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The Paradox of Choice

Aug 2

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, lawn business strategies, lawn care business | 2 Comments

[podcast]http://www.startalawncarebusiness.com/podcasts/paradox_of_choice.mp3[/podcast]Have you ever walked into a restaurant and been overwhelmed by the menu?

Too Many Menu Items

When it comes to food, I am mostly easy going.  I am not picky with food.  Therefore, I can easily find a lunch or dinner I will enjoy on any basic menu.  Some restaurants try to overwhelm their customers with food choices.  When I visit a restaurant that has a million choices on their menus, I get confused and want to leave for a more simple eating establishment.

Some customers of lawn care businesses suffer from a similar paradox of choice.

Paradox of Choice – Definition

Paradox of choice is defined as an overwhelming abundance of items  leading to a non-decision and loss of sale.

Mistakes of a New Lawn Care Business Owner

Time and again I have seen new lawn care business owners offer a staggering array of services.  They will cut grass, trim, edge, blow off driveways, rake leaves, pull weeds, trim hedges, prune trees, fill holes, mulch beds, clean gutters, aerate, seed, fertilize, plant shrubs, plant flowers, install water gardens, install landscape lighting, pressure wash, pressure seal, exterminate, landscape, etc., etc., etc.

All these jobs are great services for a lawn care company to offer.  However, when your company is new it should focus on a few primary services.  As it’s customer base grows and as its number of employees grow it can begin to offer additional service.

Core Services

I believe cutting, trimming, blowing, and raking are the basic services you should offer when you are new.  Don’t overwhelm your customers with choices early in your business start up.  Otherwise one of three things will happen.

1) Your customers will get confused by your offerings thinking you are trying to be everything to everyone.  They will either walk away to find someone who simply does grass cutting or they will hire you for services for which you are not qualified and do not have the equipment.  You will have to spend all your time learning how to do those job correctly and all your money attempting to acquire the necessary equipment.

2)  You will become a Jack of all trades and a master of none.  This is bad news for your business.  When it comes to business, I would rather be really good at one service than mediocre at many.

3)  You will lose focus on your cash cow (the core of your business) trying to do non productive jobs and your business will suffer.

How Much Is Enough

You don’t have to offer a million services to become a successful lawn care business.  Find a few services at which you are really good  (and customers will pay for) and build your business around those core offerings.

Start A Successful Lawn Care Business

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How to Proceed? Take the Lead!

Aug 2

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

I’ve said many times; the estimating process is one of the more tricky aspects of runing your own lawn care business.  This article helps you put your customers at ease when they request free lawn care estimates.

Unsure Customers

Customers who have never hired a lawn care company before may find it a bit frighening to call a stranger on the phone and request that person come to their homes and look at their lawns.

Likewise, new lawn care business owners may find it intimidating to mosey around a strangers lawn looking for imperfections.  As a business owner, you must realize customers look for you to be the professional and take the lead in the estimating process. 

I have done thousands of estimates.  Most customers have a general idea what needs to be done in their lawn and how much money they are willing to pay within $5 to $10 for weekly service.  But, they are unsure of how to go about getting everything set up to their satisfaction.  It is up to you, as a business owner, to lead the sales call.

Here are a few methods to help you take the lead during your sales calls:

1)  Practice your script.

You do not want to be fumbling for words or wondering what to say to a new or prospective customer.  Using our lawn care business material develop a script of what to say.  You want to be friendly with your customer but you don’t want to be best friend.  Keep chit chat to no more than a few minutes and get to the reasons why you’re there.  Your script needs to, at least, cover the basics: What work do they need performed? How often do they want the  work performed. How much are they willing to pay?  It’s good to listen to your customers but you must direct the conversation.

Once you develop your script, practice it.  I remember giving my first customer estimate when I started my lawn care business.  I didn’t want to make a fool of myself so I developed a script.  I would even close the door to my room and practice in front of a mirror.  Silly, right?  Maybe but it helped me build confidence and gave me the ability to speak with customers and get the jobs.

2)  Know your line of work.

Most  prospects know a few things.
A) The grass looks bad. 
B) I want the grass to not look this bad.
C) I don’t want to pay much to have it not look this bad. 

Ha Ha. Yep, that will sum up about 80% of all your free estimates.  If you know your subject (grass for this purpose) you can lead the discussion to explain why they should hire you.

3) Remove their guess work.

