Founded in 2008. The Landscape Juice Network (LJN) is the largest and fastest growing professional landscaping and horticultural association in the United Kingdom.
LJN's professional business forum is unrivalled and open to anyone within within the UK landscape industry
LJN's Business Objectives Group (BOG) is for any Pro serious about building their business.
For the researching visitor there's a wealth of landscaping ideas, garden design ideas, lawn advice tips and advice about garden maintenance.
Replies
I spoke to a few clients and put some prices up over winter [two PCC’S, one Country Estate job and one large domestic], long before there was any talk of Covid 19 coming here. But the other clients price increases I was going to implement at the start of this season have now not happened.
I look at it like this. All my customers have kept faith with me and mowing etc. continues as normal. Notwithstanding the fact that most of them are not domestic clients, I am still very appreciative that they have stuck with me under these current conditions.
One customer, who is a domestic client and with a very large garden, has kept the weekly visits the same [just under £70 per week] even though his business is in total lockdown and his employees are all furloughed.
I would have to become the sort of person that I have always despised in order to put his price up.
Fuel prices are down significantly and this has to some small extent, effectively given us a price increase.
So Tony I agree with you. It wouldn’t feel right to increase prices. It would be morally wrong to do so.
We might find ourselves not increasing prices next year either, given the economic fallout from this going forward.
I have held my prices for now, doesn't seem right putting them up at the moment, and grateful to still be working to be honest, when so many are unable to. One of my clients however has insisted on increasing my hourly rate, even when I didn't ask! I told him what I was would have been charging this Summer and he replied "that doesn't sound enough, how about £xx?" We met somewhere in the middle!
I did some on the 2nd week of March which were accepted, the remainder on my list I didnt do at the same time and eveything has obviously changed since the 3rd week in March. They are now basically on hold, yet I know they absolutely need to be done at somepoint and implemented or move on.
Did 40 % this April -- talked it through with clients feb/march. Have had a few reduce some hours but mostly went through fine. I have felt very thankfull to some - so have done some planting jobs at cost as a thankyou
We have just put al our prices up by 2.5%
It's a tricky one, I've left mine as they are this season and probably for this year, I'll leave it as it is. If I did put them up none of my clients would even mind to be honest, but when some of them have taken a hit financially with businesses, I feel it's not right. They all keep me on in the winter and are all good payers. Good luck with you're decision, if you do put them up or need to, don't be embarrassed or afraid too.
Thanks for the replies, guys. It seems most are as uncomfortable about putting up prices as I am at this point. Although I see the need to keep increasing prices yearly, this time I'm going to leave it, maybe make a decision later in the year. I've always felt Autumn/Winter to be about the worst time to announce an increase so if it hasnt happened by August, it won't this year.
In business, life, love and sport, timing is the key. At this time, everyone is adjusting to this 'new life'. You don't want the conversation, your customer doesn't want the conversation and some will give you short measure. If you are in this for the long term, head down and carry on doing what you do best.