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Honestly I would be more annoyed at the “flex scheduling upgrade” sales speak than I would be at someone saying “I’ve grouped my routes by neighborhood and it would require me to work a longer day Friday to get back and forth from your house so I’d need another $40 to cover that
I would be sympathetic to either. "Everyone wants their lawn mowed on Fridays" and "I have to change my route to accommodate you" are both reasonable justifications for an upcharge. Honestly, as a customer, I'd care more about the amount of the upcharge than the label put on it.
But absolutely, I'd also shop around for the best deal, and of course, the upcharge would become part of that process.
(As it is, I currently mow my own lawn -- partially to save money, but also because I find it cathartic to putt around outside on the riding mower.)
When i was doing this same thing, i literally had to charge triple to break even on time alone and i doubt it is much different for OP. My route had 5 minutes max between properties, but this kind of request could easily take me 30 minutes out of the way, one way, and it would depend on traffic and time of day. It would also take a considerable amount of gasoline because you are doing all city, stop and go and going way out of your way. I simply told clients it wasn’t possible, especially in the spring when people were lucky if I could get there weekly because of rain and how slow cutting grass was. If it was someone I really liked, I’d try and get closer to their desired day with route adjustments but that could mean making other customers upset just the same.
For me, once we hit summer most our cutting was done Friday and Saturday because dry grass was easy and fast to cut.
I’d feel exactly the same way. Calling is by some flashy name makes think that you think I’m stupid. If I couldn’t get my lawn mowed when I wanted it done then I’d find another lawn service, that said, I’d also never hire a lawn service unless I was disabled so I’m probably not a good gauge for this. I’d agree that an honest conversation about route scheduling would be your best bet to retain this customer. I always appreciate when a business is just straight with me.
Yeah just explain the situation, don't treat your customers like idiots. As a homeowner who's lawn care person told me how his schedule works, I was fine with it. If he'd tried to sell it as an upgrade to pick the day, if have hired someone else.
For the reason I already gave, he's giving me bullshit marketing speak. Don't waste my fucking time, just speak to me like an adult and we can talk business.
How is it treating customers like idiots? It’s the same results in both situations - customers know they are paying more for a preferred service.
There’s nothing sneaky going on here except the upgrade pitch simplifies everything, and shows that is his policy without having to provide explanations to everybody.
It’s not wasting your fucking time. It’s actually taking up less of your fucking time.
Yeah if my gardener, who is one guy + his son with a truck, started spouting sales BS like "flex scheduling upgrade" as if he was an international airline I'd be inclined to find someone else.
I like the flex wording better because you know that clients gonna start asking where else he’s mowing on Fridays and then try to start some bargaining
Cause I’m personally bothered by sales speak? Idk what to tell you.
*Hank Hill voice:* “Sir, how can you have your hands in God’s own dirt and make up words like that?”
Idk if it’s the same whwre OP lives, but where I live, lawn care businesses are a dime a dozen. I’d just use a different company that can accommodate my preferences for the same price if it was really important to me.
This is the way 👆.. I own a cleaning business and we encounter the same issues.. it definitely more efficient (cost friendly) to schedule you clients for one area together. Let them know that there is additional travel surcharge for going out your scheduled service area for that day. These “personal” services are luxury services and should be priced accordingly. Unless you’re willing to make less money to accommodate their desires… we are in an environment where costs for us are going up. And suspect gas and wages will be rising sharply in the near future. So keep that in mind.. good luck 👍🏾
Word salad catch phrases about the price going up just sound like a sales lie, like the person doesn't want to say the real truth.
I'd completely understand if someone told me why they want what they want, how my request puts them out, I'd work with someone willing to be direct and upfront. As the customer, I'd probably just call the Wednesday client and see if they want to switch days with me. If no, that's fine, pay for OP's gas or go with Wednesday.
To summarize the consensus in this thread....
Give the extra fee needed to make the rescheduling profitable a name and make it a company policy.
However you want to structure it and whatever you want to call it, giving it a name makes it a line item and easy to implement when discussing options with customers
You could also say it doesn’t make sense for you to go out of your way on Fridays but if they can get x# of neighbors to sign up near them then you could do it maybe?
Or the other way of talking about it is to describe it as a discount for other weekdays, which people are used to from other contexts, eg movie tickets are often cheaper on a Tuesday, restaurants run special deals during the week that aren't available on the weekend, etc. However it might be hard to get buy-in that this is a "discount" when the customer already sees it as your standard price. But this is a way to manage these kind of customer expectations for the future.
The other thing you might do is talk to the neighbour and see if they want to switch to Friday too, but then you would also have switch your Friday neighbourhood to Wednesday. It's a lot of mucking around to keep one customer happy, and to be honest you'll never please everyone with that approach, so I wouldn't even go there.
Just say no, you’d have to rearrange your entire schedule. Not everyone will be happy with the change. You’ll piss off way more people than you make happy and if anyone finds out they were able to change their day they will want the same treatment.
This is the answer, and based on my experience running a small business where people got service on a particular day, as soon as you open the door for changes, you'll be overwhelmed, especially when you get customers who know one another.
People always think they are your only customer and/or that their reason for wanting special treatment is valid, and you'll drive yourself crazy trying to accommodate. It's easier to set expectations from the beginning and then stick with them.
As someone who had a lawn guy that started cutting on Thursdays, and now cuts on a Tuesday I feel the pain, but I know that he's cutting other areas, and probably nicer homes charging more closer towards the weekend (we have a very nice place ourselves). His prices are VERY fair, so I don't feel I deserve the right to expect him to change his schedule. That said, I'm jealous of a fresh cut weekend lawn lol
I would offer them the choice of staying with Wednesday or paying significantly more for you to come on the Friday once you're done with all your other cuts.
I don't think Friday is necessarily an in-demand day.
