new guy here

[DDavoni]

ddavoni here,from columbus ohio.just saying hello...i have a what do(question),during the peek landscape/lawn season,youve set an appt.for an estimate,when you get there another person is there giving a quote.what do you?

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Last edited by DDavoni; 01-29-2010 at 02:07 PM. Reason: spellcheck

[psparaco]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by DDavoni ddavoni here,from columbus ohio.just saying hello...i have a what do(question),during the peek landscape/lawn season,youve set an appt.for an estimate,when you get there another person is there giving a quote.what do you? I have had this happen to me before. I was taught a few things for this situation. #1 ALWAYS bring your equipment with you. If they want service and they hire you, you could do it right after they sign or go with you. #2 if another or multiple companies are there competing for the same client. when they are done. Attempt to present your bid to the potential client as well. You never know what could happen but if you turn around and leave. you didn't try. I've went to a women's house once. A Lawn care guy was there and another kid. The kid was charging less than me but only did mowing. The other guy was charging the same as me but charged extra for weeding and othert things. I presented my pitch to her. mowing, trimming, edging, cleanup and the first intial bush trimming was included at the time and she signed with me. top it off, the kid nor the other guy didnt have a contract. only a verbal agreement. I had a contract. This year for those who see certain ads i have posted. you get a free mowing if you sign for a year. its the little things that get you in the door. also appearance is important as well. did you approached the person or leave when you saw the other company doing the quote?

[DDavoni]

Originally Posted by psparaco

I have had this happen to me before. I was taught a few things for this situation. #1 ALWAYS bring your equipment with you. If they want service and they hire you, you could do it right after they sign or go with you.

#2 if another or multiple companies are there competing for the same client. when they are done. Attempt to present your bid to the potential client as well. You never know what could happen but if you turn around and leave. you didn't try. I've went to a women's house once. A Lawn care guy was there and another kid. The kid was charging less than me but only did mowing. The other guy was charging the same as me but charged extra for weeding and othert things. I presented my pitch to her. mowing, trimming, edging, cleanup and the first intial bush trimming was included at the time and she signed with me. top it off, the kid nor the other guy didnt have a contract. only a verbal agreement. I had a contract.

This year for those who see certain ads i have posted. you get a free mowing if you sign for a year. its the little things that get you in the door. also appearance is important as well.

did you approached the person or leave when you saw the other company doing the quote?

i,d never leave a scheduled appt..i sat in my truck an waited till the guy was done,he spent 15min with the lady,i was there for an hour,i sold the job..and yes i strongly believe in appearance...the second time this happen the other guy got the job...

[Steve]

Hi DDavoni,

Welcome to our forum.

On that time it happened to you, did you bring your equipment with you or did you have to come back and do the job later?

When the other competitor won the job, did they have their equipment with them? Were they able to do the job on the spot?


Throughout these experiences, did you notice if the other competitors have a uniform on? Did they all have equipment with them?

Also, should you walk up to the customer when you get there even with a competitor and listen to them give their bid and wait till their done to give yours? It could give you a chance to point out how you would be different and it could give you some insight as to how they create their bid. You could find out if they were insured.

Or is that too confrontational?

[DDavoni]

Originally Posted by Steve

Hi DDavoni,

Welcome to our forum.

On that time it happened to you, did you bring your equipment with you or did you have to come back and do the job later?

When the other competitor won the job, did they have their equipment with them? Were they able to do the job on the spot?


Throughout these experiences, did you notice if the other competitors have a uniform on? Did they all have equipment with them?

Also, should you walk up to the customer when you get there even with a competitor and listen to them give their bid and wait till their done to give yours? It could give you a chance to point out how you would be different and it could give you some insight as to how they create their bid. You could find out if they were insured.


Or is that too confrontational?

Hello Steve,most of the the jobs ive sold have been scheduled 5 days from the time a deposit was issued.to answer your question regarding approaching a customer while there with another competitor is a bit much..that would be like sending to sales reps out to a landscape estimate,not a good idea....

[Steve]

most of the the jobs ive sold have been scheduled 5 days from the time a deposit was issued.

Very interesting!

Are these for residential accounts?

What is your view of doing the first job right there on the spot?

