Smoking

[CHEESE2009]

Well if Santa can do it...

[Cashin H&P]

Lawn care business tips

I dip, I have one employee who smokes and I do not allow him to smoke at a job site. I also do not allow smoking in the truck as I do not want my truck to smell worse then it does after a long day of mowing anyway haha. on a serious note though When im dipping i can present my self as if im doing nothing out of the ordinary which helps, I still try not to chew while on a job site thouhg mostly cuz ill end up spitting on my self at some piont and thats nasty

You always have to think about who is watching.

You have one customer that smokes, so it's ok to smoke around him/her. 3 neighbors see you smoking on that neighbors lot. That deters them from hiring you.
sure, you do a great job, sure every line is straight, sure ever edge is straight, sure everything looks like a MLB park...everything is always perfect............except, smoking............... "hey i have a customer that doesn't care if I smoke all day at his property. You just lost 1-3 customers that do not want that no matter how the end result is.

Some don't mind, some do....., but there are people that will not hire you if you smoke, no matter what type of work you do............but no one will NOT hire you because you do NOT smoke.

It may suck, it may not...but the bottom line is always this...........the customer is paying you money to perform a service they can do themselves or hire someone else to do. Why hurt your chances over a freakin stupid thing like a freakin cigarette?

The customer is not always right, but they are right if they don't want a smoker on their property. It is their property after all.

[PineHillLawn]

Originally Posted by JeffK26

You always have to think about who is watching.

You have one customer that smokes, so it's ok to smoke around him/her. 3 neighbors see you smoking on that neighbors lot. That deters them from hiring you.
sure, you do a great job, sure every line is straight, sure ever edge is straight, sure everything looks like a MLB park...everything is always perfect............except, smoking............... "hey i have a customer that doesn't care if I smoke all day at his property. You just lost 1-3 customers that do not want that no matter how the end result is.

Some don't mind, some do....., but there are people that will not hire you if you smoke, no matter what type of work you do............but no one will NOT hire you because you do NOT smoke.

It may suck, it may not...but the bottom line is always this...........the customer is paying you money to perform a service they can do themselves or hire someone else to do. Why hurt your chances over a freakin stupid thing like a freakin cigarette?

The customer is not always right, but they are right if they don't want a smoker on their property. It is their property after all.

Couldn't have said it better. My thoughts exactly!!!!

[Grass Doctor]

how about this i smoke menthol's love the smoke coming out of my mouth i smoke in my truck in the job where ever i feel like lighting up one. if a customer approach me which is very common i just say excuse me ligth off the cigarette and putted on my pocket, this dont bother me at all i understand personal relationship it part of my business, so back to this smoking subject i have had lets say 3 to 4 of my customer inviting inside there homes to get an appraisal they want to sit down and their comfort zone so to the customer want he wants i dont go to McDonald and let them serve me whatever they want i am detailed when it comes to me spending my money so i ask for what i want. i do what i want that please me with it. so they star talking about the job and light up a cigarette ask me if it was okey for them to smoke what should said its your house u can do what ever u want with it right they ask me if i smoke i said yes they offer me one i said no thanks i said i smoke menthol they said u can smoke if u want to sure, again customer service its my first priority, for me customers don't really care if u smoke or not they will probably care more on the way u are dress, i wear polo shirts (under armor) short's, boots or golf tennis shoes i dont have any type of piercing i had ear piercing but i took them off after i got my very first call for business never put them back. more than smoking i will say what affects you its ur personallythe way you talk i have customers that even buy pizzas for me and my crew every day serving us cafe and donuts in the morning before we star working, when i do 3 or more days landscape jobs there is no way i am going to stay whit out smoking for 3 days have that make me look bad not at all they have call me back and refer me to their friends all they care about quality. i HAVE SMOKE INSIDE CUSTOMERS HOUSES they have never ask me for a discount and yes i got the jobs and make good money. oh by the way this customers live in gated community's in houses of 350.000 to 500.000 not low life people. i should stop smoking its bad for my health .

[PineHillLawn]

Originally Posted by Grass Doctor

how about this i smoke menthol's love the smoke coming out of my mouth i smoke in my truck in the job where ever i feel like lighting up one. if a customer approach me which is very common i just say excuse me ligth off the cigarette and putted on my pocket, this dont bother me at all i understand personal relationship it part of my business, so back to this smoking subject i have had lets say 3 to 4 of my customer inviting inside there homes to get an appraisal they want to sit down and their comfort zone so to the customer want he wants i dont go to McDonald and let them serve me whatever they want i am detailed when it comes to me spending my money so i ask for what i want. i do what i want that please me with it. so they star talking about the job and light up a cigarette ask me if it was okey for them to smoke what should said its your house u can do what ever u want with it right they ask me if i smoke i said yes they offer me one i said no thanks i said i smoke menthol they said u can smoke if u want to sure, again customer service its my first priority, for me customers don't really care if u smoke or not they will probably care more on the way u are dress, i wear polo shirts (under armor) short's, boots or golf tennis shoes i dont have any type of piercing i had ear piercing but i took them off after i got my very first call for business never put them back. more than smoking i will say what affects you its ur personallythe way you talk i have customers that even buy pizzas for me and my crew every day serving us cafe and donuts in the morning before we star working, when i do 3 or more days landscape jobs there is no way i am going to stay whit out smoking for 3 days have that make me look bad not at all they have call me back and refer me to their friends all they care about quality. i HAVE SMOKE INSIDE CUSTOMERS HOUSES they have never ask me for a discount and yes i got the jobs and make good money. oh by the way this customers live in gated community's in houses of 350.000 to 500.000 not low life people. i should stop smoking its bad for my health .

