This job in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, was prequalified using the Shin-Fu sales process. All photos courtesy of the author, unless otherwise noted.

What is the most valuable asset in your tree business?
Reliable equipment is important. Good people keep you sane. A strong website keeps leads coming in. But none of that matters if you keep wasting the one asset you can never replace: time. Benjamin Franklin said it best: “Lost time is never found again.” You can buy another truck, hire better people, get the best SEO package, but once time is gone, you will never get it back.

Mike White of Treemaster, LLC. Photo courtesy of Jillian Helmuth Photography

If you’re reading this article, you might be something like me – an owner-operator juggling fieldwork, running payroll, fixing the chipper at the least convenient time and dealing with that high-maintenance customer you wish you’d politely passed on. How you protect your time determines whether your business thrives or stalls. And the single-greatest time-killer in the tree business? Lost sales.

Herein lies the most frustrating part of tree work. How many times have you taken a call while in the tree, dropped everything, driven 45 minutes to the estimate, had a conversation with the customer that made it seem like you were best friends and hit send on that estimate, only to have him ghost you?

Then, like the diligent overworked salesman (or woman) that you are, you follow up the next day, then three days later, then a week later, and you find yourself waiting on Hope Island, a beautiful place full of big dreams, good intentions – and no money.

That was me for 15 years. I had a permanent reservation on Hope Island – and I’m guessing you might, too. But what if you could tell, before you even started the truck, whether a customer was serious? What if you could filter out the tire kickers, the price shoppers and the high-maintenance disasters before they hijacked your day?

Meet Shin-Fu
The Shin-Fu Sales Process is a five-step, trust-based phone -consultation method developed by Steve Shinholser. Before becoming a coach with Colorado-based The Contractor Fight, a business coaching and training organization for contractors, Shinholser grew frustrated with wasting time on leads that never turned into real work while missing time with his family. He famously spent $7,000 on 70 low-quality leads and used every one of them as practice to refine what became Shin-Fu – a name derived from his last name and the idea of a disciplined, intentional approach to sales. He’s basically a sales ninja.

Here’s how it works: A customer reaches out, your office gathers photos or video and you schedule a phone consultation to talk through the job. What’s so freeing about Shin-Fu is that it isn’t a slimy, car-salesman pitch designed to pressure. It’s a clear, trust-based conversation that helps both sides decide if you’re a good fit – before you burn an hour of your day on someone who just wants the cheapest guy with a chain saw.

There are five steps to the conversation. Let’s walk through them.

A good sales strategy doesn’t just close jobs, it creates stability for the people doing the work. Seen here is Treemaster, LLC’s crew in Corning, New York.

Step 1: The Motive – Why do they want the work done?
Here’s the biggest sales lesson many arborists miss: People buy for their reasons, not yours.

I used to think that flaunting my credentials was the way to set me apart from the competition. Here’s the reality; you might have multiple certified arborists, a robust safety program and even be TCIA accredited. But guess what? Most customers don’t understand and ultimately don’t care. In fact, when you start by talking about yourself, instead of sounding helpful, you sound arrogant.

The real key is understanding why the customer wants the work done. Instead of pontificating about how amazing your grapple saw is, your job is to shut up and listen. Why did they call you? Why now? What’s really driving this decision?

Whatever the motive, let them talk. Because the sale isn’t about you. It never was. And if the customer feels more heard by “Pickup Pete” or “Low-Price Larry,” even if you’ve got more credentials than Dr. Alex Shigo, you’re going to lose every time.

Behind every buying decision is either pain or pleasure. Maybe it’s fear. Their daughter’s bedroom window sits directly under a codominant limb. Every windstorm keeps them awake at night, imagining the worst. Maybe it’s frustration. They’re sick of raking black walnuts for the third fall in a row and watching their driveway turn into a demolition zone. Maybe it’s deeper. Trees hold memories. They represent shade, legacy or emotional attachment.

Last year, an elderly client called about a large cherry tree with decay. Most would have recommended removal. Through deeper conversation, he eventually shared that his wife – who had recently passed away – loved that tree. Because we uncovered his motive, we developed a preservation plan instead of a removal, and he hired us immediately.

Sometimes it’s difficult to get them to open up about the motive, but asking the right questions helps dramatically. Here are a few questions I almost always ask.

“How are you hoping we can help?”
“How long have you been thinking about this project? Why now?”
“What is it about this tree that concerns you?”
“What’s important to you about how this project is done?”
“What’s your experience been like with other tree services or contractors in the past?”
“What are you hoping we can do that’s different?”

The motive is the most important – and the most time-
consuming – part of Shin-Fu, and it’s invaluable. When customers feel heard, trust increases – and trusted arborists win jobs. Once I’ve listened to the customer, I summarize their motive back to them to confirm that I understand, and then I move to the next step: the money.

Precision in the trees starts with clarity on the phone. Seen here is Patrick Barnes of Treemaster, LLC.

