Dealing With Lawn Care Leads Find The Best Customers
Time is money, so you want to root out the bad calls.
You are getting calls coming in, and you are dealing with them the best you can. You have paid a lot of money to get the phone ringing, so why not take the time to optimize this procedure?
I have built and sold lawn care businesses for over 30 years and have dealt with many incoming calls. You will lose time and leads if you get this wrong.
So, How do you turn incoming calls into quality lawn mowing leads? –
- Wear a headset and answer promptly,
- Smile and ask qualifying questions.
- If they pass, get their name, number, and address.
- Get to the lawn ASAP. Quote.
- If they accept, then book or do the job immediately.
- Book the next cut to secure the job.
Dealing with lawn care leads and turning them into quality leads is not hard, but you do need to get it right. Over the years, I have refined my technique to get the best results. I will go through my method here so you can do the same.
“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
Qualify your calls before you write anything.
We get a lot of incoming calls when we are in building mode, and I answer all these calls myself. Somedays, I can get up to a dozen calls, which is not a problem as I have a system for handling them. I will go through the process here. This system will work for you whether you get one or a dozen calls a day.
Wear a headset – Aim to answer all calls within three rings.
If you are already on a call, ignore any incoming calls – deal with the customer talking, and don’t put them on hold. When you finish, listen to any message left by the second caller. If there is no message, see if their number is on your phone.
If so, Call them back and say, “Hi ________ here from ___________. Sorry, I was on the other line and couldn’t take your call. Did you want a quote for lawn mowing?
You can salvage a lot of missed calls this way.
When you answer the phone – smile (the customer won’t see this, but it helps you come across as friendly), and say Hi ________ here from ___________. Then, the caller will start talking to you about the job they want you to do.
Not all calls are good for business.
You can get calls that are not beneficial for your business for a couple of reasons. You will need to weed these out before spending too much of your precious time on the call. Things to look out for are.
- Are they ringing you for free lawn advice? – You can usually spot these, and they will typically drop out at the next stage of the call if you do it right.
- They may be ringing to validate what they are paying their existing lawn mowing company – Don’t blow them off immediately, but don’t put too much time into these calls either. Explain that you will have a quick look on Google Maps and give them a rough estimate. Get their address, then go to Google Maps in satellite view. Give them a price (a little bit on the high side). If they are calling you, then chances are they are overpaying, so your higher rate may be lower than what they are already paying. If they like the price, you have given them. They tell them you will need to call in to confirm the quote. Then move to the next step.
When the potential customer calls, patiently wait until they finish talking, then ask them, “Are you looking for a price on a regular (reoccurring) cut or a “one-off” job (a one-off is a job that is done just one time).
Wait for an answer and your response will depend on your goals and how busy you are. If they say a “one-off” cut and you don’t want any “one-off” work, say, “Sorry, I am fully booked and do not have time to fit any non-regular work in right now.
If you feel you might do some “one-off” work, tell them that you can do that if you have a minimum charge. Say something like, “I do have a minimum charge of $___. Are you okay with that?” If they say yes, take their full name, address, and phone number and book them in. (Make sure they know this is a minimum price, not a firm quote.) If they decline, then you just saved yourself a trip.
If they spend ages telling you how bad their last guy was. This could be a red flag. You might want to decline the opportunity to quote on that one.
Always be working towards regular bookings.
When dealing with lawn care leads, regular lawns are the bread and butter for your company. You want all the business you can get. However, you need to go through some more questions and you will get better results if you ask the same questions every time.
- Can I please get your full name? – I’m a terrible speller, so I always confirm all spelling. I explain, “I’m a terrible speller but a great lawnmower.” Then I say, “Better that than the other way around.” The caller thinks about that, and then they laugh if you can say something to make a customer laugh. Congratulations! You have just broken the ice, and the customer now likes you. Your chances of getting the job have increased by 50%.
- Can I please get your phone number? – If they give you a landline number, try to get a mobile number as well. Always double-check the number they give you. If you get it wrong, then you will only be able to get a contact number from them if they are home when you visit.
- What is your address? – Try to find it on Google Maps while you are talking. That will help you pick up any misspellings, roads not on the map, etc. If the lawn is in an area where you do not want to work or out of the area you cover, then say something like, “I am sorry, but we don’t do lawns in that area.” If you are saying no because the area is horrible and they point out that their house is in the middle of the area you serve, don’t insult them by saying, “You live in a bad area.” Try saying something like, “I’m sorry, but I have an agreement with another lawn company, and I can’t work in that suburb.” Sometimes, a white lie is better than an insult.
- Do you have any dogs? That’s nice to know.
- Is there anything else I should know about your lawn?
- Just out of curiosity, where did you find my number? Keep a record of this and use the information for your marketing budget.
You don’t have to use the line I do about my spelling (although it is accurate, and my spellchecker works overtime when I write articles), but try to find something you can say that will get a laugh. A bit of humor occasionally will help you secure those quotes.
Also, do try to get paid for that one-off work in advance. We usually text their account details and tell them we will book them in as soon as we see the deposit. We find that 99% of people don’t have a problem with this method.
I have found that the customers who object usually turn out to be those who won’t pay you anyway. They are probably judging you by their standards and thinking that if someone paid them, they would just keep the money.
Use Google Calendar
I use Google Calendar all the time. It is excellent for keeping track of quotes. In my Calendar, I use Green for lawns to mow and yellow for quotes. When a call comes in, I immediately open Google Calendar and start typing. This has a few benefits.
- Everything is in one place.
- The information is immediately backed up online
- It is searchable, so you can find quotes when someone calls about it.
I would suggest that you always put the last four digits of the phone number in one block. This is excellent for searching on the run. You simply type in the last four digits in the calendar search function, and you have all the information you need on the quote.
Use a tow truck driver mentality when you get the lead.
If the caller’s house is less than 15 minutes away, tell them you will head around as soon as you finish the lawn you are working on. Now, it is time to think like a tow truck driver. Get there as soon as possible, secure the job, mow the lawn immediately, and then book the next cut.
Do this every time, and your business will grow faster than a lawn in Spring.
FAQ: Dealing With Lawn Care Leads Find The Best Customers
How do I manage voicemail? – During working hours, calls going to voicemail should be avoided. If you let a call go to voicemail, the chances of having someone leave a message are around 30%. While you are out working, return all voice messages as soon as possible. The quicker you respond, the better your chance of getting the quote.
What do I do when talking to a customer and my phone rings? – If you are talking to a customer, let the phone ring. Explain to the customer that you prioritize “face-to-face” conversations above phone calls. Now, you have made the customer feel valued. When you have finished with the customer, head back to your vehicle and check your phone.
How do you Handle Difficult Lawn Care Customers?
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