Confused Newbie

[Stangman]

OK I have been tryin to get some figures together for a chain of small gas stations. I called her up today and offered her a bid of 140.00 per store per month. I feel 35.00/hr., 10 stores and an hour per store, once a week service for cutting, edging, weedeating and blowing. It seemed like a fair price to me since it was my first bid and all. What does she do she laughs at me. She says I need to come way down. I said how far and she said she has a guy doing it for 70.00 per store per month. I figured it up and weekly that ain't but 17.50 per store a week. I'm kinda getting an unmotivated feeling here. It seems like everybody is already under contract or the yare using the same guy they have had for years. Maybe it's too early to feel this way since the residential doesn't start picking up til mid march. Does anybody else get these same feelings? Do you think she was trying to loball me? I'm sure it will all come together.

[bwillie]

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Stangman

Let's see after you pay for gas in your equipment and truck, wear and tear on your vehicle and all the time that you will spend fighting with this lady about what a poor job your doing for the fine money she is paying you. You will actually be making about 7 dollars an hour. I would tell her to go fly a kite. Or something worse. But what do I know I am just another new guy.

[bwillie]

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Also about feeling down on this don't. There is always someone out there trying to get over. Just stick to your guns and stay focused on what you are trying to do. I would assume that is giving quality work while makeing a living at it. Stay strong my brother.

[cole1980]

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Hey man,
Offer her $80 a store and come every 2 weeks. $10 extra per cut and it will be a little longer than usual, but if you cut really short like most gas stations I see here you can pull it off.

[zeke]

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I would say the guy mows every 2 weeks. $35x2=70 per store. I would go back and tell her "I'll mow for $65 per store monthly, and I will mow every 10-12 days". Obviously she isnt happy w/old guy or she wouldnt be taking bids. Which most of my Bussiness's want it mowed 10-12 days. My residential folks want it weekly, some whether it needs it or not. At any rate do not be discouraged you'll hear many no's but the few yes's are what you focus on. Consider as the summer gets dry you will mow less. Last year I got in 1 mowing per customer in July, and 4 in sept & oct. Weekly is not the norm here in the hot south.

[Scott]

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does the place look like crap? Did you laugh back at her?
Cole is along the right lines on how to answer her but I would've laughed with her. They get kinda upset when I do that but I'm in this business to make some money and obviously they're lacking some professionalism. Basically the only discounts I give are for the elderly and if they're a Vet I'll bend over backwards to help.
Don't give up. All this lady did was give you some experience. You won't always get the jobs you'd like or want. There'll be more and stick to your bid or offer a bid like Cole said.

[Scott]

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does the place look like crap? Did you laugh back at her?
Cole is along the right lines on how to answer her but I would've laughed with her. They get kinda upset when I do that but I'm in this business to make some money and obviously they're lacking some professionalism. Basically the only discounts I give are for the elderly and if they're a Vet I'll bend over backwards to help.
Don't give up. All this lady did was give you some experience. You won't always get the jobs you'd like or want. There'll be more and stick to your bid or offer a bid like Cole said.

[zeke]

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I would say the guy mows every 2 weeks. $35x2=70 per store. I would go back and tell her "I'll mow for $65 per store monthly, and I will mow every 10-12 days". Obviously she isnt happy w/old guy or she wouldnt be taking bids. Which most of my Bussiness's want it mowed 10-12 days. My residential folks want it weekly, some whether it needs it or not. At any rate do not be discouraged you'll hear many no's but the few yes's are what you focus on. Consider as the summer gets dry you will mow less. Last year I got in 1 mowing per customer in July, and 4 in sept & oct. Weekly is not the norm here in the hot south.

[CCLS]

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Don't negotiate, you will end up screwing yourself over. I would stay away from the every other week, because if it needs bagging or double cut, then you have to charge extra for that and your back to where you started. Move on to the next customer, trust me there is plenty more out there.

[65hoss]

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Once you get into a pricing war with her you lose. She wants a perfect job at a stupid price. Let her find someone like she has now. No need in working for the sake of working. At $17.50 a cut you will make NOTHING...Tell her that just like she does, you want to make a living also. Walk away as a learning experience, there is lots of this in this industry. Roll with the punches...

[andersc1]

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Stangman,
The only other opportunity I would give this hag would be to change my bid to servicing every 10-12 days for $70.00 a month. I wouldn't come down below that, especially since you said it would take an hour per store to service. Don't sell yourself short. Not everyone agrees that their lawns should be cut weekly, so don't even waste your time in trying to convince them otherwise.

We have several accounts that we service every two weeks and other than taller growth it really doesn't cause too many additional problems. Just keep your blades sharp and go slow as to allow the grass more time in the deck to mulch.

Good luck,
Curtis

[dancom]

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Stangman
What kind of equipment are you using. The reason I ask is most gas stations have very little grass to cut. You say it will take you an hour per station that is a lot of time. I have a church that is two acres that does not take that long. The average gas station should only take you 30 minutes at the most and that is without a helper. To get a whole chain of gas stations, I forget how many you said, I would have no problem with 70.00 per month and cut them on a more appropriate schedule.

You are new in the business, it does not happen over night. My first year I worked two jobs my second year I made a living but nothing spectacular. It wasn’t until my third year that I made good money. My first year I underbid a l lot of jobs and overbid a lot of jobs most of my bidding problems were because I was off on how long it would take me to do a job. it takes time to figure out you market. Hang in there it will come. Very few businesses get big over night. You just need to keep pushing and do a good job, never compromise that, and it will come along.
[]

[kutnkru]

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Your price is your price -- and your price should not be negotiable (period).

I remember once I went out to solicit a new area and was ecstatic when I was given the okay to bid on this guys house, office, and three commercial rental sites!!! I talked with him in his posh office for about 20 minutes getting all the details of what his current guy had been doing v. what he expected from the new contractor.

I spent that entire afternoon taking measurements and formulating. I looked at his turf care needs from every possible aspect I could think, came up with a plan on how to spruce up his estate, cut back on his fert program, structural pruning ideas to shear his property into a showplace, etc. etc. etc.

When I returned to his office 15 minutes early the next AM with my projections and plans in hand, I knew for sure that there was no possible way another other eye-baller could compete with the extensive time I had put into his baby.

Well, after all that work he turns right to the cost section before even hearing what I had to say – looks me straight in the eyes and says something to the effect of “Well son. It appears as though you spent much of your day yesterday with my best interests in mind. However, my current lawn crew cuts the properties once per week for $80.”

Ready to begin selling the benefits of my company, I told him something like that if I was only $80 higher if he wished to customize my proposal we could more than likely meet his needs establishing a working partnership to get his properties back into the shape he so desired.

I remember plain as day how hard he laffed for a moment and said to me with as stern and straight a face I’d ever seen anyone before. “No son, you misunderstood what I said. He mows ALL my properties for $80 week, not $400.”

That was over 5 years ago and each spring I send him our info and a few flyers, just in case he ever decides to fire his LawnBoy –LOL!!! Like I said YOUR price is YOUR price and shouldn’t be negotiable.

[Jocko]

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Is this yearly contract?

If so, refugure your margin and include bi-weekly cuts at 20- 25 cuts per year and see what happens. Or does she mean pay as you go, in which case probably not.