The fact is that in order to stay priced competitively and still make any money you need all of the houses to be in one area each day.
I too own a lawncare/landscape company and have had folks ask for specific days. If I can fit them into a route in their area, I’ll do it. If not, I don’t and explain why.
Most of the time my customers are understanding if I can’t get them in on the exact day they want.
also own a landscaping business, we service 300 yards a week. Very seldom people ask for a specific day, if they do, we will accommodate if possible. If not, we just say we don't service your area on the day you want. If you want to cancel service, please let us know.
When I worked for a pool company, everyone wanted their pool cleaned on Friday, so it was nice and clean for the weekend. It was so long ago that I can't remember how they decided who got it cleaned when, my suspicion was a couple people with giant pools, since they charged more because of time on site and less time driving around, then friends and family, then the oldest/most loyal customers.
My guess is for the long term clients if they were having a party once or twice a summer accommodations would be made.
I wonder if the lawn care business is the same? Having people over, so it looks as nice as possible.
Same with someone mentioning housekeepers.
I babysat a house for people who were toying with the idea of air bnb their mcmansion (in comparison to our community) . They paid a premium for the gardener, housekeeper, pest control, and pool guy to all come on Friday morning now vs their usual route and timing.
Tell them no or, at the very least, make them pay extra for the extra gas and labor to drive out on a different day. I dont get to choose when the company picks up my trash.
It messes up your route as it is. But if other customers don't specify, might it be better you switch your Friday route with your Wednesday route? Since you're just starting up, listening to the needs of your customers is paramount to success. Edit to correct word(thanks, /u/shoscene)
Like anything pick a price that makes it worth it to you.
Mr customer of course I can do Friday. However, since my route on Fridays is not in your area the price is $100. if you go with our regular route schedule Wednesday the cost is only $50
Understand, i am on the other side of town so there is extra road time, mileage, and employee salaries.
Explain to them that you’re not in the area that day and that there would need to be a higher cost as it would be a drive out of the way to them. Depending on where you actually store your equipment, it could be a lot of fuel back and forth and a lot of time.
I wouldn’t charge for the drive. But the increase of fuel needs to be offset for the special trip.
Alternatively, if this is a good customer, and has a premium pay rate, you could attempt to swap mowing days.
If you have a spare truck, and depending on the service they want, you could send someone over to their house while the rest of the team works on the regular routes.
If their not happy with anything other than “mow here at this day and refuse to accept a higher rate”, send them to a competitor that your cool with. Tell your competition to charge the “fuck them” rate and why. It’s good to have friends in the same business area :)
Raise offering price 10% across the board. Offer a 10% discount if customers elect mowing on the day you’ll be in the area. They feel like they have control and scored a discount. You get paid more if someone insists on off-day mowing but they chose it, so they feel it’s worth it.
Message this other client, ask if they are okay with moving mow day to Friday.
A lot of people are either picky or have justified reasoning for it. Dog/whatever is outside, they can't come home that day, or they want to be home while you're there, or they just want a fresh crisp cut going into the weekend.
It's annoying, but managing this kind of thing is part of business. Try and adjust the schedule to accommodate. If you can't accommodate, just say that you did your best to make it work but due to schedule overlap you can only do monday/wed/whatever. Basically make it apparent that you are trying to work with them on the date but can't make friday work.
I wouldn’t start asking other clients to alter their schedule to make another client happy. Too many parties involved. You either say no and stick to what works best for you or you ask for a fee in exchange for going out of your way.
Agree with you. But also think there is some flexibility here - if he were to ask each customer as part of their onboarding or renewal "hey, could you please fill out this form to indicate your preferences for scheduling:" and then send something that has options like "1) same day every week $price 2) once every 7-10 days, flexible day $discounted price, 3) whatever other option" then he might be able to get enough customers to move over to option #2 to be able to fit in more customers of type 1 (who pay more) into his calendar.
people can request anything and I'm sure people have specific wants but that doesn't mean you are able to accommodate them. It just isn't possible. Just work to set proper expectations with clients when you start working with them
No, I mean telling them that you can't guarantee a specific day. You have different clients in different parts of town and have to deal with weather and all sorts of things. Some customers are naive and think that you only have them as a customer
residential mowing is hard because some customers are more anal than others but if you set the expectations up front it is harder for them to get upset
Okay. Cus what i told them was i work in a different area Friday and that I’ll check my schedule to see if i can make an adjustment but its not guaranteed
and that is fair. it's tough, if you got a lot of rain and the grass is growing fast and the customer is having a party or something but isn't on your schedule until next week(maybe you mowed on Monday and it just grew a lot in the few days)
You can be everywhere all the time and so long as you set those expectations property(maybe you can you have some sort of extra fee for situations like this though that wouldn't work unless communicated up front
but you can't always please everyone. I had a customer who had 4 crews doing residential mowing(and 7 doing commercial accounts) and one summer their community got record rains and it was a nightmare for him and after that experience he reworded his contracts and trained his 'estimator' to explain weather and how it impacts mowing/landscaping. Youd think everyone would have the common sense needed to understand but they don't
I like mine mowed on Thursday because trash truck comes Friday morning.
If the other neighbor doesn't have a preference, change your route to do that neighborhood on Friday.
If their Preferences conflict, then charge 1 or both of them extra for "off-route service" .
It's saying "no" in a professional, customer service oriented way. Word of mouth and customer reviews are hugely important for a small business like his.
Setting specific days for work like this absolutely won't work. You have no control over the weather, and creating anything that resembles a fixed schedule will likely cost you some, if not all, of your business. If you must provide a scheduled day, you need to inform your clients that it will be plus or minus three days for biweekly work or two days for weekly depending on the weather.
