billing

Tex0219 · #1 03-17-2010, 10:27 AM

Hey y'all, I just started and have 2 residential accounts. One leaves a check on the door and the other is my neighbor who lives out of state. How do I bill him? Send the bill email, get some billing invoices at a print shop? Do y'all send these after every job?

Dendith · #2 03-17-2010, 01:32 PM

Lawn care business tips

Tex0219,

I wouldn't consider myself a professional Lawn Care Person, But I did go to accounting school for 4 years. I would suggest a combination of your ideas. If you will not see this gentleman, E-mail him once you have serviced his property. If you live close take a picture, dated, and e-mail this too him. To me, this would help with good customer relations. Along with this you may want to bring up any issues you may have noticed and ask him if he has any questions or concerns.

Along with this, I would send him an invoice every month to the location he is. If your not super structured you could make an invoice in excel and that should be sufficient enough, just attempt to make it look like a professional one.

In my opinion if you did these things it would make the customer feel very important along with reassuring him that you are doing a great job with his property.

-Dustin

Fresh Cut · #3 03-17-2010, 05:40 PM

Hey, I'm in need of the same thing.

I need an efficient way of billing my customers that is convenient for them and myself. Most of my people leave check or cash under the doormat, in the grill on the back porch, under flower pot, etc. and this has lead me to be left without payment on SEVERAL occasions. This pisses me off, frustrates me, makes me wanna quit the business. On top of that I call and remind them I'm coming a day or two beforehand.

Then once I talk to them and let 'em know they forgot to leave payment, which they already know, they want me to come back by to pick it up the next day or whenever. I don't have the gas or the time to be doing this on a regular basis!

What is the best, fastest, most efficient, and most convenient(for both parties) method for getting payment????

Steve · #4 03-17-2010, 06:38 PM

If you are dealing with out of town customers, I totally agree with this.

Quote:

I would suggest a combination of your ideas. If you will not see this gentleman, E-mail him once you have serviced his property. If you live close take a picture, dated, and e-mail this too him. To me, this would help with good customer relations. Along with this you may want to bring up any issues you may have noticed and ask him if he has any questions or concerns.

If you don't show them you serviced the property, you can almost be guaranteed at a point this is going to come up and they will question you and if you have no proof you serviced the lawn, a conflict will arise.

Quote:

I need an efficient way of billing my customers that is convenient for them and myself. Most of my people leave check or cash under the doormat, in the grill on the back porch, under flower pot, etc. and this has lead me to be left without payment on SEVERAL occasions. This pisses me off, frustrates me, makes me wanna quit the business. On top of that I call and remind them I'm coming a day or two beforehand.

This is great when you are just getting started but at a certain point as you see, its a huge pain in the butt. Try the free 30 day trial of Gopher Lawn Care Software.

Send the customers regular invoices the same time every month and get them used to receiving the invoice and then paying it.

You also might want to break your customers into two groups. Send one group their invoices in the middle of the month and the other group their invoices at the end of the month.

That way you have a steady flow of payments coming in all month long and don't have to wait until the end of the month to get paid.

psparaco · #5 03-17-2010, 06:53 PM

you could also pre-bill the client for the upcoming month for X number of services. IE: you intend to mow, trim, blow 4 times the next month. so you send them an invoice pre billing them for 4 sessions. that way your already paid for the month before it hits. i am exploring this idea this year.if i do not service the property every week i will note it to their account and adjust the invoice i send them for the next month. IE: i pre bill them for 4 sessions i only service them 2 times. so they have an existing balance of 2 sessions and woudl be billed only 2 sessions the next month. i am trying this out as i got alot of people last year who didnt pay me on time and i was tired of hunting down customers to be paid.

billing

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