Do you Bill the Customer Before Mowing Services or After?

[dpld]

Interesting you mention that. :alien::alien::alien:



Landscaping is different from mowing lawns. You're talking different business. No fool would foot the materials themselves until the project was complete.

Refer back to the subject. The original poster asked about payment for MOWING. I never read about mulch or anything else. You're taking this too far (I suppose for your own pleasure).

If you're working in volume then buying in advance is a smart move, but for the majority here it does not. Not everyone goes through 5000CY of mulch per season. Many here mow under 50 lawns/ week. And again, if many here asked up front for payment before mowing services are rendered, they'd most likely end up with little to no work.

Might I suggest you take your knowledge and publish a book for all unwashed lawn turds to learn from. The best part is you'd receive money UPFRONT as you so love. You might even consider printing 1,000 copies and paying the press company in advance. Who knows, you might even receive a discount for pre-payment further heightening your profits from this new venture of yours. Ahhhh, I forgot you already have this all figured out. I'll just call you Einstein here on out. :alien::alien::alien:

what ever dude, first off i allready acknowledged that we all live in different area's and the local economy varies greatly in that regards.

i never layed claim to be einstein nor am i looking down on anyone, in fact i started the same way as everyone else here and being i chose this proffession for a living at the age of 17 i decided to learn from others who were more succsessful then myself and utilize what they did best for my own gain so i would not have to kick and scratch the rest of my life.

the area i live in gives me the opportunity to work for people who are well off but at the same time i live in one of the most exspensive states in the country.
you get taxes out the whazoo, you have to have a landscapers permit in every town you work in which also comes at a fee, you have to have numerous licenses to maintain and pay for just to be in business not to mention if you live in this area a dump of a house will cost you over 350k and if you want to survive and grow you need to think outside the box and frankly most guys, not all, but most operate the way i do.

and yes, i know what the original question was on this topic and everything i discussed is related to the industry and he asked a question and i answered it in detail and gave examples.

my responses were intended to help in any way as well as shed light on how many other ways and ideas there are to help someone out in a business.
if i were coming here to rub it in peoples faces or sound all high and mighty i would have spared the details and just went straight to hurling insults at everyone like most do on this sight.
this response is exactly why there is never anyone new here and when there is they soon never return.
i been visiting this sight for several years and joined last year and one thing is constant, its the same old crowd knocking everyone who thinks differently and does better.

i am not on here trying to sell nothing or be a pitchman all i am doing is joining in on the conversation adding my two cents and if my own methods that have helped me can benefit anyone thats cool too, because if it were a secret or anything i was trying to hide i would be either not talking about it or i would be trying to sell you something.

as i said i started in this business when i was 17 and i put my own business together when i was about 18 1/2 and i am now 49 and after 30 years in business i believe i have learned a few things worth sharing and if you want to veiw it as anything else, when in fact all i am doing is trying to help, then thats your problem.
and oh by the way, i am a lawn turd just like anyone here and i still cut grass and blow leaves all day long just like the rest of you.
i don't drive around all day in my fancy done up pick up truck with my pretty collared shirt on.
that is why i built my business the way i did, i have my client base and thats all i need and i have my jobs for the year so i do not have to drive around all day doing estimates and ordering materials for construction work and putting big fancy adds in the newspapers and phone book to keep generating work.

you guys respond to me like what i do is the next anti christ and its virtually impossible when in fact its all about presentation.
my contracts are sent out yearly with a page and a half cover letter that in great detail explains why i do what i do and why exactly they will benefit by paying ahead and at the same time clearly show that they will be making the same amount of payment for the same amount of time with the exception of they will be done paying a month earlier ( just in time for the holidays ) and saving themselves a few hundred dollars a year.

and no, i am not gonna write a book about it i am content on doing what i do until i die, we can save that for someone like yourself but if its so difficult in your area to operate like any other service business does then maybe you should make a zip code change.

