Archive for category customers

Running a Lawn Care Business – It’s Not Always Fun.

Nov 19

Posted by Lawn Care Business in advertising lawn care, customers, estimating, lawn care business | Comments off

Live Strong - Start A Lawn Care Business

Live Strong and Fight Like H*LL

On this lawn care blog, I often write about the benefits of owning a lawn care business. Truthfully, there are many benefits such as calling your own shots, setting your own hours, making the amount of money that you are truly worth, and having pride in owning your own business.

Although there are many positive aspects to running your own business, I do have to be honest with you…some days really do suck. I have had a couple of those days this week. Most of this hassle is accountable to a single customer that is causing one huge headache. Ugh.

I remember the early days of owning my lawn care business. Many days seemed like a never ending headache and a never ending fight. Fighting to cut my costs. Fighting my lawn care competition with good advertising and marketing tactics. Fighting low cost lawn care equipment. Fighting cheap lawn care customers who didn’t want to pay the going rate for lawn care.

Fight. Fight. Fight.

Gradually, as I developed my lawn care business strategies, I found that the number of fights diminished. As I learned the proper lawn care equipment to buy…fight diminished. As I learned how to properly negotiate with customers…fight diminished. As I developed GREAT marketing strategies…fight diminished. As I implemented customer scheduling strategies…fight diminished.

Those “fights” are some of the reasons I developed the Start A Lawn Care Business guidebook and estimating software. My major frustrations were manily due to lack of knowledge and as I learned the business I vowed to help other entrepreneurs (like you) beat the fights and frustrations.

Sure, there will still be a few minor fights and a few minor frustrations along the way but if you start your business right, purchase the correct lawn care equipment, and negotiate the best prices with your lawn care customers, your lawn care business will be a much easier endevour.

If you are interested in having an easier time starting and operating your lawn care business, consider purchasing our lawn care business guidebook and estimating software. It will make your business (almost) fight free.

Live Strong and Fight!!!

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
Start A Successful Lawn Care Business

Tags: fight fight fight, lawn care business, lawn care software, live strong, starting

Occupy Wall Street and Lawn Care Equipment (Occupy Lawn Care)

Nov 15

Posted by Lawn Care Business in commercial lawn mowers, customers, lawn care business | Comments off

Leaf Cleanup Hampered by Occupy Wall Street

If you live in any major city in America, you probably have an “Occupy Wall Street” movement in your hometown. Whether you agree with the movement or not, there is something we can learn, as lawn care professionals, about the encampments that sprung up around America during October and November.

I visited our local courthouse this morning to survey leaf cleanup, lawn care, and landscaping needs that the city is experiencing. Though I had heard about our local “Occupy” movement, I had not realized the grounds of the courthouse had become so populated with protesters. Strewn across the grassy (and leaf covered) court house grounds are 30 to 40 tents acting as temporary housing for “Occupy” residents.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when a lawn care customer walks around the lawn when I am trying to cut the grass or blow the leaves. Lawn care equipment is dangerous enough without my having to be distracted by customers wandering all over their lawns while I am trying to work. Can you imagine mowing grass and blowing leaves while Occupiers strolling around the grounds holding signs and chanting protest songs? Can you imagine operating a 200 mph commercial backpack leaf blower while attempting to keep their tents and belongings from blowing off the grass and onto the street?

Occupy Lawn Care

Anyway, my main point is that when you are performing your lawn care jobs for your customers, you need to keep your head about you and be cautious of the damage your lawn care equipment can inflict.

Do you want to learn more about starting your own lawn care company? Visit our main website and consider purchasing our professionally produced lawn care business guidebook, tutorial, and estimating software….and watch out for those protesters.

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
Occupy Wall Street and The Lawn Care Industry

Tags: landscaping, lawn care equipment, occupy lawn care, occupy wall street

6 months down 6 months to go – Lawn Care Business in the Second Half of the Year

Jul 1

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, lawn business strategies, lawn care customers, lawn care estimating, start a lawn care business | No Comments

Mid Summer Lawn Care Business Strategies

July is here??? Wait, I just blinked and 1/2 the year is already gone!!!!

Well, whether you like it or not, July IS here. If you own a lawn care business, I hope you are really mowing strong right now. Mid-summer is prime money making time for your lawn mowing company. If you are not making a lot of money mowing grass right now then you really need to re-evaluate your business strategy.

I have always used the first week of July to do a mid-year business audit and I ask myself such questions as:

How is my year going? Is my customer list where it needs to be? Are there customers that need to be replaced? Are my prices where they need to be? Am I on track to make my yearly goal? What can I do right now to ramp up my business going into the second half of the year?

