[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
Do you want to operate a successful lawn care business? Check out our lawn care business program on our main webpage. It’s on sale right now.