Im New To The Industry How Do I Learn To Price Lawn Mowing Jobs So That I Can Win Bids And Be Profitable
Pricing is really difficult. When I got started in the business I didnt have the faintest idea how to price commercial or residential. I was clueless. I remember the challenge and the difficulty. I remember struggling to figure it out.
As Ive matured in business and learned more, I often say that I do not like copying what other people are doing. I dont like copying their marketing. I dont like copying how they run their business. I dont like copying how they price. However, the reality is, when you dont know what youre doing, what else do you do?
Lets talk about this from a realistic standpoint. Im going to use mowing as the example but, it could apply to lawn care which is fertilization and weed control, aeration, year long ant treatments, pest control, and irrigation. All these different services.
In your market, and in my example here, most companies start in residential lawn mowing. Its the easiest one to get started in. Most companies that dont really know how or have never been in the industry dont start in commercial. Well just use the residential mowing example.
In your market most people charge $50 to mow a lawn. How do you know that? You know that because theyre putting out door hangers and theyre advertising pricing on their website. You just start to figure it out. The mowing is one of the easiest services to figure out what everybodys charging because they all lead with that in their marketing piece. They talk about price.
Popular Lawn Care Services & Costs
- Residential or Commercial
- Landscaper Insurance
Prices you will pay for lawn services will vary based on your yard size, the location of property, current health of the yard, and if it’s a residential or commercial property. Climate also makes a big difference, especially in wet climates. This will dramatically increase your yearly cost because the rate of growth of your grass.
Typically, a lawn care service provider will provide a quote based on the square feet of the yard and if there are any obstacles. This means you can get a fairly accurate lawn care quote just from a phone call or instantly here on HomeGuide.
The Factors Of Determining A Fair Lawn Care Rate
It’s crazy because it’s not as straightforward a question as you might think
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First of all should you try to negotiate an hourly rate with your lawn care service provider?
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Should you worry about effectively how much youre paying them per hour?
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And what is a fair hourly rate to pay for lawn mowing services?
After all. You don’t want to come off like this person. Do you?
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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.
Remember That Lawn Care Is An Investment
Your home is one of the biggest purchases youll ever make, so youll want to protect that investment by ensuring your lawn is healthy and well-manicured.
Find your lawn care pro today, and we hope you enjoy your beautiful new yard for many years to come.
When you’re ready, get free estimates on HomeGuide from trusted lawn care pros:
Daniel W.
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How To Calculate The Price If You Have Employed Employees For Lawn Mowing
If your lawn mowing business is not solely run by you i.e. it includes some employees, you have to add their salary costs, too in the quoted price. Now for determining what labor cost you have to add, you have to first see if the field size is too great and how many workers it will require. First, make sure that the field would require more than one worker and if the customer is willing to pay. The pay scale of employees is mostly based on the number of hours.
To determine the expected time for mowing a lawn, you can use time tracking software in beginning. It will help you figure out the labor hours. For example, if a field can be mowed by three employees in one and half hours, you will include each persons pay.
Employees can come in handy when you have to mow large lawns. For instance, if one person was charging 60 USD per hour for mowing and it took him 3 hours alone the cost would be 180 USD. But contrary to this if two persons mowed the field together and it took them one hour and they charged 75 USD then also, you have to pay them only 150 USD. So, you can hire wisely and gain profits.
Calculate Your Hourly Labor Rate
How much are you going to charge per person, per hour for the average job? This number should be based on things like the going rate in your area, how much money you want to earn per hour, and how much youre paying your employees.
If youre just starting off, look at the work and estimate the time it will take you to complete the job. Then consider how much you want to make per hour.
Pricing by the hour makes sense because lot size isnt always an accurate pricing metric. For example, garden homes might take you half an hour to complete, even if they are the same size as a quarter-acre lot, which could take you 45 minutes to complete.
Jason Creel explains that your hourly rate is important, but you shouldnt communicate it to your clients.
He explains:
Lets just say that your hourly rate is $60 per hour. Now, youre not going to speak to the customer and say, hey, I charge $60 an hour, so Im going to time myself when I cut your grass, and then multiply that by 60. Youll quickly learn how to estimate and then multiply that in your mind.
