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If you’re new to the business, then you’ll need to explore effective ways to get your first lawn care customers fast.
Fortunately, getting new lawn care clients is a lot easier than you might think.
With the right expert insight, you can get your first lawn care clients with:
Use the pro steps in this article to get lawn care clients flooding in to start your company off on the right foot!
When you’re just starting out, the easiest way to find lawn care clients is by making connections within your local market.
A great place to start is through your local Chamber of Commerce. Also, consider joining local and county business associations to get even more valuable local networking opportunities.
Before we continue, it’s important to note that it’s easiest to start out with residential clients first.
Keep in mind, residential clients generally have:
Even though working with commercial clients can be a good experience, it’s not an ideal place for most new businesses to start.
Pro Tip! Choose specific nearby neighborhoods to target to create the most condensed routes!
Since your lawn care clients are on social media, your business can’t afford to miss out on this lucrative opportunity.
Plus, managing your business’ social media presence isn’t as complex as you might think.
While having a social media manager is helpful for those with the budget, you don’t have to be a marketing expert to get started.
For example, you can have your administrative assistant or part-time intern begin managing your social media presence to start sharing some content.
Here are a few post ideas to inspire your content:
Ultimately, social media establishes local authority, trust, credibility, and awareness.
Also, social media is a great way to grow your business with paid social media ads (e.g. Facebook Ads).
As you grow, it’s important to ensure new lawn care clients have the ability to find you online.
Here are some SEO tips you can use to build up your online presence…
In order to get your website to rank higher in search engines, you’ll need to take advantage of SEO (i.e. search engine optimization).
Additionally, these are a few other things to keep in mind when building your website:
If you haven’t yet created a Google Business profile, then now is the time.
By adding your business to Google, you’ll make your business discoverable within the search engine, while also adding it to the map.
Plus, you can boost your business in the search engine using localized Google Ads.
Always ask for a referral when you’ve:
DON’T ask for a referral when you’ve:
Even though it’s uncomfortable asking for client feedback, it’s a necessary aspect in encouraging referrals.
Plus, you can further entice reviews by implementing a referral program! This can be as simple as offering a free upsell or $15 off their next service for each successful referral.
So you’ve been doing a great job serving all of your new lawn care clients, but there was one that left you a bad review…
Getting negative feedback never feels good, but it’s still important to respond in a timely manner.
In fact, sometimes your response to negative reviews can be more impactful than positive reviews. After all, clients want to see businesses that care about the feedback they receive.
While you don’t want to host a public debate on a review site, you should always acknowledge and empathize with the client’s feedback—especially if you disagree with them.
Here are a few important pro steps to successfully reply to a negative (or lukewarm) review:
As always, NEVER argue with a client—even if they’re in the wrong. This is one of the biggest mistakes most small businesses make, and it’s a big turnoff for many leads.
After all, who wants to hire a business that blames their clients and unprofessionally points fingers?
Remember, even if the client relationship is unsalvageable, it’s still important to reply. Your response allows leads and clients to see how your business cares about feedback and resolves issues.
Pro Tip! If the client continues to reply after your initial response to the review, then leave the conversation alone. It’s better to allow the client to look foolish in arguing with themselves than to make your business look unprofessional in publicly arguing with a client.
Generally, you’ll need to gain some experience working with residential accounts before you take on the next level - commercial lawn accounts.
There is one stepping stone you can take:
Many homeowners and community associations hire lawn and landscaping maintenance companies to keep residential properties looking well-cared for and uniform.
The key?
Did you know many HOAs (i.e. homeowner’s associations) sign contracts with lawn care businesses? This is a great way to instantly generate an entire neighborhood of clients! The key is to meet with the decision-maker of the HOA to create a contract that’s mutually beneficial.
Take a look at a few things to keep in mind when pitching to HOAs:
Pro Tip! Make your business stand out from the competition with uniforms, truck wraps, and a professional website.
Instant invoicing
Better scheduling
Manage your clients and employees all in one system
When you’re first starting out, you need to pound the pavement, both literally and online, to find your first new lawn care clients.
Once you’re on a roll, and your handiwork becomes well-known, you’ll see your client load will begin to grow too.
Your online presence is the key to finding your first lawn care clients. Use these expert steps to get started today!
Originally published July 5, 2018 4:20 PM, updated August 4, 2023 1:29 PM
Tags: Business Operation
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