GopherHaul 22 Lawn Care Business Show Added

Steve · #1 02-15-2008, 08:39 PM

I just got the GopherHaul episode #22 up online now. I am so looking forwards to seeing how Fernando's election campaign turns out! This is really exciting for me.

Show Description :

Title: GopherHaul 22 - Lawn Care Software Business Entrepreneur Show

Show description:

Hello and welcome to GopherHaul 22 - Lawn Care Software Business Entrepreneur Show

In this episode we will be talking about

GopherHaul breaks the 600,000 view mark! Thank you everyone for watching us!

For a more in depth reading of our show, make sure you download the latest GopherHaul episode guide in pdf format. You can download this and previous episode guides here.

We have started to use the free program skype.com to conduct our conference call podcasts. If you would like to take part in future GopherHaul podcasts, please download their software and check our forum for the next tentative date and time to call in. Ad the screen name GopherHaul to your skype contact list.

Inspirational Story:

A new member of our forum, wrote us a story about how they got their lawn care business started. I hope Jared, story inspires you to get your lawn care business started as well. He wrote:

“Hi, my Name is Jared and this is the first time I’ve posted to the Forum. Last year I started a small business called Edge Landscaping.

I’ve got to say this site is GREAT! I can’t believe all of the information and sample documents. It’s great to see so many people sharing resources, It’s really commendable. I’ve tapped into many of them for advertisement ideas and customer letters.

Edge Landscaping was started as a side gig to compliment my full time teaching job, but it’s quickly becoming a real passion of mine. I did a lot of hardscape work while I was in college, but I never did much mowing. After college from time to time I would help friends in the business with hardscape jobs and in the process I learned a thing or two about mowing.

After some time it go to the point where I was like “I should start doing this work on my own”.

Join in on his post here http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry34107

Election Day Lawn Care Business Marketing Idea:

One of our friends and fellow forum members, Fernando, wrote to us about this great lawn care business election marketing idea. With the presidential primaries going on now in many states and the elections going on this fall, Fernando made a post wondering how he could jump on this to create a marketing opportunity for himself and his business. What we all came up with on the forum was that he should get some lawn signs made that say Vote For Fernando. And then say somewhere on the sign that he is running for the Lawn Party. Then he should insert a web domain like www.voteforfernando.com and create a website that looks like a political campaign website. I thought this was a fantastic idea. Normally if you put commercial lawn signs out around your area and at intersections, your township will probably pull them out. But if they look like political campaign lawn signs, they might have a chance to stay longer and also make people wonder who is Fernando and what is this lawn party he is running on? This might get them to check out your website. Once on your website you could create fun campaign promises that say something like:

Energy: You promise to use more energy efficient lawn care power equipment to cut back on global warming.
Housing: You promise to offer your services to all the homes in your neighborhood.
Economic stimulus: You will promise to buy your supplies from other local businesses.

Then you could make some type of offer, to pull the web viewer in and get them to sign up as a customer. Mention two free lawn cuts, if they sign up for a year long lawn care contract. Or offer a coupon for a free dinner. Then set a date they need to sign up by to really get them to jump on the offer.

We also came up with ideas like Fernando should put some lawn signs at the entrance and exit of the local newspaper's building to get them curious about what is going on with this. Then possibly send out a press release of what he is up to and how his marketing idea really created buzz in the local area. People want to know more about what is going on and this could explain it.

Read more about this post here http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry34750

Business Question:

Is it a good idea to offer a discount for a full season pre-payment or prepay?

This is a great question that comes up from time to time but especially at the beginning of the lawn care season. We had a great discussion on this in the forum and the simple answer to this question is yes it's a good idea. If you can get all that working capital at the beginning of your season, you will be ahead of the game. A dollar is worth more today then a dollar tomorrow. In the post listed below, you will get a chance to see some inducements that you can offer to get a customer to want to prepay you for the year's worth of lawn care service.

Read more about this post here:
http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....t=7229;

Spring Lawn Care Business Marketing Idea.

Spring is coming and what better way to meet your neighbors and promote your lawn care business for cheap, than to get your neighbors involved in a spring neighborhood garage sale. We created a free flyer template you can download from the link below. Get the flyer and edit it. Hand it out all over town and knock on all your neighbor's doors to let them know you will be hosting a neighborhood yard sale. On a certain date they should bring out their tables and sell their wares. Then you can go out and mix and mingle with people in your town and promote your lawn care business. Put on the flyers that you are promoting this and if anyone has any questions, to contact you at your business line or visit your website for further information.

Get involved with the post here:
http://www.gophergraphics.com/forum....ry34739

Book of the Month:

This month's business book of the month is Robert Kiyosaki's “Rich Dad, Poor Dad.” I have been hearing about this book from everyone on the forum and I am glad they all pointed this book out. I am a quarter of the way through it and I am loving it. In the book Robert teaches you the difference between an asset and a liability. Many people think they know what the difference is, but after you read this book, you will have a new understanding you didn't have before and ultimately that's what makes rich people rich.

If our show or forum has helped you, or if you have any business questions, please let us know and send an email or make a post about your experience! I hope all these ideas have helped you expand and grow your business and mind. So until the next time, always remember to Dream it, Build it, Gopher it!

If you are in need of free lawn care marketing material for your lawn care business, please visit our site at http://www.gophersoftware.com. We have hundreds of free lawn care logo, flyer, door hanger and web templates you can download and use for your lawn care business. We also have free lawn care business contracts. Also download our trial version of Gopher Lawn Care Business Software. Gopher will help your lawn care business schedule and invoice more customers in less time, allowing you more time to grow or enjoy your life. If you are on myspace send us a friend request. We are located at http://www.myspace.com/teamgopher.

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