There are clippings all over the sidewalk, the lawn stripes are sloppy, and the grass is cut so low that you wonder if it'll ever grow back. Maybe in a few months, if someone takes care of those weeds.
Yep, you've seen this shoddy work before.
Lowballers. They don't care about getting the job done right. They only care about getting a job - any job - and they'll do it for less than anyone else in town. How are you supposed to compete with their prices?
Use these seven techniques to beat the lawn care lowballers in your town:
This is the number one thing that lowballers are NOT doing. Even if they did market, you know they'd be cheap there, too.
This is the perfect chance to shine.
Great marketing is key to finding success in the Lawn Care industry, so you should be doing this anyway. Put up door hangers, get an online presence, post flyers, and make yourself VISIBLE. If people see you, they will want to know how good your services are - especially if they've had bad experiences with lowballers.
How do lowballers win all of their clients?
Painfully low prices.
These guys don't look good, they don't do clean work, and they don't take care of their customers. They might say sweet things over the phone when their clients threaten to leave them, but in the long run they'll lose out on all of the good clients.
Clients can tell the difference between a joker and a professional, even if it takes them a few visits to figure it out.
Be respectful to your clients. Make sure your teams are wearing uniforms, and look like they're ready to work. Keep providing the quality service that you always do, and your clients will notice the difference between you and the lowballers.
This is part of being a professional, but it's so important it deserved its own number.
If you schedule a client in for a certain time, try your hardest to get there.
If you can't make it that day (maybe there was a rain delay?), let your clients know! This is part of providing a good service, which is something most lowballers don't understand.
CYA - Cover. Your. Ass.
Here in Texas, this is a touchy subject, so I'll just say this - hire documented workers and do background checks.
There are plenty of hard working individuals out there looking for jobs. Pay them what they deserve. Then you can tell your clients, "We employ documented workers. We do background checks. You know you're safe when we do your lawn." Clients love to hear that you're doing things right. As a bonus, clients will start to question whether it's safe to have lowballers around their property.
This isn't about bragging rights. This is about getting your teams trained to do better jobs, harder jobs, and jobs that pay you more money.
Lowballers can cause some serious damage to clients' lawns and properties when they don't have the proper training for jobs like irrigation, aeration, etc. This can send them out of business fast.
If you want to know how to get started on licensing and insuring your service company, here's a helpful (and short) guide.
Get larger residential accounts. Find some commercial accounts. Apartment complexes, schools, churches: these are all great places to start.
When you get into this game, you're going to find out that lowballers can't compete in this arena. People who price cheaper than everyone else can't be competitive. Lowballers don't know what they're doing when it comes to pricing, which is why they're always playing the smallest game in the lawn care industry.
If someone is willing to spend money on their lawn, chances are they're willing to spend money on professional crews like yours.
However, some clients only care about price.
LEAVE THESE CLIENTS TO THE LOWBALLERS. They're annoying, they're going to demand a lot from you, and they'll never stop trying to negotiate you down.
Let them have cheap cuts on their cheap lawns. You are worth more than this.
Lowballers can be a pain. They make houses look terrible, they make streets look ragged, and they can cut into your client base. Do these seven things, and prove you're worth more than any lowballer out there.
Want More Ways to Dominate Your Market?
Click here for the Ultimate Guide for Lawn Care Marketing. With this, you will rapidly grow your client base, and fill your 2017 routes with top-quality jobs.
Tags: Marketing
