No ones a Lowballer

[SECTLANDSCAPING]

Only a lowballer would say they dont exist. You posted thread about averaging $25 a lawn in two threads. Then wonder why you cant afford to hire someone? I dont drop my gate for less then $35 and when I do it takes 5 mins with a 21".

[hackitdown]

The thing is...some guys are perfectly happy to net $500 for a week of work.

They will work their a$$ off to mow 60 lawns a week, pay a helper, pay for gas, machinery, insurance, etc. Then when all is said and done, they are making $15 per hour and are happy. It is a big step up from working for someone else for $8.

What they fail to comprehend, is that they could do the same work and make double or triple by simply charging more money. But to some guys, that is an unrealistic goal. They have a $15/hr mindset. They say stuff like "I don't want a fancy truck payment", or "I paid cash for everything", or "My overhead is low", or whatever other foolish excuse they want. Bottom line, they don't think they are worth the money the other guys charge.

Personally, I would rather cut 20 lawns for $50 than 50 lawns for $20. Some guys disagree. To each his own.

[yardguy28]

Originally Posted by Will P.C.

Just b/c you have 'almost no overhead' doesn't mean you should discount your services.

I couldn't disagree anymore. I'm no fan of charging X amount or Y amount just because I can.

if I set up a business and wanna earn a certain % profit I'm gonna use my numbers to get that profit. if my numbers (expenses/overhead) happen to be lower allowing me to get my % with a lower price I'm gonna do that.

if I can earn my % charging $30 when the other guy has to charge $45, I'm not gonna charge $45 just because others are and can.

my min for example is $25 a lawn. I'm solo with very little over head. my buddy has his min up to $30-$35. he has 6 employees. he probably needs his min up that much to make a profit on a yard he charges the min. I can make the same profit with $25 that he makes charging $35. could I get $35. I'm sure I could since a lot of guys with employees are getting that but I'm making the kind of profit I want and need to make. which is why I'm in business.

[DA Quality Lawn & YS]

Lowballer to me isn't about their pricing, its that they usually don't have the insurance, licensing, and sometimes even the equipment necessary to do the job. Hack is a better term for these types. I have em in the town where I do business. Heck an unlicensed dude sprays the townhome complex right next to my house, and waves to me at the same time. Ignorance is bliss or so they think.....

[H & M Yard Improvements]

Originally Posted by yardguy28

I couldn't disagree anymore. I'm no fan of charging X amount or Y amount just because I can.

if I set up a business and wanna earn a certain % profit I'm gonna use my numbers to get that profit. if my numbers (expenses/overhead) happen to be lower allowing me to get my % with a lower price I'm gonna do that.

if I can earn my % charging $30 when the other guy has to charge $45, I'm not gonna charge $45 just because others are and can.

my min for example is $25 a lawn. I'm solo with very little over head. my buddy has his min up to $30-$35. he has 6 employees. he probably needs his min up that much to make a profit on a yard he charges the min. I can make the same profit with $25 that he makes charging $35. could I get $35. I'm sure I could since a lot of guys with employees are getting that but I'm making the kind of profit I want and need to make. which is why I'm in business.

6 employees and charging $35 a lawn?

You charge $25 a lawn?

Good luck to you and your buddy! I would go out of business if I charged that little!
Posted via Mobile Device

[Will P.C.]

Originally Posted by Eric's Lawnservice

Wal-Mart's prices are cheap simply because they have cheaper products. They compete with quality stores such as Macy's with misleading adds that don't mention the true quality of the product. Kitchen aide mixers for example. WalMart is 100.00 cheaper on the same "appearing" mixer but if you read the fine print you will find it is half the power as the one sold at Macy's. This scenario is the same in the lawn business. It may look like a good deal but it's really a half powered knock-off. The fact is WalMart and lowballers make a killing from people who can't afford or don't care for a quality A product.
And yeah I recently bought a mixer for my wife.
Posted via Mobile Device

Big difference quality wise on a 200 dollar mixer and 50 dollar mixer from Wal Mart.

Cutting grass is different. 40 bucks for my yard is a fair price to cut for my 10k yard. If I hire someone that cuts it for 20 bucks, there isn't going to a quality difference versus the LCO that would cut if for 40 bucks.

I think this is why so many guys get frustrated with lowballers because the end result is the same.

[yardguy28]

Originally Posted by DA Quality Lawn & YS

Lowballer to me isn't about their pricing, its that they usually don't have the insurance, licensing, and sometimes even the equipment necessary to do the job. Hack is a better term for these types. I have em in the town where I do business. Heck an unlicensed dude sprays the townhome complex right next to my house, and waves to me at the same time. Ignorance is bliss or so they think.....

I'm with you DA......when I think lowball I think scrub and when I think scrub it's not necessarily about prices. could be no insurance, no license or using home owner grade equipment.

Originally Posted by H & M Yard Improvements

6 employees and charging $35 a lawn?

You charge $25 a lawn?

Good luck to you and your buddy! I would go out of business if I charged that little!
Posted via Mobile Device

well your a great example when I say the market varies from location to location. me and my friend are both from IN and we both run very successful businesses.

I've been at it now for 7 years and my buddy has been doing it for 13 years.

those are the min prices though. doesn't mean every lawn I have is $25. for it to be $25, I'm probably in and out in 30 min or less and most likely using a 21 incher or 36" walkbehind.

my average lawn is $32.

[Darryl G]

Originally Posted by Will P.C.

Big difference quality wise on a 200 dollar mixer and 50 dollar mixer from Wal Mart.

Cutting grass is different. 40 bucks for my yard is a fair price to cut for my 10k yard. If I hire someone that cuts it for 20 bucks, there isn't going to a quality difference versus the LCO that would cut if for 40 bucks.

I think this is why so many guys get frustrated with lowballers because the end result is the same.

I don't agree. Mowing is a service, not a commodity and there usually is a difference between what a lowballer provides and what a true professional does. Denpendability, cutting at the proper height, quality of the cut, trim, edging and cleanup can all vary greatly. I'm sure we've all seen guys cutting a lawn too short, scalping edges with the trimmer, leaving a lawn looking like Clumpville, blasting houses and filling beds with clippings and leaving the hard surfaces a mess.

There are some people who just want the grass cut and don't care about that stuff, but there are others who are picky about the appearance of their lawns and the lowballers will not be able to satisfy them regardless of their price. Those are the types of customers I seek out...they're willing to pay for quality and dependability. Yeah, I have some crappy lawns for customers with low expectations, and honestly it's sometimes a relief to work on them, but I get much more personal satisfaction manicuring a nice property and looking over my shoulder as I drive off and saying to myself "damn that looks nice."

[OUTLANDER]

I did not read all posts as well, seemed most was saying the same thing over and over. Definately not looking to center anyone out, but you know who you are. My question i have about this subject is if this the term "lowballer" comes to someone who doesnt understand costs or business so to speak. What is the term for the company out there overcharging or ripping people off so to speak for doing the work at much higher prices than can be justified, and trying to secure customers with false accusations that only a company of your magnitude or proffessionalism can provide? The work i do, i love to do and take pride in. I can beat most prices as well as quality, and still be profitable while choosing not to be big (proffessional)and in debt.....now im not bashing any certain type as i do upgrade and grow from time to time. I however just choose to keep the business side simple and the work i do extravagant. I just do not look at my business as being in cometition with others in landscaping, only with myself and what i succeed in......so yes, i set my prices with my profit in mind, only with foremost consideration and fairness to my customer im doing the work for

[clydebusa]

The ones that charge more than others are expensive.