help

[MOUNTAIN AIR]

i need help . how do i get commercial contracts?
proposal, how with out seeing property?
im lost in this lawn care industry

if i cant line up some contracts for next year i will sell the lawn care part of my bussiness. cheap
please help

[Scott]

reply

I would never bid or offer to bid on a property w/o seeing it first and getting all the details for services requested.

How to get commercial contracts. Direct mail, introduce yourself to the owner/manager and drop of a flyer(be brief, if they're interested they'll either ask questions or call you later).

If you're lost in this industry try asking more questions and review previous posts. If you're looking for a specific topic, use the search feature on this site. If you have what you feel to be a menial question you can send a private message to myself or several others that regularly post here.

[Phil Nilsson]

reply

My advice is for you the contractor to "tell" the customer what they need as to your services. Often times the specifications are way out of whack with the real needs on the ground.

Don't trust specs handed to you, because all you need to be is off by just one mowing frequency (not needed) and with a larger property you'll lose the bid based on just that. You can "force" the numbers to work in your favor (and theirs) by doing your own scope of work outline.

My guess is that 75% of the specs out there aren't worth the paper they're written on.

The customer should not have to tell you what your job will be. It's the other way around.

Besides, in commercial, many contractors who otherwise "win" a bid by low price (isn't performing) the work as stated, cutting corners to make a low bid contract turn a profit and that's a fact Jack!!!

[GrassMaster]

reply

<b>Welcome to the Lawnservicing Forum Community "MOUNTAIN AIR!" </b> []

Commercial Accounts are Hard to Come By Until You've Been in the Business a While.

Try Targeting Smaller Ones that Need Work Done & Come up with Your Own Ideas as to What Their Needs are, Make Detailed Suggestions on Paper, Give them Proposals, Have A Little Info in there about Your Comnpany! Come up with a Nice Little Info & Proposal Packets to Give to Prospective Clients! Words are Easily Forgotten & Misunderstood. Documentation in Print is There Until it's Thrown Away? Get the Picture?

If it's A Property that it Doesn't Matter if You Walk it, Do it & Then Hand Your Proposal to them. If it's A Larger Property, Just Ask if You Can Look at it & Give them a Proposal?You Don't Need to Take up Their Time & It's...

A Lot Better than Asking for Who's is in Charge of Grounds Maintenance in Person or Being told in a Polite Way that they are Busy & Already Have Someone Over the Phone! You Know the Good Old Fashioned Run-A-Round!

If Property is Any Size at All, You Not Only Need to Walk it, But Measure it with a Measuring Wheel? Do You Have a Measuring Wheel? If You Don't You Need to Get One, If I was Still in the Business & Didn't Have One and The Price for them Went Up to $500, I Would Buy One & Never Say a Word about it?

A Measuring Wheel, Proper Signage on Vehicles, Good Quality Software Program for Books and Billing, Understanding of Your Businesses Operating Cost and Expenses & Knowing How Long it takes to do a Job is The Key to Your Success!

<b>A Few Things to Remember & Some Good Advise?</b>
If You Want More Work, You Must Go After it one Way or Another?
You Want More Income, Get More Work & Hire More Help?
If You are Getting 50% of Your Bids, Charge More Money, You're to Cheap!
Residential Customers are More Problemns, But Give You More Loyality!
High End Properties, Pay More & Get You More Plus Better Work Feom Them!

The Day You Decide to Run Your Busines & Stop Letting it Run You, Your Profits Will Sart Going Up? What if Bill Gates Never Hired Anybody? You Can't Make Good Money Working as a Laborer, You Must Manage Your Business. If You Can't Make it Working 5 Days a Week, You Will Never Make it Working 6 & 7 Days a Week.

A Lot of High End Residential Properties, Leads to Commercial Accounts! Almost Every Doctor, Lawyer, Busines Owner I Worked for I Did their Business Location Too! Most Just Had Me Bill their Office! Get the Picture?

When you Get to the Point Where you Have Good Help & Plenty of Work, What better Time to Start Giving Higher Bids & Marketing - Advertising Your Services! Charge as Much as the Market can Bare & then Some! Don't Just Edge, Trim, Weed, Blow, Mow & Go, Offer All Kinds of Services! Do What ever it Takes to Keep Other Businesses Off Your Properties.

When You have Plenty of Work & More Coming in, Make a List of All Your Properties, The Most Profitable Per Hour at the Top & Least Profitable (Plus Problem Customers) at the Bottom. Ok, Take a Few at the Time & Raise Your Service Fees Untill You're Inline with the Others or They Drop You! Either Way You are Better Off!

There is Plenty Nore but this is a Good Start & If You...

Look Like a Pro, Act Like a Pro, Work Like a Pro, You Will then Get Treated & Paid Like a Pro!