Cons Of Commercial Lawn Mowing Contracts:
- Pricing Pressures The commercial lawn care market is driven by price, and its usually a race to the bottom. Businesses compromise on lower and lower profit margins to win a bid or try to renew their current contract. Working in commercial lawn care will not yield the same hourly rate as small-scale and residential projects.
- Unstable Business Relationships Business relationships in the commercial market are vastly different to residential or small-scale markets. Property managers, HOA board, and facility managers can retire, change, or be fired at any point. This means any long-term contracts could also be jeopardised if theres a change in management, especially if they have preferred contractors from their previous role.
- Multiple Bosses If you are granted a contract for a retirement village with 150 unit owners, thats 150 people you need to keep happy! On paper, youre only accountable to the property manager, of course. However, as a growing business, you dont want to risk having a resident take an issue with your work or noise. This will never be easy, especially if youve accidentally disturbed someones afternoon nap with your routine mowing.
- Inflexibility Flexibility can become an issue because you are locked into a contract that may last for years. You are legally bound to complete work for a certain amount of time, even if you are trying to change industries, or the business can no longer be sustained financially.
Sample Lawn Care Contracts: Everything You Need To Know
Sample lawn care contracts are easy to find, and they ensure that all parties are satisfied with a particular arrangement when it comes to lawn care.3 min read
Sample lawn care contracts are easy to find, and they ensure that all parties are satisfied with a particular arrangement when it comes to lawn care. You may use a lawn service agreement under the following circumstances:
- You provide services for a business as a contractor and not as a permanent employee
- You are a client who contracts with an independent contractor who provides services to your lawn
Sample lawn contracts are also called lawn care service agreements.
All lawn care agreements should have the following information:
- Contract issuance date
- Property location where the work will be completed
- Service details in the form of trimming, fertilizing, or mowing
- Service frequency
- Business/person name offering the service
- Name of client/person that enters into the contract
- Signature of the contractor and customer
- Contact info such as phone numbers, emails, and addresses
- Business logos and taglines
If you deal with small businesses or residential properties and offer a sole service such as mowing a lawn, your handshake or word can be enough to finalize a deal. You may then invoice clients on a monthly basis, and clients can send checks during agreed payment times.
How To Bid Your Next Commercial Lawn Care Contract
Getting a commercial lawn care contract means one thing: big money.
But it can also mean a big headache if you do it wrong:
- Charge too much, and you lose the contract.
- Under bid, and you could lose money.
The goal is to WIN the account and make a PROFIT, right?
In this guide, I will show you EXACTLY how to bid more commercial lawn care contracts FAST, which means big money for your lawn care company. Let’s do this:
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How To Get Commercial Lawn Mowing Contracts
For those who own and operate a small lawn mowing business, it can be challenging to take your venture to the next level. Expanding into commercial lawn care is a great way to line up steady work, but its not always easy. Without an existing network of contacts and clients, its hard to get started in commercial lawn mowing.
Theres definitely no shortage of commercial lawn care contracts up for grabs many establishments have lawns that will need regular mowing year-round. But getting started in commercial mowing is the hardest part: you cant just walk up to the manager of your local retirement home and ask to mow their lawns. There is a process involved in bidding on commercial contracts and a lot of factors you need to consider.
Whether you are a long-time owner of a lawn mowing company, or somebody new to the industry, understanding the commercial contracting process is essential. We have collated information to help you win more lawn mowing contracts, so continue reading below to find out how.
Building Relationships When Seeking New Accounts
A big part of finding commercial lawn and landscaping accounts is connecting with the right people. You cant just call companies out of the blue and expect them to give you the commercial landscaping contract.Cold calls and emails dont work that well, Durden says. Instead, he says attending community events or meetings will allow you to talk directly with the property managers. Then, if you follow up with a call, its a warm call.There are also several organizations that can put you in contact with the decision makers. Durden suggests getting involved with real estate groups, such as Commercial Real Estate Women . Another organization he recommends is Building Owners and Managers Association International. Its members are building owners, managers, developers, corporate facility managers, leasing professionals and asset managers. Chamber of Commerce meetings, CEO forums and other networking events are also good places to meet potential clients. Build your sphere of influence, and the world gets much smaller, Delany says.
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Bidding On Government Lawn Mowing Contracts
Before you bid on a Government lawn mowing contract you should be aware that Government contracts follow a different code of conduct than many other requests for proposals. Ive made a short video for you highlighting a few finer points of an example Code-of-Conduct manual. Understanding and agreeing to this manual is the first step in getting your lawn care company on a Governments bidding list.