Normally, I have always been able to come up with a few business strategies to gain new lawn care customers and entice current customers to spend more money. Mid-year customer evaluation is also done in July…not their evaluation of my lawn care company but my evaluation of them as customers.

Do they need a price increase? Do they need their service day rescheduled to better fit with other customers in the same area? Do one or two “complaining customers” need to be dropped and replaced with better customers?

Finally, I have always used July to really push non-mowing related services. Bed maintenance (mulching, barrier installation additional summer color plantings), shrub trimming, repair of drought affected areas, detailed edging, ornamentation and design work, etc. Customers REALLY want their yards looking nice during July. There are summer parties, cookouts, picnics, family reunions, volleyball & Frisbee in the yard. Assuring your customers of beautiful and functional yards during these summer months can bring you a tremendous amount of additional income from your lawn care business.

If you didn’t make as much money as you know you should have during the first 6 months of 2011, I encourage you to take a look at our lawn care business program. The book and software package is packed with business ideas that will help make your lawn care business a success. Even if you haven’t started your lawn care business yet, the year is only 1/2 over and there is PLENTY of opportunity for your to get started quickly and make great money for the rest of the summer.

For more information on the Lawn Care Business Book, Lawn Care Software, and Lawn Care Estimating Calculators, please visit our main website:

Start A Lawn Care Business
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: evaluation, july, lawn care business, money, questions

Make more money offering environmentally correct lawn care techniques.

Mar 19

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, environment, lawn care business, lawn care customers, lawn care pollution | No Comments

Proper mowing leads to a healthier lawn.

Mow it low and go.

Arghhh…how many customers do you have that want you to show up to their property every two weeks, mow their grass as low as your blades will allow, and go away for another two weeks until the grass is, once again, two feet high?

While the money is often good with these types of basic lawn care customers, there is something unfulfilling about performing the lowest form of lawn care services demanded by some customers…mow it low, and go.

It is springtime right now and many of you who are just getting started with your lawn care companies are looking for any customers you can find. I understand that you probably don’t care if you have 100 “mow it low and go” customers…you just want to be mowing grass and making money.

However, as you are acquiring customers this spring, I want to challenge each of you to attract as many customers as you can who want to care for their lawns in a proper, environmentally responsible fashion. We’re not talking about customers who want to apply lots of fertilizers and pesticides and expect a perfectly manicured lawn each week. We are talking about customers who will let you raise your blade to a proper height, practice integrated pest management, install water gardens & natural areas, and build good soil by leaving well-mulched clippings on the lawn.

Attracting a few customers who are keenly interested in having healthy lawns will teach you a tremendous amount about proper lawn care and they will give you tons of ideas and healthy lawn care management practices that you can spread to your other lawn care customers.

The benefits of building beautiful lawns with environmentally correct lawn care techniques are far reaching. Yes, you will be proud of the lawns and landscaping (and make great money from those customers) but also, great lawns generate amazing referrals. And if you acquire the right customers and bid your jobs correctly, you should be able to build a list of top-notch customers who are willing to pay you handsomely to maintain their lawns and landscapes.

Do you want to learn how to operate a successful lawn care and landscaping business? Visit our main webpage to learn more about our “Start A Lawn Care Business” guidebook and software business package. This is a HUGE business toolkit which is perfect for anyone just starting in the business or anyone who is looking to expand a lawn care business.

Make More Money With Your Lawn Care Business
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: environmental, fertilizer, lawn care, money, pesticide

Make more money in 2011 than you did in 2010 with your lawn care business.

Sep 23

Posted by Lawn Care Business in bidding lawn care, customers, lawn care business, lawn care estimating | No Comments

by: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

After our blog post last week warning of the tax day deadline on September 15, 2010, we received a couple comments from people who want to make more money for themselves in 2011. Like millions of other Americans, they had just finished their income tax estimating forms and were surprised how little money they made thus far in 2010. Each of them asked: “how can I make more money with my lawn care business in 2011?”

If you are like thousands of other lawn care business owners, you are probably wondering how you can become more profitable in your lawn care business next year over.

What is the secret of making more money for your lawn mowing business without significant expansion of your services and lawn equipment?

There does not have to be a complicated answer to this question. From our point-of-view, there are at least three ways to make more money with your lawn care business. We are going to briefly outline these three methods in the article below. But if you are truly interested in making more money with your lawn care business, we encourage you to get a copy of our lawn care business guidebooks, training guides, and estimating software available from our main website.