Until you show for the estimate, new customers have little idea what your proceedures are.  Once they are comfortable with the services you offer and accept your price.  They may not know what comes next.  If you’ve already read our lawn care guidebook you know to bring your equipment to every estimate.  Take your customers guess work away. 
Recommend a mowing schedule (example: Wednesday about 10:00).  Recommend a payment plan (example: Leave check under the welcome mat).
Recommend additional work (example: Flower beds need more mulch)

By taking the lead you will instill confidence in your customers making they feel good about having you as their lawn care person.

If you are thinking about starting a lawn care business or if you want to make an existing business even more successful, get a copy of our Lawn Care Business guidebook.  It’s on sale right now!  Visit our main site:  www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Start A Lawn Care Business, August 2009

Jul 29

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, fertilizer, gutter cleaning, lawn business strategies, lawn care business, leaf raking | No Comments

As August wears on shadows get a bit longer and leaves begin to change color and drop.

[podcast]http://www.startalawncarebusiness.com/podcasts/August.mp3[/podcast][podcast]http://www.startalawncarebusiness.com/podcasts/August.mp3[/podcast]  Anyone who hasn’t yet started their own lawn care business might think they have missed the boat this year and will just have to wait until 2010 to start their lawn care business.

If you have ever wanted to start a lawn care business, right now may be one of the best times of the year to take the plunge and get started.

1)  August is the time when kids head back to school.  Because of homework and extra curricular activities, kids may not want to mow grass anymore.  They drop customers leaving them looking for someone else to cut the grass.

2)  If the summer’s been hot and dry (like this summer) many lawn care operators quit the business since there wasn’t much grass to cut during the last few very hot and dry weeks.  Right now is your chance to take advantage of their shortsightedness.  Rains often return in mid to late August. There are lots of people looking for someone to cut their grass.

3)  Autumn is a HUGELY profitable time for many lawn care business owners.  Leaf cleanup time is only a few weeks away.  There are lawns to be raked and gutters to be cleaned.  Aerating, overseeding, and fertilizing need to be performed on your customer’s lawns too.

A LCO can often make more money the last several months of the year than during spring and summer.  There is HUGE potential right now.

If you have ever wanted to start your own lawn care business or if you have just not made enough money this year you need to step up your game right now.

The StartALawnCareBusiness.com business package tells you how to price autumn clean up jobs and seeding jobs.  There is so much more to owning a lawn care business than cutting grass during the summer.

Right now is your time to get started.

The StartALawnCareBusiness.com business package is on sale right now.  Visit our website:  StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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People Who Don't Respect Your Time

Jul 24

Posted by Lawn Care Business in customers, employees, lawn business strategies, lawn care business, time | No Comments

I’ve written a couple posts lately on the concept of time valuation.

The-Law-of-Scarcity

and

Distractions-of-a-Lawn-Care-Business-Owner

These posts don’t speak to a dollar amount per minute for your time (there’s plenty discussion of pricing in our lawn care manuals).

More philosophically, these posts explore the concept of general valuation of your time as a business owner and the perceived value placed on your time by yourself and others.

Time Value

I am quickly coming to a strong realization.  You become the sole controller of your time only when you take a strong stance to protect it. Anything less than continued diligence will see your time completely absorbed and abused.

Three methods of protecting your time are listed below.

1)  Surround yourself with people who respect your time. Whether you are dealing with business acquaintances, customers, or employees the people around you must respect your time as a business owner.  If people around you don’t value your time they will waste it for you.  Do your best to distance yourself from time sappers.  Instead, surround yourself with those who allow you the time you need to make your business a success and enhance your productivity during your time with them.

2) Be proactive when allocating your time. When you know someone is a time sapper be ultra-defensive in agreeing to give them time for their activities.   Customer relations are very important for a lawn care business.  However, we all know customers who talk and talk, non productively, when you come to the door.  They tap you on the shoulder and try to talk to you over the roar of your lawn mower.  They never have your check ready when you have completed their lawn and they want to chat endlessly about their grand kids or the weather.

DON’T BE RUDE!!! but be proactive with time sappers.   Let them know you have work to do.  Let them know your business is important to you and, more importantly, all your customers are important to you and you don’t want to keep your next appointment waiting.  Act with a sense of urgency and be on your way.

3)  Resort to being a jerk if needed. Be as friendly and hospitable as possible to all your customers (and friends and other relationships).  However, there are just some people who do not take a hint.  When gentle reminders do not work, occasionally resort to strong reassurances that you don’t have time to devote endless hours of non-productive time to their needs.  Other, more productive, customers will come along and as you fill your client list with good customers, cull the time wasters from your roster.

