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I wouldnt even think about offering bi weekly cuts. I hate to tell you, but you are losing money. For 5$ more, if I was a customer, I would jump on that biweekly thing. Not only is it bad for you, its bad for the lawns. As a rule, no more than 1/3 of the grass blade should be cut at a time. If you are charging say $30 for a cut, it would be $35.00 for a biweekly cut. If you have to cut it twice, thats $17.50 each cut----no profit.

Dont even offer this service. Even though it seems like you are busy, you are not making a profit--its more work on you and your machines.

If you go biweekly in the heat of the summer (by your choice) thats a different story.

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<b>For a bi-weekly cut on a $30.00 weekly job, I would charge $55.00 for a single cut. </b>


Quality Is Good

Edited by - Sammy on May 19 2002 09:16:32 AM

Edited by - Sammy on May 19 2002 09:17:12 AM

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Quality Is Good

Edited by - Sammy on May 19 2002 09:21:31 AM

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Hello Everybody:

<b>OFF TOPIC!</b>

<b>Welcome to the Lawnservicing Forum Community Sammy!</b> <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Are you the Sammy, that I think You are? Hey, that was a Good question Wasn't it! LOL, I expect a Good Answer? <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

<b>Now On Topic!</b>

Believe it or not, I haven't cut that much Supper Thick Grass?

Can you use Double Blades on your Machine? Must make sure they're safe if Ya do that?

Have you tried Side Discharging to the Inside, thus you are Continually cutting every Round or are you Stripping the Lawns? I Would think in this case it doesn't matter as long as you get it cut in one Trip?

Just Remember the Customer is Looking out for their Wallet & they are Not to worried about You? I promise you that, the Voice of Experience?

How about offering to Cut Every 10 Days? On the Ones that Really want it done Bi-weekly?

I know a Lot of you Folks Don't like to hear about Bi-weekly, This is Why I'm Suggesting Every 10 days!

<b>EVERY 10 DAYS!</b>
I found the 10 day Schedule to be very Beneficial for me, in more ways than one!

1. It Helps me get the Folks that wanted it Done Bi-Weekly!
2. It's almost Impossible for them to Keep up with your Schedule!
3. You get in a Bind (Weather, Employees or Breakdowns), you can go there a Day Late or a Day Early!
4. I'm sure I forgot another 1 or 2 LOL, My Memory not that good?

<b>Disadvantages of Every 10 Days!</b>

1. You miss out on getting them once a Week!
2. If you only Mow, Blow & Go!

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

<b>One of My Mile Longer Post!</b>

I found out that after my Second Year in Business, that if I wanted to Eat Steak, Pay Taxes, Make all My Other Payments on time in January Like My Customers & My Fellow Business Folks do that I must...

Get a Monthly Check, not Same pay per Cut or Whatever?

So I then Started Working on Year Round Maintenance Agreements, as I got them I Slowly Raised the Cut when I want you T00S, until they Dropped me or Went with the Monthly Maintenance Program! The Cut when I want you T00S Don't care if you Starve to Death or Not. Give them to your Competitors! LOL, That way you Kill 2 Birds with one Stone! A Pun Mr. Stone!

Now Before some of you say anything, I know in Some Situations & Due to Popularity in Certain Parts of the Country it would be hard to Accomplish this? But Think about it?

Those Cut when I want you T00S, Will Shuck you in a Heart Beat for Lower Price Mr. Lowballer, that in Three Years will be back working some Nice Job Somewhere? Because he didn't figure his Profit Margins? But you are still out there Slugging away, WHY?

You Want the true American Dream,You want to Be Your Own Boss & Be Self Employed. The dream of almost anybody, anywhere?

So you go to those Folks, When you can Afford too & Say Yo Mr.Ican'tpayyouweeklyduringthemowingseason & Say!

How would you like me to give you a Price on Mowing, Trimming, Edging, Hedging, Weeding & Blowing off all Concrete Surfaces? What?

Yes, Mr.Ican'tpayyouweeklyduringthemowingseason I will give you a Monthly Service once every 10 days, LOL give or take a day! For 1 Low Monthly Fee? Any & all other work will be done on a Jobber Basis at a Very Reasonable Rate, Because you are a Year Round Customer?

