Fake left, go right

[TiedemanLLC]

I was wondering, do any of your as business men/women say one thing to your competition, friends and family members, but do something totally different? For example, when talking to the local hardware store guy or a fertilizer supply about a service you plan on getting out of, but then totally come back full force marketing the h*ll out of that service? It would be just enough to make my competitors think "wow, he is not doing mowing any more" or "Wow, he is going to be a full service hardscape company instead of doing pesticide". And then "BAM!" you market the heck out of mowing or you never once planned on doing hardscaping, and direct mail pieces are showing up all over the place for lawn spraying.

[Hedgemaster]

Lawn care business tips

Ummm... no. What would be the point?

[CHEESE2009]

It's funny you bring this up.

A lot of the competition I talk with will always say the same exact thing, yet they don't practice what they preach and often do the opposite.

"You should be charging $xxxx not $xx"
Next thing you know, their price is lower or even matches mine.

a good competitor will be honest like so (example);

Competitor: How much are you making?
Me: Peanuts.
Competitor: Me too.
^ lol.

It's rare to find an honest competitor, out of 12, only 1 of my competitors can be honest with me and we can get along in that sense.

Often times, competitors will brag about charging every client a ridiculous amount, and it's never true, and I have proved it to myself by researching.




I'm going to take a poo in my toilet now... just thought I'd share..

[willshome]

Originally Posted by CHEESE2009

I'm going to take a poo in my toilet now... just thought I'd share..

Are you just saying that.... or are you going to pee?

[TiedemanLLC]

I was just curious. I know a lot of businesses keep things under wraps on purpose or mislead others.

For example, if they are going to roll out with a new service, they don't tell their competition about it because they don't want their competition to have a jump on them.

Another example, I know of one local lawn care company that has been in business since around 1985. And every year I talk with her she always tells me "Don't get into this line of work, you don't make any money" Yet she has the largest lawn care company in the area, has a very nice house, does very well, and has been in business going on 25+ years.

So when we think it's not "honest" I look at it as being business smart.

[CHEESE2009]

Originally Posted by willshome

Are you just saying that.... or are you going to pee?

No I definitely had too. I ate a container of berries out of boredom and we all know the aftermath of that. lol.

Feel like a brand new person now. AHAHA!

[Ducke]

I tell my competition NOTHING.
If I talk to them it idle chit chat " nice day" ****-"looks like rain"**-etc.
I like to keep them guessing.

[CHEESE2009]

Originally Posted by Ducke

I tell my competition NOTHING.
If I talk to them it idle chit chat " nice day" ****-"looks like rain"**-etc.
I like to keep them guessing.

Tell me all of your secrets!!!!

[dpld]

i don't really care what others know about my intentions, there is nothing in this industry that i invented and it don't belong to me exclusively.
i been blessed to get my peice of the pie.

everyone does everything anyway, and if not at first eventually they will and sometimes when these new latest and greatest things come along for a added service to sell we find most of the time that they die out and are passing fads.

we had a few years back guys getting into that concrete curbing thing where you buy the whole package with the equipment and you sell the concrete curbs that are used around beds and bordering drives and such.
it was a pretty slick set up and they had different forms for the machine and all diferent styles.

when it is done it looks real nice and after the first winter the freeze heaves it all around it it cracks and falls apart.
at first it was the like the newest craze sweeping the area, everywhere
you turned, there's another one.
then word got out that it is garbage and a rip off and now everyone remembers those guys as the ones that used to rip everyone off selling that cheap *** patty cake curbing.

so in that particular scenario it would have been far more advantageous to be the last guy in on that new money maker.

in all fairness, i think the curbing would work well in different climates, my area you put a fence in the ground and in 5 years it will be 2 ft higher from the ground slowly spitting it out.

but as far as the original topic of letting people knowing your plans, it don't matter because you are only gonna grow and expand within your capabillity's anyway and the same for your competitor.
if you found out about a new break through service and you got a early heads up on it compared to your competitors and it requires a initial investment to implement it, that information would be useless to you if you were not in a financial position to act on it.

things like that don't bother me much and i never try to waste much energy on what others are doing, i just focus on the only thing i know that can keep the ship steaming ahead and that is do my job and do it well, don't rip no one off and shoot straight from the hip and everything else will just fall in line.

we are very fortunate to be in a business that has a large demand and the part that is in the biggest demand is not getting a landscaper, because they are a dime a dozen. its finding a good one that is the biggest gripe consumers have about landscapers.

[Ducke]

My problem here is the guys that troll the area are low ballers that can't think for them selves.
If I was to say "Oh I am going to do this or that starting next week well they will be at the doors selling it today under cutting me.
Its my first year going into my second. I can't afford to loose anyone good or bad.
It will be nice once most of these A$$HOLES are gone moved on to other things,
only problem there is always some young punk in Dads pick up and a old used mower cutting lawns for $10.00.
Oh well that is why I don't talk to them I am not going to help someone who is going to use it to hurt me. That is why I like this forum I can past on my wisdom without it coming back to hurt me here .