just wondering how many accounts i should expect my first season fulltime. i put an ad in the yellow pages and i am sending out 1000 post cards on friday.
That is totaly up to you. If you are motivated and want alot you will have alot. If you just are there you will have a couple. Go out and be motivated and knowledgeable about what you are doing and you will have as many as you want.
I agree with sildoc. There are external factors that will affect you (location, weather, timing of advertisements) and internal factors like motivation, persistence, and determination that will play a big part in your success too. Good luck to you!
Everybody is in the phone book, that was just a waste of money. Post cards a little better, but only expect 2 calls from 1000 good luck
2 calls per 1000! That sounds like an amazing waste of time and money!! Not even close to 1% return......that wouldn't be worth it at all! I think the return rate depends on the area, time of year, and quality of the advertisement.
I have put out thousands of ads and have found that for one-time services, like aerating, they work great. For maintenance, nearly all of my business has come from neighbors of customers who like the job I am doing and from word of mouth. Basically, do your best on the properties you service and make them look great and the business will come. People are the "Joneses" and they won't have their neighbors yard looking like a million bucks while theirs looks like crap. Which brings up another important point: If you take on crappy yards and all you do is mow them, don't ever expect a referral and hope no one ever see's you there. Bad properties can ruin your image and your image is you best asset in this business. Most people's "lawn guy" cannot make their property look really great. This is where you can set yourself apart from the competition. "Fert your properties, and drop the one's who won't let you." Also, if you are going full-time without a customer base already, then expect to be in the negative for awhile.....
