Little Things You Do in Your Lawn Care Business Can Mean a Lot

Did you ever wonder how you can separate your lawn care business from all the others out there?
You’ve probably given it a lot of thought. Just think for a minute about your average customer. Now, you’ve got to try to understand it from their perspective. A lawn care customer wants to be treated like royalty. And, he’d really like to get the best deal for his hard earned money.
He needs to know that you’ll deliver the service you promise. He’s truly counting on you to do more than just care for his yard. He’s searching for an advisor for the exterior of his home. Naturally, a man’s home is his castle. He hopes to have a very attractive lawn and you’ll do that for him. He believes that if there are problems, you’ll resolve them. So, here’s a suggestion or two that might matter a lot.

First, you’ve got to have great communication with your lawn care customer. Make courtesy phone calls from time to time to see how things are going. Tell him you’ve been concerned and want to make sure things are going well out there. He’ll appreciate that a lot. He’ll also tell you if you’re calling too much. Tell him it’s only to make certain his lawn care service remains excellent. Take the time to send out monthly email or print newsletters to him.
Use this emails or newsletters to inform him about important issues that may affect his lawn. Offer him any incentives or discounts that you’ve got going on. Don’t forget face to face conversations. Sometimes, the old fashioned way of doing business is the best of all. There’s nothing quite like a confident handshake and a warm smile!
Second, don’t hurry when you’re providing lawn care service on his property! He’ll surely notice when you take your time and do an amazing job. Remind your customer that some competitors may try to hurry through a lawn. Tell him that you are committed to deliver high quality work, no matter how long it takes. Back up with lawn care work with an unconditional guarantee. Remind him that if there are any problems out there, you’ll come by and fix them for no added cost. Remember, when a problem does indeed happen, make sure to follow through with your promise! Tell your customer he can feel free to contact you when he has any concerns. Make yourself available by replying back to customers always within 24 hours.

Next, you’ve got to willing to go above and beyond in lawn care service! Try to do the extra things that your competitors may possibly overlook. When you go out to the customer’s property, politely knock at the door to greet him. Invite him to join you on a tour of the property to inspect the work to be done. Now, before begin any work, make sure to do the following. Carry his empty garbage cans from the curb back up to the garage. If you notice any toys or other objects in the yard, pick them up and set them neatly to the side of the house. Proceed with delivering the work scheduled for the day. Once you are finished with that, it’d be a great idea to clean any debris from sidewalks and the driveway. Also, if there is a deck or patio in the back yard, make sure that area is cleaned up as well. Upon completion of these things, now you may leave a personalized hand written note on your customer’s door. He will know that the whole lawn care service for the day went very smoothly. Leave a contact number so he may call if he has any follow up questions.

When you carefully follow all of the above steps, you’ll have a happy customer. Ask him what he liked the most about your lawn care service. He’ll be quick to tell you all about it. Now, don’t forget the most important part of all. You’ve got to ask him for a referral. Always ask if there is anyone he knows who could benefit from this service as well. You’d be surprised just how many new customers you’ll get this way. When all is complete, everything will go just fine. You’ll see how easy it is for little things to mean a lot in lawn care

3 Good Reasons to Leave Lawn Care to the Pros

Have you ever given thought to someone else caring for your yard? Well, here’s a good reason or two for allowing the pros to do your lawn care.

First, one of the most valuable possessions you’ve got is time. I’d rather be playing golf or watching a baseball game, wouldn’t you? Do you think you’d forget about going on an exciting fishing trip? You’d probably spend a whole Saturday afternoon doing yard work. And, you’d likely have to work many weekends in the summer. Why not spend a little extra money instead of spending time? Lawn care business professionals do very good work; just give them a chance.

Next, you’d probably like to know how good your fertilizer is. Lawn care professionals can always get better quality fertilizer. You’d probably ask yourself, why does this really matter? Sure, I can get my own lawn care products for less and I’ll probably save a buck or two.
Let me ask you this. Would you rather enjoy eating hamburger or a nice steak? I’d say you’re probably a person who works hard and deserves the best. You’d agree that your home is absolutely amazing, right? And your lawn is the exterior of your home that everyone sees, of course.
I’d like to say two important words about this: curb appeal, curb appeal, and curb appeal! You’ve already seen your neighbor’s yard down the street. I’d bet his lawn looks as beautiful as a resort in the tropics. Now you’re going to have an awesome looking lawn too!

