What is the best way to get a commercial lawn?

Hey, guys right now I do only residential lawns but want to make some more money and get my name out there more. Could you maybe give me some advice on how to snag a commercial lawn or 2 or 3 or 8! thanks again!

 

The famous old want to make more and go comm. Go cold call and get in on the bids.

 

The simple fact of the matter is that there is more money to be made with residential work. The prices we get for commercial are less per acre than residential. We do them because it comes back with the snow removal. If you really want them, go talk to them in the spring and offer to give them a bid. They will want to see proof of insurance and workmans comp in most cases.

 

a lot of people will not like me saying this. but I would bid one at your cost, to get in to the commercial market, then you have a refferal. all commercials managers like to see that you do other commercial property's.

for the next season, bump the property you did at cost up to your regular rate, or drop them.

let the flaming begin. but it has worked for several friends of mine who wanted to get started with commercials.

 

Be the lowballer.................Commercial is cut throat....

 

I'm not going to 'flame' you for this. You provided an opinion. Ain't nothin wrong with that.

 

I second this wise mans statement......

Just take what you think the job goes for, cut that price in half, add in a whole bunch of extras at less money than your cost........Then minus $100 from the whole thing and you may be close to the winning bidder..

 

I second that, with few exceptions in this day and age you do commercial accounts cheap to get them. You need to know someone or be in the right place at the right time to get them. I'm not saying you can't but you give away alot. The only way to make good money on comm. is do volume work and hope that your help stays around.

 

Bid them so you can get the job but also, so you don't lose your shirt. If you keep your overhead low, you can make a little money, I find when I bid commercials I normally over bid a couple aspects of the contract like mowing and mulching, then under bid extras like leaf clean up, fert, and shrub trimming. Then price the Snow competattive as well.

 

If you get the right property manager that might work but I get the ones who look at each job and want the figures close to each bid. I actually had a manager once tell me my mowing was close but the fertilizer was way too high so I told her I would fert for free which would give me the properties. She said she could not do that because I would loose money or the job would suffer. I ask her what she thought the low bidder doing just a different way. DUH!!!