Which is Better?

[papazeus]

I want to know what sort of advertising has worked best for the new lawn services starting up. I have tried flyers but it hasn't worked at all. I thought about the local newspaper but it is very expensive and I don't think it would pay off. Has anyone had any luck using real estate companies for work? I've started leaving my business cards everywhere I go, but the phone STILL isn't ringing!! Just let me know what has worked really well for you.

[Scaper-S2k]

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Bad time of the year to start advertising for this biz. Flyers a few weeks before the first cut or with the first warm up in temp. Keep them clustered in areas you want to work in. Get a better designed flyer.

Don't Fear the Green!

[Longbottom]

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A few weeks I was just where you are. Are you offering other services? This can get you in the door so you can bid on lawns. I list flower bed install or clean up, shrub work, rain gutter cleaning, power washing, light hauling...and I all ways bid the lawn and any other services when I'm called for anything. Two weeks ago I had 0 clients now I have 6. I bid 2 today higher than the current guys and got the accounts, I gues I have 8. Like you I put flyers on doors with no success so I left some at the Barbershop and placed a $10.00 ad in a local free paper. Now I'm getting busy. Use your network, friends, barber, grocer tell every one you are in the biz.
Word of mouth is the best,
Good luck.


By the Yard
Lawn and
Landscape Maintenance

[Bryan]

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I understand what you are saying about the cost of a newpaper ad Papa.
But you have got to remember this phraze: "The cost of doing business".
I have been in and out of this business a couple of times and the quickest way to get jobs is the paper. This time of year you will not get any commercial jobs! Unless you fall into one. This time of year you will get the jobs that no one else wanted and you'll find out why later. This time of year you may get the guy who is tired of cutting his own grass and he starts looking in the paper for some one to take over (I'm speaking from experience). Word of mouth is great once you get your foot in the door. But you have to get it in the door first. I have a friend who ran an add for lawn service in our area that covered 5 local cities around us. It cost 28.00 per month for 2 or 3 lines. He ran this add for 2 months at the start of the season and now has 29 jobs. He had to stop the add because he couldn't handle any more jobs. I't was well worth the 56.00 dollar investment.

Green is good !!

[steelegs1]

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I put out about 75 door hanger flyers on lawns that looked like they needed service. I got 5 customers from those, 4 are now regulars. I put out another 50 or so this morning so we'll see. I advertised a $25.00 special offer for the first cut, trim and blow but only one of those actually paid that. I got $35.00 to $45.00 and one $80.00 yard! It was overgrown but it still took only a couple of hours.

One of my best customers wants flower beds, hedge removal and trimming. I've also done debris removal and mailbox work.

Like Larry, Daryl and Daryl used to say, "Anything for a dollar". Yep, I'm a scrub for now but I've got a daughter in college and I just like lawn care and landscaping. It pays for her (in part) and gives me a few bucks to spend on my own yard.

A buck into the business and two bucks for me.

Sam

[Greenman]

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Could he not target new developments and subdivisions? Regardless of the late season? The trouble I have is the lowballers are getting the work. Been screwed so many times from that!

[GrassMaster]

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<b>Welcome to the Lawnservicing Forum Community, steelegs1</b> <img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle>

Hello steelegs1:

I would like to See a Copy of that Flier?

That is Killer Sales Ratio (Response Rate), 15%?

Really I would like to see it or Can you Tell us More about it. Because I Preach to everybody that Anything over 2% is Great!

People Get Discouraged about the Low response Rates, But Look at Your Cost say if 2 Customers Per 100 Fliers. Think about what you would Pay to Obtain Clients. When I was in the Business, I would Gladly have Paid $100 Per Client, But...

I Did Year Round Maintenance & $100 was Probably a Low Figure for Obtaining New Clients! Just My Thoughts!

<b>GrassMaster My Home Page
Members Click to PM Me or Click to E-Mail Me!</b>

[Bryan]

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I did give a few cards to the guy i bought my house from. He did send a couple of jobs my way. As a matter of fact he just asked for more cards about a week ago.

I did spot a new sub in my area a month ago. I went and talked to the Construction manager who told me they have a regular crew they use but that crew didn't want this job because of the distance they would have to travel. I did some measuring and gave him a price of 90.00 for the three spec. home's. I explained that would be the going rate. However these are all in a row it would be like one big job, so I gave him a discount of 75.00 total price. After a week and three other bids I was awarded the job. The reason I gave him the discount was because of the fact there are 5 more builders coming in and also they are going to be putting in all of the commons, in which case he told me that who ever starts in a sub all other builders will propably stay with that one Lco.