Start and Expand Your Own Lawn Care Business

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The Law of Scarcity

Jul 23

Posted by Lawn Care Business in estimate, lawn business strategies, lawn care business | 2 Comments

Lawn Care Business operators face an ongoing struggle with customers to help them understand the time value of their business.

Value Your Time So Others Will Value It Too

New lawn care business owners often have a difficult time conveying to their customers that their time is valuable.  New lawn care owners need customers more than customers need them.  Therefore they are often willing to give their customers extra time on each mowing job.

Give It Away and It Becomes Worthless

I remember my first year in the lawn mowing business.  Customers often asked me to do addtional jobs for them but did not offer additional money.  Since I was new, I did not want to lose their business and thought if I performed additional jobs they would be loyal to me.

Instead of being loyal, customers often lost respect for me and valued my time less as I gave them more of my time.  I quickly learned to let customers know that I had other work to do and could not hang around their property longer than it took to take care of their lawn.  If they needed other work performed I would be happy to give them estimates.

Once customers realized that I valued my own time, they began to value my time too.  They stopped bothering me to chit chat about unrelated discussions.  Instead, they would speak with me about needed work for their lawns.  They realized that once I was finished with their lawns I expected to get paid (customers who paid weekly) and they had payment ready for me when I was finished.

Demand Begets Demand

More importantly, customers realized my services were in demand from other lawn care customers.  They knew I did good work and when they recommended me they told their friends how busy I was.  The apparent scarcity of my time worked in my favor as I quickly built my client base.

If you are just starting out with your lawn care business.  Let your customers know you work as efficiently as possible since you have many other customers to service.  Don’t be short or rude with them but be professional and to-the-point.  Do your work quickly and don’t dilly dally.

Learn how to use the law of scarcity in your favor and you will become even more valuable in the eyes of your lawn care customers.

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Need help with your lawn care business?  The professional lawn care business program is available right now through our website.  We have it on sale but we will probably have to raise our price in the coming weeks.  Order today for the best price currently available.

Order today:  www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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Girdled Landscape Trees

Jul 21

Posted by Lawn Care Business in environment, landscaping, landscaping photography | No Comments

Girdling occurs when any object encumbers the girth of a tree’s trunk.

Girdling a Tree

Looking at public landscaping spaces this morning, I came across a landscape tree that is girdled by a cable designed to protect a garbage can from theft.

girdle2

The public works department probably had good cause to cable the garbage can as theft and vandalism are problems in many municipalities.  However, securing the cable tight then leaving it for syears is unconscionable.

This tree is at risk of dying from the damage underway by this cable.  Luckily, the cable is thin and it has yet to be completely encompassed by the trunk bark.  Nutrients are still flowing to the leaf system and will flow back to the roots this autumn.  These actions take place within vascular tissues called xylum and ploem.   If the vascular process is interrupted damage or death will occur.

girdle1

As landscape professionals, we need to be more cognizant of long term effects of our actions.  Landscapers practicing common landscaping principles should never (or rarely) use trees as securing points.

If you want to operate a BETTER lawn care and landscaping business, our Lawn Care Business package will help you.  Visit our website (StartALawnCareBusiness.com) for full information.

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Don't Be an Unpaid Consultant!

Jul 20

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

Unpaid Consulting happens everyday to new lawn care business owners.

FREE ESTIMATES

One of the best ways to attract potential customers for your lawn care business is to offer free estimates on all your advertising material.  Offering FREE estimates is a no-brainer since no future customer will ever pay you for a small lawn mowing job estimate.

PAID ESTIMATES

Large job estimates and (especially) landscaping design estimates require higher levels of expertise and greater numbers of hours than simple lawn mowing estimates.  As such, job estimates which require dissemination of information should not be conducted for free.

Seasoned customers are wiley though.  Often, homeowners who need landscape work completed will call a lawn care business owner in an attempt to glean as much information as possible from a free estimate.

STEALING INFORMATION?

“What shrubs would look good over there?”  or  “How much mulch do I need for all my beds?”  Are questions often asked by these prospects.  “Sketch a draft of the landscaping ideas you have for my lawn and give me a free estimate for the work.”

These questions are designed to give the customer free specialized information not a free estimate.  In many cases, customers will accept your calculations, shrub suggestions, and design work.  In possession of this information, they will take it to the garden shop, purchase their own materials, and install the landscaping themselves.

Giving free estimates is fine but don’t fall into the roll of being an UNPAID CONSULTANT!

Start A Lawn Care Business

Are you tired of traps and setbacks?  Visit our homepage (StartALawnCarebusiness.com) to read about our full-bore, jam-packed lawn care business package.  It’s on sale right now and will help you start and operate your own, successful lawn care business.

