-Thursday 28 March 2014-
As we all know 'Money Talks'. Ask someone for a favour and most people shun it, they feel put out, have other things they sooner be doing, can't be bothered, etc. Dangle a few quid under their noses and their eyes light up and their ears grow longer than a donkeys. After all, were only human and this is how we have been programmed. There are a few where this is not the case and will do anything for anybody for no gain but for the pleasure it gives them. For the masses though money talks and can open their doors.My nephew has been metal detecting quite a few years now and God only knows how many letters he has sent out to farms asking for permission to detect their land. All came to nothing. OK, I know the best approach to obtaining permissions is to go up to the farmer's door and knock, but like me, he is very uncomfortable with this. Bless him, he did try it once and the door was slammed in his face which put him off it altogether. Would have done so to me too.
Now one day he had an idea as to offer a detecting fee of £10, that's how desperate he was to get a permission. Why £10 and not £5 I don't know, but £10 is a bigger carrot to dangle. Lo' and behold, a couple of replies came in and he had his first permissions. I go with him myself on these £10 farms as I have very limited sites of my own and it makes a nice change. Yes, I also pay £10 as well, so the farmer gets £20 in his pocket. Farmer loves it when we go more than once a month
It is a bummer after paying the £10 and all I find is a grotty coin or a button but it's the anticipation of what might come up. That's the greatest buzz of this hobby. I justify paying this money by thinking about other hobbies where one pays, like golf, fishing, shooting, etc.Also some detectorists pay to go to club digs and rallies, so this is a bit like that really.
I can hear some of you thinking NOOOOOOOOO.....that will open the gates to other farmers to charge a fee and before you know it we'll all have to pay. It may make your blood boil but its our way to be able to go detecting somewhere. After all, most detectorists see the farmer all right at Christmas with some booze and maybe chocs for his missus, we see the farmer all right on a visit by visit basis during the year. Lol,, sometimes it works the other way as last Christmas we both received a couple jars of pickled beetroot off a farmer.
Anyway, I am interested to hear if any of you would pay to detect or you have the same problem about door knocking yourselves. Before anyone says it, I know I should just grow a pair and get out there door knocking.... but can't see that happening as its like a kind of phobia,,,, is there such a thing as door knocking phobia?,,,if not, I've just invented DKP.
Excellent post, I have DKP to and have thought about paying for a permission but £10 is probably a bit steep. I pay £10 for our club digs which is enough. Have you thought about maybe £50 for the year or something?
ReplyDeleteI like you need more permissions and really need to get over my farmer fear, you should have seen me the other day plucking up the courage to call a lead I had been given . They were out damnit!
Good question. I've never paid to detect (only been at it a year) and I've never knocked on doors. All the permissions I have have been done initially via either email or letter and I have a success with those of about 1 in 10. I think I have about 170 acres available, crops permitting and I'm discussing a new 300 acre permission which may or may not come to anything. I also know one of my owners has talked his neighbour into letting me on his property which is probably a further 50 acres although I've not done anything about this yet as I have little enough time for the land I've got.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the forums it sounds as though I've been rather fortunate with getting permission this way, but I like to think you make your own luck. I pick farms to write to and then I do a preliminary amount of research and tailor my letter/email specifically to that owner and anything I've found out that may point to interesting finds on their property. It seems to work.
I don't think if I had no permissions at all that I'd pay. I'd go to the beach to feed my need until I'd cracked a permission or two. as you say above, if you start a precedent of paying then all land owners will want this and that's not something I want to see. If I couldn't get to the beach? Well, I might have to think about it.
NO NO NO don't do it it will come back and bite you.Go and knock on some doors i very seldom get a no.I do give the land owner a drink or offer to do the odd job for them good luck bud.
ReplyDeleteThree assorted replies there with some good tips. Its interesting to see how others go about getting their permissions.
DeleteDetectorbloke, I like the idea of £50 a year. Mookydoo, I liked how you present your emails, Chris, Offering to do the odd job for the farmer sounds good, sort of sounds like that would take the sting off asking.
Now if I was driving along a country lane and I spotted a farmer having a snack in a gateway, I would have no issues in pulling over and having a chat with him. Or if I was in a pub and found out a farmer was in, I would approach for a chat. One small permission I have which is only one small field and used for car boot sales in the summer months. I got this one as I was at the car boot sale last summer and in passing I asked a steward directing traffic who owns the field. He said the bloke's name and if I wanted a word with him he's over there. I had no fear in going up to him and ask, and I got a yes. So really its not a social phobia I've got, Its just this door knocking thing, I shudder when I think about it.
Oh well, as suggested above, I still have plenty of beaches around me to keep me going.
Would I pay to detect? I've never thought about it to be honest. But I dare say I would if I was desperate for somewhere to go inland. Especially if I thought it might be a promising site. I think mookydoo above is doing particularly well with permissions and I like his style, but I also think that he's an exception. Unfortunately, I'd say most detectorists are generally frustrated by the lack of places to detect inland.
ReplyDeleteThe other day, me and my mate (work-mate and detecting-mate) were discussing the idea of offering to do work for a farmer in exchange for a permission. We're roofers you see, and we could offer to carry out repairs/maintenance for free or more substantial work at a reduced cost.
So I suppose that doing work for a permission is much the same as paying cash to detect.
And @Janner53, you and I sound much the same when it comes to our approach towards asking for permissions. Fortunately for me, my mate's the gobby one, so he tends to handle the farmers!
But thanks all for the above tips. I think I'll try sending out some polite emails to farmers. At least, just so I can say that I tried and failed.
Cheers
Martyn
Wat to go Martyn, try it and see and I wish you luck.
DeleteIn fact I think I will try it myself, nothing ventured nothing gained as they say as this is something I could do.
That's the spirit mate...you send a few emails to farmers because, don't forget, you have an advantage over all the rest of us - you can include a link to this blog in your emails. Farmers can then come here and see what a good bloke you are. Just a thought.
DeleteCheers
Martyn
Now that is a good idea about the blog, will show the farmer I am genuinely interested in old artifacts that might be found on his land. Well worth a shot that one.
ReplyDeleteHey, what do you have to lose? You can't detect that farm now and if the owner says "no" it's merely status quo. I would also suggest developing a presentation whereby you anticipate every negative answer he or she might give. In other words...get a pair!
ReplyDeleteYes, a very good bit of psychology there Dick.
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