Part of the reason I feel I won the job was by showing up in person, dressing in Kackys and a polo shirt. We ended up talking more about fishing than we did the job. I feel that in any business you have to sell you're self the job's just don't come to you.

As far as flyer's go; I haven't had much luck with them but it's an option. I think 2% would be good!

Green is good !!

[papazeus]

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Thanks for the feedback. I actually got a call today from someone who has a lawn service already but she said that it is an old retired man and he won't trim the hedges or haul some debris for her (I'm in). I advertise complete lawn care....mowing, trimming, edging, clean up, leaf removal, hedge trimming, landscapes, aerating, light hauling, and weed control and fertilization. I know it's late in the season to be starting but I have other sorts of income for now and really wanted to have a good start for next Spring. Then this will be my primary means for money. Hopefully until then I can do some landscaping and other things in the lawn for some potential clients. Is there anyway to find out about new subdivisions being built or do you have just go out and find them?

[Greenman]

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Bryan,
How does the construction manager have anything to do with the lawn maintenance? When these houses sell it is the owners responsibility to make sure there yard is taken care of? Can you fill me in on this? There are new subdivisions going up everywhere here all of the time.



Edited by - greenman on Jun 25 2002 9:46:36 PM

[Bryan]

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Greenman,
The construction Manager Hires out all contract help until that house is sold. He pays the bills! He did tell me that in most cases that when a buyer takes over and they like the job your doing, chances are they will keep you on.

The three homes I'm doing now are all in the front of the sub. Those are the Model's of some of the homes they build. For now they use these for offices until all there other lots have been built on and sold than they will sell the three model's. There is no garuntee that you keep any of these jobs after the sale.

I will also be doing the commons areas in the sub(entrance of sub, park, etc.). This will be paid for by the builder also. Now when the sub is complete and they put together a subdivison association, they will be paying. They can keep you or they may decide to go with someone else. He (steve) tells me that in most cases if your the guy who starts there and is doing a good job, you will keep it.

I guess we will see how it goes.

If you have new subs going in. I would make a trip over there.
the best time to get there is when you see one of those little portable offices go in. This is the time to find out who overseas the project and ring his bell. Sometimes they will have Lco's who for lack of a better word follow them around from sub to sub. But at least stop, say hi drop a card and tell him what services you offer, very simply he wants to hear mow, edge and blow.

One more important item. They prefer to have the grass cut by Thursday or Fri but mostly thursday. Fri, sat, sun are there biggest days for business. They like to hear that you can cut on Thursday!
I'm telling you this so you can be prepaired. If you only have a spot open on sunday, it's all over. These are not the best customers to build an entire route with because of the day they need service.

I'm not a pro at new subs. This is just what I've learned in the past month. Good luck. Let me know if I can help you any more.

Keep in mind if you get one be carful/gentle it's usually fresh laid sod.

Green is good !!

[Greenman]

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Thanks for the info. The guy who done my lettering on my truck and trailer just moved into a new house in a new subdivision but the sod has just been laid down about a week or so ago so nothing to do yet unless it might be some landscaping. There are new houses all around him. Some are vacant and some are not. A house on either side of him is going up, just laid the sod, one has already sold and the other has not. Does this sound like an opportunity?

[zephyr]

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This is one of the best areas to advertise. My brother in law is a home builder and he has six houses in exclusive neighborhoods where he will give me 50.00$ a pop for each house and that is the low end of the average cost for that neighborhood. Spec homes are great because if you do a half decent job, the person who moves in will give you the most favorable look when deciding on lawn service. Only problem is that it is rather unpredictable. One week you may have six spec homes and the next week you could have half that. Anyway, great source of income and potential clients and if the builder likes you and they build a lot of homes, you could look at a lot of work just from one builder.

[Bryan]

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This does sound like an opportunity.
Maybe you could hit your friend up for some info on who the builder was he bought the house from.

Don't delay! I would start making some calls.
If you do get a spec home they will in most cases let you put up a small sign. (Great advertising)

Green is good !!

[nohhousefire]

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Some of the best ad money I ever spent was on refrigerator magnets. They cost me about 60 cents a piece, that was about 10 years ago and I still get a few calls off of them.
I tried pens and pencils but didn't feel like they paid off.

Check prices at: www.mistermagnets.com/asp/prices.asp

Edited by - nohhousefire on Jun 28 2002 2:10:53 PM