My First Lawn Care Flyer

[Cashin H&P]

Originally Posted by LawnBoy0311 Put in key points. Like this: Michaels Landscape A Full Service Landscape Maintenance Company Prices start from $30 Includes Mow,trim,edge,blow “Our goal is to leave your property looking its very best every time we visit.” Professionalism, Courtesy and Attention to Detail Call or e-mail today for a free estimate See our website for a complete list of other services! You can add a little bit more, but try not to cram in everything you do. You only have seconds to capture someones attention. Usually they look towards the middle of the page, then read the top. The less "clutter" the better. To the OP this is probably the best advice your going to get. Make sure you take it.

[stansg1fresh]

Lawn care business tips

Pesticide Licensed ? If you Apply Pre-emergent to lawn in March and October or inspect trees and shrubs for insect and diease how would you treat? In Wisconsin if you are a contractor for hire you need a need a pesticide applicarors lincensed for any "cides like pesticide, fungicide or pre-emergent herbicide. You also need a lincese from the city and the state for the location you are storing the fertilizer or pesticides. Sounds to me like you are oferring services that you would need a lincese.

[Michaelslandscape]

Lawnboy,
thanks for the contsructive critque. Thats why I joined Gopher, to get some help from people who have been in the buisness. I want (need) for my buisness to be successful as failure is not an option.
I like your take on less clutter. This being my first advertisement and since I dont have a website yet I thought I needed to put all of my services in to try and get work other than just lawn maintenance.
I have a question.
I have googled lawn care for my area but only seem to come up with a bunch of 3rd party adds that will put you in contact with lawn care professionals. e.g. yellow pages.com, and such. I find it difficult to pull up actual lawn care companies unless you know the name of the company. How is the best way to get your business to pop up when someone searches for lawn care. I know about using keywords but im sure every lawn care website uses the same keywords. Any thoughts on how to get your buisness to pop up when someone in your area searches for lawn services?

[Michaelslandscape]

Stansg1fresh,
As long as you are buying "over the counter" fertilizer; the kind you can buy at any home improvement store. You dont need a license in Texas to apply it. If you are buyng a regulated commercial fert. pest. or herb. you would need to get a commercial applicators license.

[stansg1fresh]

I guess good for Texas but I have some questions from the bussiness side.
Part of what I do is tell the customer that I use Professioanal grade products. I have no problem telling them I use Anderson Turf Products Or Duocide Or Triplet or others and always use a sticker spreader with my liquid herbie sprays.
I think the use of Professional products In the long run saves cost and produces better results. Here a 50# bag of Anderson with Diemention cost about $16-18 dependinging on the voulume you buy and covers 12,000 k at 3lbs of nitrogen per 1,000k.
A 40# bag of duocide is about $28 and usage depends on if you are using the curative rate or the preventave rate.
I take the same approch with many products I use including grass seed , fungicides ect. People get pissed when you been out multiple times and the grass,trees and shrubs still looks like crap.
Why would a customer use your services if he can go out and buy Something like scotts 4 step and do it them selfs?

The hardest thing to get new customers is to get them to switch from their current lawn care provider as its just to easy to deal with the current provider even if it provides crap for service.
With everybody doing lawncare now you need a edge and that should be with quaility and service and the ability to educate your customers (IE mosquito sparys just don't kill mosquitos they kill every thing).


Sample questions a customer may ask you. I heard it all about other companies thats why I started doing it for my self.

Why does may neighbors grass look greener them mine and he uses X company?
The lawn guy sat in his truck and did nothing but still put a invoice on my door.
Can I walk on the grass after you fertilize it. Will it hurt my dog?
What if It rains?
I have a locked gate can you call ahead of time.
How long before I can let my dog out.
Did you ever work for a landscaper or lawn company before?
Whats your experience?
How are you at turf problems tree and shrub problems.
Where do you get your mower from? Who fixes it for you?
Why are you mowing or applying in the rain , why are you cutting the grass it has not rained in a month? ( nobodys ever asked me this one cause I don't do it) but other companies do to meet quota.

I understand that cost is a factor but that should no determine the results.
Not trying to be a nob trying to help.

[patrick6411]

Originally Posted by stansg1fresh

I guess good for Texas but I have some questions from the bussiness side.
Part of what I do is tell the customer that I use Professioanal grade products. I have no problem telling them I use Anderson Turf Products Or Duocide Or Triplet or others and always use a sticker spreader with my liquid herbie sprays.
I think the use of Professional products In the long run saves cost and produces better results. Here a 50# bag of Anderson with Diemention cost about $16-18 dependinging on the voulume you buy and covers 12,000 k at 3lbs of nitrogen per 1,000k.
A 40# bag of duocide is about $28 and usage depends on if you are using the curative rate or the preventave rate.
I take the same approch with many products I use including grass seed , fungicides ect. People get pissed when you been out multiple times and the grass,trees and shrubs still looks like crap.
Why would a customer use your services if he can go out and buy Something like scotts 4 step and do it them selfs?

The hardest thing to get new customers is to get them to switch from their current lawn care provider as its just to easy to deal with the current provider even if it provides crap for service.
With everybody doing lawncare now you need a edge and that should be with quaility and service and the ability to educate your customers (IE mosquito sparys just don't kill mosquitos they kill every thing).


Sample questions a customer may ask you. I heard it all about other companies thats why I started doing it for my self.

Why does may neighbors grass look greener them mine and he uses X company?
The lawn guy sat in his truck and did nothing but still put a invoice on my door.
Can I walk on the grass after you fertilize it. Will it hurt my dog?
What if It rains?
I have a locked gate can you call ahead of time.
How long before I can let my dog out.
Did you ever work for a landscaper or lawn company before?
Whats your experience?
How are you at turf problems tree and shrub problems.
Where do you get your mower from? Who fixes it for you?
Why are you mowing or applying in the rain , why are you cutting the grass it has not rained in a month? ( nobodys ever asked me this one cause I don't do it) but other companies do to meet quota.

