Wrong Kind of Calls

Ever get frustrated because you're getting the wrong kind of calls? I've gotten some this week for the kind of jobs I can't service. For instance. I got a call for aeration, but it turns out it was for 3 acres of lawn, something that's way out of my range with my Ryan 5. I got a couple calls from other LCOs trying to scam me for rates. I got a call from a woman who calls every year for an estimate, and every year I turn her down because she has a huge fenced in back yard (half acre) I'd have to mow with a 21 incher, and I'm not interested. Then I have some guy that keeps calling for a snow removal estimate for next winter, even though it's spring and snow is 7 months away. Just kind of frustrating to have these people call. I get excited aboot the calls for nothin'.

Oh well, at least people are calling.

 

For the aeration job, I would definitely look at it. If she's that interested, she's willing to pay. You can rent a tow behind for the day (or weekend), and make some fast easy money! For the gate deal, tell her to invest in a usable gate. It's a one time expense, and she'll always have it. A few hundered bucks, and it's installed - or YOU could install it. As far as the plow guy goes,...well,... you've got all summer, granted, but it will take you just as long to do the estimate next Fall, as it will to do it now. He may have some MORE work you can sell him over the summer. Just a thought.....

 

I've got nothing to tow a tow behind aerator behind, nothing to transport a tractor + aerator to the jobsite with, and frankly at that point, it's getting to be more hassel than it's worth for me. As far as gates go, every time I suggest a person get a bigger gate I get laughed at. Would you pay the $$ to have a bigger gate put in just for your lawn company? I'm sure as hell not paying to change the gate. People with those fenced in yards tick me off. I can't get my 48 in the back of those yards, and I'm not interested in investing the $$ to buy a smaller walk behind to mow a few fenced in yards. I'm aiming for a new rider, I don't want to cough up the change for a smaller walk behind that I'll use SOME of the times.

To top it off, I get 3 more calls today for people with those damned tiny gates for their fenced in back yards. Ugh.

 

DO it and sub it all out. Make some quick cash and have someone else do the work.

 

My biggest profit margin is on my smaller "gated" properties. This is a market that should not be overlooked. Seems to me that a 36" with a flex-deck would be a solution to the duel mower problem. If you could get enough of the gated properties, it might be worth investing in a smaller mower for those accounts. Just a thought.

 

Yeah we get calls like that all the time.
Just today I answered 2 calls looking to see if we were hiring, a sprinkler installation (we don't do), and 2 calls from an area we don't want to service.. along with maybe a couple of good ones today.
We always get calls we don't want.

 

I know the feeling I'm getting a lot of calls telling my normal lawn guy isn't going to strt until early April and thier grass look really bad, and they want to know how much I will take to knock down the knee high grass "basically try to get it looking good, and then they will let the good ole boy take care of it, because he is a good guy and somebody knows him" ... I had one today, I bid about 5 times the amount and explained that I'm not going to take my good mower in there, so there budy can come in behind me with residental mower for a low price

 

Hey MTDMAN I have a 36" Bunton that I used for one season that I will sell you real cheap. I purchased a 36" Wright Stander last year in April. If your interested I can do your 3 acre aeration sub. it to me. Im also allways looking for new accounts in the Ann Arbor area anything you dont want pass it my way ill give you a good $.

 

1/2 of our calls are for switching our phone service, or a better rate on long distance- we don't even carry long distance on that line. While most of our recent calls have been worthwile, we still get a lot of snow removal calls after the season is over. I figure they must be pretty serious if they call that early in advance.

 

I got a couple calls from other LCOs trying to scam me for rates.

MTD-have some fun and mess with them. Tell them all lawns 5 dollars, front and back done for 7!

oh. and trimming is extra.