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Hey; I just put out 60 flyers at the doors of houses in kind of small town, how many calls do you think I'll get? They each had an estimate for the price of the lawns which I would say were pretty low for the sizes of the lawns. How else could I get customers?

Include an all expense paid trip to Australia with each annual contract, or a refrigerator magnet...thier choice.

Lawn Enforcement said:

Hey; I just put out 60 flyers at the doors of houses in kind of small town, how many calls do you think I'll get? They each had an estimate for the price of the lawns which I would say were pretty low for the sizes of the lawns. How else could I get customers?

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Low balling is never a good this all it does is drive down the market.

On another note on the flyers u could get a call on all of them or get no calls at all.

Good ways to advertise is by word of mouth, flyers, Craigslist, angles list, put sighs on the trailer and truck and also give out free t-shirts to people that will wear it.

Be creative when it comes to advertising.

if there is a trade paper in your area thats a good place to put adds most time it's free but if you do a good job on the lawns you get i feel sure you will get plenty of work the people here are always in such a hurry they leave grass on the pavement just doesn't look good @ all.

oh and i forgot 2 important keys to groing your business don't ever throw your competition under the bus and don't start out pricing your work to cheap

jd335 said:

oh and i forgot 2 important keys to groing your business don't ever throw your competition under the bus and don't start out pricing your work to cheap

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100% agree

How about a giant inflatable gorilla wearing a "lawn enforcement" tee shirt near the interstate. Get one with a badge a cop hat and a night stick:thumbsup:.

Thank you all for any tips and I will try to apply anything that may help

I think it's helpful to actually meet people whenever possible. Make eye contact -- shake hands -- smile. Also, before giving an estimate, talk to them about exactly what services they expect.

About your slogan:

"In pursuit of your lawns order"

It should read:

"In pursuit of your lawn's order"

It doesn't hurt to use correct grammar. :wink:

Find a really nice house in a "Great" location, with alot of traffic. Go talk to the owner, ask them if you could cut their yard for FREE!, in exchange for placing a sign that says maitained by your company,:thumbsup: and make your phone number very clear....Give it a couple months, do the yard up real nice....see if your work sells you more work!

Lawn Enforcement said:

Hey; I just put out 60 flyers at the doors of houses in kind of small town, how many calls do you think I'll get? They each had an estimate for the price of the lawns which I would say were pretty low for the sizes of the lawns. How else could I get customers?

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Word of mouth will spread if you do a good job at a fair price. Going around and underbidding other lawn care professionals in your area isn't the best way to go about it in my opinion. Your only hurting yourself in the long run. Yeah you'll pick up a lot of yards, you will also inherit a huge fuel bill to get those jobs done your doing so cheap. Your repairs are also going to run more. I have been in this business awhile. It took me about 3 years to build a nice business in my small town. I work in about a 15 mile radious. Keep in mind, once you reach your max you can do by yourself, you also have labor cost. Good Luck! It seems everyone is going in the lawn business these days.

Sprinkler Buddy said:

..... It seems everyone is going in the lawn business these days.

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Boy that is so true! We ALL mowed lawns to give us play money when we were in HS. Somehow, now we're 40, and hear Dave Ramsey preach to us about "mowing lawns to generate extra cash", we think we can get a mower, and all our money troubles are over. It was easy as a kid, right? Well, what uncle Dave Ramsey DOESN'T include in his "just do this - dummy" assessment of the lawn care market is the fact that dad won't pay to fix the mower when you're broke and it needs fixed. Mom isn't going to fill the gas can for you this time. It all takes money.

Some people are gifted in machining. Some, in management. Others, in sales, law, doctors, lawyers, etc......but, there are true lawn PROFESSIONALS. Those with the ability to get the clients, and do a pied piper to the lawn and bring it to near golf-course beauty. You are either one of these, or you're a big kid listening to Dave Ramsey....thinking your troubles will fly by with a few lawns.

twall said:

Boy that is so true! We ALL mowed lawns to give us play money when we were in HS. Somehow, now we're 40, and hear Dave Ramsey preach to us about "mowing lawns to generate extra cash", we think we can get a mower, and all our money troubles are over. It was easy as a kid, right? Well, what uncle Dave Ramsey DOESN'T include in his "just do this - dummy" assessment of the lawn care market is the fact that dad won't pay to fix the mower when you're broke and it needs fixed. Mom isn't going to fill the gas can for you this time. It all takes money.