Ok, once I finally got the jist of what your saying in this post (not easy to do by the way) I understood what your saying (kind of). In my book, you never smoke on or around a customer or their property. If you need a smoke go to the truck and have one. Smoking is something people are tolerating less and less these days. I don't have a problem with anyone smoking, that's your choice. I used to smoke and did so for over ten years. But the majority of people nowadays don't want to smell it. I know one of my customers, that if she saw me smoking on her property I'd get fired on the spot. Thats how I landed her in the first place. Her old lawn care service guy smoked while he mowed her yard and it pissed her off, so she hired me. You have to use common sense when it comes to others property. If they dont mind smoking, fine smoke, but you need to know that before you just do it "where ever i feel like lighting up one".

[Grass Doctor]

Originally Posted by PineHillLawn

Ok, once I finally got the jist of what your saying in this post (not easy to do by the way) I understood what your saying (kind of). In my book, you never smoke on or around a customer or their property. If you need a smoke go to the truck and have one. Smoking is something people are tolerating less and less these days. I don't have a problem with anyone smoking, that's your choice. I used to smoke and did so for over ten years. But the majority of people nowadays don't want to smell it. I know one of my customers, that if she saw me smoking on her property I'd get fired on the spot. Thats how I landed her in the first place. Her old lawn care service guy smoked while he mowed her yard and it pissed her off, so she hired me. You have to use common sense when it comes to others property. If they dont mind smoking, fine smoke, but you need to know that before you just do it "where ever i feel like lighting up one".

sure i get the point and im sorry for my tarzan English thanks for talking ur time, but dont u think there is more important thinks than this smoking think like the way u dress or talk with ur crew or act in their homes in my case most of my customers they even tell me that if i need their restrooms all i need to do is ask or open the door i never done this, thats too far bothering for me. but i believe that its trust from their part and their please whit our work. i will not let use my restrooms to any body that i dont know i have even being invite it to their special occasions Christmas, thanks giving etc. and yes i smoke in their properties and they know i do i truly believe they care more about the quality than if u smoke or not but ill change my contracts and put in a section if they will want to make their home a non smoking area while we service their lawn or landscape their house for customers like your its a free country after all brother.

some like some of our crew members are smoker so please let us know if u will be obsessed if we smoke in your property and like to little boxes one for yes and one for no so this smoking issue its solve .

[PineHillLawn]

Originally Posted by Grass Doctor

sure i get the point and im sorry for my tarzan English thanks for talking ur time, but dont u think there is more important thinks than this smoking think like the way u dress or talk with ur crew or act in their homes in my case most of my customers they even tell me that if i need their restrooms all i need to do is ask or open the door i never done this, thats too far bothering for me. but i believe that its trust from their part and their please whit our work. i will not let use my restrooms to any body that i dont know i have even being invite it to their special occasions Christmas, thanks giving etc. and yes i smoke in their properties and they know i do i truly believe they care more about the quality than if u smoke or not but ill change my contracts and put in a section if they will want to make their home a non smoking area while we service their lawn or landscape their house for customers like your its a free country after all brother.

some like some of our crew members are smoker so please let us know if u will be obsessed if we smoke in your property and like to little boxes one for yes and one for no so this smoking issue its solve .

I think the overall presentation you put out to customers, should always, first and foremost, come off as professional. For instance, if you dress in a uniform, wear a company shirt and shorts/pants, but you smoke while on a property or are cussing or anything of that nature, it would come off as non-professional, even if you do outstanding work. People want the whole package. Polite, curtious, well mannered, hard workers that look like they know what they're doing will get more jobs.

If Bob, has an old riding mower in his truck bed with a new sign that says Bob's Mowing, and is driving down the road smoking as he goes not in a uniform, while Tim, has a trailer, a walk behind, a ZTR, Trimmer Racks and Blowers on it, plus has a uniform and isn't smoking, who do you think looks more professional?
Now Bob may do an amazing job, but just from the looks of it, and without seeing the lawns either have done, I would chose Tim because he looks more professional, he looks like he's more legit. He may cost more but his presentation is by far better than Bob's. You have to accept that people watch you at every part of the day you are out and about. If you make yourself look professional and act it, your more likely to get jobs from anyone looking for lawn care. Bob may only get jobs from people who don't mind smoking and who don't mind the lack in professionalism. It just how life is.

[CHEESE2009]

do this in your customers face



That'll teach em to stay away from you while you are working!

[PineHillLawn]

[quote=CHEESE2009;108620]do this in your customers face



That'll teach em to stay away from you while you are working![/QUOTE


Ha Ha! Nice! I say smoke away in customers yards, it could mean a job for another crew, maybe mine!!!