What to say when you don't know?

[Green Acres]

I have been doing lawn care for about 3 years now. Although I have learned ALOT from this site, magazines, and just listing to people there are still something I don’t know. I always try to look and act professional but when someone ask me something I don’t know the answer to I feel un-professional. So my question is what do you say to a customer when you don’t know the answer? Also what if they ask for a service you don’t offer yet what do you say then? Any tips or suggestions would be great. Thanks.

[Eric ELM]

If someone asked me a question I didn't know the answer to, I would say this. "I'm not certain about that, but I know someone that does know, let me find out for sure first and I will get back to you on this."

If someone asked for a service I don't offer, I would say "I don't offer this service yet, but if more of my customers are interested in this, I will consider starting this service."

If you are not interested in this service, refer them to someone that does this service.

[Chopper Lover]

If there is something you don't know tell your customer the truth and that you will find out for them and get back to them. Give them a time frame in which you will have them an answer. Then, most importantly, make sure you follow up. By doing so will reinforce to the customer two things. First, you are honest, second, your are dependable.

The same thing applies to services you don't provide. Tell them you don't provide service "xyx" and explain why if appropriate. Then ask if they would like you to find someone that can provide that particular service and if they want you to get estimate (for which you can take a cut if you choose) or if you can supply them with someone to contact directly.

These things build trust with your clients. Trust goes a long way.

Mark

[Runner]

"I can't tell yo right off hand at this time, but let me look into it, and I'll get right back with you. I can also, perhaps give us some other options at this time, as well."

[Five Star Lawn Care LLC]

Just say "it wasnt Me"....but no i agree with eric on this one

[KindGardener]

I like what Y'all are saying aboug "getting back to them"... THEN GET BACK TO THEM! The only complaints about bad follow-up I hear more often than ones about maint operators are about landscape contractors.

[awm]

You know im not totally sure on that one.
Give me a couple day asI know a lot of others
in this buisiness.ONE OF THEM IS SURE TO HAVE
THE ANSWER TO OUR PROBLEM.
Dont make a biggy of it cause no one ever
knows it all.The fun be over then.

[thelawnguy]

Whatever you do, dont try to BS the customer cuz they *will* find out and that will look even more unprofessional by far.

[bobbygedd]

boy, does this ring a bell. i have always been able to b.s. myself out of trouble when a customer asks me something i dont know, and have not had a problem because of it. at this point i feel i can answer almost any question they have, but at first i couldnt. i hate to disagree with u guys, but to me if i call a "profesional" to give me an estimate, and he says he dont know, im thinking hes not a profesional after all. example: i go to joes garage, and say, u guys fix cars here? they say sure we do. i say, well, my front end by the tire is giving me trouble, i think it may be a ball joint, what do u think, joe says well, we dont know too much about that, but, i will call a friend and ask if he will help me repair your car. i dont think id want joe fixin my car. it just seems very unproffesional to me. if u expect to be paid the same as the "profesionals" then be one, know your business inside and out. i know im gonna get it for this one. BOB

[JimLewis]

I must agree a little with Bob. I don't think it's a good idea to display your ignorance to a potential customer. So sometimes you have to, should I say, think fast.

But I will also agree with the others that honesty is best. If you are totally B.S. ing people, they can often tell. If you are not confident in your answer, even if you are right, people often think you are just making stuff up. So when you get asked a tough question it's important to answer in a professional way and answer with confidence. But alas, you can't lie. So you have to kind of think fast.

First off, I think it's important to know your work. I can honestly say I can identify almost any turf problem in our area almost immediately. That comes from taking classes, asking the local pro shops, and from experience. If you notice you have a weakness in a certain area, you had better make time to start learning it.

Secondly, I think it's important to know your limits. And I think it's totally professional to let clients know that you have limits to your knowledge. For instance, a lady asked me the other day what a certain tree was. I didn't know. Plus it didn't have any leaves on it, so that made it more difficult. So my answer was simply this, "Hm. You know, it has the structure of a maple but I can tell it's not a maple. And without the leaves it's harder to tell. But to be honest, I am not as good at identifying large deciduous trees as I am at the smaller trees and shrubs." I was also naming almost every other plant in her landscape by name as we walked through (e.g. "Would you like us to prune the Pieris over there? How about the Hinoki Cypress?") So it was obvious I was not ignorant, I just didn't know that particular tree. And it didn't really matter. She was just curious.

On that same topic, I think it's totally acceptable to admit you don't know about a certain topic. For instance if you get asked what kind of double check valve they have in their irrigation system I think it's okay to say something like, "You know, irrigation systems are not my expertise. Ask me any turf question, pruning question, etc. and I can probably answer it. But I haven't spent much time yet with irrigation systems. I do know a guy though...."

Finally, I think you can B.S. with people and still be honest. For me, this usually occurs with plant identification. Because I pretty much know the answers to everything else. But there are so many dang plants out there I still get stumped sometimes. So when someone says, "What kind of bush is that?" and I don't know. I will at least try to guess at the family a little, from what I know. For instance, "Well, I don't remember the name of that specific one. But I am sure it's in the Cypress family. I can tell by the lacy leaf structure. If it's important I can take a sample to the nursery when I am down there tomorrow and they'll know." At least that answer doesn't make me sound ignorant.