Finally, do you know enough about lawn care? What happens if you run into troubles out there on your lawn? Are you going to call that 1-800 number on that bag a bargain fertilizer? You’d never imagine all that can go wrong with your lawn. There’s a long list of things like: water problems, insect worries, grass that won’t grow, just to name a few. Once these things happen, you’ve got to bring in the lawn professionals. They’ll take care of everything for you. This way, you can enjoy a sunny spring, summer and fall season. So, kick back, sit on your deck with ice cold lemonade and let a lawn care company make your yard amazing!

So how many lawns should your lawn care business be able to cut in a day?
Well, it’s going to vary according to the size of each lawn, how many people you are using to mow, and how long you spend driving to each property, but I can give you a rundown of what we can do.

On the average we can easily service 10 to 12 lawns in a day with a two-man crew (when I say “service” I’m talking about mowing, trimming, edging, and blow off grass clippings).
For an average half-acre to three-quarter-acre property with mowing, trimming and edging and stuff, you should be able to do 10 to 12, maybe 14, a day, on a good day using a two man crew.
I prefer to use a two man mowing crew because for the most part, for doing average lawns, I just think it’s the most time effective.

If you’re not getting that many, you may want to look at how your route is spaced out.
If you have properties all over town, then you’re obviously gonna be able to do less properties. You want to try to consolidate and have as many properties in a community as you can.
Ideally you want to get as many lawns, as close together as you can. We’ve even had one garden home community where we unload once and work there all day. You don’t make any money loading, unloading mowers and equipment or driving around.
You’re only making money while you are cutting grass!

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When your customer approaches you with questions about
growing a hedge as opposed to building a fence in their landscape,
the following are some of the annual’s that you could
recommend.  This is a general list, so check for your specific area,
or growing zone first.

Amaranthus                       Amaranthus spp.
Snowcup                              Anoda cristata
Prickly poppy                    Argemone spp.
Sweet wormwood             Artemsia annua
Spider flower                     Cleome hasslerana
Angel’s trumpet                Datura metel
Sunflower                             Helianthus annus
Summer cypress               Kochia scoparia
Tree mallow                        Lavatera trimestris
Castor bean                         Ricinus communis
Marigold                               T agetes spp.
Mexican sunflower           Tithonia rotundifolia

Most of the time you will be using a gas powered trimmer that spins a string, (made of nylon) at a high rate of speed to cut grass. This should be done with the intention of trimming this area so that it is level with the rest of the turf that you have just cut with a mower. As with a mower, don’t cut off over 1/3 of the height of the turf, doing so will make the areas appear to be scalped, and your customer will not be happy with you.

Everyone with a home longs to have a beautiful, lush, professional looking lawn. The upside to this is a well-maintained lawn will add value to the home itself, and it will boost your self-esteem to have a lawn admired by others. The problem is that a well-maintained yard requires regular work, and not everyone appreciates this fact. You must take certain steps regularly to accomplish this goal.

1. Weekly lawn mowing is probably the most important step to take. Be sure to keep the blades on your mowing equipment sharp. This will allow the mower to cut, and not to tear or shred the blades of grass. Check with the professionals in your area to find out the optimal height for your type to turf grass. Maintain the lawn at the same overall height, this will help to reduce the amount of stress on the grass; also, it will look better if the entire lawn has been cut at the same height.

2. Regular watering is a requirement for any lawn. Plants of any type require regular watering, and your lawn is the same way. One of the worst things that could happen to your lawn would be for it to go without water until it turns brown. This could and probably will kill a good portion of your lawn turf, the portion of the lawn that does not die off, will be in very poor health. You should avoid this situation if possible, since it is very difficult for a lawn to recover from this. Remember, proper watering will help to promote the health and color of your lawn.

3. Weed, Weed, Weed. This is another factor than can harm your lawn. You should make an effort to keep weeds from taking over any area of your lawn. Once they take hold, you will wish you had spent more time weeding. The weeds take moisture and nutrients meant for your lawn. The weeds can also begin to choke out the grass, leaving you with a mixture of your favorite turf grass, and your least favorite weeds. While on your knees weeding, also look out for pests that can also damage your lawn. You can use pesticides to handle the bugs, insects, and other pests that can infest your lawn, because these critters can cause the same effects on your lawn as weeds.

There are various systems, methods, plans, steps and other things to ensure a lush lawn. However, just by following the simple, basic steps above, you will make a good start on your journey to having a beautiful lawn.