Adversting help

[kingstownquad]

Hello all:

Background: I have in business mowing since my senior year in high school 2000. I will be graduating from College this spring and want to continue my mowing business while I complete my master’s degree in small business entrepreneurship. I have been mostly relying on word of mouth and have worked up to 16 clients. I did a little advertising last year and picked up 7 jobs but have a lot to learn. My goal for next year is to have a total of 40 clients. I currently do smaller residential yards and would like to do more of the same since I lack the personal to compete for commercial jobs. I bid jobs @ 30.00 per man hour. From what I have read on this site it seems that flyers or door hangers are best. Below are my questions.

Question 1 is my price per hour in the correct range?
Question 2 Should I use door hangers or flyers.
Question 3 with a conservative response rate how many should I distribute to receive new 25 clients?
Question 4 When is the ideal time to begin distributing flyers for next spring?

Thanks. Hope in the years to come I can do some of the helping.

ted

[craigslawn]

#1 not bad $30 per hr is a little low I mean for just labor it’s not bad but add in equipment cost and gas, and all your other necessities, I would charge a minimum of $35. $35 is for an average lawn and where I am from I can get about 2 done in an hour. Making my rate $70/hr

#2 I use flyers with inserts for my business card, go door to door and tape it on the front door where it can’t be missed. Where a nice shirt preferably with company logo, this is a personal preference but customers have told me that is why they chose us because the way we present our self. If the person comes to the door, offer to give a free estimate on the spot take them around the yard explain to them why you are better than the other companies in town. I tell mine that there is NOT a forced contract before work begins, however if my clients sign a contact for the season the price is cheaper, and they can pay the minimum amount each month or pay it all off at once. If they say they are not sure and need to think about it direct them to your web site, and follow up with a formal letter a few weeks later.

#3 I know there is statistics out there for that, but personally every time I have done it the response rate has either been really good, or extremely bad.

#4 start your most aggressive advertising campaign right after the last frost and the first site of spring late Feb. or early March it is at this time people start thinking about who is going to maintain their lawn.

[Team Gopher]

Hi kingstownquad,

Are you thinking about what services you can offer now in order to hopefully turn those customers into potential spring customers as well?

[kingstownquad]

I was thinking of targeting mostly mowing customers. I do not do pesticides so i would like to stay away from most cleanups since it requires roundup.

My services included
mowing
mulching
planting flowers

What are your thoughts

[Scaper-S2k]

Question 1 is my price per hour in the correct range? You can likely get much more than that rate working by yourself.

Question 2 Should I use door hangers or flyers. Door hangers can blow off pretty easy. Just spend more money on nice color flyers.

Question 3 with a conservative response rate how many should I distribute to receive new 25 clients? This will vary a LOT depending on the area, and how good your flyer is. Just pass out a few thousand and see what happens.

Question 4 When is the ideal time to begin distributing flyers for next spring? The first weekend that it starts to warm up. When you start feeling antsy, so do your clients.

[greenpastureslc]

Question 1 is my price per hour in the correct range? I get $50/hr
Question 2 Should I use door hangers or flyers. Whats always worked for me is newspaper ad and word of mouth.
Question 3 with a conservative response rate how many should I distribute to receive new 25 clients? ??. See #2
Question 4 When is the ideal time to begin distributing flyers for next spring? For me I start in Feb/Mar. There's still snow on the ground but people are tired of seeing it and are thinking about the spring.


Tim