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Been the same for many years Mitchel. They come, they go, all singing/dancing 'we do everything' your 'one stop shop' type of firm, but they rarely last more that 2 or 3 years. But when they bite the dust, another will pop up. Just do what you do and do it well. Building up a (good!) reputation is a gradual and patient process and patience is something these businesses rarely have.
Look to differentiate at Quote time. Lay out your quote fully, explain what you are givng, list any licenes/qualifications/insurances relevant. Give the client something to consider and compare with others.
I've seen many '1 line quotes' from trades (including landscapers) and they often loose out against a well perpared and documented quote.
Be professional and cause your prospective client to do due dilegence on all contractors quoting.
That last line from Gary is excellent advice. Make customer aware of the whole process when quoting - the WHAT and the HOW as well if you like. Then your detailed written quote is the standard the customer expects and it's up to the other contractors to measure up to your standard. If they want it cheap as chips regardless, maybe look for 'your' kind of customer.
There's a guy working in my area who will service your gas boiler, do your garden, chainsaw work or build you a greenhouse or extension to your home - to name just a few of his services!! He's been about for a long time, would find it very off putting if I was the customer.
Must work for him though, his website looks the business and been doing it a while.
I think we've all seen them...
Websites can be misleading and are easy to 'big-up'. The only way to assess his 'success' is by knowing his profitability & level of customer satisfaction ;)
Clients need to stop and think - can this ONE man possibly provide all those services to a consistent high quality?
It becomes different and possible if you have skilled employees.....
What are the sort of properties he maintains? Seems like he may be able to do all those things to a satisfactory standard. Which to some clients is all they want. I'm sure we've all been asked for quote for grass cutting at a smallish property and when saying it was say £25 or whatever your minimum charge is for about an hours work or so per fortnight. The client recoils in horror and says 'its only grass cutting' before seeing the local mondeo man with his tiny trailer doing it later in the year.
Personally I don't worry about it there's plenty of work and usually the sort of clients who just want it done rather than want it done properly will become a hassle down the line in some form. In my experience.
haha nail on the head everyone asks me on here why dont you have a grass cutting round in your local area and thats why to many ill do it for a tenner guys around.
I find it's quick money if you can get them close together as you have little travel so little fuel use and little time wasted traveling.
its beyond me how they do it. I know my limits on what I cant or wont do, either because its not safe, or its not profitable because im not skilled or fast enough to do it. If someone wants to quote 50 to put up a greenhouse or worse a childs climbing frame, then that's fine. they can struggle for two days reading Chinese instructions, and make no money, or get soaking wet doing pressure washing. Ill stick to what works and as gary says, what makes a good profit.
You wont compete with them and you shouldn't try to. Manys the time weve picked up he pieces afterwards. Had one in September. One of our clients went with someone else as we were too busy. They took down a garage, smashed the neighbours patio (didn't repair it) put up a six foot fence fixed with window fixings to a two foot wall at the bottom and completely mis hung a pair of driveway gates. We went back to rebuild the wall and fence that had blown over, redo the gates and repair the patio.
With regards quotes, it still amazes me when a customer asks me to compare quotes and they produce a 5 line quote for the re-landscaping of a garden. I don't loose sleep over it anymore. just be professional and leave them in your wake!!
My main focus is gardening, but I landscape smaller projects. I also have a team of sub contractors who I use for other work or pass things to. I do many things but don't push that, its more existing clients as they trust us
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