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Pro looking website, lots of emails sent to your preferred job area? TBA I'd like to know how to get some commercial work too!
I don't look for commercial work as we're lawn care. However, I have used an agency to send B2B emails - the idea being that the business contact has a home, and maybe a lawn. Got a good response from this, and there is good data & follow-up. I used these people and they had good data across all the UK:
https://www.merrehill.co.uk/index.php/
Before starting the lawn care company, I looked at various franchises, and one of them was for commercial grounds maintenance. Their primary sales method was initially driving around business parks etc , knocking on doors, meeting potential customers and also meeting the site managment companies / agencies / letting agents. I would also contact the parish councils and schools and introduce yourself / services. So lots of leg work!
Good luck.
The only real way to do it is to go and knock on doors. You have to meet and talk to people face to face. My work is predominantly what you might call commercial, PCC's, local councils, a very large country estate here in Derbyshire and of course, some local businesses and a fair amount of domestic.
Of course, any way to get leads is good. I personally have never advertised or used flyers. But I wouldn’t say don’t do it. I have been around so long now that work just comes my way, in fact I am getting a bit swamped with it at the moment. But in the early days, when this wasn’t happening, I probably should have done more advertising. Although when I went self-employed in 1991, the internet wasn’t what it is now. No real social media back then. It was local papers back then.
But as I said, go and meet people. It is easy to go and see the local parish council clerks at the parish offices. A face to face chat will render far more information in both directions than an email. You are more likely to be remembered. Council grass cutting contracts are usually done January/February and awarded in March, so don’t turn up in April looking for work. Go late in the year or early in the new year. Have a look around business/factory estates. Look for the ones where the grass needs cutting and go in and see them. I got a very good contract several years ago by doing this.
The idea is really to become well known, to make connections. Often talking to other tradesmen is a very good thing. A Builder, Plumber or Electrician will be at client’s premises every day. They often know if someone needs a gardener. I got to know about an £8k a year contract through talking to a Builder I know. A contract I subsequently got. But I wouldn’t have tendered had I not known about it in the first place.
Here’s some additional background reading ;
https://landscapejuicenetwork.com/main/search/search?q=Commercial+work
I wouldn't know now best way to get commercial work as ive been out of your side of things for many years,
i will just add though that commercial brings in big money but also has the chance of big loss and pain as well,
you need to think that commercial work is about volume so you will need kit that can handle some stick and process the volume of work needed, no point trying to mow 3k sqm lawn with a 18inch mower in comercial and walking away with any proffit so you need to plan and then re plan to ensure your ready to take on big contracts while as best as possible investing in whats needed now.
there is also payment terms to think about as domestic is normally once job is done payment is due with maybe 7 days grace for contracted customers, comercial work can be 30 day / 60day or even 90 day depending on company poilicy etc etc and then there is the incoice game they can play where an issue on an invoice is not mentioned until 24 hours before due date etc.
its a big learning curve which can reap big rewards if done right but just make sure your cash flow is good in other areas / you have all the right kit and your records and invoicing is on the dot to play the game.
Being in the right place at the right time! The standard of most commercial maintenance is pretty poor and is done down to a price. Whenever I've had the chance, I insist we will improve the site and if successful, make sure we do and keep the standard up. Usually, once you are in, you are in, which is why it's hard to get in!
It is true that being in the right place at the right time is a factor. I have recently attained a lot of very good work for this very reason. But I was on another job, removing some self-set trees in a Churchyard that I mow for the PCC. Several older guys from the village were on hand [volunteers] to help. I already do other work in the village and am therefore known to them. One of them new that the contractor who was mowing in some parts of the village for a very large country estate was packing up and gave me the name and number of the land agent.
The point is that I was out working in an area I am well known in. I wasn’t sat at home hoping for work. Being in the right place at the right time is not completely down to chance. The more you are out and about, the more these things will naturally happen. You meet and get to know people.
It is also true about commercial pricing. Several months ago I was asked to look at a privately owned playing field in a large village where I already mow four playing fields and a cemetery. The field was about three acres and the District Council were mowing it for them. They wanted a more regular and therefore a better finish. So three acres of grass. The D.C. are mowing it for £34 per cut.
A newish tractor and a set of gang mowers, the operators wages, fuel [white diesel remember, not red], time travelling to job and back on a tractor [nine miles from depot], insurance, maintenance and both the tractor and the liability insurances. The D.C I know cut another 4.5 acre field for about £46. We can’t compete with that.
Although, the Parish Council who pay me to cut their playing fields are prepared to pay me way more than the D.C would charge, in order to get a proper finish. Yet some parish councillors are also District Councillors.
I don’t think that the council Tax should be subsidising grass cutting contracts for the council, which is when it comes down to it, is what is happening.
I've picked up several comercial contratcs with building developers just by asking in the site office. Most commercial contracts will require a level of certification though..CSCS cards, RAMS and so forth. I noticed that some properties for sale on a new development were a mess so I called into the sales office and said so! Next day I get a call from sales manager asking me if I could help them develop their "kerbside appeal". I now maitain sales areas, plots for sale and public open spaces for a couple of national house builders and it's slowly opening up large scale landscaping contracts.
I just pick local places that look a bit dishevelled / untidy, call them up find out who looks after the facilites and have a chat on the phone. One local doctor's surgery with a big bit of landscaping took 2 years to win, now I'm in there ... slowly slowly catchy the monkey.
Some comments are right on the nail above, be careful for what you wish for. It wouldnt take much for my kit to be just not cost effective in a commercial environment - also even on the doctors surgery I have to come up with H&S statements and the like. Plus there are negatives, we normally when picking through the shrubs find used nappies and worse, used needles and other things that you just would not find in a residential setting.
We do a mix of domestic and commercial - as others have said be careful what you wish for..... Some (although not all) larger companies can have very long payment terms (30 days normal, 60 days not unusual), you will require higher level insurance, RAMS, method statements, most will want to see that you have spraying certificates and experience in using chemicals.
Some will set quite strict terms as regards 'defects' in work or timescales for things to be done, maximum weed sizes allowed on site etc.
As stated, some sites want an absolute bare minumum standard, others want slightly more.
Happy to discuss further over PM if you wish.