Proposal Forms: I want to highlight a few finer points of this contract bidding instruction booklet. The first point is the Proposal Forms. Most bidding packets come with a series of bidding forms. You must complete the bidding forms that come with the bidding packet. Do not fill in your own forms or simply write your prices on a sheet of paper. Your bids may be rejected if you fill them out on anything but the bidding forms that come with your bidding packet.
Submittal of Bids: Bids must be presented in a special bidding envelope that comes with your bidding packet. The envelope will be time stamped by the Purchasing Agent as proof that your submittal was within time cut off of bid acceptance.
Possible 5 Year Contract With A 50 Unit Housing Association Need Advice
Not sure if this is the right place to post??
So I’ve been doing lawn care and landscaping for a few years now and I started my own business last year. I have a newer zero turn riding lawn mower, two push mowers, two weed whips, one backpack blower, one handheld blower, various hedge trimmers and pruners, and various hand tools. .
Now with the real possibility of having this contract, I’m pretty intimidated. At previous employers we had a team of 6 that would take roughly 5-7hrs to get an association like this done, but they had the stand on lawn mowers. Right now it’s only me and occasionally my partner who are able to provide services.
I’m wanting y’alls opinion if this is way too much for a small company like me, if it’s worth it to scale up a bit and buy one or two stand on mowers, if I would need to hire on another one or two employees, or if I’d be able to manage the entire association with my self and the current equipment that I own.
And I also have no idea how to price a contract like this or all the details that go into this large of a contract. I regularly charge $80/hr for work which is roughly $40 for city lots which is a full service for them.
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How Do They Pay What If They Don’t
Somewhere in your contract youll want to include invoice-related details. You should clearly state how they can pay , what their pay period is and what happens if they fail to make a payment . Vice-versa, its a good idea – especially if you offer auto-billing and auto-payments – to state how youll return any payments made on mistaken charges.
Keeping Commercial Clients Happy
Most commercial clients are considered easy clients because their property manager is the main point person in your relationship. They have few demands, and generally just want those boxes checked and their expectations met.
The best way to win these types of clients is to show them that you care, that youre doing the job properly, and that youre not missing anything.
That means that you need to keep track of the notes you make on their account, and ensure that your crew completes all the work they want.
From the start you should make notes of the job requirements during the site walkthrough with the client.
Using quoting software, like Jobber, helps you to add materials, services, and labor as you go so that you dont have to worry about remembering to add them later on.
Your secret weapon in keeping your client happy will undoubtedly be your CRM and job checklist . That way, you never miss a step with each phone call, email, or site visit.
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How To Write A Lawn Care Bid
If you own a lawn care business or are just starting out, you’re probably going to be asked to provide a bid for services. Think of your bid as a job application. You don’t want to lose a job because your bid looks unprofessional. It reflect the kind of business you operate: neat, clean, professional and efficient.
A Trusted Partner In The Hoa Bidding Process
At Yellowstone Landscape, it has always been our goal to become true and trusted partners of the HOAs that we work with. We think that an educated HOA makes our industry as a whole better, and thats why were always here to answer questions and to offer as much information as we can.
Some may see it as revealing trade secrets but frankly, we dont believe there should be any secrets. We think that the clearer the entire bidding process is, the more likely it is that everyone is happy in the long run.
That is why we feel that you can never ask too many questions.
Whether its questions about the bidding process itself or questions of the landscaping companies you are considering in the RFP, theres no such thing as gathering too much information. You deserve to be armed with knowledge. Its what will help you make the best decision for your residents.
Thats why we love it when a potential HOA client takes the time to analyze the bids we offerwere up for that challenge because we know it will make both of us happier in the long run. Expectations should never have to be guessed. They should be known and understood from the very start.
Are you ready to feel confident in making a wise choice in the bidding process? Request a consultation today. Well meet to learn more about your property and its challenges and come up with a comprehensive plan to take care of all of the details for you.
Meet with Us
Are you ready to discuss your property’s specific challenges?
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Develop Relationships With Existing Contractors
Being a subcontractor for other contractors can increase your chances of winning bigger accounts of your own down the road. Not only does it give you the experience and client roster, which is especially important if youre just starting out, it also allows you to get your foot in the door and make new relationships.
You never know when a commercial account youre subcontracting for might become unhappy with their provider and look to you, someone who has already worked on the account who they trust and know does good lawn care. Dont pass up these low hanging fruit opportunities to build relationships and make money while youre at it!
