"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:


"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in
message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:

Oddly enough... absolutely no interest from anyone anywhere so far.

Quite predictable IMO.


Hmm,
But why?

Because you don't call the shots on what happens to your clients after
you leave. Once you depart, any competent, equally-skilled-as-yourself
competitors can step in and hoover up your client list for the price of
an ad in the local paper/ GC's, no need to negotiate your conditions.
The bad ones will sink, the best one will soon have your clients banging
on his door begging him to accept their money. Sorry :-)

Janet

Just a (longish)note about that last bit, albeit a purely accademic point.
The lady who gave me her client list many years ago was what you might call
sinking. Yet, she was by no means what you might call one of the "bad ones".

She was both qualified and quite competent, but the apparent bad management
of her biggest and main contract seemed to contradict this.

I do know, because she told me, that no matter what she wanted to do, the
clients objected. She expected me to have the same problem with them and she
chalked it down to their conservatism. But I didn't. I seemed to enjoy a
different position in their confidence right from the start and
circumstantial evidence suggests that the reason I did not run into the same
difficulty is because I'm not a woman. A sort of What would she know, she's
just a girl?

Failure in such situations should not be equated with merit IMO.

I've even had one peculiar experience of advising a would be client that
their proposals to fix a problem were unlikely to work and expalined why
they wouldn't work. I then sketched out an alternative that would work,
(mostly because the plants would actually survive) and in spite of the fact
that I was suggesting an alternative that I could not take on myself.
Whereas his idea, I could. Not only would it work, it had several more
advantages. His response was something on the lines of What would you know,
you're just a gardener!



As for the good ones getting my clients banging on his door begging him to
accept their money. I've seen quite a lot of bad ones with such good
fortune. And their luck should also not be equated with merit (-:



Patrick

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in
message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:

Oddly enough... absolutely no interest from anyone anywhere so far.

Quite predictable IMO.


Hmm,
But why?
Gardeners in the area concerned have too much work?

Which area? I didn't see one mentioned. (But I could have missed it.)

london and mostly around the N6 & n2 area (highgate, hampstead garden
suburb)


Those with viable and well-appreciated businesses are not going to
abandon them for a pig in a poke.

I don't quite get what your saying there. If your referring to my customers
then that's exactly what they want to avoid. If they are gardeners who can
absorb some more work, or need to re-fresh their client list, then most of
my customers are very much worth considering. Very much (-:



You are demanding the sort of reassurances that anyone could apply
without uprooting and transplanting.

They seem quite normal to me too.


questions questions questions

Answer, answers, answers.

Look locally (wherever that is) and solicit recommendations rather than
applications.

Ah! Yes, been doing that. No luck either. There are those who I would regard
as trust worthy, which is the only real priority, but their not interested.
Mostly because they have too much work and are already getting between 25
and 40 % more. Albeit that their buisness in terms of horticultural know how
and investment in equipment could be compared with a wing on a prayer with a
mower and a blower attached.
nevertheless, I'm dissappointed they're not interested. My customers would
be lucky to have them even if it did cost a bit more and there isn't quite
the same back up of tools to meet all manner of jobs.
I'm not looking forward to telling a few elderly customers about my
departure. It would make things so much easier if I could say, I'm leaving,
but here's tom,/john/ mary, you wont know the difference.
Popping in here is a bit like clutching at straws, but that's where I'm at
with this.
Thanks all the same for your thoughts.

patrick

"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:


"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in
message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:

Oddly enough... absolutely no interest from anyone anywhere so far.

Quite predictable IMO.


Hmm,
But why?

Because you don't call the shots on what happens to your clients after
you leave. Once you depart, any competent, equally-skilled-as-yourself
competitors can step in and hoover up your client list for the price of
an ad in the local paper/ GC's, no need to negotiate your conditions.
The bad ones will sink, the best one will soon have your clients banging
on his door begging him to accept their money. Sorry :-)

Janet

Just a (longish)note about that last bit, albeit a purely accademic point.
The lady who gave me her client list many years ago was what you might call
sinking. Yet, she was by no means what you might call one of the "bad ones".

