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RIDICULOUS REQUESTS and (HOW TO HANDLE THEM)
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- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- There are certain requests and conversations that seem to come up over and over again with your lawn business clients. And to be honest, many of these requests can be difficult to navigate when you're just starting out. In this video we are going to discuss some of the most common "difficult" conversations you may run into with your lawn care clients and how you may consider responding to navigate those conversations with professionalism.
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MY STORY:
In 2016 I had been in law enforcement for 7 years.
I was not in control of my schedule, I was hardly making any money, and I was away from my family working nights and holidays. I was capable of more, and I was silently suffering. I knew I was selling myself and my family short.
I started Florida Turf Pros as a side hustle in 2016 before going full time in 2017.
My lawn business changed my life.
I control my own schedule, control my own income, and I am proud of what I have built; a business that supports me, my family, and some employees.
If you are a lawn care business owner, this channel will be a valuable resource for you.
This really is a great industry to be in, and I hope that by documenting my journey it will help you.
-Jonathan C. Christian
I will NEVER forgot the craziest quote I’ve done for a customer (for routine lawn care). He asked me my prices, I told him. I knew he currently had a lawn company because I had a ton of houses on that street and they did too. So I asked what was wrong with your current company. He said “They go too fast and finish too fast.” I asked “Oh are they missing spots?” He said “No, they’re just done too quick with their fast mowers.” I was blown away lol. I informed him I had the same fast mowers they had and speed and quality is the name of the game. He literally wanted them to take longer so he felt like he was getting his moneys worth.
Happened to me too... I'm sure everyone has a similar story. Why do people care how long it takes us to cut the grass?! 😊
Because they used to mow their lawn with a push mower that bogged down every 10 feet or a Forrest Gump Snapper riding mower and it took an hour to mow and weed eat.
I tell a client I'm more than glad to stay an hour on your lawn, my hourly rate is $100. Sound good?
I deal with the skipping issue by setting expectations up front in the estimate:
“Services will be renegotiated or canceled if customer skips more than two mows per season (skips are not permitted for biweekly customers)”
This keeps the chronic skippers and “when I want it” types away. And if some try to press you can always point back to the agreement that they signed up for. Of course if its an exceptionally scorching, dry summer, you may choose to permit an extra skip, but with that expectation set, even in hot, dry DFW there is pretty much never a need to skip more than that, especially if they are properly watering.
The itemization is my current client situation.
Seed and top soil about 1,500 square feet.
Cut up 3 large trees that have fallen
Bush trim about 50ft long and 3 feet deep.
Pole saw branches.
They wanted an itemized invoice per task.
I am not going to lie, it's pricey and I haven't heard back in days since the estimate.
I will follow up this afternoon
worst is when the pool guys always get there at 7am because they can be quiet before you have a chance to get to the job
Just a funny moment I wanted to share. I'm in a small town and I have very few competitors worth anything. We have literally sent customers back and forth because neither of us wanted to deal with them. So funny, we saw each other at a gas station and I asked him if he sent a specific ex customer my way and we both started laughing. 😂😂😂
We've all done it. 😊
Like your shirt, this advice is golden. Thanks!
You bet!
Contract!!! We do 30 week cutting seasonal contract. Billed weekly even if it's skipped because it's dead
My wife said I should do that as well
Interesting. Do you have a video on this you could share?
I haven't done videos. As with snow we sell a winter package 10 service calls up to 4 inches deep. It's a retainer and if it doesn't snow it's due. If it snows more than 10 times you get billed for each event over the 10 event package. That is our residential add on billed in 3 monthly installments
I'd be interested in knowing more about the 30 week seasonal contract.
Scope creep, nip it in the bud!!!! When you don't, it becomes expected, they will feel entitled and will start looking for extra things for you to do. Thanks Jonathan, for the "I will submit a bid" idea!
Great video!
You guys need to fire bad customers/lack of profit.
Great video! 4th yr guy here solo and have learned to tell customers upfront that we start in march and go through november, no skips unless you are having a "new roof" or " pool install" i mean common sense. It has cut all that crap out from the start.
💯
If someone wants skipped it’s usually scorching out so at the time I’m happy but then the bills go out and it just kills revenue.
Have a customer who agreed to basic lawn maintenance - they had sod installed and asked me to stop cutting. Now another company comes to do the cutting - they don’t blow off and this client still expects me to come by weekly to blow leaves out of their flower beds and/or rake and bag. Totally out of the scope of original agreed - price hike will be offered or they’re gone.