So you there one day, You See They Need Spraying for White Flies, Fertilizer, Sprinkler Head Needs Fixed that Biff ran over while Home from Harvard, they need mulch, need a Dead Bush replaced or Whateveryoucanthinkof? Your Crew Guy makes a Note of this Particular Problem. Then you Drop by & Leave them a Note, saying you noticed So & So, and you do it for So & So? Ca Ching? $$$$$ Then you drop back by & fix it when it's Convenient for You? They just glad you can do it?

Just do anything you can think of to Keep those other Jokers out of Yo Yards? You want it all? Just Keep them OUT? Yeh man Clean those Gutters out, Cut down that Tree, Pressure wash that Nasty Ugly Driveway? Fix that wood Fence, Fix the Gate, Just do it. You want it all? What will Happen...

Well, you have just saved them from Dealing with 6 other Folks & They Ain't got the Time! But You Notice all this? They Grateful for Your Services, Believe it or not they will pay dearly for it? You only charge them what you would charge anybody else, anyway? Mo Money, with less Customers? If you want it all, do it all? Ca Ching $$$$$

So then when January comes around, Whoop there it is. You are Depositing the Same amount of Money as you are in July? Get the Picture? Yeh, I even cover up Holes where Buffy the most awful looking dog Known to man has dug trying to get out of yard?

Yes, I've even had Johnny the Best Bush Trimmer Know to the MAN go over to Mr. & Mrs. I'mmorethanhappywithyourservices & Helped Sissy (Daughter) Move to the Dorm, this winter & they thought that $65 an hour was very reasonable for Johnny, Truck & Trailer, to Help her Move all her Clothes & Furniture! Johnny was only Drawing that Check so just as well make those Extra Winter Bucks, because they want all your services, your Honest, Dependable & if Ya Like me, 1 - 8 Up Good Looking RedNeck from JawJa.

So you've just took the same number of Customers & More than Doubled your Income. You's a Smart Business Person! LOL, They can't even Fathom trying to Replace you, because they depend on you for So Much?

Once you get these Folks & Prove your Self, The Skies the Limit & Your Customer Turn Over Rate will Decrease to Virtually Nothing? I'm only saying this Because I've Been there & Done that?

<b>It's Ok to Charge as Much as the Market can Stand & then Some? Be one of them, not one of the others? You be the Competition & Let the Others try to keep up?

Look Like a Pro, Act Like a Pro, Work Like a Pro, you will then Get Paid & Treated Like a Pro!

Make People want you for Who you are are & your Services you Provide, Not that you are Reasonable & Cheap! Because The Reasonable & Cheap Folks get replaced everyday of the Week?

Some Folks pay .99 cents for a Burger & other Folks pay $6.95 for a Burger. It's all how it's Presented to them & that Special touch that you add? Which Burger do you want to Sell Your Customers?

If you are Happy with things the way they are, Please don't go Changing things for Me?</b>

GrassMaster
Lawn Care Service Business Resources
Click here PM to the Forum Administrator

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<b>Grass Master, It depends on what Sammy you are thinking of. </b><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>[But, I could be.....LOL]

Quality Is Good

i had a few biweekly customers my first year. needless to say it was burning up more gas so i just told them i couldnt do it that way anymore and i dropped them. my second yr i tried to keep away from that and offered every 10days. that didnt work well either cause it kept me from my weekly customers on time. so now its every 7days, 10 days max with weather problems

Grass Master is right on the money !!!!

I recommend copying or printing out that post.

We were in drought conditions so bi-weeklys could work...but last season it rained more than it had in 10 years here!!!!!

I lost lots of money.

And that 10 day idea is very good....especailly for weak lawns.
Our season is app. 32 weeks...so every 10 days is 22 -23 cuts per year.

At least you know how many cuts you're selling per year.

Tell them they are on a weekly cut basis, but if you feel that it can be skipped (drought conditions/no growth) you will skip it and not charge them. Setting a customer on a strict bi-weekly cut becomes hell if they start fertilizing and your not prepared for the growth or it gets a good rain.
-Rich

Just tell them that if it needs bagging or double cutting or both, then the price goes up. This way you get the contract for a regular cut price and sock it to them on the bagging & double cutting. You get about double the price of your regular cut.

Ex: $30.00 per cut

Double Cutting $15.00

Bagging $15.00

Total cut $60

In the summer then you might only need to cut it. See what I mean? You get paid for your extra work when needed, and secure the account with the same pricing structure as your weeklys.