iS IT US OR ARE PEOPLE GETTING CHEAP!

[FairwayLandscape]

I Cant Stand The Cheapness Of People-trying To Explain That Gas Goes Up Every Year Etc.

[SouthernYankee]

As Bill Clinton would way " I feel your pain"

I had this guy who hired me on the premise that he wanted me because all his other landscapers did a crap job. So I get his lawn for $35 and he is very happy. Calls me up has me do a bunch of work and tells me how happy he is.


Last week I mulch and clean up his other house that he plans on selling. Calls me the other day and says that some other guy gave me a great price on mulch and a $25 price for his lawn. He said that he had to hire him for the price and that I am gone..... This is what I call a price shopper in disguise. How can any of us go down in price or match lowballers?

[CAG]

I think when landscapers use the gas prices going up for a reason for going up on a price of a lawn it's bad business!!! You need to explain to the customers that its the costs of everything including gas,insurance, maintenance, payroll,taxes, and your own living expense's.. Make them realize that every year they work they expect raises in their jobs to keep up with their expenses and were all in the same boat.. Most people will understand if you explain it to them correctly, they don't always realize that all the money does not go in our pockets!!! If you take the time to resell it to them they will buy..But on the other hand if your trying to go up $5 on a $30 lawn per year its not going to work!! Be reasonable and it will work and remember when someone charges you more for something you buy you do ask why and at least want a good answer..

[gammon landscaping]

insurance is a good point to make. talk about how it went up agian even though you didn't have a claim.

this works well for a few reasons

1. you have insurance
2. no claims
3. every one knows how outragous insurance can be

[LawnScenes]

I like to use the "thanks, have a nice day, and good luck with the other person" approach... And it seems to work usually. If you show up at a potentials property and sell yourself, your work, and your company to them. In my experience 80% of the time you'll still get the job after they call your references. Regardless of your price. I don't feel it's necessary to explain to a client why my price is higher than the other guy. You can talk about fuel prices, insurance, overhead, etc... If they are price shopping for the lowest bidder and don't care about the quality of work, then that's the person they are going to choose and you don't want to work for someone like that anyway. Unless you make a good impression (remember, first impressions are the most important and a lot of people make the choice to hire you or not after your first meeting with them). Get them excited about the project while discussing what they want done. Have them even more excited about it and how it'll look when you submit your proposal. Give them a reason to remember you... And what you can and will do for them... Set yourself at a higher level than the low ballers. Why should I or any of you lower your prices or try to cut corners to play on the same field with the low ballers or jackie's that are out there for beer and cigarette money. Only you know how much it cost to run your business successfully. Personally I want to be on top. I want the people that call me for the first time to be impressed with what I can offer them. And to be impressed with the end result. I also want to be the first and only person they call when they are ready for something else. One day the low ballers will catch on. Or they'll be outta business. Forget about them and move on. They can only stay afloat so long in a boat they're shooting full of holes.

[FairwayLandscape]

understand that coasts go up. Especially the old folks!

[FairwayLandscape]

SORRY guys

[willretire@40]

Yeah it is amazing how everything is going up all at one time but yet people think that our prices should always stay the same. I looked online at f-150 xlt and they have gone up to $30,000 of course you get rebates but i would have to say that they jumped a good $1500 and that is for a base xlt with tow package. It is unreal how everything is going up.

[MarcSmith]

people are cheap, get used to it...infact I'm sure at some point in time everyone of us has been cheap.

Its one thing to price shop when you are compairing apples to apples. IE a pound of granny smith at safeway VS a lbnof granny smith at giant.

Maybe the client does nto percieve a diffrence in the level of service you provide as opposed to the level of service he is being promised for the lower price.

I put sidingon my house I had bids from 8k to 30k. sorry but I was cheap, as I could not tell a difference in 30K worth of siding from 8k worth...

Also, what with the capitalization of the first letter of every word? I have been seeing that a lot recently.

