http://www.trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2970368/Re_Free_Estimates.html#Post2970368

You can always tell them you'll put it towards the price if you get the job. Works for me, but at $125. Keeps the tire kickers away.

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profox hunter linked my post on this issue above. Since then, I have found that i have better luck and pick up a few more jobs by doing free estimates. I seem to be a better salesman on site than over the phone, and I can also give a more accurate price. most contractors around here in other fields also do free estimates. so it is hard to compete charging for an inspection when others aren't charging. now if i have to drive 45 min or more one way, i will charge $75, and if i am doing more than one inspection in that area, i will usually split it between them. Most folks are pretty understanding, but some just don't want to pay anything. I think they are just using you to get a comparison to the estimate they already have, or trying to find out how you are going to do the job, and then try to do it themselves.

Ron, are you talking about the trapping or exclusion/repair work?

Frankly, no one has ever called me to come and do an inspection to see if there are any animals in their house. They call because they are having a problem with wild animals. There is no inspection needed. Why would they call unless they already knew they had a problem?

It's easy to give a price for trapping over the phone.

Once the animal(s) are gone they need the services of a building contractor/handyman to repair or improve the structure to prevent repeated problems. That's where an estimate comes in.

In my area all contractors will give a free, written estimate detailing the work to be done, the materials that will be used, a time frame to do the job and the price.

It's always been like that here and very few people would ever pay for an estimate. It's all just part of the cost of doing business.

I wouldn't pay for an estimate. I wouldn't expect a potential customer to either.

I charge an inspection-setup fee. I guess it all depends on what you do in your inspections, I try to get as much info as possible, so the ladders come out and I take around an hour to do a full inspection. To do that for free would put me in the soup line quick. I will roll my inspection fee into the job most cases. If you are just going out to the house as a salesman then sure do it for free, but a complete inspection should never be free. In the end if you do a full inspection for free and do not get the job your next costumer will inevitably have to make up for it and that just is not fair in my book.

I charge a 25$ service call and a 50$ inspection fee that (dos not come off the trapping fees or the repair work) so I'm getting 75$ from every customer whether I get the job or not.I'm not going to go to someone house and tell them how to fix it and not get something for it. Even at these prices I still get I'll call you back. Up here in Norther Michigan there or too many that will do it for nothing. I have told people that if they have some one other then me do the work and call me back to fix it . It's going to cost them double.

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ahh...this whole thing sounds all to familiar...i am in the construction business, and have found that a "free inspection, or free estimate" really means a free consultation...they often times want you to come out and talk to them for 2 hours while they pick your brain...they want you to talk to them in detail about everything that needs done to fix a problem...if you are knowledgeable, you tend to inadvertently offer up alot of information....they then take that information and either do it themselves, or with a relative or drinking buddy, because everyone that had to pay for overhead and make a living was "way too much"....when something goes wrong they then call you for more free consultation...people should have no problem with inspection fees...i mean...if they have a job, they probably won't show up to work for 2 hours for nothing, even if they are sitting in their office not doing anything, they expect to be paid for it....and if 50 is out of line, you don't want that customer....ask them if they would drive to work, spend 2 hours there, buy their own supplies, burn their own gas, and tell their boss he didn't owe them anything for it.....nate is also EXACTLY right...the guys looking for the low bidder are always the ones that keep trying to get you to do more and more for free...they want to pay for one hour and sucker you in to 10...obviously if things get really tight you have to sacrifice, but if you have work...these guys are easy to recognize, and best to avoid....besides...if they won't spring for a $50 inspection fee...i bet you have trouble collecting a larger bill when you've cured their problem.

I have service call zones which depend on the location of the client. I give the client my service call price plus a per trap set-up price. Here, we have to make daily trap checks that are also charged at my service call rate, this is also explained to the client. I explain to them that this is a removal price only and that if repairs/ exclusions need to be performed I will give them a price when I see it. With that in mind, I usually will do a small repair/exclusion for free. If they don't like the price for removal....guess what.... I don't roll the truck. I don't need customers who don't want to pay for it. I don't need to do a FREE inspection, because when I get there, I've already got the job. Just my .02 and the way I do business.

I had another job call and told me never mind today because of this guy. I realy apreciate all the help guys, but I just can't compete with it.

Since it is quite common to deduct the expense of the service call provided you get the job, I guess it really depends on what percentage of the jobs you land.

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Thanks for the clarification Nate.

