selling weekly service vs.bi-weekly

[lonestarlawn]

So far I have 2 will call as needed customers and the rest bi-weekly. Any time I've mentioned weekly service it's shot down pretty quick. Any advice on selling weekly services?

[mark123]

Lawn care business tips

Charge more for bi-weekly. If a weekly lawn is $25 then make a bi-weekly lawn $32 or even $37 (1.25-1.5x). Warm season grass is different than cool season grass so you may not need mowing as often. Just take advantage of that and make more money per cut. Otherwise if you only want to offer weekly services just turn down the bi-weekly and as-needed jobs.

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Boughter's Lawn Care Services Mowing and Fertilizing in New Castle, PA

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Last edited by mark123; 07-05-2012 at 01:24 PM.

[Steve]

How are you finding these bi-weekly customers? It could be there area other marketing methods that could help you attract higher quality customers. Also, do the areas differ where you are mowing weekly vs. bi-weekly?

[stevef1201]

Originally Posted by lonestarlawn

So far I have 2 will call as needed customers and the rest bi-weekly. Any time I've mentioned weekly service it's shot down pretty quick.

Any advice on selling weekly services?

I qoute as a monthly or yearly price. If they ask for bi weekly, I tell them it is the same price have 58 customers now and just picked up one more today

[Hedgemaster]

Charge more for biweekly because of the pain in the a$$ factor alone.

Our lawns are drying up here to the point where even the biweekly accts don't need cut this week. "Can you skip this Friday and come next week?"

Well, if you are doing biweekly jobs and have a brain in your head, you schedule OTHER biweekly accounts for the "other" week. Now if I push all this Friday's biweekly accounts to next week, I have TWO FULL DAYS worth of work to do in ONE day unless I NOW move the OTHER group of biweekly accounts back another week.

Aside from the extra growth to deal with, and the cheap clients that usually accompany it, a biweekly job is usually a pain in the butt.

[lonestarlawn]

@ mark123 thanks i'll try offering a small discount for the weekly service.


@steve i don't have any weekly customers so far but i think the quality of the customer does have alot to do with. The majority of my customers are renters not homeowners, so it seems like they are more interested in just keeping the grass mowed instead of improving it.


@stevefl201 I like the idea of yearly services alot. Something i've promoted from the start. I'm curios how you sell this. Does the customer seem ok with you being there less in the winter and heat of summer since you'll be visiting maybe weekly during peak months? Do you offer additional services during the slow months for the same monthly price so you are still working on there lawn?


@Hedgemaster agreed, alot of it has to do with the lack of rain here also. My bi-weekly lawns aren't growing enough at the moment to even think about mowing weekly right now since none of my clients are watering. I have been able to split my customers between the 2 weeks so I have half 1 week and the other half the next.

[RSE]

Here in the Berkshires the grass is two hundred years of cow and chicken poo so, we are still mowing on a weekly basis. Some people have asked us to not come this week (no rain for the past like 10 days) and I understand. Mowing now would cause the grass to go dormant and cast a brownish tint across the lawn.
Resort to other landscape/caretaking tactics; awesome weather for powerwashing the customers house or garage. Field mowing is big out here too. Stonework and driveway installs bring in much needed revenue, prickers and brush are peaking out as well so offer to do a cut back and charge hourly. Good Luck!!

[RSE]

Contracts...up front and in your face!!!! Jesus loves you but get it in writing!
You see, a quality customer will understand the lawn is the prime focal point of the property. When the lawn always looks good, people walking/driving by ALWAYS notice. Homeowners never have to think twice about the weekend or guests stopping in and the condition of the lawn.
You are selling peace of mind, just as a mattress dealer sells sleep. Customers become conditioned when they know the lawn never needs attention and the only way that will ever happen is with a contract.

[Steve]

i don't have any weekly customers so far but i think the quality of the customer does have alot to do with. The majority of my customers are renters not homeowners, so it seems like they are more interested in just keeping the grass mowed instead of improving it.

How are you marketing where you are reaching more renters than owners? Can you alter your marketing method to reach out to more home owners instead?

[lonestarlawn]

Originally Posted by Steve

How are you marketing where you are reaching more renters than owners? Can you alter your marketing method to reach out to more home owners instead?

So far marketing has been word of mouth, placing business cards out on the counters of local stores and an ad on craigslist.