In all my years of being in business I had something new come up yesterday. Potential client number 1 has talked with potential client number 2. They have tracts just over one block apart on Main Street. Both need to be surveyed. The caller says they have talked it over and would be willing to split the cost of doing both at the same time as it would surely be cheaper that way.
It was difficult to contain my laughter, but, I think I did a pretty good job of it. Although they are so close together they are in entirely different subdivisions in two different PLSS sections with a significant bend at the section corner. The caller's tract will be fairly easy. The other one will be much more difficult. I finally convinced him that it just wouldn't work out that way and that he would actually spend more if he split the bill evenly.
A bit of history in this case. I have worked for potential client number 2 on several previous jobs including the site he now wants surveyed. His father had contacted me about three years ago to help them determine if another property owner was encroaching on that tract, which they DID NOT own, but were hoping to be able to use. I had investigated the job at the time and assured him the neighbor was not encroaching.
Client number 2 runs a funeral home business. I'm going to call him to see if I can get a discount someday if I die the same day as someone else. That way he could surely do two funerals for the price of one.
Aw hell, most Holiness, you know as well as anyone that’s just human nature. We all know it’s cheaper to buy a 12 pack than 2 six packs. 😉
With respect to a "funeral" I thought your most Holiness was just pushed into a hole dug by a front end loader somewhere out in the "pasture". :-O
Have a grat week! B-)
Most Reverend Bovine
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> Client number 2 runs a funeral home business. I'm going to call him to see if I can get a discount someday if I die the same day as someone else. That way he could surely do two funerals for the price of one.
That's one of the funniest things I have read in a long time!
Thanks for the humor.
Nate
There are times where it makes sense, but only when the synergy is present. I absolutely have no problem with two adjoining (or separated by one or two tracts) come in together. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I make sure that all parties win in this senario and that we are all working together.
Once I explain the standard charge is present whether I crank my truck or not, then people begin to get a better feel for the savings they are getting on the service.
Case and point is that a partition done today for ALL parties, when you look at the cost per tract, is cheaper than if I were to survey it next week having never been there and look at the tract in a vacuum.
I like to use country logic when explaining this and it seems to work well.
However, there are times when the synergy isn't present and someone is gonna get the shaft. In that case, since both are inquiring, I let each know what the cost of their individual tract is and if they want to split that, knowing that one is more expensive than the other, then I still got two tracts to survey and I'm getting all my money so what do I care how they want to spend their money.
I would prepare three proposals, one for each tract and then one if they were done together.
I can't help but feel that there would be some savings in field time over all, but it would certainly clarify to the one client who would pay more, exactly why and how much.
Several years ago
We had a builder request corner staking of every other lot in a subdivision (lots 1,3,5 etc.). That way he got every lot staked for half the cost. Of course when we saw what he was asking the per lot cost went up.
Andy
If you have the mindset that the larger package is always cheaper per unit, you'd better take your calculator the next time you go to the grocery store. I find lots of exceptions.
My favorite example for decades was two little cans of tuna weighed more than one big can, but the two cans were cheaper. They've re-done all the package sizes in the last few years, so I'm not sure if that still works, but there are lots of other examples.
If you can do them both on the same trip, you have saved that much time.
10%, that would be no sales tax and maybe a tank of gas here.