[safari lawn]

what ever dude, first off i allready acknowledged that we all live in different area's and the local economy varies greatly in that regards.

i never layed claim to be einstein nor am i looking down on anyone, in fact i started the same way as everyone else here and being i chose this proffession for a living at the age of 17 i decided to learn from others who were more succsessful then myself and utilize what they did best for my own gain so i would not have to kick and scratch the rest of my life.

the area i live in gives me the opportunity to work for people who are well off but at the same time i live in one of the most exspensive states in the country.
you get taxes out the whazoo, you have to have a landscapers permit in every town you work in which also comes at a fee, you have to have numerous licenses to maintain and pay for just to be in business not to mention if you live in this area a dump of a house will cost you over 350k and if you want to survive and grow you need to think outside the box and frankly most guys, not all, but most operate the way i do.

and yes, i know what the original question was on this topic and everything i discussed is related to the industry and he asked a question and i answered it in detail and gave examples.

my responses were intended to help in any way as well as shed light on how many other ways and ideas there are to help someone out in a business.
if i were coming here to rub it in peoples faces or sound all high and mighty i would have spared the details and just went straight to hurling insults at everyone like most do on this sight.
this response is exactly why there is never anyone new here and when there is they soon never return.
i been visiting this sight for several years and joined last year and one thing is constant, its the same old crowd knocking everyone who thinks differently and does better.

i am not on here trying to sell nothing or be a pitchman all i am doing is joining in on the conversation adding my two cents and if my own methods that have helped me can benefit anyone thats cool too, because if it were a secret or anything i was trying to hide i would be either not talking about it or i would be trying to sell you something.

as i said i started in this business when i was 17 and i put my own business together when i was about 18 1/2 and i am now 49 and after 30 years in business i believe i have learned a few things worth sharing and if you want to veiw it as anything else, when in fact all i am doing is trying to help, then thats your problem.
and oh by the way, i am a lawn turd just like anyone here and i still cut grass and blow leaves all day long just like the rest of you.
i don't drive around all day in my fancy done up pick up truck with my pretty collared shirt on.
that is why i built my business the way i did, i have my client base and thats all i need and i have my jobs for the year so i do not have to drive around all day doing estimates and ordering materials for construction work and putting big fancy adds in the newspapers and phone book to keep generating work.

you guys respond to me like what i do is the next anti christ and its virtually impossible when in fact its all about presentation.
my contracts are sent out yearly with a page and a half cover letter that in great detail explains why i do what i do and why exactly they will benefit by paying ahead and at the same time clearly show that they will be making the same amount of payment for the same amount of time with the exception of they will be done paying a month earlier ( just in time for the holidays ) and saving themselves a few hundred dollars a year.

and no, i am not gonna write a book about it i am content on doing what i do until i die, we can save that for someone like yourself but if its so difficult in your area to operate like any other service business does then maybe you should make a zip code change.

I wasnt personally attacking you, and you are right, its a way to help others maybe improve their buisness approach to doing buisness. You point out some good ideas in buying in Bulk, If you have a supplier willing to hold the stock when you need it its a great pitch, I did something like that with the distant Gas Company (Baltimore Gas and Elec AKNA BG&E) I bought Natural Gas through them, but eventually Washington Gas tacked on their charges so I didnt realize the savings that I have by Burning Wood instead.

You point out the clientel you target, DR, Lawyers etc.. and that is good, you have figured out the system, and where able to survive start up. I had a co-worker went into debt to start up his LCS, Financed all his equipmnet, got extra money for startup, and folded all in 1 year, I bought as I went into it, paying for my equipment upfront, and even low balled a few jobs to pay for gas (if I was smart I wouldnt be the cheapest in town) and I had to remind my brother of the fact if I have 2 jobs paying 25 per visit to mow its better than having nothing to mow, after you become established you can be selective on your customers and even fire a few and charge the new customers more your asking price.

The Patio is a no Brainer (Deposit covering materials) if you get the whole payment upfront, great, I personally wouldnt pay anyone 100% upfront, the furniture, ok you are buying a completed item, now you are just waiting for delivery so thats not a fair comparison .

As for your expenses (Taxes, Permit fees etc) its a thing to consider, and I guess i am lucky I dont live in a area that taxes us out that much. Granted I only Mow, dont pay DMV for Application Fees, and unless I make over certain amounts in adjoining counties I do not need a buisness lisc for each area, as for Housing costs the mean price in this area for houses is 450K - 900K+ (county assessment on mine is 395K but they are selling above 500K), if its a dump its much lower and usually a townhouse.

Look at what Debate has done for the US Goverment.... LOL


p.s. I would have to ask in your answer how you account for fuel prices that can change and may exceed $5.00 per gallon in a summer? from 3.50 in spring to 5+ mid season.

[dpld]

I wasnt personally attacking you, and you are right, its a way to help others maybe improve their buisness approach to doing buisness. You point out some good ideas in buying in Bulk, If you have a supplier willing to hold the stock when you need it its a great pitch, I did something like that with the distant Gas Company (Baltimore Gas and Elec AKNA BG&E) I bought Natural Gas through them, but eventually Washington Gas tacked on their charges so I didnt realize the savings that I have by Burning Wood instead.