She was both qualified and quite competent, but the apparent bad management
of her biggest and main contract seemed to contradict this.

I do know, because she told me, that no matter what she wanted to do, the
clients objected. She expected me to have the same problem with them and she
chalked it down to their conservatism. But I didn't. I seemed to enjoy a
different position in their confidence right from the start and
circumstantial evidence suggests that the reason I did not run into the same
difficulty is because I'm not a woman. A sort of What would she know, she's
just a girl?

Failure in such situations should not be equated with merit IMO.

I've even had one peculiar experience of advising a would be client that
their proposals to fix a problem were unlikely to work and expalined why
they wouldn't work. I then sketched out an alternative that would work,
(mostly because the plants would actually survive) and in spite of the fact
that I was suggesting an alternative that I could not take on myself.
Whereas his idea, I could. Not only would it work, it had several more
advantages. His response was something on the lines of What would you know,
you're just a gardener!



As for the good ones getting my clients banging on his door begging him to
accept their money. I've seen quite a lot of bad ones with such good
fortune. And their luck should also not be equated with merit (-:



Patrick

"tuin man" wrote


I'm not looking forward to telling a few elderly customers about my
departure. It would make things so much easier if I could say, I'm leaving,
but here's tom,/john/ mary, you wont know the difference.
Popping in here is a bit like clutching at straws, but that's where I'm at
with this.
Thanks all the same for your thoughts.

patrick

Ho Patrick,
I can't help you with your original problem as I don't live in the UK.....

But I'd like to ask where to ore off to and whether you will be gardening there
??

Jenny (Rotterdam, Holland)

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in
message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:

Oddly enough... absolutely no interest from anyone anywhere so far.

Quite predictable IMO.


Hmm,
But why?
Gardeners in the area concerned have too much work?

Which area? I didn't see one mentioned. (But I could have missed it.)

london and mostly around the N6 & n2 area (highgate, hampstead garden
suburb)


Those with viable and well-appreciated businesses are not going to
abandon them for a pig in a poke.

I don't quite get what your saying there. If your referring to my customers
then that's exactly what they want to avoid. If they are gardeners who can
absorb some more work, or need to re-fresh their client list, then most of
my customers are very much worth considering. Very much (-:



You are demanding the sort of reassurances that anyone could apply
without uprooting and transplanting.

They seem quite normal to me too.


questions questions questions

Answer, answers, answers.

Look locally (wherever that is) and solicit recommendations rather than
applications.

Ah! Yes, been doing that. No luck either. There are those who I would regard
as trust worthy, which is the only real priority, but their not interested.
Mostly because they have too much work and are already getting between 25
and 40 % more. Albeit that their buisness in terms of horticultural know how
and investment in equipment could be compared with a wing on a prayer with a
mower and a blower attached.
nevertheless, I'm dissappointed they're not interested. My customers would
be lucky to have them even if it did cost a bit more and there isn't quite
the same back up of tools to meet all manner of jobs.
I'm not looking forward to telling a few elderly customers about my
departure. It would make things so much easier if I could say, I'm leaving,
but here's tom,/john/ mary, you wont know the difference.
Popping in here is a bit like clutching at straws, but that's where I'm at
with this.
Thanks all the same for your thoughts.

patrick

"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:


"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in
message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:

Oddly enough... absolutely no interest from anyone anywhere so far.

Quite predictable IMO.


Hmm,
But why?

Because you don't call the shots on what happens to your clients after
you leave. Once you depart, any competent, equally-skilled-as-yourself
competitors can step in and hoover up your client list for the price of
an ad in the local paper/ GC's, no need to negotiate your conditions.
The bad ones will sink, the best one will soon have your clients banging
on his door begging him to accept their money. Sorry :-)

Janet

Just a (longish)note about that last bit, albeit a purely accademic point.
The lady who gave me her client list many years ago was what you might call
sinking. Yet, she was by no means what you might call one of the "bad ones".