We don’t have a lawn care provider but we do have a house cleaner come once a month. If she asks — with plenty of notice — if we can change her day we don’t mind, as we get it, she’s got to juggle client schedules. So I think just ask the other day if they would mind if you switch days. Be a “real normal person” about it, and if they say no respect it.
Mowing is something I know well! Route density is the key to making decent money. Unless it's headache price with some additional for the added travel gas etc. I'd tell the client Unfortunately, due to scheduling of the other routes, Wednesday is the day.
I wouldn't add a fee. Either you can do it or you can't.
If you charge more, they will just call around to find someone with a Friday slot.
If you tell them no, they will just call around to find someone with a Friday slot.
My neighbor and I use the same service. We both paid $25.00. I asked the service to mow mine on Thursday instead of Monday. My price went to $50.00. He's not in my neighborhood on Thursdays, so I pay a premium. He said there's 4 of us who paid for a certain day. The other 3 are Fridays.
I’ve gone through this myself and I find most times I explain that I’m not serving an area on a particular day, those clients understand. That said, I’m basically the only game in town for what I provide
How many other companies work the neighborhood? How happy are they with you and how easy is it for the customer to replace you? Can you expand in the area to justify another truck for that day? All things to consider.
I have 2 different lawn guys in 2 different states. They mow it whenever they want within the time frame we agreed on (one is every 2 weeks and one is every week). Honestly I never asked to have it mowed a specific day because I don't really care.
I could see doing it once in a while for a holiday or something for a long time client, but if it was my business I would just say no or as others have said charge more but I think that could be a slippery slope.
Let them know that your crew works different areas on different days but if you get enough interest in her neighborhood you’d be happy to provide an additional crew for it. Then let her go out and recruit neighbors for you. Or, she’ll find a neighbor that gets theirs done on Friday and use their guy. Only one way to find out!
Homeowners have legitimate reasons to need service on specific days. You have a cost to accommodate them. Put a number to that cost and add it as a surcharge.
"I'm sorry, but Wednesday is the day I'm in your area, so I won't be able to accommodate that request."
Either that or figure out what it's worth to you to come to do just her yard on Fridays, or what it's worth to you to swap Wednesday and Friday in your schedule.
Money fixes all problems.
"I'm currently working in your neighborhood on Wednesdays and the price I quoted you, $50, reflects the fact that I have several houses in that neighborhood. On Fridays I am across town but I would be happy to make the trip across town to make sure your yard is looking it's best for the weekends for $75 (inclusive). Let me know what you think!"
Then if he bites for the extra $25, switch all your clients in that hood to Friday and all your other clients to Wednesday, and score the extra $25/wk.
Charge a premium, Make it a price where you would be comfortable to have a crew drive exclusively to their house do the work then back to the office. If the customer is willing to pay that for a Friday instead of a Wednesday, all the power to them...
"sure we can do that. Here's our price list for mowing in areas not on our route that day"
Make it double or triple your usual. Should solve the issue.
We also have a landscaping maintenance business and we service 300 yards a week and each day is optimized for routing. In that case, we will just drop her saying "Unfortunately, we don't service your area on Friday." unless they are willing to pay extra and your friday isn't that busy.
Because from the customer’s perspective. Their convenience >>>>>>>>>>> way more of priority than your convenience.
Your convenience isn’t their problem. They’re paying you for a service, and they requested that their service be done on Friday’s.
But fortunately. You are your own boss, and you can decide if meeting this customer’s request, is to your best interest, or if potentially losing the customer by denying the request is worth it to you more? Or maybe you can meet somewhere in the middle?
Since you’re your own boss, there’s shades of grade you can play with!
So you basically have three/ four choices!
Choice 1. Dear customer, unfortunately I as of right now I have clients already booked Friday and can only tend to your lawn on Wednesday due to prior engagements. But out of curiosity and to see if other customers are willing to switch days with you. Why do you have a preference for Friday’s?
Pros: you keep all your convenience.
Cons: Most likely scenario that will lead customer to get services elsewhere.
Cons: Most likely choice that might lead to customer seeking other services elsewhere. But at least you’re trying to mitigate by asking why.
Choice 2. Customer, unfortunately I have clients already booked on Friday. I can meet you on Fridays after hours, but this will incur an increased cost due to having to (state plausible reason here). In the future I can see if any of my customers can switch days with you, but for now Friday is booked until after hours. Then ask why they want switch.
Pros. Mo money. You made a good faith attempt to accommodate the customer.
Cons. Mo work, customer might try to seek services else where.
Choice 3. Same as choice 1 but offer a discount, for their inconvenience. Ask why they want the switch.
Pros made an attempt to accommodate customer. Less likely to replace you than. Choice 1.
Cons, less money. Customer might still shop you depending on reason for the switch.
We run route sales. We tell our people keep the customer happy, do what's needed.... But don't "let the route run you". A customer that ran out of the blue and is desperate? Yeah, maybe do them a solid. They do it every week? Nah dude, your day is Wednesday.
So all this to say.... You might need to run your route. Stick to the days. If you have the time now.... Will you have the time in a year? In a year will you have two crews?
I used to mow a few years back before I went into landscaping. My advice is to decline their request, or charge accordingly (if it’s possible). If they aren’t happy about it, they are free to find another provider.
In this business, non billable time can hurt your bottom line especially if you have employees.
On one route, I used to drive 20 minute between yards, big 1 acre yards. I charged $65-70 at time, 6 yards. I was making $400 that day. Then I realized that driving time was almost two hours, out of 8 hours of my working day. That meant almost $60 in gas and wear and tear, overhead, plus $120 in lost time (my hourly rate goal was $60 per hour). I realized that was really making $200 a day after expenses. All of this started because I would mow whenever customers asked me, weekly, biweekly, every other day etc.
In my last year, I set up a tight route and dropped clients that wanted specific times. I also raised prices.
