The Green Industry's Resource Center

the ace · #1 03-19-2005, 07:59 AM

What are your customers agreeing to when they sign a season mowing contract?

1. A set price per season?

2. You mow every week reguardless of weather it needs it or not?

3. May the customer request not to mow that week and not be charged?

nobagger · #2 03-19-2005, 08:24 AM

Ace, our contracts include: Price per cut or a seasonal price. What we are exactly going to cut, trim, edge etc. And no we DO NOT cut it if it doesn't need it. Thats a bad habit to get into! If it doesn't need cut then we (for commercial accounts) weed flower beds, trim or edge as needed. For residential we ask if they want any of the above done before we do anything (if it doesn't need mowed). Also states there is a termination fee if for some reason they are unhappy with our work and don't give us a written letter as to why at least 30 days in advance. The fee is usually worth about 2 weeks of cutting. But so far we never had a customer complain, but this letter goes both ways, we fired off a letter to a customer last year firing her. So this gives you an out if needed. Hope this helps a little.

Premo Services · #3 03-19-2005, 08:26 AM

1. I use a maintenance proposal/agreement with services listed, explaination of work of each service, cost of service, number of times done, and a place for them to initial if they want it. I list other services offered and give a price of each and a place to initial for approval. By listing additional services on the proposal, I have been able to upsell a lot of the money makers for my company, ie core aeration, mulch etc. The proposal has a set price per season and they like this because they know what it will cost per month and more important, they have in writing what I am doing at each service.
#2 & 3. NO I don't mow if it don't need it. There is a set number of cuttings for a season and I charge per mowing if the set number is completed and it still needs to be cut. ( normally I put between 26-31 mowings from April to October 31, the leaf cleanups are seperate from this and additional charges). I have been including a weekly leaf cleanup in agreement and it is going well for them and more importantly for me.

tiedeman · #4 03-21-2005, 04:19 AM

your contracts can be totally customized to however you want it, and sometimes how the customer wants it

Team Gopher · #5 03-22-2005, 05:33 PM

Hi the ace,

If you are interested, we have a collection of contracts here you can download and use. Maybe they will help you get started?

HOOLIE · #6 03-22-2005, 11:24 PM

In the past I have used a basic service agreement, with billing on a per-cut basis. This year I offered a flat-rate 10-month contract, payments March-Dec. Only 3 customers have switched to this plan, hoping to gradually warm more people up to the idea. For the 10-month plan I based the yearly cost off a 32 cut season, the contract states they will get 29-33 cuts for the season. This is only for mowing, leaves and other services are extra.

I'll skip if its really, really not growing. For the most part I've gotten rid of the every other week customers, and others that liked to dictate their schedule.