Pro tip: if youre just starting out and not sure about how long a lawn will take, keep track of the time it takes you to complete the job using time tracking software or a stopwatch. From there, find the average of your labor hours over time before figuring out exactly what speed you work at.
Prefer watching a video? Jason Creel talks about pricing out lawn care services below:
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The Reality Of Your Market And What It Means To You
Theres a funny thing about lawn care. While you dont want to compete on price thats to say you dont want to be the lowest priced guy out there you will certainly have to be competitively priced.
This means that youll want to close customers on the idea that youre competing with other landscapers on the quality of your service. However, what you need to know about lawn care customers is that they dont have much tolerance for price variations.
If the average price for an average lawn in your area is $35, then youre going to want to stay within $5 of that. Sure, there will always be idiots out there who say theyll do it for $20 but what those customers quickly find is that these low-ballers do a low-ball job of it.
Its funny how so many people will gladly pay more for quality for clothes or when they go out to eat, yet in this business, not so much. Its just a mindset, really. Yet as long as youre diligent and give them a fair bid, youre bound to do very well.
Pricing is one of those critical elements that tends to run a lot of newbies out of the business. Its not a matter of guesswork you need to have a formula for pricing.
Thats true for cutting grass, snow or leaf removal, fertilization, weeding and so on. Lucky for you, there is a way to do this that allows you to be accurate and plan for future revenue and growth as well.
Lawn Care Price Calculator
Every landscaping company has its own way to calculate the cost they charge you. Some companies need more customers and are willing to charge a lower price. Others really dont need any new customers and will only take on an extra yard if they can make a lot of money on it. Also, some lawn mowers charge by the hour, but most will give you an estimate for the job which will be based on the size and difficulty level of the yard.
If you choose to mow your own yard instead of hiring a professional, you can estimate the time required to mow by using this calculator.
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How Much To Charge For A Lawn Care Job
5 min read
Money can make things difficult for a business in multiple ways. If a business doesn’t make enough money, it can’t function. However, when it comes to case-by-case payments for jobs, it can be awkward to discuss and figure out a price with the customer.
Whether you work on lawns for fun or as your profession, figuring out how to quote jobs will help you to succeed and create a fair price. Finding the right balance between a fair price and one worth your time can be difficult.
Keep these points in mind so you can figure out how much you should charge for your lawn care services.
How Much Should I Charge For Mowing Lawns
The average price of lawn mowing services is $61 per visit. However, several factors influence this price, including:
- Size of the lot.
- Condition of the lawn.
- Additional services required.
The best way to get an accurate estimate is to visit your customer to check out what needs to be done and discuss your services with them.
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What Should I Beware Of
One thing to be mindful of when comparing lawn-mowing prices is whether the quote youre getting seems reasonable.
Also, keep in mind that a lawn-mowing professional or company might try to bump up the price simply because you live in a fancy neighborhood. Why? Because they think you can afford it, Farley says.
Regardless of what sort of neighborhood you live in, there are some things you can do to avoid lawn care rip-offs. The Better Business Bureau, Better Homes & Gardens, HomeAdvisor and the National Association of Lawn Care Professionals offer these tips:
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How Do You Choose The Right Lawn Care Provider For You
You may never know by looking at someone that they are going to provide high-quality lawn care services, but you can certainly improve your chances in a few easy ways. The first thing you can do is ask for recommendations. Talk to family and friends and other people who hire someone to mow their lawns.
If they like the job they are getting from their lawnmower, then they will be happy to recommend them. Whats more, many lawn care professionals are only too happy to receive referrals from their loyal client base.
If you dont know anyone who hires someone to take care of their lawns, then look online. Check out online reviews for local lawn care companies and find out what people are saying about specific people, companies, and franchises.
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How Do You Price A Lawn Mowing Job In Australia
If you are just starting a lawn mowing small business, it is only normal that you might not know how to price your services.
Alternatively, if you have some experience in the industry and youre wondering if its time to change your prices, you may want a touchpoint to help you make that important decision.
