Forum

Replies

• 

  Craig Brownlow January 24, 2014 at 12:17am

  Sorry for the annoying photograph!
• 

  David Cox January 24, 2014 at 9:26am

  Dont undercut - charge what you need to charge to make it pay - I dont discuss prices really on open forum, but as a general rule you should be aiming to make 3-4x the equivilent rate for your grass cutting on scarifying and aerating as it is a premium service. Generally I find alot of it is one off work, usually recalled a year later when the customer has not listend to advice and the problem has returned,

  Try upselling to your existing customers first and see if you can slot it in smoohtly?
• 

  Geoff Norfolk January 24, 2014 at 11:57am

  Unfortunately, you may well have to undercut to capture the work from the large existing franchises otherwise they have little incentive to change unless the customer is not happy with the work.
  
  David Cox said:

  Dont undercut - charge what you need to charge to make it pay - I dont discuss prices really on open forum, but as a general rule you should be aiming to make 3-4x the equivilent rate for your grass cutting on scarifying and aerating as it is a premium service. Generally I find alot of it is one off work, usually recalled a year later when the customer has not listend to advice and the problem has returned,

  Try upselling to your existing customers first and see if you can slot it in smoohtly?
• 

  Neil Petrie BSc Landscape Mgt January 24, 2014 at 12:20pm

  At the rates the national franchises work at I most certainly couldn't compete with them on price. They use economy of scale. Sell to existing customers who you already have a good working relationship with.
• 

  Bespoke Lawncare January 24, 2014 at 6:36pm

  Why not
  I do and make a fair living
  Remember these franchise also have costs that you don't
  
  Neil Petrie BSc Landscape Mgt said:

  At the rates the national franchises work at I most certainly couldn't compete with them on price. They use economy of scale. Sell to existing customers who you already have a good working relationship with.
• 

  Geoff Norfolk January 24, 2014 at 10:22pm

  From your title, I guess you specialise in lawncare and consequently buy fertilizer etc in huge quantities giving you a good discount. If I fertilize a lawn, its going to set me back £10 for materials to charge £15 for the job (think thats GT price).....not really viable for spread-out jobs however I can see that I could still make a good living on that if I was doing say 50 gardens very close together.... perhaps thats your strategy?
  
  Bespoke Lawncare said:

  Why not
  I do and make a fair living
  Remember these franchise also have costs that you don't
  
  Neil Petrie BSc Landscape Mgt said:

  At the rates the national franchises work at I most certainly couldn't compete with them on price. They use economy of scale. Sell to existing customers who you already have a good working relationship with.
• 

  Colin Hunt January 24, 2014 at 10:35pm

  To be honest many people dont really care whether you scarify or not, so it's very difficult to get them to pay for something they don't know they need or sometimes never even heard of. Most of our gardens are on contract, so I include it anyway if it's needed. If it will improve the lawn I will do it - a better lawn means more recommendations etc...
• 

  Neil Petrie BSc Landscape Mgt January 25, 2014 at 8:10am

  My comment was for the original poster who didn't seem to be a lawn care company like yourself. Of course, yes, you can be comparable with costs when you do lots of lawn care. What I was saying is that if you're not geared into this area of work it may not be feasible at low costs.
  That make more sense?
• 

  Rob Jarvis January 25, 2014 at 12:27pm

  I'm a general gardener and last year I had several clients, regular and one-off, who asked for help with their neglected lawns. I believe in all cases, they had unrealistic expectations for their lawns when all they do is cut them. Without getting too technical, I explain grass is a plant like any other and needs the proper treatment, even more so, as it gets a lot of wear & tear. Once I explain the process, including that it will look worse before it looks better and may take many months to improve, they understand and are willing to pay the price.
  I believe many people expect instant results which is not helped by all the quick-fix products on the market. Caring for a lawn involves a lot more than just sprinkling a box of 'instant green' once or twice a year.
• 

  Lawncare-4u.co.uk January 26, 2014 at 2:43pm

  i do lawncare and charge my rate.

  scarifying
  weed control / headland relay

  lawn conditioner / moss killer. i dont do much scarifying but i charge a day? rate im happy with for existing customers. machine is paid for just about & if im free ill do it.

  i have to allow if its big lawn and i need staff for 4? hrs to pay on top and travel.

  im good value and like to get repeat business. my customer was with 'green thumb' but now uses me as i do his hedges and maintenance.

  i tell them the benefits of using sprays ( more consistent ), the product - more natural and how it works. i dont use 'cheap stuff'. I also benefit as its not so bad for my health. - inhalation etc.

  charge a fair price for a fair job and all will go well. dont forget your 'costs'. !