Sample of my bid I put in this morning?

[Growing Green]

Hi everyone, Ok, I just put in my first bid for a potential customer (see attachment, I xxxxx all the private info of customer). Please tell me your honest opinion. Do I need to do anything different? Did I put to much info? etc... Thanks, Matt

Attached Files

Growing Green Bid - Sample.doc (355.5 KB, 2448 views)

__________________
Austin Organic Lawn and Landscaping Care

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

Matt, that is really well thought out. Ok, give me the low down here on how this will all work. You are called over to a customers house and you look around the property. How do you then use and present your customer with this form? Also where do they find the total price or are the to choose the price once you left and contact you after to let you know?

__________________
- Subscribe to my Lawn Care Marketing Blog Feed and get daily tips sent to you. Free!
Download your Free trial of Gopher Lawn Care Software.

[Growing Green]

Originally Posted by Steve

Matt, that is really well thought out.

Ok, give me the low down here on how this will all work. You are called over to a customers house and you look around the property.

How do you then use and present your customer with this form?

Also where do they find the total price or are the to choose the price once you left and contact you after to let you know?

Hi Steve,
I went to the customers property yesterday and she wanted a bid from me as she was using about 3 or 4 companies and getting bids from each one. I told her I would go home and send it to her in email in a couple of hours.

The second page has the monthly service. As for the price of the mulch, compost, fertilizer and all that stuff I just told her that she would be paying the exact cost of what I pay for it from an organic nursery. She did end up responding and wanting to have an estimate for all that cost.

So last night I worked on that for about a hour. Unfortunately, this is the first time doing it so I'm a little bit nervous. The amount of mulch and compost that I would need to order is a lot so would be to much to fit in a trailer or the back of my truck. Told her that the nursery charged $70 to have it delivered. I'm wondering how everyone else does it? Does everyone else have to have it delivered by the nursery or whatever company as well?

This was a blast creating this bid as it was my first and it made me have to really sit down and think. Crazy how much is involved with all of this.

Matt

[Growing Green]

These were her questions and my responses below:

___________________________

In case we need to have more mowing needed during growing season(April to September?), how much extra cost for the service?

Additional mowing services are $25. This includes mowing, trimming and blowing. For example, if you chose the Premium Package and needed an extra lawn mowing in between regular services, then I would invoice you the $85 standard charge, plus $25 for each additional mowing.

- How much approximate cost for mulch and compost for the material?

We only use organic products from Natural Gardener so, the cost will be slightly more than regular Home Depot or Lowe's products. An exact quote for amount of products needed can be provided to you by measuring the lawn. I do not increase the price. You pay exactly what The Natural Gardener charges.

Fertilizer would be approximately $20 total for the two applications.

Mulch would be approximately $150 (depending on color and style preference) for one application plus the $70 delivery charge from Natural Gardener. 3 inches deep of mulch will help prevent weeds, conserve moisture, regulate soil temperature and help prevent disease.

Compost would be approximately $100 for one application plus the $70 delivery charge from Natural Gardener. We would apply approximately 1/3 - 1/2 of an inch of compost throughout your whole lawn.

- What about aeration? How much for that?

Cost would be $25 for aeration. It's good to aerate the lawn at least a day before compost is applied.
_______________________

Any feedback would be appreciated. By the way she just emailed me and wanted me to go out and do the fall clean-up. She didn't say anything about the bid though. I'm afraid I might not get it, but either way I learned alot.

Matt

[jymie]

Aeration in my area goes for $75 on average. Then overseeding with that is an additional $75. If I need just two yards of mulch, I normally get it on my trailer, anymore than that I have it delivered.

[Steve]

I think what you are doing is great and I'd like to hear other's opinion on this too.

I wonder though if you could put the bid together faster and present her with a price right then and there. Striking while the iron is hot.

When you are at the bid site, if you can sell yourself right there on the spot, your % for success should be dramatically higher than if you give the customer a cooling off period to think about it as you work on putting the bid together and sending it to them.

You can use the estimation calculators to increase the speed of your bid. There is one you can use that will also help you figuring how much mulch you will need.

What's your thoughts on that?

[Growing Green]

Originally Posted by Steve

I think what you are doing is great and I'd like to hear other's opinion on this too.

I wonder though if you could put the bid together faster and present her with a price right then and there. Striking while the iron is hot.

When you are at the bid site, if you can sell yourself right there on the spot, your % for success should be dramatically higher than if you give the customer a cooling off period to think about it as you work on putting the bid together and sending it to them.

You can use the estimation calculators to increase the speed of your bid. There is one you can use that will also help you figuring how much mulch you will need.

What's your thoughts on that?

Yes, Steve you are right on. I didn't like that I had to go home and send it to her. It was just to big for me to do it right then and there without a computer. My ultimate goal would be to have a tape measure (does anyone carry a tape measure and measure the feet in front of customer? Is that tacky or professional?) and a computer with me. Plug in the numbers and go and print it out in my hopefully future printer in my truck and print it out right then and there and give it to customer. I think that is what Upscale does and I would LOVE to do that.

As of right now I'm just going to have to measure and plug in numbers and give customer my bid right then and there if I can. If it is a huge job then I might have to type up a bid real quick and submit it through email.

Would love more feedback from others on how they do this process with customer. Do they figure it up right then and there? In there head? If so, I have a LONG way to go before I can do that.

Thanks again Steve for your feedback!

Matt

[JLH Pro Lawn Care]

Originally Posted by Growing Green

Yes, Steve you are right on. I didn't like that I had to go home and send it to her. It was just to big for me to do it right then and there without a computer. My ultimate goal would be to have a tape measure (does anyone carry a tape measure and measure the feet in front of customer? Is that tacky or professional?) and a computer with me. Plug in the numbers and go and print it out in my hopefully future printer in my truck and print it out right then and there and give it to customer. I think that is what Upscale does and I would LOVE to do that.

As of right now I'm just going to have to measure and plug in numbers and give customer my bid right then and there if I can. If it is a huge job then I might have to type up a bid real quick and submit it through email.

Would love more feedback from others on how they do this process with customer. Do they figure it up right then and there? In there head? If so, I have a LONG way to go before I can do that.

Thanks again Steve for your feedback!

Matt

Matt,
you could try what I am gonna be using this coming season, mobile command center in my van with laptop,printer and wireless internet thus enabling me all the comforts of the home office but right there on the job site giving me the ability to quote and bid without leaving the customer and in my opinion adding a professional touch that few around my area have

[Growing Green]

Originally Posted by JLH Pro Lawn Care

Matt,
you could try what I am gonna be using this coming season, mobile command center in my van with laptop,printer and wireless internet thus enabling me all the comforts of the home office but right there on the job site giving me the ability to quote and bid without leaving the customer and in my opinion adding a professional touch that few around my area have

Yes, that is exactly what I want!!!! How are you setting up yours? You have a picture of it? I think it would be a HUGE improvement of what competition has and it looks extremely professional.

Matt

[JLH Pro Lawn Care]

Originally Posted by Growing Green

Yes, that is exactly what I want!!!! How are you setting up yours? You have a picture of it? I think it would be a HUGE improvement of what competition has and it looks extremely professional.

Matt

using a company called clear for the mobile 4g internet $60 a month unlimited access and you can buy the mobile laptop stand on ebay for cheap, i run a 1000w power inverter inside my van for power to everything
sorry no pics yet but soon