I understand that cost is a factor but that should no determine the results.
Not trying to be a nob trying to help.

Here are my replies to these questions:

Why does may neighbors grass look greener them mine and he uses X company?
Because they have not aerated this year at all also their grass is getting cut to short. Or let’s do a soil sample and find out what fertilizer we may need to apply to get you that same look. May be as simple as over seeding or a water plan. Your lawn requires 1” of water a week. Let me show you how to check if your lawn is getting that much.

The lawn guy sat in his truck and did nothing but still put an invoice on my door.
Hmmm. I don’t know about that company but when we come out we walk the property and take notes on how things are going. Even if your grass has not grown enough for us to cut, your yard still needs to have sticks or trash picked up. If I don’t get out of the truck then I am not charging you.

Can I walk on the grass after you fertilize it? Will it hurt my dog?
Depends on the fertilizer we are using. We try to keep in mind when there are children and pets involved. We will give you an information sheet when we finish, this is to make sure you are informed of what you can and cannot do. Let us look at your lawn and see what we need.

What if it rains?
Rain is good for your lawn. We do not come out and cut your lawn if it will hurt it. It is our job to improve your lawns current condition. Usually if we have a rainout day and we cannot service your lawn we reschedule with you.

I have a locked gate can you call ahead of time.
Sure but a lot of our customers either get a combination lock for their gats or they purchase on from us. I have one on my truck right now, would you like it? It is also a good idea not to leave your gate unsecured or unlocked throughout the day. or you can make a key and give us a copy of the key.

How long before I can let my dog out.
Depends on the fertilizer we use.

Did you ever work for a landscaper or lawn company before?
Sure have, in fact I love working outside meeting new people. My job is a real rewording job! How many people can take satisfaction and say look at that beautiful yard, I did that.

Whats your experience?
I have cut one or two lawns in my time. Would you like to walk with me over your property and I will go over the things I feel will improve your lawn.

How are you at turf problems tree and shrub problems?
If I don’t know I call our local agg extension office and they help us.

Where do you get your mower from? Who fixes it for you?
I fix my own equipment in most cases. If I am unable to fix it, it depends on where I am at, if it is a small part then I stop at a nearby shop and pick it up. As far as buying my equipment a few places. It is my job to look for great deals on my equipment in turn passing those savings on to you.

Why are you mowing or applying in the rain , why are you cutting the grass it has not rained in a month? ( nobodys ever asked me this one cause I don't do it) but other companies do to meet quota.
I don’t cut in the rain.

Hope these answers have helped you. I sent you a pm. What part of Texas are you located in?

[Steve]

The goal of your marketing should be to help bring the customer from step a to step b, then to step c one step at a time until you make the sale.

step a. The flyer: 'Hey we offer this, we exist, call us for a free estimate.'

step b. The second step get an opportunity to meet up with them and see what their needs are. give them your sales presentation and bid.

step c. follow up

step d. provide quality service and customer support

[Grass Doctor]

Originally Posted by Michaelslandscape

I am starting this spring, my first year.
I have a DBA, a Texas Sale and Use Tax Permit a Federal EIN. I dont know of any license that I would need. You are not required to have a license in Texas to apply fertilizer "Applicators who apply only fertilizer do not need to be licensed by either agency." This quote was taken directly from the Texas Department of Agriculture web site. As far as adjusting and inspecting sprinkler heads, you dont need a license to do general maintenace work on a residential sprinkler system. I am not advertising changing out any heads or anything else that would open the system to atmosphere. You do need a license to do that. Having stated that if I break a customers sprinkler head I will replace it.
What licenses are you referring to?
And as far as the flyer being way too busy..... How do I get all of my services and costs to potential customers if I dont include all of my services and the costs.
I do appreciate the feedback.

u going to need a license (lawns end ornamental s) 3 books 100.00, test 24.00 if u pass 60.00 for the license. to apply pre-emergent in the state of TX. check agri life extension(979, 845-1099) , order: laws and regulation, , commercial/noncommercial applicator. ornamental and turf 100 question each test for book. not a big deal. you do not need a license to apply fertilizer.

[Grass Doctor]

Originally Posted by Michaelslandscape

Stansg1fresh,
As long as you are buying "over the counter" fertilizer; the kind you can buy at any home improvement store. You dont need a license in Texas to apply it. If you are buyng a regulated commercial fert. pest. or herb. you would need to get a commercial applicators license.

u can get away doing this but u going too waste a lot of money and most of over the counter, hervicides are week and expensive i tell u this being ur first year try to get a license, ull have time and once u get license u will be able to offer more services down the road, also like home depot they do sell regulated substances as 2 4 d

[Michaelslandscape]

I think I will get the license for 4 reasons. 1.) To be able to use that certification as a selling point to potential customers. 2.) I might actually learn something by studying for the test. 3.) By purchasing wholesale commericial grade fert. and pre-emergent I should save money and hopefully its much better quality than the consumer brands. 4.) You can never have enough licenses and certifications. I found that out in my last line of work. I had 5 state issued licenses and certifications in the water and wastewater industry and they helped me climb the company ladder to a management level position for the majority of my career. Ive seen Nurseryman Association stickers, and License information on landscaping trucks and to me they always seem to impress and stand out from the rest. I dont know if the average consumer / customer looks at it the same way I do but either way knowledege is power and by learning some things along the way I think it will give me a leg up on the competition.