Hi, I have a small lawn mowing business with a friend, and although we have gotten a few more yards, we really only have about 5 regulars. now this does keep us busy, but I would really like to expand for next year. I'd like to get a few more flyers/business card ideas finished with this year, that way we can be ready for next March to pass em out. So anyways, does anyone have any pointers, or even a few examples to make ours look more professional? I'll try and scan our current stuff to give you an idea of what we do (and where we are at in terms of advertising) as soon as I get the scanner hooked up. Thanks a lot!
Okay, thanks for all of the responses so far. We have handed out quite a few flyers, I'd say at least a hundred, but I'm starting to think that maybe we need a more professional name. We are currently the Lawn Care Crew with a slogan "Providing the Best lawn care for you!" It was nice at first, but now I am starting to think that people might not be taking us seriously (Although we do better work than most of the "professionals" around here.
A yard sign might be good. We have had issues with people taking like garage sale and political signs, but I see a lot of businesses advertising this way, so I might try it.
The lawn signs can get pricey! Especially if people just walk off w them! I put out about 6 a year and knock on wood have always gotten them back!
My flyer:
Those look good. Well here is our current flier, which I have left an area to attach our business card. Hopefully you will be able to see past the ugly tape, but I just don't have the knowledge to white out everything in the computer.
I like it! The business card is nice! :thumbsup:
My flyer (looks wimpy compared to all of yours):
Thanks. It usually looks better than that, but with the tape, and the fact that I found the flier in the garage, and isn't in color, kind of takes away from it. I think I'll try the yard sign idea, maybe give a discount to one of our customer (my yard would prob deter customers), and then see if I can get some nicer fliers (maybe thicker and glossy) Do you think more color would add some appeal? Like a background of a lawn?
See, I actually like simple, but I feel that some don't. I tried to find something in the middle, but I don't know. But for $10 a mow, you must have some pretty small yards there in Michigan.
You don't want it to get crowded or hard to read, but it might look nice! :thumbsup:
When I add a background this winter I might make the background a picture of grass :tongue:
I've done this and just about every local landscaper has that background make your own or just two tone it I handed out a card to this lady a while back and she showed me 5 others with the same vistaprint free grass background. I'm making my own soon.
I feel like the two tone would be good. I haven't seen any other of my design (We used Vistaprint) but I might try the two tone thing, easy yet original (as in you can pick what shades of colors/design). Does anyone know where to get some fliers printed at? I usually just go to the library, but their paper is super thin.
I feel like the two tone would be good. I haven't seen any other of my design (We used Vistaprint) but I might try the two tone thing, easy yet original (as in you can pick what shades of colors/design). Does anyone know where to get some fliers printed at? I usually just go to the library, but their paper is super thin.
Not to put a damper on things but if you guys spent as much money on your equipment and payed as much attention to the job and let your work be your advertisement you would be further ahead. Word of mouth will get you a lot further in this business than all the flyers you can have made. You can get 250 business cards for free at vista print, get those and stick them on surrounding doors where you already have clients and if your work is good enough to compete you'll gain clients by referral and word of mouth. Personally when I see flyers stuck on mail boxes or on door knobs I think or see someone who probably isn't good enough or that doesn't have the equipment to do a proper job but when the guy two houses down comes to me and says this guys doing my lawn at this price and does a great job and you need to call him, I look at the guys lawn and see a great job guess where I'm going. As the old saying goes Proofs in the Pudding not on paper.
I print them out myself and last year I got some neon-colored printer paper to print it on. It's better than just white. And I would rather do it that way than put a colored background on it on the computer because when you print it out there will still be small margins that are white, but if you use the colored printer paper the color is on both sides out to the edges.
(http://www.inktechnologies.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Colored-Paper.jpeg)
Also if you print a whole-page background like that it pretty much sends your color ink to hell.
What I did to have more clients is to get a website going. It is real simple, but looks very good and people like it!
And the website is the same as my bussiness card.
Also, the best way is to talk to people about what you do. I oftenly get more contracts because I have a neighbor come out to see me and ask me if I could mow there lawn or my clients refer me to others (friends or familly) for my services.
But for cheaper you can get one of those tiny signs lawn care companies that spread fertilizer use:
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Ha! That's funny. I don't plan on spending much on fliers, and I did get the business cards, but the problem is that in my neighborhood the majority of people are a bit older, but not yet so old that they can't mow their own yard. So that's where the fliers come in handy for me (I have maybe gotten 1 or 2 jobs by word of mouth, and we do very good work) Anyways, do you guys just put the flier on the doorstep, or actually knock on the door and talk to them?
I wouldn't be knocking on doors and bothering people, I'd just slide it in just above the door knob.
I second that it would annoy me if someone knocked on my door to sell me something so I won't do that. You can wedge them in the door between screen or anywhere else visible sometimes you have to be creative. Do not put them in mailboxes!
Those look good. Well here is our current flier, which I have left an area to attach our business card. Hopefully you will be able to see past the ugly tape, but I just don't have the knowledge to white out everything in the computer.
