Curious..

[Steve]

Why the heck are none of you charging for the full season of winter, and instead charging per outing? Scott, Being that you are north of a lot of members on here, do you find that your market differs from theirs where it's more common to charge for a full season vs per outing? Is one way better than the other up there when it comes to profiting over the winter months?

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[CHEESE2009]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by Steve Scott, Being that you are north of a lot of members on here, do you find that your market differs from theirs where it's more common to charge for a full season vs per outing? Is one way better than the other up there when it comes to profiting over the winter months? It's actually very interesting. From what I'm noticing, companies in my area are more about obtaining a lot of clients and offering standard prices for full season work. I suppose the strength of these companies and myself rely on massive clientele. Others in the world seem to charge a different price per individual client. In theory I can understand why this may make sense, but the problem is not being able guarantee stable income. Sure even those who charge for the complete season might get screwed over if it snows a lot. In my opinion, it's better to take a chance with losing the money you make, then to never make money at all when it comes to snow removal. Also, some companies (rare) often charge more if the amount of snowfall per season increases. These companies often put the amount of snow expected in their contracts, and if it snows more then they had anticipated, they can send another invoice. - I'd like to continue this discussion, maybe see what all of you think?

[dpld]

my area is too unpredictable, last year we had 56 inches of snow and this year we had 4 inches.

[Hedgemaster]

It really would depend on the location.
If you're in an area where snow is a given, then it's not going to be difficult to charge a flat rate, as both you and the client KNOW that snow is inevitable.


If someone walked up to my door and offered to keep my walk and driveway clear all winter for just $200, I'd slam the door in his face.
I'm not paying for services not performed and there's no way to know what snowfall amounts we will actually get.

[mark123]

Originally Posted by Hedgemaster

... If someone walked up to my door and offered to keep my walk and driveway clear all winter for just $200, I'd slam the door in his face. ...

Same here. It feels like gambling to me.

[CHEESE2009]

Well considering it's been a very lousy winter, I'm trying to figure out how different it has been for everyone out there?

I have already been out more than 15 or so times, and I find this amount to be a lot lower than usual.

How about you guys, how many times have you been out give or take?

[mark123]

Zero. Exactly.

[willshome]

two "storms" each under 4" and most sign up after the first big storm
half my jobs are "call as needed" and no one calls for 4" of snow.

BTW 4 inches = 10.16 centimeters

[CHEESE2009]

I'm not getting a break...

I basically had one day of rest from being out, I have to go out TONIGHT because of 15cm AGAIN... and now this...

[fieroboi]

I've missed being on here for a while, but this topic is interesting.

I'm running a two man crew plus myself. We are currently looking after approximately 70 yards. This year has been less snowfall than normal averages until this last weekend (over a foot in one day). It took us two days to get it all cleared out, which I personally think is really good considering the amount we got.

Anyway, getting to your topic Scott; we charge a monthly fee no matter how many times we have to be there. Last year it almost killed me physically, this year its been different. Its a real balancing act, client volume vs manpower. I like that we charge a monthly fee (or snow removal flat charge), I know what comes in every month and with all my employees being on a salary, I also know what is going out every month. Not too mention, if I paid my guys by the hour, they'd have starved this season, and probably would have gone elsewhere to make money.

I'm not interested in continual employee training, nor am I interested in client turnaround. 99% of my clients are flat seasonal charge, with the exception of a few that pay per time. If you want to move forward, you got to know whats coming in every month, something thats very difficult to do with per time basis. Course, I understand that doesn't work in areas of lower snowfall.


Lloyd
Blue's Yard FX
Camrose, Alberta, Canada