There is more to a successful landscaping business than just using the right equipment. As a business owner, you should understand how to grow a landscaping business.
In this guide, you will learn how to get more lawn care customers, business tips to grow a successful landscaping business, and the pros and cons of owning a landscaping business.
5 Tips to Getting More Lawn Care Customers
No matter what led you to start a lawn care company, it’s always good to look for ways to improve and grow the business. And a growing business can mean more profits for you!
Here are five tips to getting more customers for your landscaping business.
1. Have a Website
If you’re wondering how to run a landscaping business more successfully, consider creating a website immediately. Or, if you already have a website, consider improving it. When you have a website, it gives your business credibility and potential customers the confidence to hire you.
Your website should have a memorable domain name, web pages that explain your services and prices, and a phone number or form for people to contact you to request your services.
If you already have a website, when was the last time you checked it? Is it up-to-date with current and accurate information? Are there areas you can add, such as an existing customer login for invoices and scheduling adjustments?
A website is a great tool to attract new customers and communicate with your current customers. It gives legitimacy to your business and just may be the thing you need to grow your landscaping business.
2. Expand Your Service Area
When considering how to grow a landscaping business, another thing to look at is expanding the area where you provide service. Add neighborhoods or communities to the north, south, east, or west of you and grow your customer base purely on location.
You will want to do market research if you are casting a much wider net into unknown communities. Check if there is already a landscaping company in the area and consider ways to share the market. Will your prices be higher or lower? Or will you offer services that are not already provided?
Going into the unknown may be scary, but there are customers there waiting for you, so why not expand?
3. Diversify Your Services
If expanding your area is not an option, consider diversifying the services that you offer.
For example, if your landscaping business offers basic lawn care needs, consider adding premium services such as lawn maintenance, a landscaping design business, or even extreme weather services. If you live in the north, add a snow removal service. If your business is in a place where tornadoes and hurricanes are common, consider adding storm clean-up services.
Simply stated, the more revenue streams that you have, the more opportunity to make money.
4. Word of Mouth Referrals
A positive reputation is a great way to grow your business. If your landscaping company is known for quality service and exceptional care, your customers will rave (hopefully on social media), and your landscaping business will grow.
But it takes hard work and dedication to build that fan base. You will need to consistently work at doing the right thing for your customers and solve issues that arise in a positive and timely manner. But when you prove yourself to your customers, then they will do the work for you of growing your business by word of mouth referrals.
5. Social Media Marketing
When you have a website, social media platforms can help to grow your company even more. Let’s face it, Facebook and Instagram are some of the first places customers look when researching a company.
On your social media pages, you should consider asking current customers to leave a review. You can also share behind-the-scenes content, current specials or deals you’re offering, or spotlights on your team and the work your company is doing.
Social media marketing can also include ads on social media that target potential customers. It’s a fantastic way to increase customers and grow your landscaping business.
Three Keys to a Successful Landscaping Business
Whether you’re just starting out in the lawn care industry or have been around for a few years, here are three lawn care business must-haves.
1. Work On Your Business
To have a long-lasting landscaping business, you should work ON your business instead of IN your business. This means that you employ the right people to do the day-to-day tasks while you focus on the bigger picture of business development and strategy.
When you work on your business, you have time to develop a strategic business plan, consult with marketing firms, and consider expansion opportunities. It’s an essential key for a successful and growing landscaping business.
2. Networking
Networking is interacting with others to develop professional or social relationships. In this case, you will want to network with other landscaping companies, local business owners in industries adjacent to landscaping (such as the hardware store), and people in general who may have contacts for potential employees or customers.
You never know what benefits today’s networking can bring you tomorrow.
3. Personal Development
You probably can’t expect your business to grow and succeed if you are unwilling to grow and develop successful personal health goals. As you learn and grow as a person, you can influence your employees, customers, and community.
With hard work and determination, your personal development can significantly impact your company’s culture and become a key ingredient in the recipe for a successful landscaping business.
The Pros & Cons of Owning a Landscaping Business
There are lots of pros and cons of owning a landscaping business. Let’s take a quick look at a few of them to help you understand how to grow a lawn care business.
Pro: Simple Business Model
Whether you service one neighborhood or one hundred, the landscape business model is typically quite simple. You have few overhead costs (labor, equipment, etc.), and it’s easy to duplicate or scale as needed.
Pro: Always in Demand
Another pro is the constant demand for lawn care companies to work in good and bad economies. And if you offer severe weather services (such as snow removal or storm clean-up services), you can also work year-round.
Con: Lots of Competition
Because landscaping is an easy industry to enter, many companies are entering the market nearly every day. From the neighborhood kid trying to get extra videogame money to larger companies offering services at lower prices, your landscaping company will need to find your niche in the market and retain as many customers as you can.
Con: Overhead Costs (Labor & Equipment)
While landscaping businesses don’t typically have a lot of overhead costs, the ones that you do have can be pricey. Labor itself is the biggest expense, and the turnover rate is high. And don’t forget about equipment costs, an expense that can creep up on you if you don’t budget for maintenance and upkeep.
Start Your Lawn Care Business Plan
When considering how to expand a lawn care business, keep the above information in mind. Use these landscaping business tips, pros, and cons to build a flourishing company. If you need any help or have questions, please contact us at ROK Financial today!
About the Author, Madison Taylor
Madison Taylor is the Brand Ambassador at ROK Financial. She is responsible for raising brand awareness and business relationships with business owners across the country. Madison loves that she plays a small role in getting Business Back To Business Through Simple Business Financing and looks forward to hearing what you think about the blogs she creates! Madison has been working in the financial space for six years, and loves it! When she is not at work, you will find her at home learning a new recipe to test out on her family or going on new adventures with her friends.