When it comes to pricing lawn care services, one rule seems to stand out: there is no one-price-fits-all solution. Even when youre quoting the same key services over and over, there are always variables that can add to your expenses on the job.
While its true theres no best way to price lawn mowing jobs, this article is packed with tried-and-tested strategies to help guide you in the right direction.
What Do Other Lawn Mowing Businesses Charge
It really depends on the lawn mowing business in question every single one will vary to some extent. Some have a minimum rate, while others request a call out fee to assess the lawn and provide an accurate quote based on the work at hand. Others may simply provide an estimate that lies on experience and judgement, while others have a methodical system of factoring in all of the above factors and charges required.
If you want to compare with the market rates you can browse our state pages such as victoria, Queensland and NSW and drill down into your individual suburb to find the most recent average price charged in your area.
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What Influences Lawn Mowing Costs
There are several lawn mowing cost factors to consider when pricing your jobs.
For example, does your lawn mowing service only include lawn mowing, or will you offer other services such as leaf removal and clean-up as part of a package?
Other factors to consider include:
- Size of the yard.
- Location of the job site.
- Local weather conditions.
Its important to note that location plays an important role in determining the cost of lawn care.
As a result, you should price differently for residential and commercial properties. The same goes for warmer climates where grass may grow quicker and colder climates that require winterization.
First Set A Price For Lawn Mowing Services
Wondering how much lawn care costs, including mowing? Short answer, it depends. Here are a few factors that can influence what you charge:
Your experience: Seasoned lawn care professionals can charge more for their services. But when youre building your customer base, you may need to start with a lower price point. Then, once you get a few customers under your belt, you can raise them incrementally.
The location of your business: Theres an amount that people in your area are willing to pay for lawn care services. Do some research to find out that amount. Higher-end neighborhoods and businesses will often pay more. Meanwhile, lower-income neighborhoods usually want lower pricesor they might not need your services at all. Call a few lawn care companies in your area. Ask their prices. Then use those numbers as a starting point on how to price your lawn care services.
If you work with businesses or residents: Most commercial businesses who value quality are willing to pay top dollar. Homeowners, on the other hand, may be more budget conscious. Caveatall of this depends on your area, of course. Poke around. Do some research. Find out which clients are willing to pay more in your area.
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Nailing Your Pricing Strategy For High Margins With Less Mistakes
Youre just about ready to go out there and start growing a thriving new business!
However, this chapter is a critical key to making sure that you succeed. In fact, I can safely say that this is the most important chapter of this blueprint.
Whats that? Ive already said that a few times?
Youre right and thats because all of these chapters are the most important. I called this a blueprint for a reason. When a construction crew puts up a building, they base everything they do off of an engineers blueprint. Every single piece of that plan is required to make sure the building is solid.
Leave out an important support pylon on the ground floor and that 23rd floor will come crashing down.
Thats what these chapters are the support structures that go into making your lawn care company a solid structure thatll last for years to come.
The way that you price your services is absolutely critical to your success.
Price yourself too high and you wont be able to close enough new customer to sustain yourself. Price yourself too low and youll find that youre working your Mean Green off and not making any more than any old dead end job.
The bad news is that there really is no exact formula to figure this out. Even more bad news is that you will make some mistakes. The good news, though, is that this isnt a big deal. Youre going to get good at pricing your services by doing it.
Maybe youll go over or under but with a little experience, youll very quickly develop a feel for it.
The Advantages Of Working On Commercial Contracts
I always liked commercial work because youve got a contract. You know how often youre supposed to visit in a month, what height youre supposed to cut the grass to, what your responsibilities are, and what your responsibilities arent, Ed explains.
Your client will be clear about their expectations, so your focus should be making note of that, and giving that information to your crew. If something goes wrong, there is inclement weather, or you need to return to finish the job, all you need to do is talk to the property manager.
So long as you care about their property, build a relationship, and do what they ask, youre golden.
Since youre dealing with a professional business, getting paid is a bit more predictable. That means youre not waiting for paychecks, and you dont need to re-send an invoice. Its very straightforward.
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