You also might want to do a search for Fareway, I hope that people don't start confusing you with him...:)

[LawnMowerMan3875]

I would definatly agree with a lot of the guys on here about the lowballers...The customer is going to get what they pay for.. I lowballed the lowballer last year just so I could get the account and get my name out there..The account was with a realty company and she owned a lot of rental property...Very known in my area...Well, if you all remember the gas prices jumping to over three dollars a gallon...well, I sent out Increase notices due to all my expense increase...not just the gas.....You all probably don't have to guess what happened....She took back the Low-lowballer....I had a lot of compliments on the job I was doing from the residents that lived there and they hoped that I would continue...Well, to make a long story short, he got the yards back and you can diffently tell the difference....His bad, mine good...Like other guys on here that will tell you...If their going to be that cheap, then you don't need them...Other work will come...One more thing I need to add or even ask...Living with a woman is hard enough, but working for them on realty accounts can put you in a padded cell....Has anyone else had this problem....The reason I'm saying this is because the realty company I used to have an account with was ran totally by women....Just wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them and how they handled it...

[CC Lawncare]

I have dealt with realty accounts and they also were managed by women. I can't say that it was a factor one way or the other regarding ease-of-doing-business. My experiences so far have been just like any other business account and pay has been very prompt. I don't know if this is typical or not of realties, ....just my 2 cents.

[FairwayLandscape]

Marc Smith I'm not talking about NOT being used to cheap customers. We've dealt with people like you before. What it means is that people don't see the value in anything anymore, even service. Ps I appreciate good commentary but try not to jump all over me because I'm venting thats what this board if for.

[MarcSmith]

I did not think i was jumping all over you. sorry that was not my intention

It is difficult to sell yourself, thats probably the hardest aspect of owning your own business. Some people sell themselves on price alone (walmart, HD, Lowes, Trugreen, ect). If I'm gonna spend more on something I need a warm fuzzy feeling that tell me that i'm spending more as it makes sense.

It is hard to tell people that you are going to cut their grass for X dollars more than joe schmoe, and be able to show them value in those extra dollars spent. We spend the extra money to be insured, licences, educated, ect, all of that adds to our overhead and we need to set ourselvesapart, whether it be charging a flat rate monthly fee that never changes, throwing a few annuals in the ground that are leftover from another job, sending out a chirstmas or birthday card, simply offering free advice and making yourself available to your clients. Some people can do this, some can't. those that can't sell on price alone and they cater to those who could care less about the "warm fuzzies" as I call it. I have people not renew their contracts over a $5 a month price increase, Where they cheapskates, probably...Did they see the extra value in me coming to their house on my day off no charge to walk them through their irrigation system and how to program it...I guess not...I guess on those clients that become cheapskates we know were we stand and we know that if we go the extra mile it will be for naught.


I don't mind the rant at all, as you said this is a place to vent...

[FairwayLandscape]

Everything you said was exactly the way you feel when somebody does not renew and you know it's price driven.
All the extras we do and have done go by the wayside loyalty is NO more.
Ps thanks for understanding- I meant no harm for my comments either. Thanks!

[lawnmaniac883]

people are cheaper than ever!!! Infact it may not be entirely their fault as there are factors they just dont consider. Case in point:

A) The majority of customers do not realize how much $$ we have in equipment

B) The majority of customers do not realize that we drive all over the place to get to their property

C) Finally, the majority of customers have just become complete ***holes with no respect for the lawn man. To them that is all we are...the "lawn guy"

Went to a fellas house last week to blow his roof off/clean his gutters. When he asked what he owed me, he just didnt understand why I wanted 35 dollars for getting up on his roof with a 30lb 500$$ blower. After all, I didnt have any drive time at all did I??? Cheap ass people nowadays...

[topsites]

A) The majority of customers do not realize how much $$ we have in equipment

B) The majority of customers do not realize that we drive all over the place to get to their property
Take it or leave it, you get what you pay for.

Now that part don't bother me no more, I simply don't care what they realize or not.
I'm all about getting in-and-out of there, I don't care if the answer is yes or no - Make up your mind, because the sooner it's over, the better -> The faster I am done estimating this one, the sooner I can go estimate another.
So take it or leave it.
Thank you now :waving:

C) Finally, the majority of customers have just become complete ***holes with no respect for the lawn man. To them that is all we are...the "lawn guy"

I HATE that, especially that condescending attitude some have towards us, like we're the poorest of the poor and it would be a priviledge to work on their yard for their kind donations to our cause... Most of them don't mess with me too much anymore because I just walk around like my farts don't stink, but a few never get it <- I get out of there asap thou.