You point out the clientel you target, DR, Lawyers etc.. and that is good, you have figured out the system, and where able to survive start up. I had a co-worker went into debt to start up his LCS, Financed all his equipmnet, got extra money for startup, and folded all in 1 year, I bought as I went into it, paying for my equipment upfront, and even low balled a few jobs to pay for gas (if I was smart I wouldnt be the cheapest in town) and I had to remind my brother of the fact if I have 2 jobs paying 25 per visit to mow its better than having nothing to mow, after you become established you can be selective on your customers and even fire a few and charge the new customers more your asking price.

The Patio is a no Brainer (Deposit covering materials) if you get the whole payment upfront, great, I personally wouldnt pay anyone 100% upfront, the furniture, ok you are buying a completed item, now you are just waiting for delivery so thats not a fair comparison .

As for your expenses (Taxes, Permit fees etc) its a thing to consider, and I guess i am lucky I dont live in a area that taxes us out that much. Granted I only Mow, dont pay DMV for Application Fees, and unless I make over certain amounts in adjoining counties I do not need a buisness lisc for each area, as for Housing costs the mean price in this area for houses is 450K - 900K+ (county assessment on mine is 395K but they are selling above 500K), if its a dump its much lower and usually a townhouse.

Look at what Debate has done for the US Goverment.... LOL


p.s. I would have to ask in your answer how you account for fuel prices that can change and may exceed $5.00 per gallon in a summer? from 3.50 in spring to 5+ mid season.

as far as fuel goes its two things for me, first, my routes are real tight and the smallest group i have are 9 lawns together and the rest are bunched up in groups larger for example in one town i have the whole street which equades to about 32 lawns.

second, the way i am able to buy up front in materials saves me about 30% and my discounts are 10% for auto pay with credit card and 20% for pre payment for the season and the money i save in buying in bulk essentially pays for the discount as well as leaves me a 8 to 10 percent surplus which i hold in leiu of cost increases such as fuel.

fuel is obviously a sore spot for each and everyone of us but even if it goes to lets say 5.00 per gallon our prices should cover us to at least 3.00 per gallon and i use my surplus fund to make up for the difference.
my surplus account is also good for at seasons end, because there is usually a considerable sum left and i use that money for repairs, equipment purchases etc etc.

as i mentioned earlier i have been doing it a long time and what i do now is what has evolved by trial and error over 30 years of being in business but knowing what i know now if i could have i would have done it this way from the beginning but at the same time its easy for me to say that after the fact being it took 15 years to figure it out.

i found doing lawn maintenence is the opportune time to work deals with customers because for some home owners they can not do it themselves and they allready consider it a yearly exspense accossiated with being a home owner and outside of getting it done to their likeing the next thing they try to do is save money without sacrificeing quality.
my average home owner pays about 6,800.00 per year and when they see they can save 680.00 per year by using auto pay or 1,360.00 by pre paying for the year they usually don't even think twice about the billing ahead system.

also, in all fairness to the customers and myself the newest customer i have is been a client for 5 years so i have allready built a relationship with them and they know what they are getting as well as know i am as reliable as the sun coming up.
and to further clear the air, not all pre pay the entire season.
out of 130 accounts 52 pay upfront the entire year and the rest have a credit card on file that gets billed automaticly on the first of the month.

also, don't let anyone tell you that you have to do it all.
sure there is great money in construction and over the years i have done it all, but for the last eight years all i do is 99.9% my service contracts which includes the grass, leaves, shrubs, mulch, all applications to the lawn, shrubs and trees and and snow plowing in the winter and frankly, it takes all available time in the year just to keep up with these properties and if i took on patio's and such i would never get anything done as well as people would be left waiting and pissed off and i would be forced to hire more people and buy more equipment.
my goal has always been to have the number of contracts i need to hit my magic number every year and dedicate my time and energy to keeping up with the contracts and keeping the customers happy so i always have my work lined up for the entire year and save myself the trouble of having to always advertise and do estimates all the time.

one other thing i failed to mention is that my weekly exspenses for payroll, fuel, taxes and isurance and so on is around 9,800.00 per week and thats a whole lot of gee wizzes every week 4 times a month to float to only get paid after the fact.
like i said i am a landscaper, i am not bank of america and if you want to work out a payment plan then you should talk to your bank or credit card company and work out the details with them because no one on my end is waiting for me to get the money to give to them.

[stoneproperty]

We bill at the end of the month with 15 days to pay. We havent had any issues with receiving payment.

[bluecollar01]

Anyone use those smart phone credit card payment systems?