Do you get any bizarre or weird response when you ask for a high fee?
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@Chix wrote:
@BirdyC - I might be wrong, but I think that most schedulers are IC's and not employees of the company.
Yes, I think many, or most, are. But I believe this particular company's schedulers are employees. And I think that many schedulers who have not also been shoppers don't understand just how much time a shop might take. Schedulers who have come from shopper ranks do "get it," though. Thankfully.
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
When they throw nickles around like they were manhole covers you do not have to beg, just move on. You are an independent contractor and can work for hero citations.
I have asked and been accepted for got some really nice shops. I just lay out why I ask and if they agree great. I've had some just decline saying they were not on a position to pay what I asked.
Although I don't agree with the way the response was written, Im curious why you asked in the first place. The shop pay was stated. You either accept it or move on to other opportunities. There was no statement or request by the scheduler about making an offer.
@thunderdeacon wrote:
I have no issue asking for large amounts of money. I ask for what the shop is worth to me and what the market will bear. I live in a rural area without many shoppers. There are many shops in very out of the way places that are often left open until right up against the deadline. I ask for large bonuses, and am almost universally asked if I can do them for any less than that. There is often a lot of back and forth.
If they can find someone to do it for less, good for them! That is their job. But if they can't, they finally come crawling back to me. It is their job to get the evaluation completed with the lowest pay-out, and it is my job to maximize my pay/work ratio. They can say whatever they want....I will not waiver. Good negotiators learn to be personable and build rapport, but when it comes down to getting a certain price, emotion and empathy towards the scheduler must cease. You can be polite and professional at all times without wavering on your price. Schedulers are trained (or learn over time) how to pull at your emotions and get you to accept a lower price. "Can you help me out?" "I really need to get this shop done"... this is just the beginning, and we all know that it can get much worse than this. Do not fall for it!
candidate for comment-of-the-year. "can you help me out", etc. comments are met by (at least by me), :"sure, i can as long as you can help me out, too".
If I always waited for them to say "make me an offer" I would work a lot less.
@rhondash wrote:
The shop pay was stated. You either accept it or move on to other opportunities. There was no statement or request by the scheduler about making an offer.
Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
I 2nd this comment of the year. If they'll scratch my wallet, I'll "scratch their back."
I had a company call and ask what my price was for a shop. I said 40 for everything. It was the big box store shop for 12 dollars plus the 1 dollar reimbursement. The scheduler put me on hold and came back and said the best they could do was 30 plus the shop fees. So I confirmed with her that she meant 30 plus 12 plus 1 and she said yes. Haha. I said I would do it. 
The first time I asked for a bonus was also the best. I received the phone call asking how much I needed to do a distant shop. I had never been called before and never even heard of bonuses. The shop was about an hour away so I decided to get brazen and ask for $50. The scheduler agreed to it right away and said he would give me $75. He added that he had three 'company X' shops left for the year for the whole country and he needed to get them done by month-end. If not the MSC would lose a nation-wide contract for not fulfilling the terms of their contract. He told me he had just agreed to pay a shopper in another region $300 to do one of the other two shops.
It was a good lesson on how much some shops are worth to the MSCs.
It was a good lesson on how much some shops are worth to the MSCs.
@rhondash wrote:
Although I don't agree with the way the response was written, Im curious why you asked in the first place. The shop pay was stated. You either accept it or move on to other opportunities. There was no statement or request by the scheduler about making an offer.
You ask if the shop has been on the board and no one is taking. It could be you might be the schedulers salvation if you suggest the scheduler is throwing nickles around like they were manhole covers. All they can say is NO! or just ignore you.
If the shop is remote the experienced shoppers probably sharpened their pencils and figured it was too far away, but it might fit right into the route you are doing. . (Don't tell the Scheduler that you are doing a route). but offer like "It is a little far It will cost gas and time, For $50 (or whatever you (calculate time and gas and fee,)can you pay $$$$ for me to help you?