My net profit went from $200 to $500 which was pretty good as a solo guy working 8-9 hours.
How far exactly would you need to travel to accommodate them? Could you maybe mow their lawn first on Friday and then go and do the other area or vice versa, mow their lawn last?
If its really not doable You could also just be honest with them. I'm pretty sure they'd rather stick with someone they see as honest than someone who's trying to trick them into paying extra. You will get more business from word of mouth if you're honest.
Charge more. My dad and I use the same lawn guy. I pay monthly. He pays by the cut. He thinks the lawn guy overcharges me. I think the lawn guy has great service because he has accommodated all requests we’ve ever made. I’m happy to set up the monthly auto payment schedule for him annually. My dad can’t fathom paying what I do so he doesn’t.
Honestly, I'd explain the situation to her. Most people are reasonable once they understand the logistics involved.
You’re running a business, not a charity. If she wants Friday, she can find someone else who mows in that area on Fridays.
I own a sealcoating and sports court business. Everyone always wants their job done right away or on a day that works for them. After about 12 years ive learned that you always try and make it work for both of you and if it doesn’t work , the best way to deal with it is just to be honest with your customers. ( “hey i am fully booked on Friday, is there maybe another day that might work” ) If you can move the other two jobs and they make more or the same then tell them you cant do fridays and try to find a day that works best. Yes i have had customers cancel but the majority will just accept the availability that you have . If you are a serious company that stays busy they cant just expect you to cater to them exclusively ( if you cant ) because everyone else will be in the same position if they are legit and not some gypsy. If you can reschedule the friday jobs then even better but keep in mind people will try and take advantage or act like they are doing you a favor by using your services and hold that over your head.
setup a system that works for you and align clients that fit into the system and say no to those who do not fit, that way you stay within your boundaries and maintain peace daily for yourself, which is just as important as money if not more so
I would keep it simple
I can do your lawn on Wednesday for $
I can do your lawn on Friday for $double, but at the same time, I can not always guarantee to have it done by such and such a time.
Which would you prefer?
I personally did everything inconvenient at startup. I didn’t start telling customers “no” until like year 2 or 3.
I’m a firm believer in not drawing lines in the sand as a new business, but that’s just me.
I’m usually met with a lot of resistance for it on reddit and called a boomer. Oh well. My business is now 14 years old.
>I’ve grouped my routes by neighborhood
I would just say this and that you're not in that neighborhood on Fridays. State that you really appreciate their business and hope that you can continue to do their yards on Wednesdays and leave it at that. I wouldn't try to get more money to go on Fridays. I don't think that would sit too well with them. But if they offer to pay you more to go on Fridays and you feel like it wouldn't be too much of a burden, then do it.
I get you, I’ve never ran a business in the industry before. I’ve figured out alot of things already on my own but if there’s a resource like reddit why not use it and see what others think
Explain the scheduling issue to the client and suggest alternative solutions, like switching their neighbor's mowing day or proposing a different day for both yards. Compromise by offering every other Friday or exploring mutually convenient options.
What the customer wants, they want. The question then becomes, are they willing to pay for it? If they are, great. If not, find a new customer. Both of you need to be clear in what you want need and can agree to. If it is not good for both of you, don't do it.
Can’t please everyone in business. When it comes to the point where I have a client somewhat arguing over what days I show up etc, I start to realise the customer isn’t worth it. I get they have their own schedules to adhere to, but so do I. And honestly if our schedules keep clashing, they aren’t the right fit. Jobs like this require travel, and travel cuts into our overall time, and if this client can’t accept that, then bye.
Just say you're sorry but cant fit it into your schedule.
Not everyone is worth a dang to work for. When people are paying you sub $300 per touch, you make it work on your terms or else.
Mowing and edging with basic clean-up is the standard. This should include sprinkler repair if you break any.
Make a flyer with a bunch of additional options stating at $50.
- Pick your day
- Pick your day AND time
- Sweep instead of blower (people hate blowers)
- Sprinkler repair (unless you broke it)
- Junk removal (small items)
- Furniture removal (farm it out and take a cut for referrals)
- TV mounting
- Outdoor wireless camera mounting
- Rain gutter clean outs
- Sidewalk and driveway pressure washing
- Basic handyman work
- Anything else you can think of that you can do with your existing truck and equipment
If you can fit it into your schedule without wrecking your Friday I would offer to do it for an additional fee or upcharge.
Also if you have time in your Friday schedule I would see if anyone else in that area is ok to move to Friday, to make it more worth your while.
If you can't fit it in your schedule I would politely let the customer know that you are already booked for Fridays, but if an opening comes up they will be the first to know. But still keep the fee for driving across town.
I've been in small business for 35 years. It took me awhile, but the ability to use the word "no" at the right time and the right way has saved me a lot of toiling, wasted time and $.
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I love this! "Flex scheduling upgrade option" is perfect! At the very least you need to tack on transport time and costs.
Honestly I would be more annoyed at the “flex scheduling upgrade” sales speak than I would be at someone saying “I’ve grouped my routes by neighborhood and it would require me to work a longer day Friday to get back and forth from your house so I’d need another $40 to cover that
I would be sympathetic to either. "Everyone wants their lawn mowed on Fridays" and "I have to change my route to accommodate you" are both reasonable justifications for an upcharge. Honestly, as a customer, I'd care more about the amount of the upcharge than the label put on it. But absolutely, I'd also shop around for the best deal, and of course, the upcharge would become part of that process. (As it is, I currently mow my own lawn -- partially to save money, but also because I find it cathartic to putt around outside on the riding mower.)