Same thing with turf problems. Someone has a dead spot in their turf and you can't tell why? Well, first, you need to get some more training as I said above. But for now, this answer is a non-B.S. answer that works, "You know, it's difficult to tell why that area died. Insects can sometimes cause an area to die like that. So can disease. Or it could be simply dog urine. Do you have a female dog? (guys, you'd be surprised how often I nail that one). Well, either way, the best thing to do is for me to take a small core sample down to the extension agent and ask them. They are the real experts at identifying tough problems like this." That answer is 100% honest and still makes you sound like you know what you're talking about. It's about the next best thing to actually knowing the correct answer.

Still, I am with Bob. You can't just say, "Hmm. I dunno. Let me ask someone else." That just sounds too unprofessional.

[bobbygedd]

YESSS!! someone actually agreed with me. no really, i agree 100%. an example: customer:hey bob, i have this brown spot in the lawn, do u think i need a fungicide? what kind of fungis is that? bob: well mrs. smith, it appears to be a fungus, with this hot humid weather we been having, fungus has been a big problem, there r hundreds of strains of fungus, most are not harmful, just cause discloration for a few days, then disapear by themselves, much like a virus in a person, runs its course and goes away. what i will do is keep a close eye on it, summer patch will spread and kill a large area, i will watch it and treat accordingly. i think it will be fine though. or, customer who is a s*** head: mr. smith, what we have here is called summer patch, what it does is spread, and kill a large area, it wont stop until treated with a fungicide specially made for this particular disease, ill take care of it for you, and just add it to your invioce, ok? the fact is i dont know a whole lot about every fungus there is, i can recognize the common ones, dollar spot, red thread, summerpatch, etc. but, i almost never say, i dont know. hope this helps. oh, there was this one time when i first started, that this customer had a lovely property with alot of maint work to be done, she asked alot of simple questions, and a couple of my answeres were, im not sure, ill find out for u, etc. result was, well bob, u r obviously not very experienced, i am very particular about my property, and am in need of a proffesional, good luck to u bob.

[Edited by Davis TLC on 02-17-2001 at 11:57 PM]

[thelawnguy]

...and that afternoon the customer witnesses the neighbors dog peeing on the lawn, and the next day there is an identical brown spot where the dog went.

Customer now thinks, LYING SCRUB LAWN GEEK! and you will soon be looking for a new customer. Unless your caliber of customer is as low as your ethics.

. "i say, well, my front end by the tire is giving me trouble, i think it may be a ball joint, what do u think,"

so the garage, not wanting to seem ignorant, says yeah sure its the ball joint then you spend $$$ for a new ball joint drive away and the same problem is there. Now what?

There are many ways to say "I dont know" without actually saying that, or lying. The plant ID example someone posted is the right way to skirt the dont know issue.

Its one way that separates the pro from the scrub.

[HOMER]

I think I'm smart enough to get out of trouble and smart enough to not get into trouble, if that makes sense. I try to learn as much as I can but I'm no jene-yus(see)! The best response is "I can't say for sure but let me do some research and I will call you tomorrow/tonight or whenever". I worked in an emergency room for 32 hrs once while taking my EMT Basic course, I can't tell you how many times that qualified Dr. went to his PDR to find out what he was unsure about. If I was on the receiving end of his care I would have wanted him to do just that, not guess. If you go in acting like a know it all and Joe customer asks you a simple question your going to look silly, and it will be funny to Joe too! Know your limits and and try to learn something every day so the questions will get easier.

[GroundKprs]

If anyone in the green industry knows all the answers, and charges less than $5000/hr, he's lying. Everything that I know, I learned at some time in the past, and everything I'm gonna know, I'll learn at some time in the future. Much of what I know and do in this business was learned in response to a client request or question, or something out of order on a jobsite that I wished to solve. So listen to the client, tell him you'll try, and learn where to go for the right answers. The world has enough people who will give an answer, any possible answer, to a question, just to seem knowledgable - and a lot of people are tired of that kind of service.

[Randy Scott]

It is definately a fine line when put into this situation and I think each case has it's own way of handling it. Everyone has their own ideas and what they think will work. I'm new to this industry and can honestly tell you that every night I come home I'm reading something to try and educate myself the best I can and the quickest. I just know that somewhere at sometime I won't have an answer, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it and hope I handle it well. :)

[Davis TLC]

If a customer asks me a question I don't know the answer to, I tell them that I will find out some more information on the subject and get back to them on it. Don't try to BS your way through it. This is not good for your business or your reputation. Admit that you don't know the answer, but you will find out for them.

I agree with Eric on the additional services question. I don't offer it now but if more of my customers are interested in it I will be glad to add it. If not offer to find some one in the business who you know and offer this service to them.

[bobbygedd]

ok, ok, dont be rude. point being, know your trade and u wont have to say i dont know. if u dont have most of the answeres, then maybe u should not be getting top dollar for your work. in any other "trade" thats how it works, the guy with the least amount of knowledge/expeirience, gets paid less than the journeyman, and as u put in your time and gain experience, your pay and value go up. scrub is a silly ass word i think, some people think that anyone who cuts grass for a living is a scrub. part of being in this business is customer relations, are we 100% honest when dealing with customers? ok, if u r, then the next time "mrs. smith has a complaint that is not necesarry, be honest with her, tell her what your thinking. ex:mrs. smith, u fat complaining bad breath miserable lady,stop calling here complaining for no reason. I DONT THINK SO!