Also what kind of deposit do you require and do you get the customer to sign a contract?

[psparaco]

that reminds me of another situation i had last year.

I had put flyers out for lawn care back in september. A woman called me and told me over the phone she liked my prices. I listed my prices on my flyer cause all the homes are cookie cutter size lawns. end of group townhouse is price 'A' middle is price 'B'. Anyway. she told me she had someone who cut for her but charged more and she was interested in my service and was going to fire them. I asked if she was in a contract with them. She said no. its was only a verbal agreement. she did not sign a thing. I told her i have contracts that we both sign togehter. So i came out to discuss the terms and frequency. We discussed her needs and wants. so she hires me, signs my contract and I start mowing right afterwards. I finish the trimming and I am half way done the front when the other guy pulls up in the back and gets out and starts walking towards me and confronts me. Blah blah Blah ur asking people in the neighborhood what i charge and under minding my business. Your really low balling these properties. I never asked a single person what he charged. they told me. They saw my flyer with my rates on the flyer. Mentioned he did it for 10 bucks more and his men didnt do a good job every time. So for 5 min he complains and says i dont care ur in this neighborhood like he owns it but i need to respect he is there too. and then offers me a job as a foreman for him making 14/hour. hmm i make 60-75/hour and after expenses clear 50. and you wanna pay me 14 lmao. i politely say thank you but at this time i am happy with my situation and he leaves and thats it.

I believe i took 4 properties out of that neighborhood where he had 2 and another lawn care team did the others. My rates were cheaper and i did better more quality work. I was friendly with the customers. and listened to their wants and did them if they were in the terms of the contract. simple things like making sure the sidewalk was properly edged every time i mowed. cleaned up the driveway and sidewalks when i was done and didnt leave cut grass all over the alley. its called taking pride in what you do. not do it as quick as possible just to make a buck and do a crappy job. i even call each of my customers this winter to see if they need snow removal before i consider anyone new. my clients come first. 1 of my clients is my daughter's friend's parents in school. i even checked in monthly to see how each were doing and if they needed anything done around the yard. cleanups, leaves, etc. dont treat ur clients like $$$$ treat them as you want to be treated. ok i think i rambled enough as i have been doing lately. sorry steve. its my slow season. i got too much time to read this site. oh btw i started ur lawn care business school class. i am 9 out of 69 lessons in so far and i started today. very very informative.

[Steve]

ok i think i rambled enough as i have been doing lately. sorry steve. its my slow season. i got too much time to read this site. oh btw i started ur lawn care business school class. i am 9 out of 69 lessons in so far and i started today. very very informative.

Talk as much as you'd like! We all love reading what you have to say

I think we all prefer to read longer posts that have thought behind them, than 1 sentence responses.

I am glad the school is helpful too!

I was friendly with the customers. and listened to their wants and did them if they were in the terms of the contract.

I think you keyed in on something really important here. Listening to their wants. Can you tell us about this. When do you ask them what they are looking for? Do you ask them after you do the first job to review your work and tell you if there was anything they wanted differently or anything you missed that they wanted? It seems like first impressions are the most important.

[DDavoni]

Originally Posted by Steve

Very interesting!

Are these for residential accounts?

What is your view of doing the first job right there on the spot?

Also what kind of deposit do you require and do you get the customer to sign a contract?

Ive always had a written contract,if someone wanted a verbal contract and a hand shake,my feeling was to walk away.let another guy deal with it.besides its not good business practice..also ive always gotton a deposit for material cost..which are residential accounts.another key tip on closing a deal...spend 1hr with your potential customer,because more and likely the last two landscape co that came out only spent 15min with the home owner.

[Steve]

also ive always gotton a deposit for material cost.

Do you recommend a certain % based on the material costs or the entire cost of the materials needed as a deposit?

another key tip on closing a deal...spend 1hr with your potential customer

Would this be for landscape work only or for lawn maintenance as well?

What kinds of things should a lawn care business owner be doing during that hour to make the most of their time with the customer and their presentation?

Also, do you find you spend more time with customers where the project is larger and less time where the project is smaller?

Ive always had a written contract

Does this apply to landscape work or lawn care maintenance too?