She was both qualified and quite competent, but the apparent bad management
of her biggest and main contract seemed to contradict this.

I do know, because she told me, that no matter what she wanted to do, the
clients objected. She expected me to have the same problem with them and she
chalked it down to their conservatism. But I didn't. I seemed to enjoy a
different position in their confidence right from the start and
circumstantial evidence suggests that the reason I did not run into the same
difficulty is because I'm not a woman. A sort of What would she know, she's
just a girl?

Failure in such situations should not be equated with merit IMO.

I've even had one peculiar experience of advising a would be client that
their proposals to fix a problem were unlikely to work and expalined why
they wouldn't work. I then sketched out an alternative that would work,
(mostly because the plants would actually survive) and in spite of the fact
that I was suggesting an alternative that I could not take on myself.
Whereas his idea, I could. Not only would it work, it had several more
advantages. His response was something on the lines of What would you know,
you're just a gardener!



As for the good ones getting my clients banging on his door begging him to
accept their money. I've seen quite a lot of bad ones with such good
fortune. And their luck should also not be equated with merit (-:



Patrick

"tuin man" wrote


I'm not looking forward to telling a few elderly customers about my
departure. It would make things so much easier if I could say, I'm leaving,
but here's tom,/john/ mary, you wont know the difference.
Popping in here is a bit like clutching at straws, but that's where I'm at
with this.
Thanks all the same for your thoughts.

patrick

Ho Patrick,
I can't help you with your original problem as I don't live in the UK.....

But I'd like to ask where to ore off to and whether you will be gardening there
??

Jenny (Rotterdam, Holland)

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:

"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in
message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:

Oddly enough... absolutely no interest from anyone anywhere so far.

Quite predictable IMO.


Hmm,
But why?
Gardeners in the area concerned have too much work?

Which area? I didn't see one mentioned. (But I could have missed it.)

london and mostly around the N6 & n2 area (highgate, hampstead garden
suburb)


Those with viable and well-appreciated businesses are not going to
abandon them for a pig in a poke.

I don't quite get what your saying there. If your referring to my customers
then that's exactly what they want to avoid. If they are gardeners who can
absorb some more work, or need to re-fresh their client list, then most of
my customers are very much worth considering. Very much (-:



You are demanding the sort of reassurances that anyone could apply
without uprooting and transplanting.

They seem quite normal to me too.


questions questions questions

Answer, answers, answers.

Look locally (wherever that is) and solicit recommendations rather than
applications.

Ah! Yes, been doing that. No luck either. There are those who I would regard
as trust worthy, which is the only real priority, but their not interested.
Mostly because they have too much work and are already getting between 25
and 40 % more. Albeit that their buisness in terms of horticultural know how
and investment in equipment could be compared with a wing on a prayer with a
mower and a blower attached.
nevertheless, I'm dissappointed they're not interested. My customers would
be lucky to have them even if it did cost a bit more and there isn't quite
the same back up of tools to meet all manner of jobs.
I'm not looking forward to telling a few elderly customers about my
departure. It would make things so much easier if I could say, I'm leaving,
but here's tom,/john/ mary, you wont know the difference.
Popping in here is a bit like clutching at straws, but that's where I'm at
with this.
Thanks all the same for your thoughts.

patrick

"Janet Baraclough.." wrote in message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:


"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in
message
...
The message
from "tuin man" contains these
words:

Oddly enough... absolutely no interest from anyone anywhere so far.

Quite predictable IMO.


Hmm,
But why?

Because you don't call the shots on what happens to your clients after
you leave. Once you depart, any competent, equally-skilled-as-yourself
competitors can step in and hoover up your client list for the price of
an ad in the local paper/ GC's, no need to negotiate your conditions.
The bad ones will sink, the best one will soon have your clients banging
on his door begging him to accept their money. Sorry :-)

Janet

Just a (longish)note about that last bit, albeit a purely accademic point.
The lady who gave me her client list many years ago was what you might call
sinking. Yet, she was by no means what you might call one of the "bad ones".

