Use Your Shovel … At a Price

You might not like dealing with a buried lid, but you have to think about digging lids as a profit center … and a chance to sell additional services

How do you handle buried lids?

Question:

What is the general feeling about septic tank pumpers doing the digging for access to the customer’s lid/tank? I understand that in most cases there is already a riser, but there are obviously diehard homeowners out there who have not made the switch from an old buried lid. I would imagine that in most cases, it’s a simple matter of hand-digging a few feet that has been dug before. Do you bring the shovel, or is it better to tell the customer to dig it or have it dug beforehand?

Answers:

If your labor rate reflects the price of the pump truck sitting there idle while you dig, most folks will have it uncovered for you.

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Telling the customer to dig a hole for you isn’t going to fly. It has to be part of your service. No one says you can’t charge for it. In fact, charging to dig is the precise inducement a customer needs to allow you to install a riser so that the digging expense disappears for subsequent pumping trips. The riser eliminates a repeated expense. Isn’t a riser a smart purchase?

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For a good example, look to contractors in the drain-cleaning business. Do you think that all the money is in cleaning drains? There is no large drain cleaning company (that I know of) that just “cleans drains or unstops blockages.” The real money is in all of the additional services that spin off of that clogged drain — jetting, sewer repair, cleanout installations, video inspections, line locating. A slow or blocked drain is the reason why customers initiate a service call, but they typically buy more than just resolving the immediate problem. The clogged drain is generally only a symptom of an underlying problem. Plus, new technologies offer customers more service and maintenance options than ever. It takes a trained technician to see more than the obvious.

I believe it’s the same for pumping. Once you have to break ground, a series of additional services come to light — installing risers, offering aeration systems, cleanouts, pipe repair, pipe locating, jetting, bio products, scheduled maintenance programs, etc. Sound familiar?

With the cost of fuel rising and dumping charges, it would seem to me that those who “only pump” have more options than ever to engage in some significant business opportunities. Pumping is the reason they call. But it’s not where all the profits are. Pumpers, it’s your turn. There is a huge opportunity. It’s time to bring a store full of services to a customer’s home. By expanding your services, you dramatically reduce the percentage of hard-earned sales revenue that fritters away in fuel and dumping charges.

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It’s amazing how many folks will not let me install a riser. This isn’t a sticker shock issue, either. They tell me no before I give them a price. I guess they like to dig or pay me to dig.

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That’s going to happen. But, how many will request a riser if you never ask? People buy the benefits of having a riser. I’m sure you know that. Here’s why I would buy one: easy access, no more digging, easier maintenance, no more damage to landscaping.

Since you have a customer’s lid exposed, it’s the least expensive time to add the riser. They’re getting double the benefit for the digging expense.



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