Last month, we published part one of our Lawn Mowing Business FAQ (frequently asked questions) to help answer some common questions in the lawnmowing industry. Here is part two, which we hope might again be helpful to you (or someone you know) in some way!
1. Should I offer cheap lawn mowing to get more customers?
Whilst it might be tempting to offer cheaper mowing prices than your local lawn care competitors, think twice before delivering thousands of flyers to promote cheap lawnmowing services. Cheap lawn mowing might sound like a good idea, but be sure to do your maths and consider your personal labour time (and lost opportunities with higher paid jobs), reputation, equipment fees, ability to raise prices with those customers in the future, and the quality of customer you might be attracting by offering the cheapest lawn mowing price.
2. Do I need to quote every job in person?
A common frustration from lawn mowing pros is the need to travel across town to quote a mowing job in person, only to later find out that it was a dead-end quote and a complete waste of time.
To avoid this, consider talking your potential customer through your basic pricing principles on the phone, to get a feel for how they’re reacting and to see whether that would suffice. You could either quote an hourly fee or a typical fee for their yard size – alerting the customer to factors which might that price increase once you arrive (eg. grass is knee high or on highly uneven ground, and so forth).
Another option is to send your job through GreenSocks (or at least take jobs we send you). We give customers instant quotes online and save you all the hassle of screening customers to begin with. Our jobs come with guaranteed payments.
3. Do I really need a website for my lawn mowing business?
There are lots of reasons why getting a website for your mowing business is a good idea. Here are our top five reasons – including one from Andrew Pototschnik (aka The Lawn Care Millionaire)…
4. I can’t afford insurance for my lawn mowing business. Do I really need it?
Well, that’s something only you can answer. But the real question is, can you afford to have insurance for your mowing business?
Some mowing customers (typically business customers, but some residential as well) actually require that you have at least Public Liability Insurance, to cover others on the properties that you mow.
But there are other insurances on offer as well, to protect you, your livelihood and your business. One such example is Personal Sickness and Accident Insurance, so that you are covered when you’re mowing as well.
Perhaps talk to an insurance broker about what insurance policy options are available and might best suit your needs?
Did you know that GreenSocks has a $10 million insurance policy (for third party property damage and personal injury claims against Mowing Providers) for jobs booked through GreenSocks? You can read more here.
Can you afford not to have lawn mowing insurance for your lawn mowing business?
5. What can I do when lawn mowing slows down in Winter?
As you know, lawn mowing can be seasonal, so many mowing pros look to supplement their income during Winter. We’ve had more than 350 guys sign up to take mowing jobs through GreenSocks and we’ve asked many of them what they do during Winter. Here are some of their responses:
- Yard clean up work – pruning, hedging, weeding and removal of excess garden waste
- Lawn painting
- Landscaping work
- Gutter cleaning
- High pressure water cleaning
- Window cleaning
- House cleaning
- BBQ cleaning
- Bin cleaning – and more!
Some of the guys who are qualified tradies often revert to trades work in the Winter, then come back to mowing in the warmer months when the grass is growing again.
Ultimately, it’s your business, so do whatever what you’d like to do (and/or what are you prepared to do) to put food on the table and make ends meet.
6. Do I need to buy a lawn mowing franchise to get more customers?
Buying a franchise could be one way to get more customers for your mowing business. But it’s not the only way. Lawn mowing franchises are right for some people but not others. As with any major investment, do your homework before you buy anything and if possible, talk to current franchisees of that business…
7. Should I partner with other companies?
Partnering with other small businesses can be a smart move, depending on who you partner with, what the partnership arrangement (be it formal or informal) might be, and why you’re partnering in the first place.
If you’re looking for new ideas to get customers, maybe consider trialling some partnerships. Think about reaching out to complementary business owners (such as specialist lawn sprayers, landscaping professionals, house cleaners, carpet cleaners, pool maintenance crews and rubbish removalists) and agreeing to cross-refer customers?
This type of partnership has the potential to help customers who might need more than one type of service, as well as help your business – and your new partner’s business.
Partnering with other companies can be a good idea if your lawn mowing business services are complementary
Want more lawn mowing business FAQ?
If you missed last month’s nuggets of wisdom, click here for part one of our Lawn Mowing Business FAQ.
If you’ve got more questions you want answered, feel free to leave them below and we’ll give them our best shot!
Great post. I’m a horticulturalist and landscape gardener and have had to deal with similar issues. You’ve made some really valid points. As for the 3rd question: “Is there really a need to have a website for lawn mowing businesses?” I think it’s absolutely necessary. It serves as your portal to the online world. You can grow your online audience, get potential customers and retain them. Thanks for sharing.
Hi. How much tax do I have to charge as a mowing business?