Some people are gifted in machining. Some, in management. Others, in sales, law, doctors, lawyers, etc......but, there are true lawn PROFESSIONALS. Those with the ability to get the clients, and do a pied piper to the lawn and bring it to near golf-course beauty. You are either one of these, or you're a big kid listening to Dave Ramsey....thinking your troubles will fly by with a few lawns.

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Well said.

I have read of these lawn professionals, but do they pay into ss? Not here in Texas. I would say 90% are illegal immigrants fresh over the border. Are the mowers to blame for the economy?

RobertBrown said:

How about a giant inflatable gorilla wearing a "lawn enforcement" tee shirt near the interstate. Get one with a badge a cop hat and a night stick:thumbsup:.

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Hahaha I love it!!!

rer said:

Are the mowers to blame for the economy?

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Woah, you lost me on that one! If you were to look at a cross-section of the complete economic spectrum, the folks you're talking about are at the very bottom, and they control a negligible portion of the money supply.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Wall Street fat cats gambled recklessly with our investments - when it all crashed, it pushed our economy to the very brink of collapse. For gawdsakes, they were selling homes to people who couldn't afford them, and then hedging - basically betting that these people would foreclose!!! This is a virtual recipe for a winner/loser situation, and for shifting wealth from the losers to the winners.

(hint - 98% of Americans were losers on that deal)

as said in my thread on lawn cutting business, its tough getting clients and keeping them for a length of time to consider them loyal customers year after year. BUT...it can be done, and done without being a gifted lawn cutting professional. A person HAS TO do their homework and study their chosen field of interest no matter what it may be. the internet can offer a lot of information on the subject.lawn cutting can be done as a 'sideline' to accumulate extra cash flow and go all the way up to a full blown national corp. its a matter of how hard do you want to work at it AND how bad do you want it. Nobodys going to give you nothing ,you have to fight for what you want. if a person can go to their local library and just spend a few hours reading business related books with an open mind, so you can think outside the box....with an open mind and the right attitude a person can accomplish almost anything they desire,including ways to get clients.:thumbsup::smile::wink:

I have moved this thread to the pro's forum. :thumbsup:

I bought my JDeere 3 years ago because I needed to mow my fathers lawn, grandmothers lawn, and of course, my own. I eventually worked out a deal with a couple neighbors and hung fliers. I've mowed a lot of different yards in the last couple of years and have a few clients that have remained loyal and agree that a great job deserves a fair price. When I first started I undersold myself but quickly realized that I only had a set amount of time with a full time job and two young kids, and was turning down customers that could be more profitable because of the underpriced work I had dedicated myself too. My quotes were quickly adjusted. My point is..... Don't get work by underselling yourself.

Join business associations such as your local Chamber of Commerce. Attending regular meetings is a great way to network, meet new prospects and to spread the word around. Try to get to know some real estate agents and ask them to distribute you brochures or business cards to people moving into houses that have just sold.

somoolive said:

Join business associations such as your local Chamber of Commerce. Attending regular meetings is a great way to network, meet new prospects and to spread the word around. Try to get to know some real estate agents and ask them to distribute you brochures or business cards to people moving into houses that have just sold.

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It's the question I'am interested. I think asking real estate agents to distribute our brochures or business cards is a good idea. However, I worry that commission I can pay is not much for them to do it. We know that real estate agents earn so much.
Do you try with it?

The best way I have found to get new clients is to price your work so that you are in the ball park with everyone else. Know about the different grasses that grow in your area, how h needs to be cut for the best appearance and overall lawn health. You really have to become an expert on grass to properly cut it and keep it looking good. Once you have established yourself with a couple of customers they will start to brag to their friends about you. 99% of my customers have been word of mouth referrals.

Here in Central Florida we have three main types of grass. Each needs a different cut, different fertilizer and reacts differently to insects and weeds. Master the grasses that grow in your area and give customers lawns that they think are beautiful and they will refer you to their friends and family.

Like any other business, it's all about service and making satisfied customers out of strangers.

Word of mouth worked great over the past 16 years for us. However, it helps to advertise on you local radio stations and pass out flyers. We even have done advertisements on the TVs that are on top of gas pumps and that worked really well. Finally, our strategy of making it easy for a customer to get a bid has really made our business grow. We have set up an instant online quoting system on our website that has been used by potential customers to sign up for our services. Check out AccuLawnSystems.com.