Finding Customers

[tk4454]

So this will be my second year of doing lawn services for people i know (residential and commercial) I have about 20 acounts now and I want my business to grow even more. Last season i handed out flyers around my neighborhood but they didnt really work to well. This year I planned to run an add with the realitors association in my area. Is there anything else I should be doing to attract more customers? is there a way to get a list of all the businesses in the area to send flyers to? or to find people looking for a lawn service? any help is appreciated and thank you in advance.

[cutnuplawnservice]

Lawn care business tips

Craigs List has been really effective for me in the past and I've already been posting there. I have picked up a couple of clients since Feb 1. Also I check Craigs List in the "gigs" section to see if anyone that needs service has posted and I contact them.

__________________
"Go big or go home!"

My stuff:
Bad Boy MZ Magnum 54"
Stihl FS 110R
Shindaiwa Blower
Toro 22" Recycler
Texas Bragg 77'X10' to haul it all on

[Mayor of Mow Town]

Who are your target customers?

What services do you offer?

What makes you different from your immediate competitors?

[aduttonater]

I've been using Craigslist for the past 4 years. It's free and lot's of traffic to choose you as their yard guy.

You can take out an ad in your local newspaper. Do a google search for newspaper advertisement in your area. Call them up and see what their rates are.

You can also try the flier choice again. Maybe use pull tab fliers this time and place them at grocery stores and home improvement shops, etc.

Marketing is a big part of business, and if you can learn how to do it yourself you will save a lot of money in the long run.

[jymie]

Check out this thread

http://www.gopherforum.com/showthread.php?t=13299

[Steve]

I have about 20 acounts now and I want my business to grow even more.

What marketing method did you use to get those 20 accounts? Can that method be scaled up to reach out to more potential customers?

[tk4454]

thanks for the replys everyone. My target customers are commercial acounts because i think there is more money involved in it, and the clients I have now I have gotten through personal relationships mainly . and a few from flyers I have handed out. I have talked to a few property managers recently which sounds promising.

[FreedomYardService]

Originally Posted by tk4454

So this will be my second year of doing lawn services for people i know (residential and commercial) I have about 20 acounts now and I want my business to grow even more. Last season i handed out flyers around my neighborhood but they didnt really work to well. This year I planned to run an add with the realitors association in my area. Is there anything else I should be doing to attract more customers? is there a way to get a list of all the businesses in the area to send flyers to? or to find people looking for a lawn service? any help is appreciated and thank you in advance.

Craigslist is great, but you have to make yourself stand out from the rest.

One of the areas I have been messing with for gaining new customers is Facebook.search freedom yard services if you have an account. I built myself a page and have thrown about $200 into marketing through it. I currently have roughly 160 people following my page locally. I have gained about 5 new customers from it so far and have only had it up and going for about 3 months now. Which is not bad considering the time of year. I also run offers through it and it seems to grab peoples attention for way less cost than most other forms of advertising. Another nice feature is people have been leaving great feedback of my work. I know so far it has been a success for me, and thought I would share.

[Steve]

the clients I have now I have gotten through personal relationships mainly

Can you work those new relationships and see if you can get more referrals out of them? The more people you add to your social circle, the more you can reach out to.

[tk4454]

yes I have heard of other landscapers that just go to bars and socialize and line up more people that way and they have multiple crews going out mowing. I need to do a better job just meeting new people but my girlfriend wouldnt be a big fan of me going out and being social all the time. was thinking of becoming part of a homeowners association