We are a farm not a feed store!!! Here is issue customer calls up and wants 1-3 bales. You drop what you are doing and deal with it not much money then customer talks for 2 hours about neighbors wind mill etc. Me is thinking about either going to a minimum like 20-25 bales or charging a lot more money for small orders!!! So what do you guys do??? Also could apply to any crops like pumpkins etc.
- Thread starter JOCCO
- Start date
Interesting conversation that you have posted.
My advice is alway's be prepared to let customer's know that you have your day planned. When selling what ever is your product, try not to get involved in lengthy talks as quite often that is all others have to do for the day and you are the loser. Selling small amounts should not hurt your business. I am retired from the fire service. when I took over as fire chief, people thought the fire station was a place to come and hang around , talk to firefighter's. That had to change and firefighters were content to get their assigned duties completed . cheers, Murray
My advice is alway's be prepared to let customer's know that you have your day planned. When selling what ever is your product, try not to get involved in lengthy talks as quite often that is all others have to do for the day and you are the loser. Selling small amounts should not hurt your business. I am retired from the fire service. when I took over as fire chief, people thought the fire station was a place to come and hang around , talk to firefighter's. That had to change and firefighters were content to get their assigned duties completed . cheers, Murray
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
some folx do like to be chatty ,, I am guilty,,. too ,I wont talk long with idio ts .got work to do , you wanna help ,, that usually gets rid of them ,, be careful to ask this to a lazy guy ,, ..,most folx visit give and take , and share healthy helpful information and all enjoy ,, ,,, I try to schedule the chatty folx at end of day , ,,, if they stay too long ,. I just flat tell them , I have got to go.. that's it period ..
Anonymous-0
Well-known Member
Used to have the same problem at my machine shop. 25 dollar job, and would spend half a day "entertaining" the person. I finally stopped doing small jobs.
DaninKansas
Member
I have my 12 year old load the bales and collect the money. They guy buying can hear about football practice and how hard math is.
Happen even if you don't have anything to sell. While home for lunch yesterday I was taking hay out to the horses. A guy drives in and sets in his truck, I dumped the first hay and was after more when he got out and walked up to me. Said, is that G for sale? I said no! He said, well a lot of people set stuff out by the road for sale and don't put a sign on it so I decided to stop. I said, there is no sign and it aint out by the road. Then he started to tell about his truck driving and his driving thru this area. I started the tractor up and drove away.
Rude? I don't think so. Rude was telling me that my tractor out by the barn over a hundred yards from the road looked like it was for sale. Stopping in and assuming the people where you stop has the spare time that you do is rude.
Rude? I don't think so. Rude was telling me that my tractor out by the barn over a hundred yards from the road looked like it was for sale. Stopping in and assuming the people where you stop has the spare time that you do is rude.
Ken Macfarlane
Well-known Member
Same problem, try to arrange the bales to be left out and ask them to leave money at the door.
Dave H (MI)
Well-known Member
What is wrong with you that you do not know the ins and outs of social interaction? Reason I ask is that it is getting so we don't know how to communicate with our neighbors, customers, friends...even family. Unless of course there is a keyboard involved.
Social interaction of the sort you mention is extremely important for the benefit of both parties. It is important to us that we "like" the folks we give our money to. It is important to your business, no matter what it is, that you cultivate your customers socially. Big customers are harder to come by than small customers. Small customers can be fast easy money when you need it. One thing I learned back in 2008 when many of my large customers folded up and left town. The little guys paid my bills for me and still do.
Keep your work area off limits to customers. Have POLITE catch phrases to let them know you are done talking. Expect to spend a little time socializing...it is healthy. Have some bales on a wagon up front. "Well I better get back at it, never caught up you know! Sure was good to see you. There some bales on that wagon over there just take what you need." Start walking away in the middle of it. Make sure you got paid.
Customers are not your enemy nor are they your friends, never look at it that way. Just be polite and conduct business.
HTH, Dave....30+ years in businesss dealing with the public.
Social interaction of the sort you mention is extremely important for the benefit of both parties. It is important to us that we "like" the folks we give our money to. It is important to your business, no matter what it is, that you cultivate your customers socially. Big customers are harder to come by than small customers. Small customers can be fast easy money when you need it. One thing I learned back in 2008 when many of my large customers folded up and left town. The little guys paid my bills for me and still do.
Keep your work area off limits to customers. Have POLITE catch phrases to let them know you are done talking. Expect to spend a little time socializing...it is healthy. Have some bales on a wagon up front. "Well I better get back at it, never caught up you know! Sure was good to see you. There some bales on that wagon over there just take what you need." Start walking away in the middle of it. Make sure you got paid.
Customers are not your enemy nor are they your friends, never look at it that way. Just be polite and conduct business.
HTH, Dave....30+ years in businesss dealing with the public.
I agree with Dave H. I have been part of a family business for most of my life.. born in it basically.. I also have my own hay business.. Smoozing is a HUGE part of having customers.. Take the time, shows you actually might give a hoot in having them come back.. The bridge you burn today might be the bridge you need to cross somewhere down the road..
It's always tuff to be dealing with the public. You hate to be rude too because 1-3 bales today he could come back next week and buy a whole wagon load ! You don't want to be an a hole either. The idea of politely letting them know you have to keep going to meet your schedule is a good one.
Brokenwrench
Member
I think it is just a lot easier to waste time shooting the breeze with someone who just wrote a much bigger check for a full load of hay.
