Would you "EVER" do this?

[Doogiegh]

I'm doing small residentials for right now, only.

Would you guys ever drop flyers off at houses that look to be 'unkept' and in the flyer say something like "I noticed that your lawn needs to be cut. If you want to have it done for a reasonable price, call ..... etc etc"

I'm doing lawn maintenance for right now only, just mowing, edging and trimming.

Anyone ever try anything like that, and ever get anything out of it?

[The Lawn Choupique]

I never just drop flyers off. If the yard looks unkept I make sure I talk with the owner, even if it means more than one trip. In my area when I target just those types of properties I rate at two new accounts for every 15 or 20 sales calls.

[VLM]

In my humble experience that is a bad idea. Those yards are that way for a reason. Some of these could be that the property owner is lazy, unmotivated, deceased, infirm, missing or worst of all bankrupt or financially unreliable. Are those the kind of clients you want? Go for the best looking yards you find. They are the ones who will appreciate and reward your services.

[Sean Adams]

Very good advice VLM.

[ronslawncare]

vlm hit it on the nose i use to go for the ones you are talking about my first year in biz ,there lawn resembles them they dont care.your lucky you dont brake your 5 grand mower cutting there junkyards for 30.00 all my accounts look good.i went on one of those type estimates the other day i just did a drive bye.

[Doogiegh]

Thanks for the advice guys, never did think of the negative to go along with it. (uncaring customers). Thanks!

[SLS]

Yeah, I agree with VLM 100%.

Those lawns look like that for a reason...and one that you usually do not want to be involved in.

I learned this my first year too.

After a while you start to look for and "see" things in a new way. Like bald tires on the car, worn out shingles, general disrepair of the house, junk and clutter in the lawn....all signs of money problems.

Unfortunatly, we are the last to get paid when "times are hard"... the electric, gas, phone, and cable TV always come first. :(

Avoid the hassles if at all possible. :)

[gravedigger5]

VLM I agree. I never have had any luck with flyers. I've found it hard to sell this service to someone who is not looking for it. On the other hand, when you advertise in the paper, phonebook, or elsewhere, and people call you, they WANT their lawn mowed and are willing to PAY!!! I'm a solo lco and am busier right now than I really want to be. Marc


Are We Having Fun Yet???

[Holloway Lawns]

Flyers work pretty good last year I done just that in area's I wanted to work. Nice homes these customers kind of compete with each other on how the lawn and landscape looks. I got about 1 job out of 20 flyers. I would get calls for mowing, hedge trimming, pruning, mulching. Works good.

[Brickman]

I would have to agree with gravedigger. That sort of thing has never worked for me either. In my early years I tried this sort of thing, and now do not do it at all. If some body tells me so and so is looking for a lawn guy, you should go talk to them. I will always give them a card and tell this person to call me. Guess what, they ALMOST never do.

When I was trying to drum up work this way I talked to several people that had grass knee deep, and mentioned some thing about their lawn needing cut, they would always say some thing to the effect of their current lawn company was taking good care of them and so they wouldn't need me. The way they said it I am sure they have had good practice saying that.

[TGCummings]

I've had pretty good experience with folks who don't care about their yard. They just want the thing cut weekly or biweekly, pay year around, never complain because they're so happy they aren't cutting it, and don't water half the year but never ask to skip service (they're too afraid they'll have to cut it themselves again!).

When they're along your route, they're good space-filler with high profit margins. No double cutting necessary!

Of course, like anything, proceed with caution. Some folks like that can be irresponsible slow payers. Of course, I've found slow payers in every quality of lawn, you just have to keep the hammer coming down or move on.

So, don't necessarily discount folks with unkept yards. They might be great people whose dedication to making their own green simply keeps them from getting to their own yard. They might just pay any price to keep things in shape.

Remember, a niche can be anywhere. ;)

[ADMowing]

We keep business cards & quote sheets on hand in our truck at all times. We keep an eye on properties adjacent to ones we do already, 'cause they're easy money since we're already in the neighborhood. We wave at everyone and are courteous of neighbor's sidewalks -- driveways... etc.... So we've often gotten jobs by someone coming out and saying "Hey, do you have a card?" We give them a quote sheet too because it outlines our services to a T. Then if we hear from them, great! If we don't -- oh well! Sometimes we call realtors of properties we see that need to be mowed (and look pretty simple) so that the house will sell better if it is kept clean and looking fresh! It is a plus for them (their commission) and the homeowner. No one has hard feelings because they really didn't know that there was such an affordable service available. We've worked for some terrible realtors too though, so you have to be careful. They really tried to take advantage of us. We usually DO stay away from terribly unkempt lawns that have not been for sale and where the house looks in bad repair. Like everyone else here said, they probably cannot afford our services 'cause they can't afford to keep their house up. If we take an unkempt lawn, we charge a "clean up" fee and then ask them to pay us monthly in advance. This deters people who really do not care -- 'cause they're not going to want to pay our big clean up fee. If they are tired of seeing the mess and want to start taking care of things, they are worth getting.