Reestablishing Contact with Customers?

[grasscanuck]

How does everyone contact their customer list to ensure they are booked for the upcoming season?

[Ground Master]

I send a letter towards the end of February-beginning of March which shows all the prices for their yard for the upcoming season. If they are a customer that I did a small job for (say they only hired me to aerate their lawn or repair the sprinkler system), then they get a postcard.

I use ms publisher for the letter. You can set it up to print the address of each customer from quickbooks. After they are printed, I fill in the prices of each service, fold them into a double window envelope.......and off they go.

I keep a list of those that call. Some will send letter back with the services they want. Others will email me. If I don't hear from someone by April 1st, I call.

[Harvestman]

I keep it simple and give them a call. Most I've already been on ther propertys to fertilize. The ones that I don't I call. Harvestman

[Bob Minney]

Mail a letter 1st week of feb.

[1MajorTom]

We sent out our yearly newletter to our customers in February which also mentioned our new fertilization program.
Included in the letter were these few sentences:
We will continue to automatically service your account unless we hear from you. So if you have any questions or concerns, please give us a call by March 15th, and we would be happy to discuss them with you.
It works for us. :)

[marc]

I also send out letters around March 1 to all of my customers. Enclosed in those letters is a service agreement that explains my policies, prices, and other pertinent information. The customers return the signed agreement back to me and we are set for another season.

[Randy Scott]

10 question survey card and a follow up call about a month later. Lord knows I have enough time this winter to get in touch with everybody. Plowing 4 times pretty much leaves the bulk of the year open. Ddddooooh!:rolleyes:

[RB]

I think it's important not to lose contact w/customers over the winter.

At the end of the contract season (Nov 30) we ask each customer (in person) if they were completely satisfied with our service and if they have any comments. We usually have our service contract for them to sign right then. Their incentive to sign early is that they get service once a month w/o charge (dec, jan, feb, mar). This usually gets them to sign. It works out for me becasue I'm usually not too busy and I can breath easy over the winter. And when we give them no charge visits it makes it easier for them to pay Apr 1 when the first monthly installment is due.

Just my thoughts.

Ron

PS
I am solo so these no charge service visits only cost me my time.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

Send them their contract by the beging of October, and usually get close to all of them back by November 1st.

Everything from snow removal to next Falls leaf pick up is on it if they have gotten any type of service in the past it in the past.

Takes time to plan your year so I get a good jump on it.

Also keep your so called "scrubs" out of the picture.