What would you do? 2500 direct mailers ready!

[adaptivehomeservices]

I have 2500 mailers addressed and stamped ready to go. 2007 will be my first "official" year and I am starting with NO accounts. I targeted specific streets in the town I am hoping to work primarily.

The heading on my post card is, "Receive 10% Off Your 2007 Lawn Maintenance"! This is not really a savings as I bumped my rates up 10% to compensate for the discount but I am hoping its a good door opener.

I am debating sending them out on Monday but have Christmas and holiday concerns...also, how many people want to think about their lawn while its 40 degrees out. BUT...I also know people are renewing their contracts with their existing lco's....

My gut tells me to wait til the first or second week in January to send them out....

What do you all think would be more successful....now or after January 1st?

[mow2nd]

I would wait until after the holidays. I dont know when your season starts. I'm in the Southeast and our season doesnt start back until March. So I wouldnt do a mail out until mid Feb. I did a mailer years ago and only got like 2 calls, good luck with that.

[bobw]

Well, I am going to say this. Offering a 10% discount and bumping your prices up is pretty unethical. You are lying to people to try and get their business. When they find out, you will hear about it.

[adaptivehomeservices]

Its my first year in business with my pricing....If I bump them now with NO customers then is it actually a bump...no.

I said that to avoid the lowball and discount of services onslaught. Our pricing gets bumped up and down depending on so many factors. Lots of people figure their marketing discounts in their bids. If I was a big retail chain then I would agree with you. But I am not.

[Uranus]

When does your mowing season start? How about the spring cleanups? I'd wait till the holidays are over and people have time to recover from them. If I were you I'd send them out 2 weeks before you plan on doing cleanups. I would also put an add in the local paper/papers. I dont know what streets your planing on mailing them to, but from my experience if your sending them to nice developments or culdesacs then chances are everyone else out there trying to get accounts is sending them to the same places you are. Then let the lowballing begin! These streets bring out all the cheapos. They get so many of the 10% off or lawns starting at $25 that they think comercial mowing is not worth more than the cost of fuel and your labor. Good luck. I run an 8 week add in the local paper in mid march till first week of may

[Grass-Masters]

I don't have an answer for you, but I am interested in the responce you get from them. Keep us posted.

[adaptivehomeservices]

Thanks for all your input so far. Keep your thoughts comin!

I plan to do this mailing and then send another to the same people in February. I also plan on running an ad from the end of January to March pending how many new customers I have. I am hoping this will be enough to launch into the summer. I am looking for a max of 60 customers this year. Most should be 1/8-1/4 stops...around 30 minutes per stop.

[fiveoboy01]

Well, you've printed them already, but I'd tell you to lose the 10% discount.

You will attract a lot of "price shoppers" that way. And if you've already artificially inflated your price so that they come down to the normal "industry standard" after the discount, then you really aren't giving much of an incentive to the customer, who is, like I had said, price shopping in the first place.

Sell your service, perform good work, and you will not need to offer discounts to get service.

End of that rant, and I'd wait until after Christmas to send them out. And I'm not going to try and rain on your parade, but you will most likely need to hit a lot more than 2500 homes to get 60 customers.

[adaptivehomeservices]

I never said I was only putting out 2500 to get 60 accounts. This is just my first mailing, atleast one other by February and then two ads in local papers until my 60 accounts are reached.

I wanted to put something on my ad that suggested a good reason to call me...once I get the phone to ring then I can sell my service. But I have to get the phone to ring.

I have asked before, if you can't offer a price incentive to call a new business then why would the average person call? Would you respond to a solicitation if all they said was "great service"?

[BBN]

Just a side question for you guys here. The first mowing here in Southern Illinois begin somewhere from March 15-22. If I sent out advertisments in mid-February is that early enough? Should I instead shoot for early Feb? Thanks

[Military Lawns]

The Holidays people tend to view mailers as junk mail...I am guilty of that myself. Wait until after the Holidays when peoples mind set have reverted back to the home. So far as the 10%, I would get rid of that and just be straight up. If you start of cutting someone's lawn at $35 per week and after 6 mos they say someone can do it for $25 per week. Tell them that you cannot match that price but maybe offer 10% off the next bill. I have lost customers and gained them back after a couple of cuts (not all of them). The bottom line I have a price per lawn that I will not take my equipment off the trailer. Know your breakeven points and profit margins. That way some you can offer a discount and others you absoutely cannot.

Being new to the business myself, I would rather tell someone straight up what I can do for them then nothing at all. I do however, offer true discounts to certain disabled veterans.

Good hunting...

DJ

[lawn_pro]

Just going off of my own past experience, I would wait until early march, no one is thinking about lawn care now-except us. If you send them now, I would bet most will find their way to the trash and you will be dissappointed with the results. good luck

[fiveoboy01]

I never said I was only putting out 2500 to get 60 accounts. This is just my first mailing, atleast one other by February and then two ads in local papers until my 60 accounts are reached.

Sorry, I mis-understood.

I wanted to put something on my ad that suggested a good reason to call me...once I get the phone to ring then I can sell my service. But I have to get the phone to ring.

I have asked before, if you can't offer a price incentive to call a new business then why would the average person call? Would you respond to a solicitation if all they said was "great service"?

You can sell other things than great service. Pride in the property. Increased property appeal if they ever want to sell. Increased Leisure time. There are many other things to sell besides "a nice discount!"

If I cared about my property, I would not care about the price(of course, to a point), if the service was to my satisfaction.

That's just the thing, the person is calling solely becuase of the discount. Hence, they're looking for the best price, not the best service. And if you're not a lowballer(which it appears that you are not), they will get the service elsewhere for less.