Great video! I hate the nickel and dimers. You have to nip it in the bud quick or they will take advantage of you over time. Of course I will do a small favor here and there at no extra charge but once it becomes a pattern you have to start adjusting your prices accordingly. We even charge customers if they start to chat with us on a regular basis. Time is money. No problem, I’ll charge you $60 to cut your $50 yard.
Lol I love that. How the he'll do you tell them that, "professionally" 😅
@@chriswest8147 We do monitor chatty customers. We indirectly increase their service rate to justify the added time per visit. The meter is running and time is money. Surprisingly, we get little to no pushback and most clients are more than willing to pay the extra.
We have a client who contracted for monthly lawn service - but when they are invoiced they count the weeks THEY think we did something. Now, this job has morphed into not lawn service but blowing leaves all around their house and bagging them. For real, that’s it. Pulled up last week, another lawn service was on the property blowing leaves from clients roof - then they had the nerve to tell us we trampled her flowers with all the leaves! We stopped blowing them together after an hour and left. Next!
They had new sod laid down 6 months ago and told us not to cut. This client needs to go!
Good video thank you
Glad you enjoyed it
"Hey, would you just go in the back and build a shop for me REAL QUICK and paint it? Shouldnt take long
Or the clients who cancel the day of or the night before because they have a meeting that came up so skip this week. 😂
Can you cut my grass shorter? They think that will slow down the grass growth, so they won't have to pay weekly service in summer. Some clients will never understand that the grass is not going to grow slower and last 2 weeks before cutting again just because you scalp their grass.
all the time lol
omg... we literally killed a lady's yard because she INSISTED we go shorter. I explained it would kill the grass in the summer, and she wouldn't here of it... just complained if it was too high. We started cutting it way too short, and she loved it. I explained to her again it would stress and kill the grass, and she wouldn't listen.
My Husband is out of town. What!? Why are you telling me that?😂
Oh boy... run.
Asking for extra: without skipping a beat I give them a price!!! When they question the price explain it’s a separate service.
W advice
G.O.A.T
The hey, your guys were just here monday making up fridays rainout, it looks fine. There's no need to come.
the absolute worst.
I tell them Monday was to make up for Friday rain out. This Friday is to get you back on schedule.
Because if I skip to the next Friday it's going to tall and it rains again it's 2 weeks without a mow. If I do this then it's a mow and plus 50% upcharge.
The way we combat this is there is an inclement weather policy that we have and enforce. It states that your service will be pushed to your next visit so it doesn't throw our schedule off as we run a very tight and orderly schedule and we will not make a special trip to your location. @@bobafettfan32
@@bobafettfan32 We have an inclement weather policy that we have instituted which prevents this. It essentially states that your visit will be moved to the next scheduled visit as we run a very tight route and schedule, this way we do not throw ours and theirs off as we do not make a special visit to make up. This is essentially the same as a bi-weekly visit doing this.
Basically same with me, I ask the client if it rains out mow or skip to the next week. I have 80 lawns and mow them solo.
I like the examples of what you tell the customer in these situations. I’ve used your verbiage with a few changes in estimates.
On a separate note, since spring is just about here, do you have a blacker email or text you send out to all clients just reminding them they are scheduled for service?
I send them out a notice on when service is going to start and asking them to go ahead and schedule upsells such as flowerbed work.
Someone who bashed there current lawn care provider and says they’ll go with you! Once you set a schedule up all of sudden they cancel and come up with some excuse like there father or papa is going to cut the grass this time! Next season they call back and they where still using the same service men they bashed 🤔🙄 Liars and slanderous. Or customers who don’t give a review but love your work and are on the schedule consistently
That's the worst.
I had a really OCD client ask me to blow a puddle at the end of their driveway up the street last year. No word of a lie. Such an obscure request (and example of scope creep).
😂
wild.
Someone asked me if I knew electrical before lol
People are so weird 😂
I was told once that if i want to get payed to mow the lawn i should pick up all the sticks from a storm...otherwise how will i mow it....
Wild.
Nice don't pay the bills. I don't mind cutting a branch or something small like that.
I tell every client no matter if they're new or been with me for years, the price I give is mowing basics, mow, weed eat, blow grass off driveway and I'll spray cracks in driveway for weeds. Anything else is an extra price.
There's definitely a balancing act! I agree 💯
So, if your doing 1 service a month, in the dormant season, and the clients want to skip those services, do you still have the same discussion? Some lawns do need it during the winter and I've seen some not need it for months.
We typically pause service entirely during the winter here.