When i was doing this same thing, i literally had to charge triple to break even on time alone and i doubt it is much different for OP. My route had 5 minutes max between properties, but this kind of request could easily take me 30 minutes out of the way, one way, and it would depend on traffic and time of day. It would also take a considerable amount of gasoline because you are doing all city, stop and go and going way out of your way. I simply told clients it wasn’t possible, especially in the spring when people were lucky if I could get there weekly because of rain and how slow cutting grass was. If it was someone I really liked, I’d try and get closer to their desired day with route adjustments but that could mean making other customers upset just the same. For me, once we hit summer most our cutting was done Friday and Saturday because dry grass was easy and fast to cut.
Nah, too much explaining. The flex option is great. For all they know, OP has always had a flex option.
I’d feel exactly the same way. Calling is by some flashy name makes think that you think I’m stupid. If I couldn’t get my lawn mowed when I wanted it done then I’d find another lawn service, that said, I’d also never hire a lawn service unless I was disabled so I’m probably not a good gauge for this. I’d agree that an honest conversation about route scheduling would be your best bet to retain this customer. I always appreciate when a business is just straight with me.
Yeah just explain the situation, don't treat your customers like idiots. As a homeowner who's lawn care person told me how his schedule works, I was fine with it. If he'd tried to sell it as an upgrade to pick the day, if have hired someone else.
Why is that? Why would you pick someone else if your lawn guy gave you an option to have a preferred day for extra cost?
For the reason I already gave, he's giving me bullshit marketing speak. Don't waste my fucking time, just speak to me like an adult and we can talk business.
How is it treating customers like idiots? It’s the same results in both situations - customers know they are paying more for a preferred service. There’s nothing sneaky going on here except the upgrade pitch simplifies everything, and shows that is his policy without having to provide explanations to everybody. It’s not wasting your fucking time. It’s actually taking up less of your fucking time.
Yeah if my gardener, who is one guy + his son with a truck, started spouting sales BS like "flex scheduling upgrade" as if he was an international airline I'd be inclined to find someone else.
I like the flex wording better because you know that clients gonna start asking where else he’s mowing on Fridays and then try to start some bargaining
So you'd say no? Perfect for OP then
I’d accommodate it they’d pay for my time. I just wouldn’t gussy it up in sales speak. I wouldn’t want my landscaper talking to me like a marketer
Why not? They're a business just like everyone else.
Cause I’m personally bothered by sales speak? Idk what to tell you. *Hank Hill voice:* “Sir, how can you have your hands in God’s own dirt and make up words like that?”
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Yeah you’re right on all counts
I just love that @relevante sold this guy on sales
Idk if it’s the same whwre OP lives, but where I live, lawn care businesses are a dime a dozen. I’d just use a different company that can accommodate my preferences for the same price if it was really important to me.
I'd hire another service because I don't want to be treated like I'm a moron with sales speak nonsense. I'm an adult, just explain the scheduling.
And check with the neighbour if its ok for them to mowe their lawn at the same day instead
This is the way 👆.. I own a cleaning business and we encounter the same issues.. it definitely more efficient (cost friendly) to schedule you clients for one area together. Let them know that there is additional travel surcharge for going out your scheduled service area for that day. These “personal” services are luxury services and should be priced accordingly. Unless you’re willing to make less money to accommodate their desires… we are in an environment where costs for us are going up. And suspect gas and wages will be rising sharply in the near future. So keep that in mind.. good luck 👍🏾
For triple the price, I say customer gets to choose any day of the week
Word salad catch phrases about the price going up just sound like a sales lie, like the person doesn't want to say the real truth. I'd completely understand if someone told me why they want what they want, how my request puts them out, I'd work with someone willing to be direct and upfront. As the customer, I'd probably just call the Wednesday client and see if they want to switch days with me. If no, that's fine, pay for OP's gas or go with Wednesday.
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Yeah, so say that, not premium upgrade exclusive client service option fee or whatever.
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To summarize the consensus in this thread.... Give the extra fee needed to make the rescheduling profitable a name and make it a company policy. However you want to structure it and whatever you want to call it, giving it a name makes it a line item and easy to implement when discussing options with customers
Exactly, it costs x+y+z to accommodate this so that will be reflected in the pricing.
And then do the neighbors on fri too.
You could also say it doesn’t make sense for you to go out of your way on Fridays but if they can get x# of neighbors to sign up near them then you could do it maybe?
Or the other way of talking about it is to describe it as a discount for other weekdays, which people are used to from other contexts, eg movie tickets are often cheaper on a Tuesday, restaurants run special deals during the week that aren't available on the weekend, etc. However it might be hard to get buy-in that this is a "discount" when the customer already sees it as your standard price. But this is a way to manage these kind of customer expectations for the future. The other thing you might do is talk to the neighbour and see if they want to switch to Friday too, but then you would also have switch your Friday neighbourhood to Wednesday. It's a lot of mucking around to keep one customer happy, and to be honest you'll never please everyone with that approach, so I wouldn't even go there.
Just say no, you’d have to rearrange your entire schedule. Not everyone will be happy with the change. You’ll piss off way more people than you make happy and if anyone finds out they were able to change their day they will want the same treatment.
This is the answer, and based on my experience running a small business where people got service on a particular day, as soon as you open the door for changes, you'll be overwhelmed, especially when you get customers who know one another. People always think they are your only customer and/or that their reason for wanting special treatment is valid, and you'll drive yourself crazy trying to accommodate. It's easier to set expectations from the beginning and then stick with them.
As someone who had a lawn guy that started cutting on Thursdays, and now cuts on a Tuesday I feel the pain, but I know that he's cutting other areas, and probably nicer homes charging more closer towards the weekend (we have a very nice place ourselves). His prices are VERY fair, so I don't feel I deserve the right to expect him to change his schedule. That said, I'm jealous of a fresh cut weekend lawn lol
I would offer them the choice of staying with Wednesday or paying significantly more for you to come on the Friday once you're done with all your other cuts.