Pricing is really hard to get pinned down for a new guy like me. I try to keep my pricing very close to the other guys in my area as it helps no one to price down all the work in the area. That being said, some of the guys in my area have way more overhead than I do so I can and do negotiate a little on some things. I just can't seem to charge a single mother or seemingly poor retiree $125 for my inspection/setup fee. Will usually drop it to $75 or $100 depending on drive. There is one guy in my area doing a $75 fee across the board for setups and per activity pickups and my phone still rings.

I got a call a month ago from a Realtor who demanded a free inspection for a mouse job. She didn't go into too much detail, she simply said she wanted to find the best out there, and she needed an expert with mice. Lucky for me I do free inspections anyway. I sold the job for $15,000.00. Like I said before, you holyer than thow ADC guys who think your the best thing to happen to ADC since the cage trap can keep your measly inspection fees. I'm gonna go and count my paper!

$75 initial consultation/inspection here, goes towards total job if hired.

Several have decided to DIY after I told them what I was gonna do and how much it'd cost.

Some hire me just to catch the critters and they close the holes, etc.

It works for me in this area.

Critter Control told a woman this morning, with a squirrel in her wall, what it'd cost her to come from Raleigh and they told her what website to go to, where she found me. I go there in the morning before checking a skunk job I started a few days ago.

I only do single story bat jobs since I've fallen 16 ft and lived. I refer them to my younger competitors who give me a finder fee.

But then again...
did a Vulture prevention job yesterday, 30 mins away, for a single mom, for $25.

She has the tools and manpower and just didn't know it.

$15,000 for a mouse job???? i sure must be under bidding my work..

Your post says it all! Stop charging an inspection fee and get out there and compete. May the best company win!

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I didn't say may the "cheapest" company win. I sell jobs all the time when I'm not the cheapest. Don't forget who your talking to Nate we aren't your customers. You can get over yourself now. The problem I have with you is the way you would call a guy like me a "Yahoo". How do you know that just because a guy does free inspections that the work will be over priced or done poorly?

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You said "We have some yahoo charging $99" that sounds to me like you don't really know him at all and the reason he's a yahoo is because he only charges $99 you also said "last I heard he was begging for work" to me saying this stuff makes you sound like a tool, and causes me to not like you. Sure I know you don't need me to like you and your going to continue to say such things but I did want to clarify. To your point about me being one of the reasons as to why people lurk. I think you might just be confused, the main reason people lurk is because not everyone loves the sound of their own voice as much as you do.
Perhaps you can get away with charging as much as you do because you are the best in your area or maybe your the best at marketing your business and you get enough people willing to go with the first company to answer the phone. Like BlackDog said, if I were in your area you'd better hope they dont call me first. With a free inspection/estimate What do they have to loose? You said you compete with 8 other guys, try competing with 25+
I've been on this forum for as long as you and most of the time I agree with you and like your informative posts. Sometimes I don't.

Theres an old saying "If ya can't beat 'em...."

I never charge for a quotation call out, i simply arrange to go round and have a chat with them. Not once have i not got the job! If you're any good you should be able to sell your service. I never tell the customer any methods, I emphisise that I will sort the job without any problems. I have zero price structure really, i just make it up when im there often, sort of ad-lib my way through it. The killer crunch that makes them take the bait is "I've got some traps in the car, so i can get them in right now if you want" Works every time.IMO if you're charging for a call-out your going to loose business......

When I first started out I did free inspections to get my name out there. I rolled on every call that came in, but sold only about half. Now I charge an inspection fee and I see it as a "qualifier fee" if they balk on that then they are not serious about getting it done the right way in my book. Often the lowest price guy around here and the free inspection guys do a half way job at best and thats if they even show back up after taking the first check from the customer. I simply tell those that say "I will call you back" to "remember who I am and my phone number because when the guy you hire for the lowest price doesnt show back up youll need my info." and sometimes that line alone opens the door to more of why I charge what Icharge and has even sold the job at times.

