The Green Industry's Resource Center

Flat Top Lawn · #1 10-04-2003, 09:35 PM

I'm already thinking about the 04 season. When is the best time
to go for new customers. I was thinking for res. just before the
season. Comm. ??????. I maybe wrong but you tell me.

tiedeman · #2 10-04-2003, 10:06 PM

that is funny you are thinking about this, because just this past week I have been seriously thinking about going after customers now for the 2004 season while the 2003 season is still fresh in their minds.

I was wondering whether it would be a waste or my time and money to try it out, or just wait.

walker-talker · #3 10-04-2003, 11:49 PM

No, this is the best time to get them....especially commercials. The commercials that want to be on top of things want to have this lined out already. I have been bidding on over 100K worth of work

tiedeman · #4 10-04-2003, 11:56 PM

so walker, how about you and me have a talk and you can push some of those accounts over my way...

promower · #5 10-05-2003, 12:09 AM

I found that commercials a lot of them will look in the fall for next years contractor. Where I live though they want you for the snow removal this year, this kinda limits me because I only have one plow truck. But anyways, I would look for any commercial work in mid-late october- november.

MacLawnCo · #6 10-05-2003, 12:12 AM

Guys, marketing is a year round thing, not just seasonal.

tiedeman · #7 10-05-2003, 12:15 AM

ya, I know that is it year round, but would you waste more money marketing now, than you would during the spring time?

Has anybody really figured out those figures? What time of the year is the best results? Does the weather conditions play a factor, etc?

1MajorTom · #8 10-05-2003, 11:36 AM

Good questions brought up tiedeman.

What works for one, might not work for another. And I doubt there are accurate statistics out there for us to go on. There are just too many things to factor in.

Like if I were to say, well last year I picked up 15 new customers at the end of the season, doesn't mean that this would happen this year. Maybe an local LCO quit and left the customers hi and dry so they were forced to select a new LCO last year. And that doesn't mean if I tried again this year, I would hit the jackpot and get 15 more customers late in the year.

Take where we live for instance. Our area is comprised of people that get their grass cut only because of necessity. They don't want to get their grass cut, they just can no longer do it themselves. So by the end of the year, they don't want to think about grass. Even the ones still doing it themselves, they will put off getting a service until the last minute. So for us, I'm going with my gut. We're not going out there trying to actively retain new residential customers now. We will wait till the spring. After 5 years in biz, we've pretty much figured out our area.

Weather. Yep, I do think weather does play a part in when a customer will hire a lawn service. This past year, I sent out newsletters along with a renewal for our fertilization package in early Feb. (There was lots of snow out there). We only got one renewal back. Ended up calling the customers in early spring, and everyone told us they didn't even bother looking at the renewal at that time. This year, I won't send out our stuff that early.

And sure marketing should be year round. We keep our name out there with our truck lettered, our company name on our shirts, etc, but that's about it for us at this time of the year.
This applies to residential customers. We are now trying to obtain a few select commercial accounts that we would like to have.

For new startups, it's going to take some trial and error on your part to figure out when advertising is going to work best in your own market.