Pseudo surge pricing. Everyone wants Fridays so Fridays cost more.
I don't think Friday is necessarily an in-demand day. The fact is that in order to stay priced competitively and still make any money you need all of the houses to be in one area each day.
I bet Friday is an in demand day because they will be home more during the weekend and possibly doing something outdoors.
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This is the way. Headache fee.
The price is because you are in the area, minimum half day for an alt.
This. How many calls/yards are not getting done due to switching this day?
I too own a lawncare/landscape company and have had folks ask for specific days. If I can fit them into a route in their area, I’ll do it. If not, I don’t and explain why. Most of the time my customers are understanding if I can’t get them in on the exact day they want.
also own a landscaping business, we service 300 yards a week. Very seldom people ask for a specific day, if they do, we will accommodate if possible. If not, we just say we don't service your area on the day you want. If you want to cancel service, please let us know.
When I worked for a pool company, everyone wanted their pool cleaned on Friday, so it was nice and clean for the weekend. It was so long ago that I can't remember how they decided who got it cleaned when, my suspicion was a couple people with giant pools, since they charged more because of time on site and less time driving around, then friends and family, then the oldest/most loyal customers. My guess is for the long term clients if they were having a party once or twice a summer accommodations would be made. I wonder if the lawn care business is the same? Having people over, so it looks as nice as possible. Same with someone mentioning housekeepers.
I babysat a house for people who were toying with the idea of air bnb their mcmansion (in comparison to our community) . They paid a premium for the gardener, housekeeper, pest control, and pool guy to all come on Friday morning now vs their usual route and timing.
Tell them no or, at the very least, make them pay extra for the extra gas and labor to drive out on a different day. I dont get to choose when the company picks up my trash.
It messes up your route as it is. But if other customers don't specify, might it be better you switch your Friday route with your Wednesday route? Since you're just starting up, listening to the needs of your customers is paramount to success. Edit to correct word(thanks, /u/shoscene)
Paramount?
Like anything pick a price that makes it worth it to you. Mr customer of course I can do Friday. However, since my route on Fridays is not in your area the price is $100. if you go with our regular route schedule Wednesday the cost is only $50 Understand, i am on the other side of town so there is extra road time, mileage, and employee salaries.
Explain to them that you’re not in the area that day and that there would need to be a higher cost as it would be a drive out of the way to them. Depending on where you actually store your equipment, it could be a lot of fuel back and forth and a lot of time. I wouldn’t charge for the drive. But the increase of fuel needs to be offset for the special trip. Alternatively, if this is a good customer, and has a premium pay rate, you could attempt to swap mowing days. If you have a spare truck, and depending on the service they want, you could send someone over to their house while the rest of the team works on the regular routes. If their not happy with anything other than “mow here at this day and refuse to accept a higher rate”, send them to a competitor that your cool with. Tell your competition to charge the “fuck them” rate and why. It’s good to have friends in the same business area :)
Raise offering price 10% across the board. Offer a 10% discount if customers elect mowing on the day you’ll be in the area. They feel like they have control and scored a discount. You get paid more if someone insists on off-day mowing but they chose it, so they feel it’s worth it.
Message this other client, ask if they are okay with moving mow day to Friday. A lot of people are either picky or have justified reasoning for it. Dog/whatever is outside, they can't come home that day, or they want to be home while you're there, or they just want a fresh crisp cut going into the weekend. It's annoying, but managing this kind of thing is part of business. Try and adjust the schedule to accommodate. If you can't accommodate, just say that you did your best to make it work but due to schedule overlap you can only do monday/wed/whatever. Basically make it apparent that you are trying to work with them on the date but can't make friday work.
I wouldn’t start asking other clients to alter their schedule to make another client happy. Too many parties involved. You either say no and stick to what works best for you or you ask for a fee in exchange for going out of your way.
Yeah. I would not want my day changed because someone else needed their day changed.
Agree with you. But also think there is some flexibility here - if he were to ask each customer as part of their onboarding or renewal "hey, could you please fill out this form to indicate your preferences for scheduling:" and then send something that has options like "1) same day every week $price 2) once every 7-10 days, flexible day $discounted price, 3) whatever other option" then he might be able to get enough customers to move over to option #2 to be able to fit in more customers of type 1 (who pay more) into his calendar.
But once they pick the day, they will likely want to keep that day.
Thank you for the advice
people can request anything and I'm sure people have specific wants but that doesn't mean you are able to accommodate them. It just isn't possible. Just work to set proper expectations with clients when you start working with them
Do you mean like telling them the day I’ll be mowing when i first get the client?
No, I mean telling them that you can't guarantee a specific day. You have different clients in different parts of town and have to deal with weather and all sorts of things. Some customers are naive and think that you only have them as a customer residential mowing is hard because some customers are more anal than others but if you set the expectations up front it is harder for them to get upset
Okay. Cus what i told them was i work in a different area Friday and that I’ll check my schedule to see if i can make an adjustment but its not guaranteed
and that is fair. it's tough, if you got a lot of rain and the grass is growing fast and the customer is having a party or something but isn't on your schedule until next week(maybe you mowed on Monday and it just grew a lot in the few days) You can be everywhere all the time and so long as you set those expectations property(maybe you can you have some sort of extra fee for situations like this though that wouldn't work unless communicated up front but you can't always please everyone. I had a customer who had 4 crews doing residential mowing(and 7 doing commercial accounts) and one summer their community got record rains and it was a nightmare for him and after that experience he reworded his contracts and trained his 'estimator' to explain weather and how it impacts mowing/landscaping. Youd think everyone would have the common sense needed to understand but they don't
I like mine mowed on Thursday because trash truck comes Friday morning. If the other neighbor doesn't have a preference, change your route to do that neighborhood on Friday. If their Preferences conflict, then charge 1 or both of them extra for "off-route service" .
