postage and billing

[grounded]

Well its almost certain that the U.S Postal service will raise the cost of 1st class mail and I am wondering what your plans, if any to keep your mailing expenses low. How about billing? would you hand deliver your invoice? Email it? Carrier pigeon? We will start hand delivering estimates and proposals next season but unless you put it in the customers hand - who knows who will pick it up like a competitor. what are your thoughts? Tom

[picframer]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by grounded Well its almost certain that the U.S Postal service will raise the cost of 1st class mail and I am wondering what your plans, if any to keep your mailing expenses low. How about billing? would you hand deliver your invoice? Email it? Carrier pigeon? We will start hand delivering estimates and proposals next season but unless you put it in the customers hand - who knows who will pick it up like a competitor. what are your thoughts? Tom We email the night before the service, payment is due when the service is completed, in the case of landscaping it's 50% up front, wood cutting, excavation, rock walls, payment every three days. I don't recall ever having mailed anything yet

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Andy
Halifax, Nova Scotia

[MAKLawnCutter]

I just converted everyone to Email. About a month ago. I get a return email saying they opened it . "I didnt get it" i can tell them when they did .

Payed every three days?

I take all payments for materials up front just incase anything exceeds my wallet.

Matt

[TheGoat]

I'm looking into obtaining a bulk mail permit for when I send out my lawn service ads. I still have not decided whether mailing or door hanging is more cost effective for me.

[picframer]

Originally Posted by MAKLawnCutter

Payed every three days?

I take all payments for materials up front just incase anything exceeds my wallet.

Matt

In the case of Wood chipping, excavation, rock walls the only cost to me is salaries, transportation and fuel. With rock walls over 95% of the time the clients have more than enough rock on their property, granite, bolders etc. here are everywhere in just about every shape and size one can imagine.

If we have to order materials, then a deposit is required.

I get payment every three days as I don't want to present a bill for $10,000 to $30,000 and have a problem, generally after three days of chipping the client would be in the $1,800 range, excavation $3,000 +/-, it works well for me with no issues.

If it's a big landscaping job and lets say there is $20,000 of work, I will get draw's in $5,000, we email an invoice each night so that the customer always knows where they stand and if they are running short can stop us, which in two years and close to 540 jobs has only happened once that I recall.