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The free comes on the phone. I will spend as much time on the phone as that customer needs to decide what they want. If they are tire kicking on cost, I can give starting points and and highs. After 30 something years in the trade I know what is the norm in my areas and towns. so I can give ball parks but always leave it open and this can change when I see what they have. Also after a time in the business a person should be able to get the info from a customer on the phone to have a good idea what is going on at the site. My wife can talk to the customer and then tell me what she thinks the problem is and 90% of the time she is right. so the free time is on the phone. if they saw they have a coon I find out is the problem is coon or if in fact the coon was there for the squirrels, all this can be found out as a rough idea on the phone. So If I go to the job I am charging. The inspection is not a quote but a service. and the customer knows this before I go out. If the person wants to do it them self then they have the inspection to go off of. If they are going to use me as the work standards for other bids, then have at it. I got paid to do a job, which is give the customer facts to work from. My job at that point is to give a consultation not get a job. but with a paid inspection most of the time it leads into a job. so if I do 5 inspections that day and land no jobs I still survive. I have found that many that want the free inspection when I say well in a sense you are getting a free inspection if you hire me as I quote a price for the job that includes the inspection, if they are trying to get the lower price or play games they move on all it cost me was a phone call. then again I will tell them go get your free inspections then call me back if you need me. 80% of those people will call me back. they tell me I gave more information on the phone on general habits and behaviours than the free inspection gave.

when I go I get paid. if they do not want to pay me then I do not want to do work for them. when I first started doing this work I did free inspections. now the free is on the phone. but to each their own. I might add that customers tell me all the time the folks that charge to come out seem to know the business better,I do not know that to be true, But I believe it is we just have a confidence in what we know and can do and that stands out.

I guess it all depends on what works for the individual....Free call outs work for me, thats why i'm working 7 days a week and employing someone two days a week. Alot of it comes down to confidence in front of the customer and having a great telephone manner. If it ain't broke...

Okay, I guess I got confused on the original question. When I hear the word "inspection", I immediately think of bat calls. Since we deduct the price of the bat inspection from the total cost, inspection price is not all that important. As far as other animals and pests are concerned, I would not drive across the street without a service call. And we don't even start the job until the service call is paid. If you don't get the service call, the chances are real good that you won't get anything. And please don't tell me that you will take business away by not charging a service call; you will be out of business in a year. Gas here is 4 bucks a gallon and we use up a gallon every 10 to 12 miles. You do the math.

Hey Nick, sending you a PM about a bat inspection

I guess I better start doing free inspections then. I am thinking about moving away from Madison and getting closer to Milwaukee. It just makes good sence because of the people population.

Compete on service....then price is not an issue.

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Holy smokes how many mice do you remove for that kinda coin

that's how I see it . You should be able to give your trapping fees right over the phone , why would you drive out to there house then tell them , if it's a exclusion then yes you got to see it first , if your doing things right people should just call and say I got your number from so and so when can you come out and not even ask how much , if your worried about competing by how much your service call is or if its free ,you best stay were at and don't move in my area , company's come and go around here , I looked on yp.com today there's 63 company's with adds for animal removal In my area .im sure there planning on making the big bucks . And will jockey around the service call , it's not going to help . Just worry about getting what jobs you do get done right solve the problem ,

The mouse job was a full clean out of the attic insulation. Seal up from the inside out including the foundation and of course the Mice renoved. Over 3500 sq ft home.

Yep that's the way I look at it, but some guys don't want to do one without getting the other so to them the trapping and exclusion is all one price.

At least that's the impression I'm getting.

People are smart. If you roll the service call into an exclusion, they know that the exclusion quote will be that much higher. If they want you, then they will pay.

Hey Dave do you know anybody I can trust to send the attic clean outs to

Let me guess. How about Kugler?

Pesky & Paul - thanks. We are a squeaky clean operation. We do attic restorations, except summer. We have both the 18HP vac and the insulation blower (plus backup equipment).

Well get me some cards , people ask all the time if I know anybody ,but I'm not going to recommend anybody if I don't know they operate , not sure if you do coyote and beaver maybe you could send them to me if you don't , if you do know big deal I still need someone

Well, isn't this just great? Dave will be making money doing attic restorations and Pesky will be doing Dave's coyotes and beavers and I'll still be sitting here giving out tips for free.

Ok, Paul...I see your point about trapperman. When can I expect PJ to sign up? Lol

Pesky, I have already made commitments to others in these service areas. However, I will keep you in mind in case something changes as the season progresss. I do appreciate the idea of swapping jobs that are not in our area of expertise...