Step 2: The Money – Are you in the same ballpark?
Before you rearrange your schedule and invest time to meet the customer, you need to know whether you and the client are financially aligned by giving them a bracketed price range.
This step might scare you. “Are you telling me that you’ll price a tree without even seeing it?” Yes! With decent pictures, you can absolutely price a tree, sight unseen. “But what if I totally mess up and underbid it?” Since when has seeing a tree in person stopped you from underbidding?

If you live in the Northeast, you’ve probably pruned and cabled hundreds of sugar maples. You know what it costs. Based on your experience, the conversation and their pictures, you should be able to give them an approximate price range. It’s not a final fixed proposal. You’re checking for alignment and whether you’re in the same universe pricewise.

How frustrating is it when you drive out to a “free” estimate to look at a $2,000 tree when the customer has already gotten a quote from “Craigslist Carl” for $400? And then you realize that the whole time, they were just looking for a comparison quote and never had any intention of hiring you. Establishing “the money” helps you to avoid being a fool every time.

Here’s how I do it.

First, I ask the customer, “Do you mind if I share with you what the investment would look like for us to save your maple tree?” When they give me permission, I respond, “Based on our conversation and other maple preservation jobs we’ve done, you’re looking at a range from $3,500 to $3,000.”
Then I shut up. Silence is powerful. You’re not defending your price – you’re observing their reaction. If the range feels unrealistic to them, then you’re not a good fit and you just saved yourself a trip to Hope Island. Many Shin-Fu conversations die right here and that’s OK! They were never going to hire you anyway.

Also, it might feel weird, but start with the higher number in the range. If the job needs to be adjusted, it’s far easier to work down by reducing scope than to work up after anchoring too low.

Step 3: The Truth – Set honest expectations
Once motive and money are established, it’s time for transparency. No matter how good the photos are, what if you show up on the property and you see a game changer? Surprises happen: unseen decay, an undisclosed obstacle or maybe the tree you thought you could reach with your bucket truck requires a crane.

The best approach is to discuss those possibilities before you arrive on site. Two simple questions define this step:

“If I see something that changes the scope, is it OK if I share that with you?”
“If you notice something I may have missed, will you share it with me?”

This invites transparency on both sides. It also guards your pricing by normalizing adjustments before a proposal ever changes.

Ultimately, you’re just being real. You’re developing a relationship based on honesty and avoiding the stereotype of contractors who don’t tell the truth until they hit them with a giant bill. Customers appreciate arborists who set honest expectations early rather than surprising them later.

Step 4: The Influencers – Who else has a say?
Have you ever had a sale get totally derailed when you realized you were talking to the wrong person the whole time? Many sales fall apart not because of price or trust, but because the wrong person was involved.

Spouses, landlords, business partners, boards, neighbors – any one of them can veto a decision. A simple question can save enormous frustration: “Besides you and me, who else is involved in this decision?”

You don’t want your proposal to be in a stack of bids that goes to the real decision-maker. If someone else has influence, you need to include them early in the process. When influencers are part of the process, sales move faster and with fewer surprises.

Mike White at TCI EXPO ’25 in St. Louis, right before his presentation on the Shin-Fu Sales Process.

Step 5: The BS Meter – Separate the buyers from the liars
The final step is the consultation fee. This isn’t charging for an estimate. It’s charging for a professional assessment, plan and expertise.

The beauty of it is that if you’ve walked through the first four steps well, the consultation fee is a formality.
And if they don’t want to pay it? If they aren’t willing to pay $150 for an arborist to assess their tree, would they be willing to pay a premium for you to implement that assessment? Hardly! You just saved yourself hours.

I’m very upfront with this. “Mrs. Brown, I appreciate you inviting me out to your property to help you with your tree. For me to come out and perform that assessment, it’s $150.” Then I shut up. Just like the money, I live in the silence. No justifying or defending. You’re the professional, so let them decide. Some contractors credit the fee to the job, others don’t. That’s up to you.

A modest consultation fee isn’t about making extra money. It not only helps separate the buyers from the liars, but it also reinforces your value as a professional – not just another name in a stack of free quotes.

Conclusion
Every day, each of us is handed 86,400 seconds. Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever. And too many arborists give those seconds away – driving to appointments that were never real opportunities to begin with. Shin-Fu isn’t about selling harder. It’s about selling smarter. It’s about protecting your time, your energy and your sanity by focusing on customers who value what you do.

Too many arborists are stranded on Hope Island – hoping the phone rings, hoping the estimate gets approved, hoping the customer wasn’t just shopping price. Hope Island is comfortable, but it’s broke. There’s no margin there. No momentum. No future. A prequalifying phone consultation process like Shin-Fu is your boat off the island. It helps you ask better questions, have more honest conversations and invest your time where it actually pays dividends.

Because, in the end, your most valuable asset isn’t your equipment, your crew or your marketing – it’s your time. And the arborists who learn to protect it are the ones who build profitable, sustainable businesses that still leave room for a life outside the trees.

Mike White is a working arborist who has been climbing and caring for trees for 20 years. He is the owner of Treemaster, LLC, a TCIA-
accredited company in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, and – after many years – no longer lives on Hope Island. This article is based on the author’s presentation on the same topic at TCI EXPO ’25 in St. Louis.