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 Doug
Krusper is the owner of Krusper - Taylor Tree Service in Plum,
Pennsylvania. I was lucky enough to meet Doug when several of my trees
needed cut down after a severe February winter storm in 2010.
I hadn’t used a tree trimming service before, so I went online and looked
for a local service. Unfortunately, even the tree trimmers that received
good marks online were not answering or returning phone calls at that
time. Apparently, they were so overwhelmed with calls for help after the
storm they couldn’t keep up.
Two weeks later, one tree trimming services located close to Plum did
agree to come to the house and give an estimate. Only one showed up and
the price for cutting down 4 damaged trees was much more than I expected.
I looked in the Yellow Pages and tried Krusper - Taylor Tree Service. Doug
Krusper answered the phone on my first try! He was just as busy as
everyone else, but he did come out the next day and left me a very
reasonable estimate.
Doug and his team did a great job. The property looks so much better with
those overgrown trees gone and there is finally sunshine for the flowers
and lawn! As usual I started taking notes about what I learned from this
experience. Doug’s small business was really standing out and the way he
does business gave several examples of good business practices that other
entrepreneurs can learn from.
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Small Business
Lessons Learned From Doug Krusper - Taylor Tree Service |
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Be open
for business.
Krusper - Taylor Tree Service was the only tree trimming service
that answered the phone every time I called. Out of 5 services I
called in the areas around Plum only 1 returned the voice mail I
left and only Doug answered every time I called!
One may think that answering the phone shouldn’t be listed as a
strength, but in Doug Krusper’s line of work maybe it is! He
answered the phone every time I had a question, and he got the
business.
Communicate changes.
During my interaction with Krusper - Taylor Tree Service there were
a couple necessary changes regarding the schedule and the job. Have
you ever taken a day off from work and waited for a delivery or a
service to come to your home? There have been several times over the
years when I was stood up, without even a phone call, and left
fuming that I had wasted a vacation day, waiting for nothing.
When Doug called me 2 days before our appointment and asked to
switch days because of the potential bad weather coming I was happy
to agree. In fact, I was impressed that Doug realized the bad
weather would most likely make him miss our appointment and was
proactive in rescheduling before I had to miss an entire day of
work.
Provide quality workmanship
The trees that needed to come down were on steep hills, and I always
had a difficult time getting to them. Additionally, around the
largest tree there were many plants and flowers. I really thought
the tree trimmers would have to destroy a lot of vegetation to get
to those trees.
I was happy to discover that, in nearly all the areas around the
trees, the flowers and bushes were hardly touched. Without speaking
a word, their careful treatment of my property demonstrated they
were conscientious about professional looking results.
Following up with the customer
Here is where a small business can stand out from everyone else.
After all the work is completed and everyone has moved on with their
lives, follow up with the customer. Asking for feedback, or if there
are any problems, immediately after completing a job, puts customers
on the spot and they haven’t really had time to completely form an
opinion on your work.
Doug stopped by two days after the work was completed and asked my
opinion. By then I had time to walk around the job site, look at my
house from new vantage points without the trees blocking the view,
and even talk to a neighbor about the tree removal. I was able to
give Doug better feedback about his team’s work. That is the kind of
invaluable feedback that would allow a small business owner to fine
tune their service and build customer loyalty. |
Do you have a “skill
turned small business” success story? I would love to hear from you. Email your
story to
mike@bowmansmoneycollege.com and you may be featured in this weekly
column!
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 Owning
your own micro or small business is the best way to reduce your
taxes and generate additional income for yourself even if you are
still working for someone else. Do you have a skill or idea that
could be a business? Getting started and knowing how to keep the
business running are hurdles many people need help with. The
profiles provided in this section of BowmansMoneyCollege.com give
advice and lessons from small business owners, some of them still
employees of someone else, on the things they believe will make your
small business venture more successful. Read more small business
profiles
here.
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 Diamond
Construction, Plum, Pa It is Rich and Doug Hubner’s dogged
attention to the details, ensuring value and a quality job, that make
Diamond Construction sparkle today. However, as with so many small
business success stories, things weren’t always so good.
Read more Diamond Construction here!
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 Agilite
Technology Solutions, Beaver, Pa Anyone one of us who have gone through the hassle of a computer breakdown, loss of data, or
virus attack knows how difficult it can be to find someone that will solve
the problem honestly, inexpensively, and QUICKLY! That is exactly the need Harold Roach and Ron Garvey saw the opportunity to fill with their small
business, Agilite, located in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.
Read
more about Agilite Technology Solutions here!
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