Here is a three point overview of how to make more money next year with a lawn care business without significantly adding equipment or spending significantly more time mowing grass:

1) Get More Lawn Care Customers: Getting more lawn care customers is the first and most obvious solution to making more money with your business. It’s true though; if you are currently cutting grass for 10 customers and you increase your customer count to 20 you should, effectively, make twice the amount of income as before. Actually, if you follow proper route scheduling and other business secrets outlined on our lawn care business startup guidebook, the amount of money you make with a doubling of customers should be more than double. Proper use of economies of scale, better lawn care equipment selection, efficient mowing patterns which will reduce your work time on each yard, and better route planning will combine to help you add more lawns into your already-packed schedule.

2) Make More Money from Each Lawn Care Customer: If you charge your customers only for basic mow-and-go services, you are likely missing an incredible amount of additional income you could make at each service time from each customer. Add-on selling is a great method of boosting your revenue from each customer. Customers who are paying for basic mowing services might not be aware of additional services your company offers. There is always more work to do in your clients’ lawns. Your job, as a business owner, is to advertise all your services to your customers. Keep your eyes open for all additional services you can offer your customers. If you have ladders and the capability to clean gutters mention the positive aspects of keeping gutters free from leaves and debris. Many shrubs need trimming 3 to 4 times each year. Flower beds should be mulched in the spring and fall. Leaf cleanup service is an important addition to most lawn care services during the months of September through November and again in the springtime. Addition of these services is easy and allows you to make extra money from each customer without the need to find new customers.

3) Get Better Lawn Care Customers: Too many times, a young entrepreneur buys a lawn mower and starts accepting anyone who wants their grass cut and is willing to pay any amount to have the work done. Before long, new lawn care business owners have rosters full of demanding customers unwilling to pay the going market price for grass cutting on their small lawns. These customers want to pay only minimal amounts of money to have their grass cut as short as possible every two weeks. While having a small percentage of “mow and go” customers is fine for most lawn service companies, better money can be made off clients who are serious about having their lawns professionally maintained. Weekly mowing, proper blade height adjustments, striping, and knowledge of lawn care problems all help landscaping companies successfully win contracts with better lawn care customers willing to pay a premium price to have professional maintenance of the lawns and landscapes.

Following these three ideas may sound simple but it’s far too easy to fall into the trap of accepting every customers that comes along and bidding the job low enough the make sure the customer doesn’t shake his head and find someone cheaper.

All of us here at StartALawnCareBusiness.com understand the difficulty of starting a lawn care business correctly, targeting the right customers, and pricing the jobs properly so you can afford to do excellent work for your customers and still make a decent profit for your business and yourself.

If you want to learn how to run a better lawn care business in 2011 we encourage you to purchase our lawn care business course. The program is designed to help you avoid the traps that many new lawn care business owners fall into. Instead, you will learn proven strategies for starting and running a successful lawn care business.

We’re keeping the low sale price on the program through the end of this month. Learn more on our main webpage:

www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
Start A Lawn Care Business.com

Tags: 2011, lawn care business, lawn customers, more money, mowing grass

Lawn Care Advertising – Funny Cow or Sad Clown?

Aug 26

Posted by Lawn Care Business in advertising, customers, Lawn Care Advertising, lawn care business | No Comments

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
Lawn Care Advertising – Funny Cow or Sad Clown

I often get inspiration for my lawn care business by observing the ways other businesses market their goods and services.

In fact, I am writing this blog post from one of my favorite restaurants – Chik-fil-A. Chik-fil-A does an outstanding job of marketing. Sure, their advertising is great. We’ve all seen the huge billboards with the two cows painting a funny sign that says: “EAT MOR CHIKIN!” However, marketing is more than advertisements on billboards. Marketing includes the way Chik-fil-A actually runs their business on a day-to-day basis. Their restaurants are always clean, their staff is always friendly, the food is always good, and the waffle fries are almost always hot.

As I walked into Chik-fil-A about 10 minutes ago (laptop bag slung over my shoulder) I was greeted by the cashier. There was eye-to-eye contact and she seemed genuinely pleased to take my order. I was treated like a human being and not just some annoying customer. Whether she knows it or not, the cashier is one of the most important pieces in Chik-fil-A’s marketing strategy. Her attitude ultimately determines how likely I am to return to the resturaunt and eat mor chikin.

Today, Chik-fil-A’s marketing efforts are in stark contrast to another business I passed on my way across the parking lot a few minutes ago. A hair cutting place is running a promotion in the parking lot. Someone dressed as a clown is wandering up and down the sidewalk and several of the hair cutters are waiving a “NO WAITING” sign signaling to passers-by that they can come in for an immediate haircut. Now, this is a great strategy since LOTS of families are out this weekend buying new clothes and supplies for their school children. It’s a great time to get a back-to-school haircut.