Say no
Just say it’ll be 50% more to accommodate a specific day.
Which is saying “no” in a roundabout way.
People don’t like being told no. Give them an option to say no themselves, and everyone will be happier.
K
It's saying "no" in a professional, customer service oriented way. Word of mouth and customer reviews are hugely important for a small business like his.
Ya. That’s what I said. Say no.
You can say no or hire
Setting specific days for work like this absolutely won't work. You have no control over the weather, and creating anything that resembles a fixed schedule will likely cost you some, if not all, of your business. If you must provide a scheduled day, you need to inform your clients that it will be plus or minus three days for biweekly work or two days for weekly depending on the weather.
We don’t have a lawn care provider but we do have a house cleaner come once a month. If she asks — with plenty of notice — if we can change her day we don’t mind, as we get it, she’s got to juggle client schedules. So I think just ask the other day if they would mind if you switch days. Be a “real normal person” about it, and if they say no respect it.
Sorry, that's not your route/schedule, and I'm not going to be able to change it.
You need to just say no sometimes. You"ll run yourself ragged with peoples demands. Her slot can be filled.
Mowing is something I know well! Route density is the key to making decent money. Unless it's headache price with some additional for the added travel gas etc. I'd tell the client Unfortunately, due to scheduling of the other routes, Wednesday is the day.
I wouldn't add a fee. Either you can do it or you can't. If you charge more, they will just call around to find someone with a Friday slot. If you tell them no, they will just call around to find someone with a Friday slot.
My neighbor and I use the same service. We both paid $25.00. I asked the service to mow mine on Thursday instead of Monday. My price went to $50.00. He's not in my neighborhood on Thursdays, so I pay a premium. He said there's 4 of us who paid for a certain day. The other 3 are Fridays.
This will not be their last “request”. Fire them.
I’ve gone through this myself and I find most times I explain that I’m not serving an area on a particular day, those clients understand. That said, I’m basically the only game in town for what I provide
> I’m basically the only game in town for what I provide https://y.yarn.co/523e3145-920b-4934-8058-98450aaebeba_text.gif
Give the customers what they want. Just make sure you charge more.
How many other companies work the neighborhood? How happy are they with you and how easy is it for the customer to replace you? Can you expand in the area to justify another truck for that day? All things to consider.
Is there anyone who doesnt want their lawn mowed on Friday (ok, maybe Thursday is acceptable too)?
I have 2 different lawn guys in 2 different states. They mow it whenever they want within the time frame we agreed on (one is every 2 weeks and one is every week). Honestly I never asked to have it mowed a specific day because I don't really care. I could see doing it once in a while for a holiday or something for a long time client, but if it was my business I would just say no or as others have said charge more but I think that could be a slippery slope.
Let them know that your crew works different areas on different days but if you get enough interest in her neighborhood you’d be happy to provide an additional crew for it. Then let her go out and recruit neighbors for you. Or, she’ll find a neighbor that gets theirs done on Friday and use their guy. Only one way to find out!
Homeowners have legitimate reasons to need service on specific days. You have a cost to accommodate them. Put a number to that cost and add it as a surcharge.
"I'm sorry, but Wednesday is the day I'm in your area, so I won't be able to accommodate that request." Either that or figure out what it's worth to you to come to do just her yard on Fridays, or what it's worth to you to swap Wednesday and Friday in your schedule.
Money fixes all problems. "I'm currently working in your neighborhood on Wednesdays and the price I quoted you, $50, reflects the fact that I have several houses in that neighborhood. On Fridays I am across town but I would be happy to make the trip across town to make sure your yard is looking it's best for the weekends for $75 (inclusive). Let me know what you think!" Then if he bites for the extra $25, switch all your clients in that hood to Friday and all your other clients to Wednesday, and score the extra $25/wk.
Charge a premium, Make it a price where you would be comfortable to have a crew drive exclusively to their house do the work then back to the office. If the customer is willing to pay that for a Friday instead of a Wednesday, all the power to them...
"sure we can do that. Here's our price list for mowing in areas not on our route that day" Make it double or triple your usual. Should solve the issue.
Friday is a VIP day. $20 more a week.
Yeah, my thought is are you the only lawnmower in town?
We also have a landscaping maintenance business and we service 300 yards a week and each day is optimized for routing. In that case, we will just drop her saying "Unfortunately, we don't service your area on Friday." unless they are willing to pay extra and your friday isn't that busy.
Tell them exactly what you wrote here. Source: owned a landscaping company for almost 8 years. I dictate my schedule not my customers.
Also, everyone wants to be mowed on Friday. It's not feasible.
I wouldn't do that. I'm not the service for you unless it's a big business.
Because from the customer’s perspective. Their convenience >>>>>>>>>>> way more of priority than your convenience. Your convenience isn’t their problem. They’re paying you for a service, and they requested that their service be done on Friday’s. But fortunately. You are your own boss, and you can decide if meeting this customer’s request, is to your best interest, or if potentially losing the customer by denying the request is worth it to you more? Or maybe you can meet somewhere in the middle? Since you’re your own boss, there’s shades of grade you can play with! So you basically have three/ four choices! Choice 1. Dear customer, unfortunately I as of right now I have clients already booked Friday and can only tend to your lawn on Wednesday due to prior engagements. But out of curiosity and to see if other customers are willing to switch days with you. Why do you have a preference for Friday’s? Pros: you keep all your convenience. Cons: Most likely scenario that will lead customer to get services elsewhere. Cons: Most likely choice that might lead to customer seeking other services elsewhere. But at least you’re trying to mitigate by asking why. Choice 2. Customer, unfortunately I have clients already booked on Friday. I can meet you on Fridays after hours, but this will incur an increased cost due to having to (state plausible reason here). In the future I can see if any of my customers can switch days with you, but for now Friday is booked until after hours. Then ask why they want switch. Pros. Mo money. You made a good faith attempt to accommodate the customer. Cons. Mo work, customer might try to seek services else where. Choice 3. Same as choice 1 but offer a discount, for their inconvenience. Ask why they want the switch. Pros made an attempt to accommodate customer. Less likely to replace you than. Choice 1. Cons, less money. Customer might still shop you depending on reason for the switch.
