Make a lasting impression with a detailed, interactive tree care estimate

March 4, 2022 |  Alec Sabatini

A keystone moment in tree care is sharing an estimate with a new potential client. It’s the small window of time you have to demonstrate how your company’s value and expertise are better than the competition and worth the cost.

However, most clients don’t have the technical knowledge to judge the true quality of the tree work being proposed. Instead, they have to make a decision based on what they can understand, which usually comes down to three Ps:

professionalism, perceived quality, and price.

This is where the right tree care software creates a major advantage. It streamlines the estimation process and leads to higher quality proposals that make an impression. That’s exactly what we designed TreePlotter™ JOBS to do. As opposed to the many form-based software options, JOBS is based on maps. Think Google Maps, with easily accessible information connected to a certain location. Tree care is full of spatial information, so organizing things based on location helps you work better and it looks better to your clients. The end result is more bids won. Here’s how:

Professionalism

From the moment you arrive on-site, potential clients will start assessing the caliber of your company. Prompt arrival, clean uniforms, and clear safety protocols are all contributing factors. So is a quick turnaround time from site assessment to proposal delivery.

With TreePlotter JOBS your estimators can efficiently walk a property with a tablet or smartphone, plot tree locations with a single tap on the map, and add useful information such as species, DBH, condition, notes, and pictures along the way. They also add work tasks for each tree, and with the built in pricing catalog, all of your rates are at hand.

Once all the trees and work tasks have been collected, it’s one more click to create an estimate which can be shown to the customer on-site or shared via a link in an email. This streamlined process helps your company become synonymous with consistent communication, and the information you’ve provided is basically a service all by itself. In fact, some of our clients do charge this as a service.

Perceived Quality

On the estimate, the client can switch between line item and interactive map views. This interactive map is like a virtual tree tour. The client can click each tree, see attached notes and photos, and know exactly where it’s located on their property. All of this helps them picture your proposed plans and actually see the reasoning behind it, which gives you a much better chance of winning the bid.

Clients can approve the tree care estimate with a single click or go through and mark specific tasks they want to approve. Property managers often have more work than they can handle so when you can offer a comprehensive but clear proposal showcasing just how their needs will be met, it makes their job easier, and they look like a rock star to their clients. This builds valuable rapport and trust toward securing present and future work.

Price

The final challenge before winning a sale with a new client is justifying the cost. The goal is to make sure the potential client knows you have their best interest in mind and they actually understand your recommendations and the associated costs. With a high-quality proposal, full of maps and information, that challenge becomes so much easier.

It also means your bid does not have to be the lowest offer to win. Clear expert recommendations and high-quality proposals command higher prices. That’s been Alfred Burt’s experience, an ISA Certified Arborist and TreePlotter user in Oxnard, California:

“We have received approvals because we made the effort to go about and collect data and make an initial investment in time, research, and communication with the property managers. They see that yes, it’s a little bit more, but we are getting so much value and a plan for the future.”

 

-Alfred Burt, ISA Certified Arborist, TreePlotter User, Oxnard, California

Additionally, TreePlotter JOBS can reduce your operational costs. By reviewing the proposed work visually you can better identify potential work zone conflicts. You can save valuable production time when you better understand access points for your crew and chipper, high traffic areas, or parked car conflicts. Also, at only $95 a month, JOBS will not weigh heavy on your overhead.

Three Circles of a Sale

We also like the way Curtis Fosnaugh, CEO of Signature Tree Service in California and a TreePlotter user, puts it. 

Why Should They Pick You?

The key to winning more business is to stand out from the competition with high quality tree care estimates. TreePlotter JOBS makes it easy to demonstrate just how much better you can manage the customer’s properties vs the rest.

Check out our TreePlotter JOBS page to learn more or explore the software yourself with a free two-week trial. You can also download our guide, 4 Steps To Enhancing Your Tree Care Workflow With Software to see how JOBS improves other aspects of your business.