The profession of shearing sheep is not readily understood by the average person, since it is not a profession they hear or think about every day. If you were in a bar in a country town in New Zealand and someone asked you what you did, to which you replied "I'm a shearer", the person asking the question would just nod and say, "right on". Actually, by the way you're slumped at the bar stool, your dress, and your ability to down beer, they probably wouldn't have inquired; it would've been obvious. But that's another story.
The point I'm making is that in the United States, shearing is a rare profession. As such, each shearer makes his/her own rules. The professionalism varies from shearer to shearer and is dependent on a variety of factors. Logically the better you are at the craft the more business you will have. Right? Well, i disagree to some extent. Competence is important. But what some shearers don't realize is that things like punctuality, communication skills, and general courteousness are sometimes equally as important and often overlooked.
Since I still have your attention (but it's fading) I'll focus on just one of these aspects of the shearing business. Communication. For two years my voicemail said that I would "return your call within 24 hours". I wanted customers to know that their phone call was important to me, and I was committing myself to calling back quickly. And since I committed to do it, I did. I was also saying at the same time, give me 24 hours to call you back. Don't call me 3 times a day and bug me. That gets irritating.
Communication is tough. Several times I've called someone right back only to find they've gone with someone else. It seems like new customers find as many shearers as they can, call them all, and the first one to call back gets the job. In the heart of shearing season when I'm working long days, it gets very hard to communicate. But I understand its importance. After all, I'm providing a service.
I guess my final thought on communication is that I do my best. I can be contacted by phone, text message, fb message, email, twitter...you get the point. But I'm sure not perfect. Sometimes I just don't have an answer. When I commit to something, I do it. So I'd rather give a vague, indefinite answer than commit and have to back out.
And lastly, to shearing customers, get in touch with me early. Don't call and say you need my next week. Probably not going to happen. I love serving people & I strive to provide the best service I can.
The point I'm making is that in the United States, shearing is a rare profession. As such, each shearer makes his/her own rules. The professionalism varies from shearer to shearer and is dependent on a variety of factors. Logically the better you are at the craft the more business you will have. Right? Well, i disagree to some extent. Competence is important. But what some shearers don't realize is that things like punctuality, communication skills, and general courteousness are sometimes equally as important and often overlooked.
Since I still have your attention (but it's fading) I'll focus on just one of these aspects of the shearing business. Communication. For two years my voicemail said that I would "return your call within 24 hours". I wanted customers to know that their phone call was important to me, and I was committing myself to calling back quickly. And since I committed to do it, I did. I was also saying at the same time, give me 24 hours to call you back. Don't call me 3 times a day and bug me. That gets irritating.
Communication is tough. Several times I've called someone right back only to find they've gone with someone else. It seems like new customers find as many shearers as they can, call them all, and the first one to call back gets the job. In the heart of shearing season when I'm working long days, it gets very hard to communicate. But I understand its importance. After all, I'm providing a service.
I guess my final thought on communication is that I do my best. I can be contacted by phone, text message, fb message, email, twitter...you get the point. But I'm sure not perfect. Sometimes I just don't have an answer. When I commit to something, I do it. So I'd rather give a vague, indefinite answer than commit and have to back out.
And lastly, to shearing customers, get in touch with me early. Don't call and say you need my next week. Probably not going to happen. I love serving people & I strive to provide the best service I can.
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