Ditto what Blackdog, RF Wildlife, Jonesie and Wink say. I especially like what Jonesie said: "If people do not want to pay me, I do not want to work for them."
This is business, people! You charge for your professional inspection/diagnosis/consultation and written bid! We ain't selling siding.
I am this area's only ACP and CWCP. I have seen and heard about the free inspections that the PCO's give for wildlife control. They are obviously not sending a qualified technician who is prepared to start the work right then. They are sending a salesman. Do you want a doctor to give you (qualified, objective) medical advice, or a salesman whose pay depends on him selling his services? I explain to my prospective customers that we charge for our inspections so that we can know we will be paid for our time and can do a complete and thorough job without being concerned that I'm losing $$$ for that time. I'd like to get the work, but my pay doesn't rely on me selling the job (and I'm a pretty good salesman). My fees are for professional consultations and services.
BTW, in the last 1.5 years, three WCO's have gone out of business in this area; two were nationwide companies. Coincidence or not?

On residential calls, I charge no inspection fee, because I have everything I need on hand in the truck and I start the job when I inspect. Commercial business calls I do a 75$ inspection, unless it's a huge job and I know I want it. Like a 250 acre gopher and mole job recently, I put a fair amount of meeting and site inspection time into getting the job for free, however it paid off. Also picked up another 65 acre commercial mole and gopher job this week. Charged no inspection on this either.

It sounds to me like fishmax2 is happy. That's kind of what we all are aiming for, ain't it?

Paul, are you retired?

I cant believe what I saw yesterday. Now the POLICE department is doing wildlife removal in the city of Madison. I saw the car with wildlife removal unit wrote on it. I realy gotta get out of this town!

You sure that wasnt Mike Flicks car ?

Yep, That was Flick..

Dave, if that means tired again, yeah, that's me. I have a couple of old customers that request me and one that I've been doing forever. If we get overly busy and are afraid that we might lose a customer if they don't get immediate attention, the boss will send me out. I'm the guy in charge of purchasing, vehicle service appointments, and fixing stuff that the other guys break. That last one is twelve hours a day right there.

Ron, the wildlife removal unit is for breaking up drug and underage drinking parties. There's a lot of that going around in Madison.

No, it was a black and white police car with wildlife removal all over it. and it had bat and raccoon removal on it too.

That would be Flicks car LOL

Boy, it sure would be fun to get Mike back on here but it's an election year. He'd probably get kicked off about the second post.

LOL your most likely right

http://batremovals.com/

Is this the car your talking about ? LOL

That's the one! I can't believe he can drive around in a police car to advertise like that.

You can always get this:) comes with a cool exclusion ladder.
Firetruck

Thats funny RF. But I think it should be against the law to use a police car for advertizing purposes.

Ron, is he the guy doing free inspections?

I think so. I also hear through the grapevine that he even gets rid of bats for people for free. How can he do that and still make a living? Is he a non profit organisation?

Ron, give him a call and ask him.

From what I hear, he is a pretty successful nwco. He has been on many of Rob Russell's podcasts. You might want to listen to the guy and maybe pick up some pointers about the business.

And what? Work for free? And if I do call him Paul, do you honestly think he will share his secrets with me when we are both in the same area?

Ron, it's not working for free.

The way the "free" inspection works is...

You don't charge for the estimate up front, you add it into the final price. Usually under labor.

Lets say you want to average $75 per estimate and you average a 50% sales rate. You add $150 in labor to each estimate.

The customer thinks they got a "free" estimate and you get paid for your work.

At least that's the way it works around here.

Yeah Ron, it wouldn't surprise me if Mike told you everything you want to know. He's not just in your area; he's in all our areas. If I remember correctly, he and my son had a chat a couple weeks ago.

I have talked to Mike Flick about this and what I got from the conversation is the following:

He will "REMOVE" the bats and raccoons for free as long as he gets the clean out. I am sure Robb can give more details into this but basically Mike would rather get the $8-10,000 for the clean up than fight the other guys for the $250 for removal.

It really isn't a bad concept except for the following two issues I see:

1. Not every attic needs a clean up.
2. Insurance won't cover every clean up.

Not sure what happens in those instances.

As mentioned above, I suggest you listen to the latest podcast on attic clean ups and he gives a decent explanation on how he now operates.

Correct. Mike covers almost the entire State if not the whole State.

It's a conspiracy !!

I heard Mike Flick say that he had an 80% success rate with his one-ways as opposed to trapping, and he makes good money. Good way to make $$$, lousy business model. If I had an 80% success rate, I'd close my doors and never show my face in public again.

We can not trap bats in Wisconsin. We need to use the doors, nets and stuff like that. Special permits are required to use bat traps. As for squirrels and coon, I dont know what he does. What gets me is his method of advertizing and getting jobs away from others.

