Need Some Help Getting Started

[grass guru]

P Originally Posted by SaberLawnCare Take a look in both sections and see where most of the other lawn care ads are. Put yours there. The first link is my wife's ad to give you an idea of what stands out...she's getting a lot of calls, most of her customers are telling her they're calling because her ad stands out. Not posting mine until i get insurance this week.... http://stlouis.craigslist.org/crs/2676434726.html Here is what i'll put in my ad, have to make a couple corrections... Why do you think people are so open to her ad, and call her instead of the ad above or below it? I can put an ad up and 2 or 3 weeks later I'm still gettin calls "saw your ad on craigslist". Even tho an average of 10 new postings a day bump me down. The reason... I have prices in my ad. Much like your wife, I say where my prices start at .25 acres, .33 acres, .5 acres, etc. People are lazy. They don't want to call 3 or 4 different lawn care companies and set up a time to meet to get a quote. They want ballpark figures, and if it is close enuff to their budget, they will jump aboard. I'm about 25-30% higher than most other lawncare companies, but people see my onine price, call me and ask for an exact amount, and then sign up. Once they see my work, they love it, and stick with me, even if someone solicites their business for less money. Building a relationship with your customers, paying attention to detail, and doing "the little things" will keep them on board. People don't mind paying an extra $20 a. month for great service vs good service. When you set up your plowing ad, state your price. I say, single wide drives starting as low as $x.00. Double wide drives starting as low as $X.00. Call (111)222-3333 for your free no obligation quote.

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Not posting mine until i get insurance this week.... Keep us posted on how you decided which insurance to go with and how it works out for you.

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Ryan, are you giving the facebook ads a try? Are you looking into using any of the advice here? Good luck!

Guru, thanks for the tip...I don't know why i didn't think of putting pricing in the ad, especially since the wife does it...

Steve..will do. I've whittled it down to USAA...They're a financial and insurance group dedicated to active duty and veterans. I have my truck insurance with them and it's the cheapest around with more coverage. They actually go with The Hartford with their business insurance and USAA acts as the agent. I've been very happy with USAA with my truck insurance and financial....

[Norcal]

Originally Posted by ryandimotta

I have passed out flyers only got 3 customers out of 500, most of them are just family friends and one saw me at a gas station. I know advertiseing is expensive but im on a low buget.

Ok I am going on 3 years I started april of 2008 by january I think I had 15 to 20 same deal here there is alot of other guys doing the same thing.
I got in the local paper and this year a good ad in the phone book the first year I used craigs list out of desperation and it was free and I got alot of calls but not many permanent accounts out of craigs list.
Last year I ended the season with 26 accounts and then by christmas i lost 8 due to people moving one died ect.

Being in the paper and the phone book if you sing up for a year contract You get a better deal as month to month I pay a $100 a month for ads and now I have 77 singed contracts and I now that 4 are temps so I should still have around 70 accounts to start the next season if you have signs on your truck you can write off the milage for the year. If you think you cant afford to advertize you really cant afford not to I could hire someone just to answer the phone on the 10 to 15 calls I get a day for bids for regular service one times and clean ups. Advertize as much as as you can

[jymie]

Originally Posted by grass guru

I started my lawn care business June of 2010. I used free advertising (craigslist) and picked up 26 accounts. Worked with a property preservation company and provided lawn service for another 26 accounts. This year I advertised in april may and june and picked up another 35 accounts. I dropped the property preservation company, and a few others from the year before, and now maintain 50 accounts/week. Some were word of mouth, some are neighbors of clients, but 80% are craigslist. How is craigslist so sucessful for me when so many others don't have much success?
Do this in the "no soliciting" neighborhoods. Drive in and look at every lawn, and write down the address, and how much you would charge. Do this for every property! Then go home, and use public records to get the names of the homeowners. Once you have all the info, write up estimates for each property, what you will provide, and how much it will cost. Starting out, charrge them on a per cut basis. You can always change it to monthly contract after first year. Mail the estimate to them. Do it in 1 neighborhood at a time and see what your feedback is. If you have a customer in that neighborhood, pay them to advertise for you. Tell them for every customer they refer, you will give them a 10% discount on lawn service for the year. Would you rather pay your customer $20 a month to persuede their neighbors and you gain $200 a month and don't have to move your truck or the printer and you may get $0 back. Pay your customers, they love the savings, and you'll love the added client base. People don't know how much lawn care costs. Most think its too expensive. They are surprised to hear how reasoanable it actually is.
Sorry for the book.

Excellent idea here. I just posted in this thread: http://www.gopherforum.com/showthread.php?t=15077

What I have done to help me increase my business, I hope that helps you as well.

[Steve]

now I have 77 singed contracts

That is fantastic Norcal.

Could you rank what you considered your best marketing methods? Like your top 5 favorite?

Which do you feel have been most worthwhile and which are your least favorite 5 methods?