[White Gardens]

OK, so I've gotten to know some of my competition in the area and everyone seems like they know everyone else in one way shape or form.

One of them I created a business relationship with first and we both agree that we won't come in and try to bid against each other if the other already has that account, but if there is opening bidding on a property, then it's fair game with no hard feelings either way.

So, the dilemma is where do you draw the line with your competitors. Another thought is too, what if you become friends with another company, but you bid against each other, and one side gets ticked off. Personally to me it's fair game, and I don't mind friendly competition and let the best man win.

So, who out there flies alone, and who else out there knows your competition almost too well.

 

[SouthernRoots_Lawn&Garden]

well living in the part of florida i do there are way to many lco's a lot of which are friends of mine i grew up with and we have an almost unspoked law which is after work were all friends and hangout and do whatever but during the day its strictly business wether we win the bid or they do. Ive taken over accounts from people i know and they arent any hard feelings. you just have to keep it proffesional i guess and outside of work dont rub it in their faces if you happened to win out over them.

 

[Shasta Lake Landscaping]

The competition is the man taking food off my family's plate, and money out of my pocket, and buying that new truck I was supposed to. That's about where I draw the line.

 

[ACA L&L]

Im friendly with most, any agreement though is the one i have with the guy that i worked for 13 years ago, helped me along the way after i left him with the intent of starting out on my own. that agreement is if they call you and u bid it and u win, its all you. Thats it. If we start going after each others properties, then im sure we will be friends no longer. As far as anyone else i dont go looking for trouble, but if a customer calls for an estimate im going i dont care who has the lawn. bottom line, dont worry about.

 

[silverado212]

I have a good friend who got me into this on the side four yrs ago. He just partnered up with a friend of his. Up til late last year he wouldn't come to this side of town unless to help me and vise versa. Now the areas I am in and trying to get into more are fair game he says. I stay out of his side of town. One because there is alot of LCO's there and the other is out of respect to him. I was salty when he told me he was going to advertise in my area and was hitting up commercials around me. If you can equally trade off work I am okay with that but thats about it.

 

[Glenn Lawn Care]

i know a few other lco's but im not good friends with any of them. when im out working and i see another lco that i dont know they usually throw a wave but other then that everything is fair game.

 

[nobagger]

I have too much experience on this subject! I was friends with a few different guys, we, well my company helped them out more than they helped me but whatever. In a nut shell I am no longer friends with these guys for unknown reasons. One guy still owes me about 400 bucks from last years fall clean ups (which we're going to court for soon), one other guy just stopped returning phone calls for whatever reason and the other guy takes about two weeks to hear back from him. My opinion......you can be friendly but business is business. If you keep turning down opportunities to bid just because someone you know has it you won't be around too long. I'm not saying go after each other's accounts but if some one calls its fair game!

 

[joel29m]

me and my brother n law started our business the same year but in different parishes. at first it felt like a competition cause we agreed to only do yards in our area but he got greedy and picked up yards in my area, i guess he was playing a game of getting the most yards. but later down the line i picked up double the yards he has and even helped him out in getting more, and i went in his area and got yards myself since he did the same but now we are helping each other with yard work, cant beat him, join him, syke! im staying solo, i had a thread about how people take this business when it comes to waving and the competition but to me, if youre not doing a good job why get mad at me when you should get mad at the homeowner for calling me or just get mad at yourself.

 

[Chilehead]

I'll be strictly professional with my competition. You know the old saying that all is fair in love and war? Well here in Atlanta and the suburbs, it's war. A big, bad price war. I sell on quality-not price.

 

[cgaengineer]

I am not concerned, there is plenty of work to go around.

 

[White Gardens]

What I'm seeing around here is that all the companies seem to be connected in one way or another. Either they are buddy buddy, or they throw work around.

I understand that you at least need to carry a respectful business relationship with others in your industry, but there is a fine line.

Part of me wonders if the the whole buddy buddy thing is just a manipulation of sorts. Why not keep your competitors at arms length in order to not get screwed by them in one way or form.

Like I said earlier though, I am at least on a very good business relationship with one other company. They have stocked some interesting materials and so I buy products from him and used him as a sub this winter to throw salt on a large property I was managing.

 

[1993lx172]

Everyone here just waves.:waving:

 

[brucec32]

I draw the line at this

 

[cgaengineer]

I draw the line at this

All of them around here do that except for me.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[HeartlandOKC]

I know a lot of the "legal" insured operators around my area and I'm friends or acquaintances with most of them. We all have an understanding of what the the other is charging for services to a certain degree and everyone sticks close to these numbers but we, by no means, set prices... for example we all charge around $xxx/acre mowing or $xxx/1k sq. feet spraying. It keeps us from having price wars and puts more money in our pockets. If I'm ever bidding against one of my friends I might compare square footage measurements and the like but we don't share pricing just to keep it ethical. I only send business out that I don't want and don't care if the favor is returned.

Having a network of professionals in your area is definitely a plus. In the end, friends are friends and business is business. If my friends can't separate the two I don't really care to talk to them.

 

[THEGOLDPRO]

i know a few landscapers who im good friends with and we dont bid aginst eachother, everyone else is fair game to steal and pillage their accounts.

 

[Kennedy Landscaping]

i know a few other lco's but im not good friends with any of them. when im out working and i see another lco that i dont know they usually throw a wave but other then that everything is fair game.

Thats usually the way it is around here. No one really ever stops and talks to each other. We just wave at each other if we see each other.

 

[mowerdude777]

I am friendly but not to friendly. I however am close friends with another kid at my school who has a biz as well (mine is bigger though but he has a nicer mower then me lol )

 

[LawnGuy73]

Just remember, its not personal its business.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[White Gardens]

Just remember, its not personal its business.
Posted via Mobile Device

Yes, but you should do it while taking in consideration business ethics.