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Wash your Lawn Mower

Jul 18

Posted by Lawn Care Business in lawn business strategies, lawn care business, lawn equipment, lawn mowers, maintenance | 5 Comments

Today is Saturday and this is my normal maintenance day for my lawn care equipment.  A big part of my maintenance schedule includes washing my lawn mower and other lawn care equipment.   I have identified 5 reasons why a lawn care business owner should keep his equipment clean.

1)  Maintain a Professional Appearance for your Lawn Care Company

Customers notice when your equipment is clean and well maintained.  They want to be proud of their lawn not only when you are finished working but also while you are working.

New customers or prospective customers you are estimating want to know your company will be reliable and not make them wait for service should you have equipment trouble or breakdowns.  Clean equipment says “professional” to your new clients.

2)  Oil and Grease Drips

After lubricating your lawn mower you will often find drips of oil or blobs of grease hanging from your oil fill tube, oil drain, or the numberous grease nibs on the mower.  These drips can make your maintenance area or trailer slippery which can lead to an accident.  Worse yet, a blob of grease might cling to the underside of your cutting deck just long enough to be deposited on your next customer’s lawn.

Thoroughly washing your lawn mower reduces the chance that oil or grease drips will cause problems.

3)  Remove Grime from Moving Parts

By their very nature, lawn mowers become very dirty during the course of their work.  Washing removes grime and build up of dirt, grass, and leaves from lawn mower’s moving parts.

Springs react better, pullies grip better, and blades spin faster when they are allowed to work unencumbered.

4) Familiarize Yourself with your Lawn Equipment (The Zen of Lawn Mower Repair)

If you are like most professional Lawn Care Business owners you like working with your equipment and you want to know every detail about the machine with which you make your living.  Washing your lawn mower lets you focus on each part of your lawn mower in a relaxed setting.  As you run water over a dirty spring or wipe off a grass-caked bushing you gain an innate understanding how the machine works and how you can work better with the machine.

5)  Check for Defects or Worn Parts

Lawn mower take lots of abuse.  Bolts shear, springs deform, and plastic & rubber parts decay.  Washing your lawn mower allows you to do a visual and hands-on maintenance check of each part of your lawn mower and other equipment.

Replacing a broken part in your shop at your leisure is much less inconvenient than having to perform hurry-up maintenance in the field.

Turn your lawn care business into a PROFESSIONAL LAWN CARE BUSINESS!

If you are struggling with your lawn care business or you just not making the money you know you should be making, WE CAN HELP!

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The complete lawn care business package is on sale right now.  It will help you operate a more professional lawn care business.  Don’t face another day feeling like you don’t know what you are doing in your business.

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Jul 18

Posted by Lawn Care Business in Uncategorized | No Comments

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Lawn Care Do-It-Yourselfers

Jul 15

Posted by Lawn Care Business in fertilizer, landscaping, lawn business strategies, lawn care business, lawn chemicals | 1 Comment

As lawn care professionals we are often faced with prospective residential and commercial clients that would rather do the work themselves.

I came across a new article recently proclaiming residential customers can save money by fertilizing their own lawns.  Since a spreader is only $24 and a bag of fertilizer is only $15, the cost is about $40 vs. $65 for professional fertilizing:

http://maplewood.patch.com/articles/is-landscaping-taking-a-hit-2

The news article failed to mention three key components of hiring a professional perform lawn care work.

1) Time benefit:

Visiting a garden center, choosing correct fertilizer, reading instructions, donning protective gear, readying equipment,  fertilizer application, and equipment clean all take time.  A home owner can easily spend 4 or 5 hours trying to save $15.

2) Knowledgeable Application

Knowledge of fertilizer types, timing of application (weather), spreader settings, and dispersal densities all increase the efforts needed for correct fertilization of a residential lawn.

3) Professional Material Handling:

Being in the lawn care business since 1992, I have received dozens of calls from homeowners who have tried to fertilize their own lawns.  A typical caller asks if I can come fix their lawn because they either over applied fertilizer, accidentally broadcast lawn fertilizer into flower to shrub beds (killing their plants), or spilled a pile of fertilizer onto their lawn when they knocked their broadcast spreader over or the fertilizer bag split dumping contents into a pile on their lawn.

$15 Savings?

Is all this hassle really worth the $15 a home owner might save by doing it themselves?

Next time you are faced with a do-it-yourselfer let them know they are only saving a few dollars versus the tremendous amount of time, energy, and money they will expend attempting to get professional results.


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