The sad thing about the hair cutting place’s marketing strategy is that the haircutters could not look more disgusted with the fact that they have to be outside trying to drum up business. As I walked by, not a single hair cutter made eye contact or even smiled in my direction. Their body language and facial expressions were so pathetic that I was certainly not inspired to go inside to get my hair cut (even though I need it). Who wants to get a hair cut from some cranky hair cutter with a bad attitude and a pair of sharp scissors? I am sure they have all had a long day standing in the blazing sun but, for gosh sakes, even the clown didn’t look happy.

There’s nothing more depressing than a sad clown.

If you are looking for marketing ideas for your lawn care business, take a lesson from Chik-fil-A. You are your own best marketing asset. Your attitude and the way you make your customers feel will determine if they continue to do business with you. If you are surly, cantankerous, and have a bad attitude about your work, your customers will look elsewhere for their lawn care service. However, if you present a knowledgeable and pleasant attitude, your customers will readily hire you for all their lawn care and landscaping work and tell all their friends about your lawn care business.

Given the choice, most customers will choose a funny cow over a sad clown every time.

Well, my chicken sandwich is finished, the last two waffle fries are cold, and I’ve just refilled my Mello Yello. In closing, I just want to say that I am with: www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com We are sincere about wanting your business and wanting you to purchase our Start A Lawn Care Business program. We feel we have put together the best lawn care business course available for guys, like you, who are trying to start your lawn care business and make it a success. We have been in the industry for nearly 20 years and it is our goal to give you a GREAT product at a GREAT price.

So, if you are trying to make your lawn care business a success, take a look at our main website and consider purchasing our lawn care business package. It includes lawn care business strategy guides, business manuals, equipment reviews, video tutorials, and the complete line of estimating software. http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: advertising, business, lawn care, marketing

Restringing Your Weedeater? Pick Up Your Line.

Jul 1

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, lawn care business, weedeaters | No Comments

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Has this happened to you? You are almost finished with your last yard of the day. Your grass mowing has gone well, the the lawn looks great, and you are making good time. A bit of weedeating is all that is required to leave your customer with a professionally maintained stand of grass before you get paid a lot of money and head home. Then, just as you tap the weedeater’s bump knob to advance the weedeater line a few more inches, the spool empties its last few inches and flings the last section of line somewhere onto your customer’s lawn.

Argh! You thought you had enough line to finish but now you need to run back to your truck (the line always runs out at the very back corner of the property) and rewind a spool. Your great time on this lawn is shot as you know you are going to spend 10 frustrating minutes rewinding the spool after you drop it on the ground and the tight line unravels as you try to place it back into the spool holder on the weedeater.

Finally, you finish your trimming, blow grass off the walkway & patio, and collect your money from your customer. The grass looks great and you are proud of your work and the money you made. “Ahhh…another satisfied customer.”

NOT SO FAST!!!!!!

Before you make it home, your customer calls to complain about the sloppy job you did on the lawn. You’re taken aback because you thought the job went well and the lawn mowing was done to perfection. It takes you a minute to realize what the customer is complaining about but then it hits you:

“Arghhhh….that pesky weedeater line.” When the last bit of weedeater line flew out of the weedeater you neglected to retrieve it from your customer’s lawn. Now, instead of leaving your customer completely satisfied, you return to the customer’s lawn, with apologies, and collect the last bit of line.

When running a lawn care business, it pays to be hypervigilant and give your lawns a once-over before ending the job. And, for goodness sake, pick up your weedeater line.

If you are looking for tips on running a MORE PROFESSIONAL lawn care business and making MORE MONEY, check out our lawn care business course. The guidebooks, training videos, and estimating software are designed to help you make your business a success.

We have the “Start A Lawn Care Business” course on sale right now through our main website:
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
Start A Lawn Care Business

Tags: professional lawn care, trimmer line, trimming, weedeating

Tail Lights for your Lawn Mower Trailer

Jun 29

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, enclosed trailer, equipment, lawn equipment | 1 Comment

by: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Smashed against a tree.

Knocked off when backing into the equipment shed.

Destroyed by an errant runaway lawn mower.

I cannot count the number of times I have had to repair or replace lawn mower trailer taillights. I remember fitting a new set of taillights on a trailer and the very next day a dropped weedeater caused a wire to come loose and I had to repair the connection before driving back to the shop that evening.

As frustrating as they are, tail lights are a necessary component of lawn mower trailers for your lawn care business.

As it was getting dark one night last week, I snapped a photograph of this lawn care business owner’s lawn mower trailer.