If it bothers you that much why dont you as a tax payer go to the next city council meeting ???

I guess he doesn't realy work for the city. Do you think that would still help?

"What gets me is his method of advertizing and getting jobs away from others."

Unless it is illegal, nope will not help.

If you know what he is doing to take jobs from you the only way is do what he is doing. I usually tell costumers on bat jobs the inspection fee will be put towards the job if I am hired. If you are not hired you get paid for the time, if you are well the bat job more than covers a free inspection. If I had a cop car I would use it for ad space also, that's a smart move everyone will notice a cop car. Can not fault a guy for ingenuity.

I was being sarcastic, don't worry bout your competition make them worry bout you.

Ron, we could always use bat traps. When did they become illegal?

"yapping by nate" why did you delete all your posts? where will I get my daily entertainment from now?

A friend of mine told me about this thread dragging me around in the mud for some of the ways I do bussiness. First of all, I look at a potental job as a job application, and I shouldnt charge for them checking my application. And second of all, Anyone can buy a cop car, nobody is stopping you. Lots of stuff I do that works gets duplicated by other guys, and I dont take it personal.
What I do take personal is damage to my property, and my customers being grilled about hiring me over them.

A guy buys a perfectly LEGAL cop car sold to him by a city or county......has the ingenuity to use to advertise...and he is a crooked thief ?....or a bad business man??? Give me a break!!!!

Maybe I oughta go find the guy here now doing skunk removals for 50 bucks and driving a ford ranger. He MUST be a JERK of some sort!!! RIGHT?????????

I have talked to Mike many many times...he has always been straight up with me. Has helped me more times than I can ever repay. I know things about Mike and how he does business that would really make your eyes pop. He is that smart!!!!!

80% success? Great Work MIKE!!!!!!!!!

I see Mike's car as creative advertising as well as a crime deterrent for his neighborhood. If it generates calls then it has done it's job. Maybe he should call it the "Bat-Molebile". ;-)

Ron Daranger I would move out of Madison too if Mike Flick was in my service area !!! You can use that fire engine on some of the big buildings in Milwaukee and be just as cool as Mike !! Mike left Los Angeles and San Diego in 2005 and is still a major player in one of the toughest markets in our industry.



Mike Flick's business model is working !! He is making great money and in the end that is all that matters. I can say this too, I have rarely done free bat inspections nor probably ever will. My business model is different and works for me too! I don't want anything to do with being in a attic in Florida longer then I need too.

You can get a good idea of what he is doing on my latest attic restoration podcast .

On the evening of Jan 29, 2012 Mike Flick , Robb Russell and a few friends including Mike Hurley, David McLeod, Reginald Murray got together to discuss many aspects of attic restoration including the removal and replacement of attic insulation, R factors of insulation, various types of roll in and blown in insulation and how much to use. They discussed the equipment they use versus renting or buying it.

http://thewildlifepro.com/about/our-podcasts/help-with-attic-cleanups-and-insurance-companies/

I have known Mike Flick for nearly six years now . He has come a long way from being a iron worker, ex Marine with a broken arm and two traps in 2001 outside of the Marine base in San Diego California. Mike has a brilliant and creative mind and folks love to listen to his advice on somewhere close to 200 podcast. I attribute much of my own success due to his own mentorship of me even today! He is on a short list of folks I turn to that includes Ron Jones, David McLeod, Reginald Murray, and Anthony del Campo.

This is the first podcast where Mike Flick tells his early story of how he got into this industry back in 2001.

http://www.podfeed.net/episode/Evans+Flick+Jameson+Ravanelle/1158437

BTW that police car paid for itself on the first day he owned it and everyone remembers his car. Not bad from a marketing perspective.

AWWW Shucks, Im not all that great, whell maybe I am.....Yea, I am arent I. LOL!

lol i don't even know mr flick and this thread makes me roflmao

Bushytails better run for cover when the wildman comes around !!

I forgot to add Mike has a huge ego and fits right in with all the other huge egos here too!

That's the same picture of Mike that I saw hanging in the Post Office.

I am sure Mike Flick has been in a post office or two!

Hey Ron, I just wanted you to know that Mike Flick has every single city and town that we cover, listed as one of his towns and cities too. He also has most of the known world listed, so unless he's found a way to clone himself, ( thousands of Mike Flicks sounds really scary. Probably more so to Mrs. Flick than any of us ) I wouldn't worry about it.

I just spit 7 Up all over the screen...