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I am in a similar boat, with with tree work coming up shortly. All the best.
What sort of things do you offer, and how might they be made relevant at this time of year?
Being honest, most people seem to be thinking of Christmas at the moment, and the garden is last thing on their minds. Outside of the regulars my calls have dried up, as there are really only the odd neglected gardens needing a one-off now. I find people are happy to leave garden work until the first sunny day of Spring, then they are surprised that I'm busy! I guess a lot of clients would also be worried about commiting to landscaping work with the weather so awful, and put it off for a few months.
I try to keep things suitable for winter back. Patio cleaning, fence repairs, some small tree work, that sort of thing. Does help bring in a bit of extra to top up the contract work.
Yeah i have noticed a lot of people are suffering at the moment due to weather and xmas coming up. No one wants to spend or look in the garden i guess?
garden fencing North London
From what you have said Neil, you have confirmed work in the pipeline, but nothing to start at the moment - correct?
If so, then is there any chance you can bring some work forward to fill the gap? If not, get your thinking cap on - friends, relations, old customers, there is always someone who has mentioned they were thinking of having this or that done. If there are, dont be too proud, give them a call, pop round, have a chat.........and I know this will not meet with the agreement of all(!).........offer a cutprice job. Believe me, some work is better than no work, you will be on the road, out and about and work generates work.
Good luck.
Thank you for your replies.
Its good to know how other landscapers are coping and any good advice is thankfully recieved
I think my main problem is i have avoided maintenance contracts which I now realise would have been the bread and butter of the business. fingers crossed the weather picks up and potential customers start thinking about getting their gardens tidy
http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/general-chat/47093-desperate-times-my-si...
Very encouraging for folks in quiet periods.
Fantastic read and a very encouraging reality for us all.. it's a difficult time of year.. all the best to everyone! I think creative thinking and lots of motivation are the way to get your name out there.. :-)
Neil Petrie BSc Landscape Mgt said:
Well, the fact that I'm sat here and not out working tells a tale. I only started on my own in September (Which also involved a relocation back to my home area).
I've been lucky enough to have picked up work so far, but this week have only two days....better than nothing though!. As Neil says above, my intention next year is to save some sort of cushion for this time of year (probably easier said than done!).
Anyway, good luck to everyone who is finding it a bit tough at the moment.
Mark
Judi Samuels said:
Mark you and me both just doing a few quotes and catching up on paper work. But its the shock of suddenly not having any work. You go along niceley working all the hours god sends through rain and shine then suddenly bang. You have no work. Would be nice if you can look ahead and say well at least ive got work next week etc . What my main concern is that Im not getting any enquires any more a few months ago the phone was hot and now its freezing. looks like i may have won a contract this morning so fingers crossed it could kick start me off again. But the lesson is always keep an eye on your work load to ensure you dont run completley dry. Even if it means doing 2 days a week at least you feel you have done something.
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