She was both qualified and quite competent, but the apparent bad management
of her biggest and main contract seemed to contradict this.

I do know, because she told me, that no matter what she wanted to do, the
clients objected. She expected me to have the same problem with them and she
chalked it down to their conservatism. But I didn't. I seemed to enjoy a
different position in their confidence right from the start and
circumstantial evidence suggests that the reason I did not run into the same
difficulty is because I'm not a woman. A sort of What would she know, she's
just a girl?

Failure in such situations should not be equated with merit IMO.

I've even had one peculiar experience of advising a would be client that
their proposals to fix a problem were unlikely to work and expalined why
they wouldn't work. I then sketched out an alternative that would work,
(mostly because the plants would actually survive) and in spite of the fact
that I was suggesting an alternative that I could not take on myself.
Whereas his idea, I could. Not only would it work, it had several more
advantages. His response was something on the lines of What would you know,
you're just a gardener!



As for the good ones getting my clients banging on his door begging him to
accept their money. I've seen quite a lot of bad ones with such good
fortune. And their luck should also not be equated with merit (-:



Patrick

"tuin man" wrote


I'm not looking forward to telling a few elderly customers about my
departure. It would make things so much easier if I could say, I'm leaving,
but here's tom,/john/ mary, you wont know the difference.
Popping in here is a bit like clutching at straws, but that's where I'm at
with this.
Thanks all the same for your thoughts.

patrick

Ho Patrick,
I can't help you with your original problem as I don't live in the UK.....

But I'd like to ask where to ore off to and whether you will be gardening there
??

Jenny (Rotterdam, Holland)

The message
from "tuin man" contains these words:

/snip/

I'm not looking forward to telling a few elderly customers about my
departure. It would make things so much easier if I could say, I'm leaving,
but here's tom,/john/ mary, you wont know the difference.
Popping in here is a bit like clutching at straws, but that's where I'm at
with this.
Thanks all the same for your thoughts.

I wish you luck. I might have been in the market thirty years ago...

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"tuin man" wrote


I'm not looking forward to telling a few elderly customers about my
departure. It would make things so much easier if I could say, I'm leaving,
but here's tom,/john/ mary, you wont know the difference.
Popping in here is a bit like clutching at straws, but that's where I'm at
with this.
Thanks all the same for your thoughts.

patrick

Ho Patrick,
I can't help you with your original problem as I don't live in the UK.....

But I'd like to ask where to ore off to and whether you will be gardening there
??

Jenny (Rotterdam, Holland)

The message
from "tuin man" contains these words:

/snip/

I'm not looking forward to telling a few elderly customers about my
departure. It would make things so much easier if I could say, I'm leaving,
but here's tom,/john/ mary, you wont know the difference.
Popping in here is a bit like clutching at straws, but that's where I'm at
with this.
Thanks all the same for your thoughts.

I wish you luck. I might have been in the market thirty years ago...

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"JennyC" wrote in message
...

"tuin man" wrote

Ho Patrick,
I can't help you with your original problem as I don't live in the UK.....

But I'd like to ask where to ore off to and whether you will be gardening
there
??

Jenny (Rotterdam, Holland)

Hallo Jenny,

1) Flanders, Listening to "Donna, de fun, de hits" as I type

2) Possibly (hopefully)

Patrick

"tuin man" wrote


I'm not looking forward to telling a few elderly customers about my
departure. It would make things so much easier if I could say, I'm leaving,
but here's tom,/john/ mary, you wont know the difference.
Popping in here is a bit like clutching at straws, but that's where I'm at
with this.
Thanks all the same for your thoughts.

patrick

Ho Patrick,
I can't help you with your original problem as I don't live in the UK.....

But I'd like to ask where to ore off to and whether you will be gardening there
??

Jenny (Rotterdam, Holland)