booking jobs in!!!

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zombie

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I know this might sound stupid but how do you arrange booking you jobs in??? / arrange your diary etc.

Personaly I just book in on a first come first based way but dunno if im missing a tick/making life hard for myself.

For example im booked up for say 8wks solid and at point of quotes being accepted I give the customer a start date which ive always found peope want to know.

But then the phone rings with screamers that could be nice earners but I just turn them down or loose them as soon as I say 8wks etc which I totally understand if they want to crack on.

Im not talking rendering just re-skims/domestics etc.

Any tips?????:RpS_confused:
 
Book jobs in for during the week, usually say we'll give a firm date nearer the time if the current job is being held up etc. Little jobs we book in for a weekend if we haven't anything planned. We always tell customers that we're busy if they can wait. Some do - others try to get you take time off form jobs to fit them in (we won't). or we just tell them no.
 
Same as mate, I have a couple of subbies that work with me and try to book as much as possible. Sometimes you can move a few dates around, other times its impossible.
I book monday to friday with the option of a saturday if I feel like it. (I havent felt like it for the last 6 years ).
Sometimes you just have to let them go.
 
Keep doing what your doing and get your reputation for reliability as well as your good work.
I do the same as you and you may have to juggle things but very rarely do private jobs ever let me down. When someone asks your availability 8 weeks is normally too long to wait unless you've done work for them before.
 
we do not usually have work standing more then 2 weeks ahead. so that we can offer a service to any private customers. we never put ourselves out for building contractors.
 
I have flown by the seat of my pants for years now & the only rule I adhere to is never ignore their calls ... as that really narks 'em!
Apart from that there are no rules & certaintly no diary.
Saw a job for a bird on bank holiday monday and told her I would struggle to get there in Sept. OK says she & gives me a key saying "just do it as soon as possible".
2 days ago got a text asking me when I can do it?:-(

So phoned the plumber last night to confirm the bathroom I had booked in for today was ready?
"Nah mate, never got there" was his answer .... So 3 guesses who's got done today?

You just need to bull5shit your way in this game or you would work 28 days 1 month & 8 the next.
People will only wait 8 weeks for a plasterer if November is when they want the job done.
Talk to them, humour them & keep them informed and the weeks soon rattle by ... just never ignore them!

I remember dodging calls off a woman a couple of years ago, and when I eventually got back to her I could hear the old trowel going in the background.
 
I would highly recommend Outlook. It is a hell of a lot more than an Email programme, as an organiser and a tool for keeping you right its invaluable. Even better if you can keep track of it on the go.

That is all the proselyting for Micrrosoft I'll do promise (used to be my job lol) and because it is not anymore there are more ways than one to get ahold of it wink wink. Doesn't matter what I am doing I arrange things electronically via calendars with reminders and whatnot set otherwise I wouldn't remember to scratch my balls in a morning and on any given moment I can't find my arse with both hands and an atlas so I need all the help I can get.
 
I always say im booked up until so and so. As soon as you confirm I have the job ill give you a definite date
 
I usually have about 3 or 4 weeks at a time booked in the diary,I'll tell new customers how far im off getting in, if they're happy I put them on my list and then bell them the week before and let them know im booking it in, if a better or nicer job comes in or a repeat customer I put it to the top of the list and move the sh1t ones down, if they get fed up and start winging i just dont go and do them, If they phone and i dont like the sound of them i dont go, and if i get there and don't like them I don't do it either lol keep it simple.
 
malc said:
we do not usually have work standing more then 2 weeks ahead. so that we can offer a service to any private customers. we never put ourselves out for building contractors.
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malc,

how after all your yrs in the game can you only be booked up for a couple of wks at a time??? even when I first set up a good 15yrs ago even in December and January im booked up for longer then that and I live in probabley the poorest town in the north of England!!!

not being funny btw just curious???
 
zombie said:
But then the phone rings with screamers that could be nice earners but I just turn them down or loose them as soon as I say 8wks etc which I totally understand if they want to crack on.
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Jobs get booked when the customer confirms and agrees the price. Anyone ringing or emailing with a sob story or wanting it starting sooner gets my stock response. "A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine."
 
zombie said:
malc,

how after all your yrs in the game can you only be booked up for a couple of wks at a time??? even when I first set up a good 15yrs ago even in December and January im booked up for longer then that and I live in probabley the poorest town in the north of England!!!

not being funny btw just curious???
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we do not work for contractors, the 2 builders that we do work for both do grand design type of properties. the rest is all private. i know that we have jobs in the pipeline but they are not booked in. my clients want a fast turn, no need for them to wait weeks there are a lot of plasterers in my area there are 3 plasterers within a quarter of a mile from my home. if you travel 10 mile to colchester or ipswich you will find a couple of hundred plasterers.
 
