Looking out for each other

[rider1000]

If you drive by a property that is obviously being maintained by a lawn care service (nice striping, edging, mulch beds, etc.), do not attempt to give a price for their mowing. I know that the only ones I target after the season starts are the ones that the owners are not maintaining. Hopefully everyone who is a lawnsite member understands this courtesy. I've had many customers already tell me that companies have quoted them lower prices that mine, but they are keeping me because they know I do good work. I never try to steal someone else's customers, please give everyone this same courtesy.

[LawnLad]

It goes to qualifying a customer when they call you as well. I qualify the customer more to protect myself from a bad customer than anything else.

If someone has a landscaper, I ask why are you chaning service. If someone isn't happy with the quality that's one reason. But if they're just looking for a lower price - I don't want to bid on those jobs. Same thinking here when proactively going after work. I may invite someone to call me who has a landscaper, but I base it off of relationships. If someone isn't satisfied with the quality or responsiveness of their current contractor, by all means - give me a call. But I won't go after accounts on a price basis. Win 'em on price and you'll loose 'em on price.

[65hoss]

I completely agree Rider. During leaf season and other add ons thru out the year I get calls from people. Sometimes I hear my guy only cuts the grass and doesn't have a set up for leaves or etc... I have been asked before to give a price for cutting but I usually decline the offer. I tell them I don't want to take away from the guy they already have. If its a service the other person doesn't perform then I'll do the other work but walk away from what the other LCO is already doing.

I just don't do business that way.

[MuskTurfKing]

I don't worry about someone taking my lawns because I have real good relationships with all my customers, but one of my new customers I have this year I stole from a scrub. He cut it terrible one time last year and it hadn't been cut in a couple weeks so I went to talk to them and it's now my account. :p

Hank

[f350]

survival of the fittest..sink or swim.

i am a business man. i dont make money being curtious.

[Shadetree Ltd]

Expext no loyalty from a customer that will drop a quality service at the drop of a hat for yourself. You can have all of these kind of customers.

Scott

[Toroguy]

Never take anything in business for granted. It can all crumble due to circumstances beyond control. Reducing the risks is part of the fun.

I also would not purposely target an account currently under the supervision of another company. Bad blood can make people do crazy things. Not worth "money".

[awm]

buisiness is competitive thing . ill bid any job i think would improve my buisiness. what i wont do is pick a lawn that i see some one doing,an try to take it.nor will i ask what the previous lco was charging,if im called by someone. i bid what will be best for me.

[bobbygedd]

f350, i actually agree with u. the only thing i do is ask them if they have discussed the problem with thier guy and have given him reasonable time to rectify the situation. i mean really though, i shouldnt even worry about it, r these guys gonna feed my kids? heck no. just yesterday i was doing a customer in a new area, and another company drove by, real slow looking at my truck, i said hey guys, hows it goin? he gives me the finger. its a dog eat dog world, and we r all wearing milk bone shorts

[Nelson]

Test 123:D

[Commander]

I will not bid work at places that my friends work at if it's the same job. However if my friends invite me to come in and do the trees, or the lawn because they either don't have time, or because they just don't do that kind of work that is another thing. As far as the niceness of properties... unless I have alterior motives I will try to bid it. There usually is a reason other than the landscaper as to why a place looks like heck.,

[laynlow]

I wish there were more honorable people running businesses. I know we all have to eat, and the idea of being in business is to put your competitors out of business but geez...

My family ownes a small print and copy shop, and we have to deal with competitiors giving customers muffins, little glass jars with their logo and candy, golf balls, ect. These places have much higher prices, and are just passing the cost of these gimmies on. We have never thought we should have to give crap away to earn business. We do top quality work at fair prices, but some of these secretaries and others just don't give a damn if they cost their employers more money. They want the freebie.

Anyway, just wanted to throw that out there, I feel your pain. On the bright side, I am going to start helping out a buddy who owns his own mowing business. I am looking forward to finding out if I would enjoy doing this commercially like I do at home.

[Nebraska]

f350 survival of the fittest..sink or swim.

I agree with f350....yet I do make money being courteous.

Business is business. Do you think Dell will not sell a computer to someone who owns a Gateway? The comparison could go on and on... No offense but your perspective stinks of liberal feel goodness. Should we divy out customers so that every company has the same amount at the same price? A free market economy is the backbone of our society... If so you are nuts!

It has nothing to do with running an "honorable business". An honorable business owner would understand that there are some things they just can not control and not take it personally.

I agree with your perspective Lawnlad...it will build customers for the long term It goes to qualifying a customer when they call you as well. I qualify the customer more to protect myself from a bad customer than anything else.

[Duncan IN]

There are alot of lawns I want to bid on in my area, but I bid on only those that are under these circumstances. 1 The previous Lawn Care company did a POOR JOB and charged a high price, 2. I am asked to bid on the lawn. 3. In my area we have a company which is the largest that has a bad rep with there employees they flip off other lawn care companies as they drive by. I have no respect for this company so i bid on anything they have that I want. I try to avoid taking other LCO's business that way I don't get a bad rep. But I knw it's a business thing and sometimes you have to do it just to make it

[Nebraska]

Respect!!! That behavoir is atrocious and I would fire anyone caught doing that on the spot.

That key employee could be knocking on your door...

[MJB]

I've never had any problems with other companies as much as this yr. The 2nd largest company in town just targeted all my commercial accts that I have had for yrs , by walking in and handing them
a mowing bid 40% lower than what I'm charging.
He is panicking because he lost most of his good paying accounts, and now is just grasping for anything at all. The good news is I haven't lost
1 lawn to him yet. But my commercial accts are asking a lot of questions about my prices now.
An examle is he bid a job for mowing 4 acres with driving time of about 1/2 hr total per week between the lawn sections. Plus it need to be edged once per month. His price $435. per month. I thought it was cheap at $645.

[Premo Services]

I will not try to get another companies property, unless the work is not quality work and the HO asks for a bid from me. In most cases they are on the same streets that I am working. They see my lawns and want a bid. I give them a bid, which is always higher than they are paying. Always get the "wow that is higher than I pay now"!!:confused: I just tell them that they said they were not happy with the service they are getting now, and this is what I would charge to do the job. When you get to the prospective customer, you can almost tell if they are just shopping for a lower price.

I do have three customers in an area that come out almost every week and hand me a flyer from someone that will do the lawn for a lot less than I am charging. On one lawn I charge 50.00 and he is getting bids for 25-30 dollars a cut. He comes out with a can of soda and the bid, hands it to me laughing, and asks me if I think he will get a good service for the unbelievable low price. He knows he is getting quality work. This same customer thought my labor, and mowing prices were kind of high years ago, but hired me because of referrals of happy customers. He had a neighborhood kid doing it and when they returned from a 4 week vacation, the lawn was not even cut once.

MJB I've never had any problems with other companies as much as this yr. The 2nd largest company in town just targeted all my commercial accts that I have had for yrs , by walking in and handing them a mowing bid 40% lower than what I'm charging
Thats a problem a lot with commerecial jobs, I have a few, and would like more, but the hassles are holding me back.