natural

[greg6775]

i thinking about the more natural stuff what do you all think i can run a business with all natural please let me no what you all think

[Seascape]

no.

[greg6775]

natural

why do you say no can you please explain

[Seascape]

Your cost on materials will be high. Youll be paying just in materials what we are invoicing. This has been tried but ive yet see it work. Not knocking you on the effort and gump to try something though. There is a thread on this you may find if you perform a board search. Good luck.
mike

[Woody]

If you are going to go out and sell your services in direct competition to chemicals, you are going to lose your ass.

Now, if you market yourself as an alternative to chemicals, and let people know up front that it is EXPENSIVE, you may be able to build up a clientel of people willing to pay more to go the natural route.

An example: There is a local "health food store" that began business in an old "stop-and-rob" convienient store. Some people certainly balked at their prices. Meats and bread at TWICE the price. The have been around for about 14 years now. And they have 2 stores, larger than most supermarkets! They are catering to a niche market, and are doing well. You would have to do the same.

Woody

[Seascape]

Woody,woody,woody. Wont work man. You have a good philosophpy though. Differance being they are selling a consumable product. i shop the upscale small "exotic" food marts myself but thats a far fetch to money spent on my grass. I use the same products i sell. I wouldnt spring for organic in a million years and im a nut about things here at my place. You may get the ocasional excentric client that has a hang up on chemicals but $$ signs are seldom ignored.Offering organics in conjunction w/ your normal app progam may not hurt but i wouldnt want to sit on skids of poop waiting for nature freaks to call me. The reason the expensive food gig works is because we enjoy eating. It isnt because we have to either. its pure enjoyment. There might be a level of enjoyment for our clients but im thinking its pretty much just a satisfaction thing we see our clients experience when we light up theyre turf. A fish from kroger will satisfy me but i may "enjoy" a fish from my local exotic market. In my lawn green is green and weedless is weedless. Same results no matter how much i spend at this point. I will give you this much though. a hard driven marketing campaign would probally get it off the ground but client retention would be an issue immediately.
mike

[Green Escapes]

I think you would have to find a neighborhood full of Democrats and hippies sitting under trees strumming guitars and smoking the hippie lettuce to be able to truely market a product as expensive as organics. Its a good product but not many are willing to pay for it.

[Woody]

Ha ha haha! Well, I know where there are neighborhoods like that!

I agree with you Mike. But, what I use as "organics" seems a bit different than what you are visualizing. While not a custom applicator at this moment, it is in the works, so I don't offer anything right this minute. But, I DO have a few organic tricks that I plan to offer, in addition to chemical. Stuff like beneficial nematodes for control of undesirables, such as grubs, fleas, etc. Of course, you explain to the customer that they don't winter over well, and you will have to be back in the spring. It's looking like fall at the earliest, and most likely next spring before I offer them. I'll let you know how they do.

Woody

[Alpine Naturescapes]

I have had bites on beneficial nematodes. I market them as an alternative, and I add a guarantee. I explain that they become MORE effective as the year passes rather than less effective like chemicals. I tell them I can do liquid diazinon like sray guy B, but it is basically gone after 2 weeks, and then you often end up paying again for another spray. Also basically no more expensive than Merit, etc. Not much luck with natural fertilizers though. I use them on my lawn, and love them, but most people here are unconvinced about this commy pinko environmentalist stuff. I will be educating about soil as a live organism until the cows come home!

[Seascape]

woody and naturescapes,
You both make very good points.
mike

[McBillNLex]

We looked @ organics a few years ago but I balked when Lesco told me it came in pallets and I had to take the whole pallet. I had forgotten that most organic ferts are make form poultry crap. their service centers won't stock it, because like most of the crap that comes outta politicians mouths, this chit stinks.

[greg6775]

telmarketing

what do you all think all telmarketing also

[Lawngodfather]

What is the definition of "organics"? does that rule out man made products?

Many synthetics are still based from chicken poop.

How are you going to kill weeds?