Avoiding Clients

[CHEESE2009]

I can understand removing someone from the schedule and just dropping them, being tired of excuses for not paying, but to just not say anything? Phone bill = Negative Dollars I am paying for If you just call them and remind them that they have a bill do, you might get paid. I have, more than enough. I've even sent notices. If they ask why, you can be polite, and explain that you can't continue to chase payment. That doesn't accomplish anything on my part. Also, if you service a property 1-2 days ahead of time, IMO, that's unprofessional. I've picked up many clients because the last company just came whenever, and there was no real set day. If you said you will be there on Friday, and you show up on Wednesday, without talking to them first, that's on you. Rain. And then you got mad because he called to not only ask about the arrangement you made with him, but to make sure you were ok? Let's say every time someone calls you, and you don't answer. The first thing they assume is that you are dead. Without noticing that it has rained, or any other event - that's what all they assume. It's "Stupid B.S". Yup, I get mad at that, common sense and me get along. Now, it's one thing to change the day if, say, a holiday comes around. You have Labor Day on Monday, ok, so you service it on Tuesday, no problem. You are going on Vacation on Friday, so you visit on Thursday, again, no big deal. But tell your customers! Customers must realize that it will or has rained. I can either skip them completely, or do the work before or after the day I set. Regardless, they have been told of this. You complain about taking the time out of your day to call a customer back?! You do realize that they had to take the time to call you in the first place, right? I do, and? I have other paying properties to do throughout my day(s). And then you complain about privacy? You are running a damn business! Of coarse your customers are going to want to talk to you! I'm not in this business to make friends, to stop having dinner, or avoid my family just to spend time on the phone with clients who have nothing better to do than chit chat. Depending on how large your business is, the bigger, the more problematic this situation becomes. If I were to now implement chit chat into my business, which for sure could always help with the retention, I would have to hire someone specifically for that. Unfortunately, that is not an option. My clients receive a very competitive rate as is, and our clients receive a full service every time we visit. We don't have time to spare on nonsense. **************** Explanation: In my area, we have more competition than you could imagine. It's no longer about quality, it's all about price. Our market is inexpensive, and profit is only made depending how fast you can accomplish your work per lawn. The business is profiting, but we are working very hard every day to keep it that way without cutting corners. If a client wants to interrupt my time of rest, or delay my workload, dropping them does not affect my morale - it helps it. If you want all of my clients who like to call me at odd hours, you can have them! It's funny, because I've offered to have other companies take them with warning, they said, "NO!". In short: If you don't pay, we don't know you. ^ That's how I do business.

[element009]

Lawn care business tips

I'd say if you call the people back you should tell them the only way you'll resume service is if they pay what they owe plus the rest of the season up front. damn lxarth why are you so mad?

[CHEESE2009]

Originally Posted by element009

damn lxarth why are you so smug?

[Ducke]

Hey Hey Cheese
I know from experience Cheese and I have gone head to head about the way he ah ah well runs his company.
I my opinion and market he wouldn't be in business but what he dose seems to work for him where he is located.
If I didn't return a call within an hour it would be one less customer for me to mow. I know because it has happened. But for him well he seems to attract a sadistic kind of customer.
So what works for you may not work for Cheese and what Cheese dose may not work for me, but we all mow grass and wee all try our darnedest to make a living at it.

[lxarth]

I'm not mad or smug at all.

You brought up a phone bill? Are you saying that you are using up your minutes calling customers and talking to customers? I do understand not wanting to talk to customer all the time, and that you have work to do. I have avoided answering my phone on days I'm just not feeling the PR vibe.

And with just wanting to be done with customers who won't pay, I get that too. I have customers I have just dropped, or accounts I had to write off before I can't get them to pay.

Now, I don't even rank in one of the rainiest states, but it rains here a lot. And when it does, I go to work. If I don't I just get backed up or have to skip lawns. Also, how can someone mow a lawn 2 days ahead of schedule because some forecaster said there might be rain. Wouldn't it have been better to reschedule once the rain actually hit?

As far as customer wondering what happened to you...maybe it's because they didn't think you would just not show up. I've had customers call when I didn't show up, and I explained that it was a holiday, so I was out of town (the most recent was Labor Day, and I went camping), they felt foolish, and the matter was dropped.

Do you already have it established with your customers that there is the potential for your days to be rained out? If so, maybe you need to remind some of your customers. Or begin telling telling them that you will show up, barring extreme weather (heavy rain, snow, etc).

[element009]

If I show up at my client's house when it's raining, they usually get pissed. A little bit beyond a drizzle and it becomes a problem. I mean if you have 1 house left for the day, obviously you do what you can to get it done. But other than that, it's no good for the machines either.