The lawn care business is a crowded market where competition thrives. And where there’s competition, there are tons of opportunities to get ahead. One sure-shot way to get ahead of the competition is to leverage the technology of lawn care software and avoid these common lawn care business mistakes when starting out.
1. Borrowing more than you need
Getting the lawn care business off the ground can be expensive and hence requires meticulous financial planning. Many entrepreneurs get caught in borrowing more than they need. So, make sure you budget correctly and borrow only what you need.
2. Ignoring the importance of communication
Poor communication between your teams and your customers can’t take your business far enough to taste success. Seamless communication is the key to a successful lawn care business. Use the right communication tools to increase the level of communication and improve productivity, decision-making, and customer experience.
3. Buying cheap quality equipment
Getting a cheap lawn mower and expecting it to last forever isn’t going to take you far in this industry. Invest in high-quality equipment and well-known brands. But make sure you don’t overspend on equipment. If your budget doesn’t allow you to purchase high-quality equipment, take them on rent.
4. Pricing the service incorrectly
Pricing your lawn mowing services is the biggest business headache. It’s tempting to create a blanket rate for lawns of a certain size. But the wise decision is to price your lawn care services based on how many man-hours you’ll need to invest in getting the job done.
Even if two lawns are of the same size, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you or your workers can finish the job in the exact same time. Measuring the yard and tracking the time on worksites are important factors to consider when pinning down the right price for the job.
5. Being inconsistent with the market
Even if you decide to copy your competitor’s pricing blindly, you’ll have different overhead costs to consider. Be aware of the price range in your area for the services you provide. If you overprice for the area, you might have difficulty winning clients. If you competitively price, you can easily stay in the same ballpark range as your competitors in the area.
6. Overpromising but underdelivering
Like overpricing, overpromising is the easiest way to lose money and customers. It’s much better to underpromise and overdeliver (in a way, you exceed your customers’ expectations).
For example, if you specialize in lawn care maintenance but your customer asks you to install an irrigation system, don’t hesitate to tell them that it’s not one of your services and that you’ll be happy to connect them to the experts.
By focusing on the services you are good at, you are saving your time and not disappointing your customers by attempting jobs that are out of your service portfolio.
7. Not responding promptly
No matter how busy you are, you cannot make the mistake of not responding to your customers on time. Residential and commercial customers usually choose a company that contacts them first and quickly answers their queries. Make it a point to contact your leads and send them the estimate on time.
8. Underestimating the value of word-of-mouth marketing
Word-of-mouth marketing is free and by far the most cost-effective form of marketing. Focus on providing excellent service to your customers and see how your business grows naturally. Satisfied customers recommend your business to family and friends. Give your existing customers reasons to come back to you and refer you to others by incentivizing them with coupons, discounts, or bonuses.
The lawn care business, like any other business, needs thoughtful planning. Too many people jump into this business without any plan and then become overwhelmed because they can’t pay the overheads or get the customers. Avoid the above common lawn care mistakes and use technology to streamline your business operations. Zuper can help.
Use Zuper to avoid common lawn care mistakes!
Zuper is an all-in-one lawn care software that can help you streamline your business operations. It automates daily routine tasks and provides a seamless, efficient solution for better communication and customer service.
‍Zuper allows you to track your team’s performance, generate reports, estimates, and invoices, schedule services and receive updates in real-time. Contact us for a free trial.