I paid $50 for four signs at vistaprint
Ok you have a nice flyer and you have promoted the business, you have your list of provided services even have your catchy slogan... SO WHO CARES. Now do you want to know why nobody gives a crap, well I'll tell you anyway. It's because your just like the other million idiot lawncare company's out there and have shown me nothing.
I don't care about your slogan or your logo or your crappy colored paper, it's trash and that's where it will go. You guys are more interested in who has the prettiest flyer than gaining clients. The mistake that you guys are making is your trying to promote the business and in doing so your making your business like everyone else's and in the end you gain nothing and quite frankly guys you can't compete with the guy down the road with who is pulling a trailer with fifty thousand dollars worth of equipment that people know is a professional.
DON"T....DO NOT promote your business.... PROMOTE YOURSELF. Make your flyer about YOU then your company and what makes you different and better than the idiot down the road, give me something, maybe a free or trial mowing, how about a one time offer to trim my hedges for free, spray my weeds for free as part of your service, something anything to make you different than everyone else's. Limit your free cut to say a certain number of new clients and let them know the offer wont be around long, give me a price I can live with. Make me want to hire you instead of the other guy.
Truthfully guys your working at a big disadvantage to start with and the whole purpose here was to look more professional in what you do, not like a kid with a push mower looking for a summer job.
Thanks, that actually helps a lot. I like the idea of the free mows, I had thought about that before. I suppose that even if the people who receive a few mows didn't want to be regulars, it would promote ourselves, and the business. I totally understand what you are saying, though. I have seen one example of a more personal flyer, and it was a lot more "grabby" I guess you could say. With a yard sign, I plan on putting it in the yard as we work. This meets both criteria, the people see us doing good work (promoting ourselves), and then we promote our business by giving them a name and number via the sign. I'll think about it and then make some revisions. Thanks a lot!
Just make sure you put a limit on your free mowing if you decide to use it. Limit that offer to 10 or 15 people, that gets your foot in the door and then it will depend on the job you do as to how many of those clients you actually keep. Remember don't emphasize the business to much, keep it about you and what you can do for the client. Another thing is to spend time at the clients, don't be one of these 10 minute cut and run guys. When people see you spending 25 or 30 minutes on there lawns it makes them feel like there getting what they are paying for, it makes them feel like they have hired someone who really cares about what there doing and not just someone that's there for solely the money. Detail Work will make your business or company.
That's exactly what I notice. I always see those guys that pull up, have three or four guys hop out, and then it's like they just attack. We definitely spend extra time with our clients (not in a weird way though). I feel like that is one of the differences between us, being a young business, and others that the workers are a lot older. We often talk to our clients about school, and summer things, and just whatever. One of our clients had some benches that were quite aged, and after talking to her about how I was in wood shop, she asked me how much I would charge to refinish them, and there you go, some extra money (and work) for myself.
I spend some extra time with my clients too. Actually just yesterday the power went out at my trailer so I went to one of my elderly customers and we talked on his deck for about an hour or so.
Yeah, I like it. You get to meet a lot of new people, and learn how to deal with some that aren't too easy too easy to work with:smile:.
All of my customers are easy to work with, however rumor in the trailer park, one of my customers can be a serious prick, which hasn't happened yet (and hopefully never happens :smile
Hi, I have a small lawn mowing business with a friend, and although we have gotten a few more yards, we really only have about 5 regulars. now this does keep us busy, but I would really like to expand for next year. I'd like to get a few more flyers/business card ideas finished with this year, that way we can be ready for next March to pass em out. So anyways, does anyone have any pointers, or even a few examples to make ours look more professional? I'll try and scan our current stuff to give you an idea of what we do (and where we are at in terms of advertising) as soon as I get the scanner hooked up. Thanks a lot!
We started up last August. We have tried numerous types of advertising. By far our best advertising has been by using Facebook. We live in an area that is economically depressed in lots of ways and ere is a whole lot of competition. Our goal is about 60 yards and we have about 30 regulars now.
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I agree a simple clean card is best. I've lettered trucks and pressure wash my mowers twice a month. Myself and my employees are always in tan work pants with kiwi green company shirts and company ball caps. I've actually got more business from people seeing my trucks and just coming outside and talking to a crew member.
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We also do a lot with local breast cancer organizations. Helping kids and women is a great way to establish your company in your area. The guys that work for me volunteer time for these charities also. It's a huge win win. We give pink wheel barrows to the breast cancer organizations all the time for silent auctions.
We paid to have an audit done for the cost of flyers, time it takes to put them out and what was the return. Out of 1000 flyers sent or physically put out we saw about 1% return or gained about 10 customers. Not to discourage you because everyone has different results and we still do 500 flyers a year and get different results every year.
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I have a great return on my flyers, but I just work in my neighborhood so people know me. I handed out 130 flyers and have had close to 50 customers out of that this year! :thumbsup:
Try not to over word things and write things that don't necessarily need to be there. For example use short and snappy sentences. Make sure the flyer is attractive as well. You don't want it to be plain and dull. Try using colours associated with garden and lawn care, and use an image or two as well to liven it up. I hope this helps