Landscape Installs????? Help

I just started my lco late last year. Mowing, cleanups, mulch, trimming bushes etc... that is going great! However we have just completed four landscape installs and 2 of the four customers are slightly not satisfied due to they are expecting full grown mature plants and an immediate WOW factor. Am I doing something wrong here and how do I get them to not expect the immediate WOW? I am informing them how many plants/flowers, sketching the plan out for them, filling up their flowerbeds with color, grouping plants, everything I know to do. What am I missing and how can I get their immediate satisfaction? Any advise would be great!!! Thanks everyone

[All Aspects Landscaping]

Lawn care business tips

Give them what the want, but let them know that it comes with a price tag. Obviously a 1 gallon day lilly is less expensive than a 3 gallon one. A 6' cleveland pear is less than a 14' cleveland pear. Get to know a local nurseryperson. They will also be able to assist you in sizes of stock they have and all that good stuff. Also, experience will help. I always go for the middle of the road sizes if I am not sure about the customer... Tell them upfront, you get what you pay for. We're installing 14' Cleveland pears next week. 2 of them. Were getting $650 each for them. Retail. $160. Show them pics of different sizes of things and prices. And its your name out there... Id rather sacrifice profit for giving the customer what they want.... (within about $100.00) cause we will get the referral work that way... plus I let them know it!!! lol

__________________

I think that is my main problem. I show them pictures of plants I pull off the internet and of course they are fully grown and then I install what I get from the wholesale nursery and of course they are not the same. I will start informing them of the container size of the plant and stop showing them pics of mature plants.

[All Aspects Landscaping]

carry one with you for estimates if need be ya know...

[Steve]

Greg,

This is a very good question. I guess this just comes down to the customer had a certain perception of what the project was going to look like and then the reality of it was different.

I would think that even if you could do a very basic cut and paste image of how the design would look after with the scale being close to what you were shooting for, then you would probably be able to avoid this problem in the future.

I think we are all very visual and if we can see something first, it would probably be well worth it in the long run.

What do you think of this?

[cklandscapingorlando]

I go over every detail of the material.Options as to alternatives,plant specs per pot size,price per pot.If a client wants bigger and they understand the signafcant price incress then fine.I always explain that smaller pots equals more plants.I can get any 3 3 gal. for the price of a 7 gal.They also need to understand that focals cost money.Once they understand that it may have taken a grower 10 years to get a tree to that size then the price falls in line.If a client seems picky then I'll bring by examples or take them to the nursery.I always suggest that they go look at a nursery or comercial projects to find what material they might like.Also some plants are'nt worth getting big.A hibiscus grows so fast that you would be paying tripple for 3 months growth.

[Team Gopher]

or take them to the nursery.

How much would you suggest a landscape project be worth before you offered to go to a nursery with a client or is that offer always on the table?

[cklandscapingorlando]

Well Most of the time I suggest that they go on their own but If I'm looking at making 1000 or better profit then I'll run them or meet them their.

[Steve]

Well Most of the time I suggest that they go on their own but If I'm looking at making 1000 or better profit then I'll run them or meet them their.

Do you have any advice for others reading this post on what % profit the average landscape install should be around?

I love taking clients to the greenhouses. Not only can you get a really good idea on what they like, but they always see something more they want to add to the project.