Hauling a lawn mower trailer with nonworking lights causes three potential scenarios:

1) You send an unprofessional business image to your potential clients. If a potential client sees that you are willing to operate your equipment in a nonprofessional manner, they may very well skip your company and choose a company that takes better care of its lawn care equipment.

2) Police can ticket the driver for nonworking trailer lights. This is especially true if the police catch you driving like this after dark.

3) You might cause a road accident. Other drivers that don’t see your trailer might cut behind you too close and clip your trailer. Also, if your vehicle’s taillights are obstructed by your lawn mower trailer or landscaping equipment on the trailer, other drivers might not see your brake lights and crash into you when you are stopping.

In your lawn mowing business, always make maintenance and safety a high priority. Lawn mower trailer lights should be functional at all times. As for me, I will attempt to not drop any more weedeaters on wiring harnesses or smash into trees when backing up.

If you are looking to operate a professional lawn care / landscaping business, take a look at our “Start A Lawn Care Business” business course. It is FILLED with information and business tools to help you be a success with your business.

You can find it on our main website:
http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
Start A Lawn Care Business

Tags: equipment trailer, lawn care trailer, maintenance, professional lawn care, tail lights

You've Goat To Start Your Own Lawn Care Business

Jun 2

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, landscaping, Lawn Care Advertising, lawn care business, lawn mowers, start a lawn care business | No Comments

Starting a Lawn Care Business? Think about alternative and creative services to offer your customers.

Once again, cities around the country are using goats to gain control over weeds and other vegetation in hard to mow areas.

In our city, Chattanooga, Tennessee, goats have been employed for the last 15 years to fight the relentless creep of kudzu vines. Kudzu was imported many years ago to help fight erosion on the steep mountainous terrain that circles the city. Kudzu is great at stemming erosion. The downside is that it grows rapidly and engulfs trees, telephone poles, and roadways. Since it is often planted in hard to reach areas, there is no practical method of using lawn mowers or trimmers to keep it at bay.

In the 1990’s, our public works department made a contract with a local goat farmer. He brought his goats to areas of heavy kudzu growth. The grazing goats worked non-stop at gnawing the tenacious vine. Though there were several problems with the goats (wandering off, chased by dogs) the goats proved beneficial to the landscaping upkeep of the city.

We are just one of hundreds of communities using goats for various lawn care and landscaping upkeep duties. There are even many environmentally conscious corporations and small businesses that use goats as their lawn care companies. This goes to show you that if you are thinking about starting your own lawn care business, you shouldn’t rule out alternative services to offer your customers.

Though we have never used goats in our own lawn care business, we have been involved in the industry for 18 years and we always enjoy learning about new and creative ways to make money mowing grass. If you are looking to start your own lawn care business or if you are just looking to make some extra money this summer mowing grass, you will benefit from our experience. We have produced a very helpful lawn care business guidebook and software package.

The lawn care business guidebook and software package is for sale right now through our main website and you can read more about it here: http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Tags: business, goats, google, lawn care, lawn mowing, money

Protective Landscaping

May 21

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, landscaping, landscaping photography, start a lawn care business | 2 Comments

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness

What are your selection procedures when choosing landscaping plants and materials?

As landscapers, we have great opportunities to make significant positive differences in our customers’ lives. It goes without saying that one of the differences we make is for the simple aesthetic beauty of their properties. We also make nature areas for increased wildlife and song birds, properly prune shrubs and trees for better health of the landscape, and clear scrub brush and over grown shrubs to give an open feeling to the yard and better views of surrounding landscapes.

Using pathways, watergardens, and sitting areas, we help our customers enjoy their property with areas to relax after stressful days in their jobs.

You may have never thought of it before but landscapers can also help our customers feel safe within their homes. There are certain landscaping techniques that can help protect a home and make its occupants feel safe.

According to the National Crime Prevention Council, homeowners should trim shrubs and trees that might give criminals a place to hide or climb to second stories. Thieves often hide behind dense or tall landscape plants that hide windows or other entrances to homes. Lowering the height of and thinning these shrubs reduce the invisibility that robbers seek. Planting prickly shrubs is also a great idea. Plants such as this Adam’s Needle will help deter people from snooping close to windows.

Knowing your landscaping customers’ desires for their landscaping will help you make suggestion on types of landscaping. The Adam’s Needle pictured above was planted for a single female who was living on her own. The deterrent offered by the plant makes her feel safer in her home at night as it offers some protection against people trying to spy through her window.

Do you want to make money with your own landscaping and lawn care business? We have developed a very detailed account of how to start and operate a successful lawn care business. You can read more about the course at: