Customizing your landscaping business can make a tremendous difference in how you find success. Below are a few success tips for making your landscaping business run a little more smoothly.
Schedule Smart
Homeowners can be ridiculously disappointed if you do not arrive on time for your quotes and jobs. This can easily be rectified by staying on top of your scheduling. It’s easy to adapt a digital scheduling system on your cell phone, but you might consider investing in a small business software package designed for landscapers to help track business. Enter the data in the system, then you can print out a schedule to carry with you in your vehicle and share with staff on site. Be sure to utilize a mapping system and schedule travel times into your overall plan in order to keep you on schedule all day long. Should a job over-extend, call first before arriving late at the next job. This enables the homeowner or business to anticipate and correct their own schedules in order to meet you.
Estimate Accurately
Estimating time and price is important no matter what project you have. Whether it is installing a patio, removing shrubs, or replanting a vegetable garden, people need to know upfront precisely how much a job will cost. In order to make this easier, it’s important to start with a standard price for materials, labor, equipment, and extra expenses such as billing time or gas. You can have standard pricing created on paper or by utilizing a special software program. The important thing is that you have a consistent standard rate list and an understood profit ratio percentage. That way there is no guessing from job-to-job and you look a lot more professional when giving a quote.
Put it in Writing
Both homeowners and landscapers can reduce confusion by insisting that quotes are put into writing. Having the terms of the agreement written down protects both you and your client. Additionally, if the client adds additional services while you are on site, request that it be emailed or texted to you so you can see all the details in writing. It will prevent misunderstandings and provide legal backing should there be an issue. You can utilize a standard contract or simply create an email template you can exchange with the owner, which will help both of you feel more secure with your business exchange.
iScape it!
Showing a homeowner a precise image of what their garden and landscape will look like can help prevent confusion. Homeowners can get confused by pencil drawings because they cannot see a fair estimation of what the landscape design will look like at the end of the project. iScape can help with that. Download iScape now and find creative ways to make a homeowner’s garden design clear and easy to understand.
