I was talking to a lawn mowing contractor and he told me that his quotes were going nowhere.
He was getting out and doing lots of quotes and the customers were looking for a regular cut and dropping off after one or two mows.
After I had worked out that it had nothing to do with the standard of his work, I started to look at his method of dealing with quotes. I discovered that he was not asking questions with his incoming calls. This meant he had no idea of the kind of lawn jobs he was quoting on.
Problem solved.
Talk to the customers when they accept the quote and tell them how you operate. Make sure you are in agreement.
Most of the mistakes made when bringing on a new customer happen in that initial conversation.
Let’s look at the incoming call.
Of course, you ask for the address, name, and number but the first question that you should ask is “Were you looking for a price on a one-off or regular visit?”
I used to ask if they wanted a quote on a regular mow but some people misunderstood my question and thought a regular mow was like regular fries. I had the occasional one-off job slip through. Everyone understands the word “visit”
If the caller tells you that they want a one-off job then you have an opportunity to tell them about your minimum price for that kind of work. (if you have one).
Red Flag 1. If the customer then decides that they want a regular visit.
Try to find out if there is a reason for the mow.
Red Flag 2. If they want the lawn cut for a property inspection they say that they want a regular cut after that. (chances are they don’t)
If you are going to do the quote, be aware that the regular mow could fizzle out and price according.
Red Flag 3. The customer contacts you many times about the job during the quoting process. This could turn out to be a very high-maintenance customer.
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Red Flag 4. The customer has to be there when you call in. It is easier to call in when you are passing so we normally ask “Do you need to be there when we quote”
If they say that they have a locked gate and need to be there to unlock it.
We then ask “Can you leave the gate unlocked tomorrow?”
If the customer cannot leave the gate unlocked we ask what they plan to do with the regular cut. Will they be sorting out a key?
If they say no, then we will pass on that one.
Having a customer who has to be home when you visit will lead to issues later on.
Red Flag 5. The lawn needs to be done before or after a particular time. They work night shift or something similar.
This can be worked around but only if the window of time is before or after lunch and
- It suits your schedule
- It doesn’t change ( alternating shifts can cause this)
- The window doesn’t get any smaller.
Red Flag 6. The caller starts talking in great detail about how bad their last lawn-mowing guy was. A passing comment is okay but details like this could be the sign of a customer that you will struggle to keep happy.
Red Flag 7. The caller asks, can I call you when I need you?
Video Incoming Lawn Mowing Quotes 7 Red Flags
The answer for us is Yes but it gets charged as a one-off job each time. We will not give a regular cut price.
These are a few of the major ones that I try to pick up on the phone.
This post is getting a bit long so I will write about the Red Flags when you arrive for the quote another time.
Meanwhile, if you think of anything I have missed, please tell me in the comments. I would love to hear your feedback.