Calculate And Enter The Cost Of Your Lawn Care Equipment
Keeping track of lawn maintenance and landscape design supplies is vital to get paid what you are due. Go to “Item” and click on “Product” to input a list of your supplies. Type in “lawn care fertilizer,” “garden mulching,” or “new plant supplies” in the “Description” line, for example.
Make sure that you use layman’s terms so that customers easily recognize the items. No one wants to receive a landscape proposal with vague numbers, chemical terminology, or Latin names for plants. Keep it simple to promote quick acceptance instead of wasting time on constant explanations that delay your bid acceptance.
Input the cost of the item under “Unit Price” and finish off the line item by capturing the number of supplies under “Quantity” . An automatic total for the items will appear under “Amount.” Create a new line for each additional product as needed.
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How Much To Charge For Lawn Care Jobs
How much should I charge for
- Mowing a yard?
- Removing bushes and adding flowers?
There is a very simple answer to every single one of these questions.
It depends.
- Time spent on the job
- Your clients
This is why you should NEVER copy your competitors pricing. You will lose money.
Plus, there’s a decent change that your competitors copied their competitors, and theyre losing money right now.
The ONLY way to properly price your lawn care services is to know your numbers.
So, you must ask yourself:How can I maximize my profits AND the value I give to my clients?
This is called The Pricing Sweet Spot. This magic number allows you to make your clients extremely happy and puts a healthy amount of cash in your pocket after every job.
The Right Way To Bid Your Next Commercial Lawn Care Contract
Here’s the dark side of commercial lawn care…
The commercial world is focused on the bottom line. They will try to skim you.
Businesses only care about the price… unless you can sell them on better service.
Your goal is to differentiate yourself. Look better than the other lawn care businesses bidding on the property.
Here are some other strategies you can use to win a commercial contract:
- Show them the value of a great-looking property. Be visual with your descriptions: What if your lawns were emerald green, and your sidewalks sparkled in the sun? Would this make your customers more likely to buy here?
- Work with your clients, not for them. Get them to collaborate on a landscape design. Ask them what they think a perfect yard looks like.
- Listen to your client. Listen to their problems, and their expectations. They will tell you what they want.
- Teach them about the pitfalls of bad landscaping: inexperienced labor, bad work, and dead lawns will make anyone think twice. Explain why they should never allow uninsured workers near their land.
- Walk in with a professional proposal. If you can hand a business owner a clean, well-formatted step-by-step proposal, you will make a great first impression.
To win your next commercial lawn care contract, you will need a good deal of salesmanship.
Books, YouTube videos, and other B2B sales resources will help you nail the sale.
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How To Get Walmart Lawn Care Accounts
Has your lawn care business been growing over the years and you feel like you finally are at the point where you want to take on some commercial lawn care customers? Maybe you have even had your eyes on some of the big box stores in your area but werent sure how to go about bidding on their property maintenance. Well here is a discussion from the Gopher Lawn Care Business Forum, where one business owner was interested in finding out more about the bid process and what was explained to him should really help get you headed in the right direction.
He wrote I would like to bid on a local Walmart lawn mowing account. Does anyone know how much insurance coverage they would require, like 100,000-1 million etc Also do they require you to have workmans comp? Or any other type of coverage that I might not know about?
The lawn care bid proposal has not come out yet but I wanted to get all my stuff together and up my insurance if I needed to. The only thing I was really concerned about was the amount of commercial liability insurance I needed. This will be the first commercial lawn care account that I will be bidding on, so I was not sure what the requirements were and how much to bid it for. I was thinking of offering a free mow to see how much time would be involved to perform the job but did not know if that was practical or not being that it is a bid.
How To Win Back Lost Commercial Lawn Care Accounts
Some warnings for people starting out on commercial landscaping contracts:
- Do NOT price yourself out of profit.
- Do NOT try to buy commercial jobs. This is a scam, and you will lose money on this.
- Do NOT depend on one account. You will lose accounts. Keep some steady residential accounts as a safety net.
When you lose an account, dont freak out. If your finances are straight, and you have back-ups, you will be fine.
But you dont have to just accept the loss.
Heres what you do:
Write up a Thank You letter.
Be grateful, and use phrases like, We want to thank you for giving us the opportunity and, “It has been a great experience working with your team “
Be polite on your way out, and there’s a huge chance you’ll get hired back when the next lawn care contractor messes up.
and heres the kicker:
When you write your “Thank You” letter, include one last counter offer.
Your professionalism + an irresistible offer will keep some businesses in your pocket.
If they still dont want you, then move on.
Chances are, they will switch landscape contractors again next year.
After all, you want them to remember your professionalism and high quality service, not your desperation.
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