When I started, i was gung-ho about offering a free cut, or other discounts. I only ran that for a couple months, and nearly every customer I got out of that deal is a pain, always asking to skip cuts, and nearly every one of them are late payers.

If it works for you, great, but I won't do it again. Possibly a discount for current, good customers for something, but not new people who are just kicking the tires.

[coronelli]

You and I are in the exact same boat, just starting out so I have no credible suggestions since I am new also, however I would like to exchange some ideas with you about direct mail and other ideas. I am currently reaserching direct mail and am curious how your doing it. My emial is coronelli@msn.com
Good luck!

[adaptivehomeservices]

Thanks for writing again. I liked a few of your heading ideas and when I approach my next campaign then I will use something service or quality based like the ones you suggested.

This is all learning for me so I appreciate the help!

[Howard Roark]

Well, I am going to say this. Offering a 10% discount and bumping your prices up is pretty unethical. You are lying to people to try and get their business. When they find out, you will hear about it.

While he did say this was his first year, therefore he had no "price" to begin with, who cares??

The retail industry has only been doing this for the last 35 years or so, with no doubt many products you have purchased yourself. It's called MARKETING.

Too many people on here are more concerned with appearing moral and being their customer's friends rather than running a business.

I say good luck to you.

[JJLandscapes]

How anyone can say dont mention discounts or sales because it makes you look cheap amazes me... Must know nothing about business What about all the high class items that advertise salesThey dont gear towards customers looking for cheap products its just a marketing trick

Mercedes, lexus,bmw 3 perfect examples advertising sales on commercials all the time when there really is no cheaper prices i can go on and on with examples on how sales and discounts arent bad tactics.. Just open up a magazine called departures they have sales events for private jets and some really absurd items ive never seen b4 the magazine.. I didnt order that subscription i think AMEX just sends that

[fiveoboy01]

High-ticket items like jets and cars have absolutely nothing in common with lawn and landscape maintenance.

Being such a knowledeable businessman, I figured you'd know that...

[UpNorth]

[QUOTE=Howard Roark]
The retail industry has only been doing this for the last 35 years or so, with no doubt many products you have purchased yourself. It's called MARKETING.

Too many people on here are more concerned with appearing moral and being their customer's friends rather than running a business.

QUOTE]

AMEN!!

And to adaptivehomeservices... wait till the weather starts to break. Late Feb-Early March. 2500 isn't that many, so anything you can to increase your response rate you should try to do.

[HOOLIE]

High-ticket items like jets and cars have absolutely nothing in common with lawn and landscape maintenance.

Being such a knowledeable businessman, I figured you'd know that...

Maybe not much in common BUT everyone is either trying to sell a product or service. If you don't believe discounts and 'free' stuff attract business then you're just nuts. Pretty much everybody loves a 'deal' not just 'tire-kickers'.

[HOOLIE]

Back to the original topic...I would not mail these out for some time. Definitely not now. January is a pretty dead month for lawn care as well...I would wait until at least the second half of February at the earliest. You're right people don't think about their lawns when it's cold.

[fiveoboy01]

Maybe not much in common BUT everyone is either trying to sell a product or service. If you don't believe discounts and 'free' stuff attract business then you're just nuts. Pretty much everybody loves a 'deal' not just 'tire-kickers'.

I realize that everyone likes a deal.

Lawn maintenance is something that most people can do themselves, and those who pay to have it done most likely can do it themselves as well.

They just don't have the time, or are too lazy. Hence, they're buying a service that is not TOTALLY necessary, and are looking to get it done as cheaply as possible. It's not like when the furnace goes out, or a pipe bursts, or a roof starts leaking, or the transmission in the family car goes out. Those kind of repairs are out of the scope of most people's abilities, and when it's gotta get done, it's gotta get done. Anyone can push a mower around and though the result may not be stellar, it would get the job done and at least look half presentable.

There are exceptions to the rule. Some people appreciate the ability of an LCO to really make their property stand out, but I don't believe those are the majority. And that minority will care more about the great service you can provide, and the free time you will give them, rather than the discount you can throw at them.

[HOOLIE]

My point really is...if you are trying to attract a significant amount of new business thru flyering or mailers, you are not going to run across too many potential customers that have ever heard of your company. You can go on about reliablity and quality and all that but so does every other LCO. Unless it's a referral of someone that has actually seen your work, that all means nothing. So offering a discount of some sort steers potential customers to you.

I mean nobody claims to be "the 9th best LCO in town" do they???:laugh: Phrases like 'top quality' and 'best in town' are so overused that people generally ignore them. So you can't think that those phrases will attract new clients.

[adaptivehomeservices]

My goal in advertising is simple. Get the phone to ring. Get a chance to meet a potential prospect. Without the first phone call you don't have a chance to sell your qualities. How do you get the phone to ring, offer something the helps the customer. Open up your sunday paper and look through all the ads and tell me how many business are just advertising superior service...not many if any.

I will provide excellent results and superior service but I have to get the phone to ring first.

[Mikesyardworks]

I also am new in the business and have mailings ready. I am in the northeast and am plowing now or should I say waiting to plow. I have discovered if you can sell you self and your service people will pay your price. I'm not the lowest as far as plowing but I sold my self and service. People told me I was not the lowest and still paid my contract fee. Blue haired old ladies love the mailers and I have been told will sell you out in a heartbeat for the next deal. I have had signs made, mailers, shirts, doorhangers and will place adds. If I make my self stand out on a street, everyone else will ask who did your lawn and now its time to sell your service..