I dont think there is anything wrong with politely telling them "Thanks, I would love to keep chatting but I got a lot to get done." I know some people totally miss out on social cues, but usually they will respect that and move along.
Once in awhile I have a customer who comes into my shop, usually out of boredom or curiosity and wants to camp out for the day. If they dont catch any of the hints that they are in the way, I stop what I am doing and explain to them that our shop runs on a routine and we have a lot to get done. Throwing someone else in the mix really slows us down and mistakes can happen. I will be happy to show you whatever you want to see and answer any questions you have, but then we really need to get back to our day. That always seems to work. BW
I dont think there is anything wrong with politely telling them "Thanks, I would love to keep chatting but I got a lot to get done." I know some people totally miss out on social cues, but usually they will respect that and move along.
Once in awhile I have a customer who comes into my shop, usually out of boredom or curiosity and wants to camp out for the day. If they dont catch any of the hints that they are in the way, I stop what I am doing and explain to them that our shop runs on a routine and we have a lot to get done. Throwing someone else in the mix really slows us down and mistakes can happen. I will be happy to show you whatever you want to see and answer any questions you have, but then we really need to get back to our day. That always seems to work. BW
ditchwitch
Well-known Member
Thats good advice Dave , customers are hard to come by some time, big or small you have to be thankfull that they are stopping. But i think the Poster must have enjoyed the conversation a little bit with his customer also to be talking for 2 hours LOL. Always have a got to go plan
J.Wondergem
Well-known Member
- Location
- Rockford, Mi.
For a while I kept hay in my MIL's barn, five miles away. Every time someone called for hay I had to drive down there. Had a call that wanted third cutting, went down there and asked if he had a truck coming, said no, I only want one bale for the rabbits. I went right out and bought a round baler.
Dave H (MI)
Well-known Member
Oh yeah! We totally missed the post from the customer. You know, the one where he is telling his wife how he needs to find another source for hay. Darn guy listened my mouth off!
Ah,a problem that plagues some of us for sure. I had a guy show up here at 10:30 in the morning one time and started talking. At one point I realized I was getting hungry. Finally somebody he knew saw him here and stopped. They started talking to each other so I told them I had to go. You can think I'm joking,but I'm not in the least. I came in the house and it was 4:30.
I've got a neighbor who you just can't get a word in edgeways with too. There was a consignment sale one day. I had dropped some stuff off the day before and wanted to get there to see it sell. He stopped while I was finishing chores. He talked for an hour and a half before I could even interrupt him to tell him that I needed to get to that auction.
I've got a neighbor who you just can't get a word in edgeways with too. There was a consignment sale one day. I had dropped some stuff off the day before and wanted to get there to see it sell. He stopped while I was finishing chores. He talked for an hour and a half before I could even interrupt him to tell him that I needed to get to that auction.
Ppeople that take up your time like that have probably been interrupted so many times,they"re used to it, and will not get offended... just always happens to them like that, some reason.
My boss used to get some old timers retired guys, good old boys, but never had anything to do, so they"d just decide to stop by.
I"d give them 10 - 12 mintues, then step into the office, sorry to interript, but don"t forget your meeting in the conference room in 3 minutes.....
MAN was he thankful.
My boss used to get some old timers retired guys, good old boys, but never had anything to do, so they"d just decide to stop by.
I"d give them 10 - 12 mintues, then step into the office, sorry to interript, but don"t forget your meeting in the conference room in 3 minutes.....
MAN was he thankful.
DAVISFARMS
Member
I keep a tractor close and will ease over and check oil and always tell them that we got hay to bale 3 bales would be $6 to 7 depending on how nice they are on the phone
redforlife
Well-known Member
I ussually don't price the bales untill I have an idea of how many they want. They ask if I have some. I answere with how many you need. They say 1 or 2, I shoot em a high price. They say they want a trailor load, I shoot em a normal price. That will weed out alot of those I only want 1 or 2 guys, but not all of them. I am a gabber myself so will ussually visit for awhile. Thats just good buisness to do some PR work. If they overcome their stay I tell em I remembered something that I have to go do.
flying belgian
Well-known Member
"We are a farm not a feed store!!!" Ah, that's where you are wrong. If you're selling hay to the public you are a feed store, like it or not.
notjustair
Well-known Member
I make a point to be doing something with a tractor in the barnyard. Drive over to the shed with the bales and leave it running. Works every time.
I can still schmooze in a shorter amount of time.
I can still schmooze in a shorter amount of time.
put a toll gate up on your driveway. Charge admission to the farm, same way they do at parking garages. more hours they stay, the more it costs to leave. Only validate parking for large loads.
I'm going to install bleachers and a concession stand on the farm. Remember, I'm only 25 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, PA. The worst ones are not the city folks, but the retired farmers, or those that grew up on a farm. They are the ones that want to stand around and relive memories.
I won't make them do work. Instead, I will charge admission and gouge them on concession stand food prices. I guess I need a promoters license.
I'm going to install bleachers and a concession stand on the farm. Remember, I'm only 25 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh, PA. The worst ones are not the city folks, but the retired farmers, or those that grew up on a farm. They are the ones that want to stand around and relive memories.
I won't make them do work. Instead, I will charge admission and gouge them on concession stand food prices. I guess I need a promoters license.
Brown Swiss
Well-known Member
I just be honest, Load the bales and if I need something done I just say sorry to not chat much but if I don't get my stuff done it won't get done, thanks and have a great day! No harm in that.
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