Full maintenance customers

[Smallaxe]

It may be different for warmer climates in taking care of beds and cleanups, but I think you're making this more complicated than it needs to be...
Estimating and predicting and guessing how things might work out and trying to charge in advance for everything isn't the best way to go...
For example I prune once or twice a year for most clients... bed care and weeding/irrigation etc. all depends on the weather... drier years means less weeds, excessive irrigation means nothng but weeds,,, so what do I do???

I charge for everything I've done, after the fact,,, always have... you'll be doing everyone, including yourself a disservice by limitting what gets done according to a pre-arranged agreement...

prepaid contracts for only mowing or spraying are fine,,, but the quality of complete estate care requires flexibility and doing all that needs to be done to actually be done and you actually be paid for the details that make it perfect...
BTW, I've always been full service to prevent getting bored...

[JimLewis]

Originally Posted by orangemower

He's dropping the bottom feeders so you'll have more work.

Yah, I tought that's what we were talking about too. Dropping the customers who aren't willing to keep up with current pricing / rates. Bottom feeders who just want to stay at the old low price forever.

If you're hurtin' for work herler, move over here to Portland. We get rid of a dozen or more clients every year because they aren't a good fit or aren't willing to pay our prices, keep us on all year, etc. You can have every one of them. I'll send them your way.

[Gilbert503]

We offer mowing, edging, blowing, raking the leafs, pruning under 6 feet and weed by hand it has work out great for us.
Posted via Mobile Device

[orangemower]

Originally Posted by herler

What we're talking about here...
You eat a great big meal, you want just the desert?
Guess what, someone made dry potatoes without gravy, son of a gun that sucks but you still have to eat it!
We get to the desert as a result of eating the whole enchilada, dry potatoes and all.

It is better, in my opinion, to learn how to work with them folks.
I've got customers I only service once a month and they spend between $25 and $30 a service.

Some would think it's not worth it but it's all in how you streamline the process, back in the old days when I did everything on paper it sure didn't seem worth keeping a monthly customer on paper that only covered two weeks at a time, I'd have extra work on account of them... But today it's all on computer, my schedule covers the entire year so it really doesn't matter whether they want service every week or every month or whatever...

Because in all of that I get those who only call maybe once or twice a year, some call me as little as once every two years or so, but call they do!
And I'm telling you, their money's just as good, their green spends as fast as the rest, sure does.

Or you can go ahead and try and figure it out on your own, because I did,
which is why I can almost guarantee in the end you'll come to the same conclusion...
Those bottom feeders and all of that you folks speak of, it's all just par for the course.
Because the grass really is not greener on the other side.
There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
And there is no silver in them dark clouds.
No, it doesn't get any better than this.
This is as good as it gets.

Believe you me I know, I wasted many a year and countless hours of energy on this one so you can trust me.

Your philosophy is out the window TS. We're talking about bottom feeder customers here. I don't have any. I do have a few customers that have me only prune the rose bushes at their place or the shrubs. That's it. I get paid very well for doing it. I don't work for free or for peanuts. Just because a customer doesn't have me do all the work doesn't mean they are not worthy as a customer. I strive to "convert" all of them over to full service. A good example on one customer. She has a guy cutting the lawn each week yet she has me prune rose bushes, hedges and do a leaf clean up at the end of the year. You can bet that next season I'll be cutting the lawn too. Why you ask, because the other guy doesn't offer any other services but cutting grass. I already primed the customer so she knows whats coming. She even agreed that if he doesn't do anything else that I'll start doing her lawn. I mulched the flowerbeds at her place and would you know, the guy blew grass clippings in the fresh black mulch! I all but had the job after that but she felt compelled to let him continue. This year will be different.

Also, $25-30 a month is peanuts and to me wouldn't be worth driving to the job to do it. If you spend more then 10-15 minutes there, you're just making peanuts.

I tell ya what, I'll trust you for about as far as I could throw you. I'm a toothpick, you do the math.

[orangemower]

Originally Posted by JimLewis

Yah, I tought that's what we were talking about too. Dropping the customers who aren't willing to keep up with current pricing / rates. Bottom feeders who just want to stay at the old low price forever.

If you're hurtin' for work herler, move over here to Portland. We get rid of a dozen or more clients every year because they aren't a good fit or aren't willing to pay our prices, keep us on all year, etc. You can have every one of them. I'll send them your way.

There ya go Topsites. You stand to gain a good 20-30 new customers just by relocating. That might be unfortunate for Jim but hey, he offered!

[JimLewis]

Thanks, Orange. I appreciate that.

.

[orlawncaresvc]

We offer full service. A basic full service would include mowing, edging, rake flower or planter beds, trimming of bushes or shrubs. Fertilizing is an extra charge. Just about every single one of our customers is on a full service schedule.
Posted via Mobile Device

[CowboysLawnCareDelaware]

I do all maintenance except fert because i don't have the license. Almost all of my customers have me do everything, but I usually charge as I go instead of giving them a price a the beginning of the season.

It is definitely something for me to think about and it would be more nice on a couple of my elderly clients if I space out the payments evenly that way instead of paying me $100 in August for mowing and then $250 in September. The price could be $150 all Summer when not much work is needed and the price doesn't change for Spring and Fall maintenance.

-Michael