How to deal with pet droppings

[Steve]

Shane for the customers that wouldn't sign a contract with such a clause, would they have been open to paying for a service that picked up the dog waste or were they just not going to pay anymore than the bare bones amount for lawn care? Is there more money on the table for this type of service?

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[musician/lawnman]

Lawn care business tips

Steve, If I include it in the estimate don't surcharge them on top of it. Just having it on my paper work seems to be motivation enough. I have clients who see me pull up & come running out with a bucket & shovel to avoid being charged. I have rarely had to impose this fee but if the "crap" gets out of control I can. I'm sure I've lost one or 2 estimates because of my up front approach about it but I don't care. Look the customer in the eye & make a light hearted joke about it... "Hey, if you had to deal with extra sh!t at your job you'd expect to be compensated right? " My 52" zt is used for front lawns as it has a nice mulch kit on it. My 48" Centar runs the regular side shute so it's used for back yards & has thus been named by my employees the D.S.E. (Dog Sh!t Express) I have had 2 guys take a dog poop shower from a line trimmer, it's no fun at all, & yet as long as it's not you it's hysterically funny.

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[Steve]

If I include it in the estimate don't surcharge them on top of it. Just having it on my paper work seems to be motivation enough.

Ok so potentially on the estimate it would make a line item note that there is a fee to clean up for the dogs?

[musician/lawnman]

Well no it kinda reads like :



Premium turf maintenance package to include mowing, trimming, edging, blow off all concrete areas. (fee per service) $_____________
Doggy Patrol : If animals are kept on the property, $3.00 will be charged per visit, per dog kept. This charge will
Apply anytime the yard is left soiled. The fee is to cover the costs & time associated with equipment clean up. $____________

Total per service fee $____________

[Steve]

I like that. I think if I was a consumer and I had the options to pay for dog clean up service like that, I would be happy with it.

Why not!

I know a lot of pet owners and they don't like cleaning up after their dog. If they can spend a few bucks a week to have it taken care of, then why not!

I almost fee like the $3.00 per dog is cheap! I think it is a good deal for the consumer.

How do most of the customers respond to it?

[musician/lawnman]

Steve,

That's the thing, at first I I was going to charge for cleaning the yard, but the bottom line is I don't wanna be hauling a bucket of dog sh!t in the truck or trailer around all day.... I charge for having to clean up the equipment, I still aint picking the sh!t up. It's their ****, they can step in it too, so I'll leave it for them.

The only time I've ever picked it up was when I had a vacant house in the middle of nowhere, only neighbor for blocks was right next door. I asked him several times to either make sure his dog crapped in his own yard or to please pick it up. After the 2nd request I made he got snotty with me. I gave it a few weeks & then scooped a bunch on a shovel & put it all just outside his rear screen door for him to deal with.... HAHA! Don't sling **** if ya can't take it back.

[Steve]

That's the thing, at first I I was going to charge for cleaning the yard, but the bottom line is I don't wanna be hauling a bucket of dog sh!t in the truck or trailer around all day.... I charge for having to clean up the equipment, I still aint picking the sh!t up. It's their ****, they can step in it too, so I'll leave it for them.

It seems to me that if someone was trying to offer more upsells, this would be a great way to do it. You wouldn't have to haul it around with you, maybe just put it in a bag that you would leave at the curb or in a can for the next garbage pickup.

[FaccLndscpng]

Thanks guys for the info, I am not sure what I am going to do yet, I still have some time to think about it, but I think I will charge for clean-up, and if I loose the customers I loose them, it sucks to have to turn down business with the state of this economy where I usually take on any job that’s out there but we’ll see what happens. Chuck, great story about the neighbor, and that just shows how people are, they look at it like its not my problem, and it is. Also great line for the initial estimate if/when the customer asks why were charging more and so on. Also Clark Landscaping, there's no offense, I didn’t take it as you were giving me a hard time I agree either put up with it or move on, there isn’t much you can do about this situation I was just looking to see if anyone had any different ideas. Thanks guys.

[CloseCuts]

I was charging $5 if me or my equip. got crap on it but then I decided I would just figure it in to the job. It makes it easy because they don't know and you covered what you wanted. It’s like free estimates. There free for me to come out and look at the job but if I get the job I just add the time it took for me to figure the job. That way the customer thinks they got it for free.

[FaccLndscpng]

Hey Close Cuts, don’t spread the secret that "Free Estimates" really aren’t free if a customer gets on here and finds that out we will all be busted. Good idea, I am always like one track mind when I hear of dog, because I just go right to thinking about the mess but it’s a way not to loose customers over an addition to the contract. Thanks!