Don't sell customers stuff they don't need and don't pressure them. Also showing up on time and making sure every little detail is done right trying to do more than expected. I hope that puts us ahead of at least half of the other guys
I can and will do more than just lawn care. I have the diversity to do other things. I can legally install septic systems,spray their yards and or their house,build their driveway,haul them dirt rock or other materials, remove trees and other materials.
I have a large family that's involved in everything from framing houses to banking. And I can sub most every service they offer +10% (my pay) under my LLC
As a consumer, when a company answers the phone sets them apart for me, at least around here. Drives me nuts when I call a company during business hours and nobody answers. Many won't even give you a call back. If you won't answer your phone for a sales call, how do you think it will be if there is an issue?
Good points. On the flip side, when a client has been with their service provider for a time they begin to understand each other's habits and show them grace for not immediately taking or returning a phone call. As an example, my clients know I do not carry the phone while working but will call them after returning to the truck.
The ability to contact you is very important, as others have mentioned. I am 64 and realized I can not physically do this all the time. So I went the employee route, which is a PITA, and I fill in when others do not show, plus some fertilizing.
So I spend time here doing, repairs,design, bookkeeping, scheduling and answering the phone/sales, etc. I always have the office phone within reach. I get a lot of calls from the internet , and people are surprised when I answer the phone, saying they only have heard answering machines from most other companies. When they call I tell them I can stop over immediately and 80% of the time get the job from that visit, before others can get back to them.
And I won't hurt a fly. Well maybe a fly, but definitely not a bird.
how old were you when you made the switch over to employees?
im 47 and starting to feel pretty beat up by the end of the mowing season. had a week or two off now and the feeling of just wanting to stay solo is coming back but the reality is...is i cant cover all the work i have by myself ( mowing 70 lawns per week ) even if i wasnt getting physically beat up from bouncing on the mower all day. so if i want to grow my business im going to have to get employees. i bought a permagreen and am starting into the chemical side of the business next season. this also makes me think of maybe i could just do THAT by myself for the next 20 years. there is no way around it is there? gotta eventually hire some people.
What would stand out for me and for my customers who have voiced it:
Treat the customer as an individual and not just another lawn you mow that day/week.
Care about the property as a whole, not just the green/clean grass. (not blowing leaves into the gardens, not moving stuff and then not putting it back, not blowing leaves/grass onto the driveway, walkway, etc.)
If you are running behind due to the weather or whatever (on cleanups), be in touch with your customers about it.
Speak English!
Simple gestures and actions say a lot. Always be on time and if not CALL! If you are walking up to ring the doorbell and you see their newspaper laying on the ground pick it up and hand it to them. If you must enter the home after working outside put on shoe booties. If you enter a yard through a gate and it was closed then close it behind you. If you see a piece of litter laying in the open pick it up and dispose of it. You get the idea. Make these and other gestures automatic and the client will notice and remember you and your actions. They may also mention it to a friend as such gestures make you a stand out.
so what happens the one time that you do?
Tire goes flat.
Some kind of unexpected swampy terrain?
Do you just quit, leave your mower in the customer lawn, the truck parked but the side of the road and walk into the sun set never to heard from again, because thats not what you do and you never make mistakes?
Of course we all make mistakes. What i meant was that i mow at 3.5 inches. Big companies tend to mow short like 1.5 or 2 inches which isnt proper for the summer. That is what sets me apart. I accommodate various heights for various lawns. As far as making ruts....i dont mow over the same tracks week after week and make aggressive turns. That is what sets me apart. Of course tires go flat and scalping happens...of course. But week after week of scalping because the mower is set to low is unacceptable.
Larger firms are only as good as their employees and it shows. Owners can deliver more and are appreciated by clients that get to know their service providers.
Contractors in general, whether in the green industry or not, suck at communicating with the customer. Understanding the communication rhythm your customers want and following through with it is one of the easiest ways to differentiate your company.
What would stand out for me and for my customers who have voiced it:
Treat the customer as an individual and not just another lawn you mow that day/week.
Care about the property as a whole, not just the green/clean grass. (not blowing leaves into the gardens, not moving stuff and then not putting it back, not blowing leaves/grass onto the driveway, walkway, etc.)
If you are running behind due to the weather or whatever (on cleanups), be in touch with your customers about it.
Speak English!
While I 100% agree with operating a business fully legitimately, I also can sympathize with many businesses who employ general labor. As someone who cannot find anyone willing to do hard work, I realize that it is scarce to find legal labor. Regardless of pay, Americans do not want to do this type of work, at least not for long.
What I imagine happening if all the illegals were deported, etc., the price of services such as lawn care and housekeeping will skyrocket to be able to accommodate much higher wages.
If you can find the hires to pay those higher wages to. I noticed this trend for Americans not wanting to do this work accelerate around 1994 when my usual crop of returning college students failed to respond to my help wanted adds. If anyone responded it was usually marginal slackers that lasted 1 to 3 weeks at best.
If you can't find someone to legally hire then you just need to be patient. What kind of pathetic person breaks the law and taints their business out of greed and impatience? Why would you have sympathy for someone who runs their own business and has so much work coming in that they need to hire people? Oh poor Joe with his succesful company can't find anyone that will work for apples and fulfil his greedy heart let's allow joe to skyrocket to the american dream off the backs of illegal immigrants all while legal companies are taking the high road and dealing with slower growth and profits
we've all heard enough of your rants and degrading comments so if you would like to continue posting here, time to clean it up and post in a decent and respectable manner.
Everyone working for me has documents. Forged or not . You be the judge. The law requires me to collect the information. Dosent require me to determine if it's forged . I have 1 employee maybe 2 that may or may not be legally here. But provided the proper paperwork. Not my job to worrie about the small things. Try finding a hard worker for 12$ a hour. When McDonald's is paying 10$a hour and your in a climate controlled work place and the heaviest thing to lift is a mop. SMH.
Organic/natural products and practices have differentiated us from our competition in the area. I highly recommend it as people are thinking more and more about the potential hazards of routine heavy chemical use in landscaping.
make decisions with a long term outlook considering your reputation and you will be steps ahead of the competition. Be a professional and answer the phone respond to email etc. Just like most things being better is sort of simple, but most people don't do it because its a lot of work.
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