Pay back

[clandscaping44]

Yea thats what i have been doing

[Steve]

Lawn care business tips

I am getting back at the owner for stealing my clients i had for the first few months this season What was he doing? Following you around and finding where your clients were to target them on purpose?

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[clandscaping44]

yes, but thankfully a few loyal clients stayed true to me so from my first 10 accounts i got knocked down to 3. I am trying so hard to get some more clients but only dis-advantage is its mid-season is anyone willing to switch over?

[jymie]

You should have them sign a contract with you.

[Steve]

There will always be customers looking to switch over for various reasons, even mid-season. So keep at it. You would be amazed at home many start ups, either don't show up regularly or give up mid-season because they are not making any money and underbid their jobs.

From where you are at now, have you come up with some ways to better defend against such tactics that your old employer is trying now?

[Rodriguez11]

I agree with not trying to take customers away from your old boss because that is starting a war. In fact I do not "try" to take customers from anyone. I believe hard work and doing a quality job will bring customers in by word of mouth which is the most powerful form of advertisement. I actually had someone say why don't you try to take the contract for a particular restaurant around here. I personally know who has the contract and know they do a really good job. I would rather have friends in the industry than have enemies, there are plenty of potential customers out there, you just have to word hard and prove yourself

[clandscaping44]

only reason i dont have people sign contracts is because I am only 15... do you think i can try next season for people to sign contracts?

[Hedgemaster]

People get hurt mid season and need someone to mow their lawn.
People buy houses mid season and need someone to mow their lawn.
People get divorced mid season and need someone to mow their lawn.
People move to new homes mid season and need someone to mow while their old home is on the market.
People get old enough mid season to say "Screw it, I'm done mowing" and need someone to mow their lawn.


The above are all examples that I'm personally dealing with. There are many reasons people look for service mid season. They just need to be able to FIND you.

[Steve]

only reason i dont have people sign contracts is because I am only 15... do you think i can try next season for people to sign contracts?

I don't think you will need to bother with it next season because you will have a better grasp on all this.

Most customers won't switch if the price is reasonable, the service is good, and they like you.

[Mattcrump]

Contracts are like gold.... I use them as incentives for my customers and the ones that sign them always take priority over my non contract customers. Contracts are easy once you get the hang of them. The trick is showing them how you can save them money by signing with you. You show them how it will benefit them. You also show them how you will be bound to the contract and the work will be guaranteed.

We have bills all year long, so ensuring that money is coming in all year long is VERY IMPORTANT! You will work your butt off in the summer months to ensure that the money will be coming in all year long. However, in the fall and winter is when you get a good break. You still make the same paycheck for less than half of the work.

As far as advertising goes... I tried passing ut 300 fliers when I first started. I got 1 job from it. The sooner I realized that I was selling myself instead of a service the faster I started growing. Start with friends and family and from there ask them to tell their friends about you. Get some cheap business cards and before you know it word of mouth will be all you need.

You can also try something like we have done to make people want to use you. We are firefighters so automatically people trust us and single women like the idea of having us in their yards. Thats just how it works. I've honestly thought about starting another lawn company called like... Ninja lawncare or something stupid. Get a ninja costume and paint your equip black and silver. Before you know it, people in town are driving by seeing a ninja cutting grass and thinking. Whoa, I just saw a ninja.... That's funny. People will go home and talk about it. Before you know, you have become a little local celeb and people know who you are and what you do. Great way to advertise your business and become well known.

Just a thought.... what i found is that most people in the lawn care business have no background in marketing or business. Most of them go along with what they see other companies doing. The way I have brought it all of my business is from networking and meeting new people every day. The more outside the box you get the more business you will get.

Don't worry about the guy giving you a hard time. Your goal is to build a good business and make a name for yourself. You don't want that name to be drug through the mud. Be the bigger man and if he won't leave you alone then contact the police and let them know what he is doing.

Just my advice...