I ask all the time! I don't wait until they come to me. I've gone to neighboring States to do a bunch no one will do. They pay enough so I can get a cheap hotel and then I go swimming or SUP'ing in the nearest creek, lake, river, hole or ocean.
ETA I have gotten in-credulousness, stupification, disgust, mostly laughs and no answer at all.
(In answer to bizarre or weird responses)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2016 02:49AM by spicy1.
ETA I have gotten in-credulousness, stupification, disgust, mostly laughs and no answer at all.
(In answer to bizarre or weird responses)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2016 02:49AM by spicy1.
@LisaSTL wrote:
If I always waited for them to say "make me an offer" I would work a lot less.
Piled Hip deep)@rhondash wrote:
The shop pay was stated. You either accept it or move on to other opportunities. There was no statement or request by the scheduler about making an offer.[/quote
]
You will never get rich but you will taken advantage of if you do not ask for a bump in the compensation. Just do not mention the other shops in the route. AFTER you sharpen your pencil and figured out the gas, time and requirements of the job performing and reporting, offer your fee for doing the job. It could be that you will be the scheduler's salvation. It could be it will fit nicely in a route you are doing and can do it for dollars less but the scheduler does not know other schedulers are contributing to the gas and time it will take you. .If you are paid by several schedulers it makes up for all those shops you worked for peanuts and less than minimum age.
I agree with the comments above supporting asking for a bonus. I'll only really ask for a bonus if a shop has been on the board for a while and, therefore, I suspect that the scheduler is struggling to get rid of it. (After all, if it just went up at a set price, why would they negotiate?). If it's a shop what works well for me, timing wise, but isn't compensated the right amount for me, I'll send in an offer.
I believe that this actually helps the scheduler. Sure s/he could reject my offer. However, I have no idea how much pressure there is to get the job done. It could be that the scheduler just don't know what it's going to take the get somebody to take the job and simply needs an offer. If it's a shop in a more remote area, I can be clear that I have one opportunity to take it and am happy to do so, but need the bonus. If the scheduler must get the shop assigned, s/he now has a way to get it done.
I believe that this actually helps the scheduler. Sure s/he could reject my offer. However, I have no idea how much pressure there is to get the job done. It could be that the scheduler just don't know what it's going to take the get somebody to take the job and simply needs an offer. If it's a shop in a more remote area, I can be clear that I have one opportunity to take it and am happy to do so, but need the bonus. If the scheduler must get the shop assigned, s/he now has a way to get it done.
Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.
So what your are saying about asking for more money is like going to a car dealer and they tell you the price. Do you pay it?????? I don't think so or maybe You would. Are the lights on or off?
I got one of those " can you help out...." emails asking if I'd do a shop for 30...i countered with 125...came back with 60...i countered with splitting the difference for 90. They agreed. Took a bunch of emails back and forth but i just explained why i ask what i ask and just keep it professional. Just been doing this a month today actually and I've had takers. I work full time and i got hooked on the side. If they don't accept well i just relax and enjoy my day off. I'm going to eat and drive regardless, why not get an MSC to pay for it.
In all the thousands of shops I have done, I have never proactively asked for a higher fee than what was listed on the shops available board or email. If the fee was below the minimum I felt it was worth, I always ignored the shop (or deleted the email) and moved on to the next shop.
It is a completely different story if a scheduler or company contacts me directly and asks me to do a shop for a particular fee or asks me why I do not apply for the shop. Having been asked, I state my fair price offer of how much I am willing to do the job for. Having been asked why I do not apply for a shop, I state the reason that it does not pay enough for the work required (or whatever other reason there may be for me putting the shop on my 10' pole list).
It is a completely different story if a scheduler or company contacts me directly and asks me to do a shop for a particular fee or asks me why I do not apply for the shop. Having been asked, I state my fair price offer of how much I am willing to do the job for. Having been asked why I do not apply for a shop, I state the reason that it does not pay enough for the work required (or whatever other reason there may be for me putting the shop on my 10' pole list).
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