malc said:
we do not work for contractors, the 2 builders that we do work for both do grand design type of properties. the rest is all private. i know that we have jobs in the pipeline but they are not booked in. my clients want a fast turn, no need for them to wait weeks there are a lot of plasterers in my area there are 3 plasterers within a quarter of a mile from my home. if you travel 10 mile to colchester or ipswich you will find a couple of hundred plasterers.
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I see malc.....to be fair though I think its the same in most places these days ref amount of plasterers etc....still would have thought people would be happy to wait a bit longer for someone of your experience etc...

personaly I prefer to just be a couple of wks at a time anymore and I start threating!!!!...there again any less than 2 wks and I start threating even more!!!!
 
zombie said:
I know this might sound stupid but how do you arrange booking you jobs in??? / arrange your diary etc.

Personaly I just book in on a first come first based way but dunno if im missing a tick/making life hard for myself.

For example im booked up for say 8wks solid and at point of quotes being accepted I give the customer a start date which ive always found peope want to know.

But then the phone rings with screamers that could be nice earners but I just turn them down or loose them as soon as I say 8wks etc which I totally understand if they want to crack on.

Im not talking rendering just re-skims/domestics etc.

Any tips?????:RpS_confused:
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If your booked for 8 weeks, 7days a weeks. Then take on the good little earners then tell the already booked people your behind and need to finish a job off, that way you'll push your 8 weeks to 9 10 11etc. If you asked people to wait 8 weeks you'll be losing work and not be to busy in 8 weeks time. If your only doing 5 days a weeks, you got sat and sun to work :RpS_biggrin:
 
JohnDoe said:
If your booked for 8 weeks, 7days a weeks. Then take on the good little earners then tell the already booked people your behind and need to finish a job off, that way you'll push your 8 weeks to 9 10 11etc. If you asked people to wait 8 weeks you'll be losing work and not be to busy in 8 weeks time. If your only doing 5 days a weeks, you got sat and sun to work :RpS_biggrin:
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Good advice that John..:RpS_thumbup:

ive sometimes done that in the past but I find it a bit like adomino effect having to call each customer up and theres always someone that starts chuntering and if you do it more than once I always find they get bit arsey etc etc

don't think il ever master this fookin game out...

I recon unless your 1 thick skinned moverfooka you just end up running yer sen into an early grave!!!:RpS_thumbdn:
 
zombie said:
Good advice that John..:RpS_thumbup:

ive sometimes done that in the past but I find it a bit like adomino effect having to call each customer up and theres always someone that starts chuntering and if you do it more than once I always find they get bit arsey etc etc

don't think il ever master this fookin game out...

I recon unless your 1 thick skinned moverfooka you just end up running yer sen into an early grave!!!:RpS_thumbdn:
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I agree about them moaning, but you gotta earn the money while you can, if your asking people to wait 8 weeks, you will probs losing a few good little earners that are maybe better earners than what you have booked in! .... I do it all the time, if someone is offering me 300 notes for a day I guarantee all work will be pushed back a day, and if your work booked is all recommended then they will wait.
 
zombie, why dont you pair up with another plasterer? if you keep your workload up to date your business will grow and you can share the pressure and try not to worry.
i do not worry about any thing, but one of my sons is a worry guts and he is hard work, if you took notice of him he would do your brain in.
 
malc said:
zombie, why dont you pair up with another plasterer? if you keep your workload up to date your business will grow and you can share the pressure and try not to worry.
i do not worry about any thing, but one of my sons is a worry guts and he is hard work, if you took notice of him he would do your brain in.
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Its a very good idea, I'd love to do it also, but I've still not come across anyone on my work to have the same pride as me in the work. It's all slap dash.
 
malc said:
zombie, why dont you pair up with another plasterer? if you keep your workload up to date your business will grow and you can share the pressure and try not to worry.
i do not worry about any thing, but one of my sons is a worry guts and he is hard work, if you took notice of him he would do your brain in.
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tbh malc...just like Johndoe has just said realy.....

had a lad on books for 3/4 yrs then when he packed in pulled another spread in on a casual basis but he got on my nerves in the end...all give and no take if you know what I mean!

although he was another self employed plasterer like myself in the end he was working with me 70% of the time for about 3yrs but always just on my jobs it was a non committal arrangement but what started to nark me was I must have put thousends of pounds worth of work his way which he was more than happy to lap up but never a sniff of him sharing any of his work if you know what I mean...

in the end I was running around pricing,arranging etc for 2 men and doing all the supplying for no additional financial benefit so I back healed him...

shame realy as I do miss the company/crack
 
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