couldn't match it

[dingybigfoot]

I got a call today from a lady today.
She wanted a quote on a spring clean up and
to sign up for weekly service for the coming season.
I quoted her $40 a week and $250 for the clean up.
Clean up would've been relatively easy. Just thatch removal
and turning of the beds, no mulch. And leaves from last fall.
She tells me no thats high, and shows me a flyer advertising
$20 a week for the season 4 cuts a month. I told her "sorry,
I can't match that." This is my second year and I'm solo.
I've been getting a lot of call for estimates. But it seems like many of the calls are just tire kickers. I understand the whole make it up in volume theory.
But $20 a week is crazy. Not I.

[tyler_mott85]

Yes I hear ya about everyone wanting everything so cheap.
It's already hard enough to earn respect when you tell people you do landscape and lawn maintenance. They think it's a joke and you can't make money at it.
Then they get mad when you tell them what you want for a fair value of your services and knowledge.
Don't go low now! If you book a customer for a lower price than you originally quoted that person automatically knows they can pressure you into more. It's good to stand your ground. If they don't want your service, oh well.

Good Luck.

[Scagguy]

There's plenty of people that are looking for cheap prices esp now. I try my best to qualify them on the phone before meeting them. If their main interest is price on the phone, I let them know upfront that I'm not the cheapest guy in town. That save a lot of time.

[ExtExc]

you blew it by saying sorry i cant match that. instead, you should have said, well in my humble opinion maam, you get what you pay for, if you want it to look like a 20 dollar cut, and price is your main concern, then by all means, use them. if you want a much more professional kept lawn, you should use me. by simply stating you cant match them, you gave up.

[openbook]

I wonder why she even called you in the first place when she had that flyer.

[dingybigfoot]

I was wondering the same thing when I saw it.
ExtExc, i hear you. Lesson learned.