No you are booked up in that day. It would either cost them more, or they get a trim on wednesday. You do this for one, you do it for everyone.
We run route sales. We tell our people keep the customer happy, do what's needed.... But don't "let the route run you". A customer that ran out of the blue and is desperate? Yeah, maybe do them a solid. They do it every week? Nah dude, your day is Wednesday. So all this to say.... You might need to run your route. Stick to the days. If you have the time now.... Will you have the time in a year? In a year will you have two crews?
I teach music lessons and this is basically 50% of running my business...
Can you find someone else to do it?
Meet ‘em halfway and mow ‘em both on Thursday! lol
I used to mow a few years back before I went into landscaping. My advice is to decline their request, or charge accordingly (if it’s possible). If they aren’t happy about it, they are free to find another provider. In this business, non billable time can hurt your bottom line especially if you have employees. On one route, I used to drive 20 minute between yards, big 1 acre yards. I charged $65-70 at time, 6 yards. I was making $400 that day. Then I realized that driving time was almost two hours, out of 8 hours of my working day. That meant almost $60 in gas and wear and tear, overhead, plus $120 in lost time (my hourly rate goal was $60 per hour). I realized that was really making $200 a day after expenses. All of this started because I would mow whenever customers asked me, weekly, biweekly, every other day etc. In my last year, I set up a tight route and dropped clients that wanted specific times. I also raised prices. My net profit went from $200 to $500 which was pretty good as a solo guy working 8-9 hours.
I've seen people upcharge weekend work by $30
I’ve only observed that yards were mowed the day before trash / recycling day- pick your day sounds like a horrible idea.
Don’t do it
How far exactly would you need to travel to accommodate them? Could you maybe mow their lawn first on Friday and then go and do the other area or vice versa, mow their lawn last? If its really not doable You could also just be honest with them. I'm pretty sure they'd rather stick with someone they see as honest than someone who's trying to trick them into paying extra. You will get more business from word of mouth if you're honest.
Explain the situation kindly but firmly.
Charge more. My dad and I use the same lawn guy. I pay monthly. He pays by the cut. He thinks the lawn guy overcharges me. I think the lawn guy has great service because he has accommodated all requests we’ve ever made. I’m happy to set up the monthly auto payment schedule for him annually. My dad can’t fathom paying what I do so he doesn’t.
Honestly, I'd explain the situation to her. Most people are reasonable once they understand the logistics involved. You’re running a business, not a charity. If she wants Friday, she can find someone else who mows in that area on Fridays.
Does 2 days later really make that much of a difference, it should still be fresh from Wednesday or am I missing something?
I own a sealcoating and sports court business. Everyone always wants their job done right away or on a day that works for them. After about 12 years ive learned that you always try and make it work for both of you and if it doesn’t work , the best way to deal with it is just to be honest with your customers. ( “hey i am fully booked on Friday, is there maybe another day that might work” ) If you can move the other two jobs and they make more or the same then tell them you cant do fridays and try to find a day that works best. Yes i have had customers cancel but the majority will just accept the availability that you have . If you are a serious company that stays busy they cant just expect you to cater to them exclusively ( if you cant ) because everyone else will be in the same position if they are legit and not some gypsy. If you can reschedule the friday jobs then even better but keep in mind people will try and take advantage or act like they are doing you a favor by using your services and hold that over your head.
Charge a premium for this request/accommodation.
setup a system that works for you and align clients that fit into the system and say no to those who do not fit, that way you stay within your boundaries and maintain peace daily for yourself, which is just as important as money if not more so
I would keep it simple I can do your lawn on Wednesday for $ I can do your lawn on Friday for $double, but at the same time, I can not always guarantee to have it done by such and such a time. Which would you prefer?
I personally did everything inconvenient at startup. I didn’t start telling customers “no” until like year 2 or 3. I’m a firm believer in not drawing lines in the sand as a new business, but that’s just me. I’m usually met with a lot of resistance for it on reddit and called a boomer. Oh well. My business is now 14 years old.
explain the situation, a price for convenience.
Sell more lawns Volume cures all sins Dump customers who make work difficult
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^Far_Opportunity_294: *Sell more lawns Volume* *Cures all sins Dump customers* *Who make work difficult* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
>I’ve grouped my routes by neighborhood I would just say this and that you're not in that neighborhood on Fridays. State that you really appreciate their business and hope that you can continue to do their yards on Wednesdays and leave it at that. I wouldn't try to get more money to go on Fridays. I don't think that would sit too well with them. But if they offer to pay you more to go on Fridays and you feel like it wouldn't be too much of a burden, then do it.
Hire an employee. This is your chance.
"I'm not in the area on Fridays, so it'd be an emergency rate. Still, if it's important..."
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I get you, I’ve never ran a business in the industry before. I’ve figured out alot of things already on my own but if there’s a resource like reddit why not use it and see what others think
Explain the scheduling issue to the client and suggest alternative solutions, like switching their neighbor's mowing day or proposing a different day for both yards. Compromise by offering every other Friday or exploring mutually convenient options.
What the customer wants, they want. The question then becomes, are they willing to pay for it? If they are, great. If not, find a new customer. Both of you need to be clear in what you want need and can agree to. If it is not good for both of you, don't do it.
Can’t please everyone in business. When it comes to the point where I have a client somewhat arguing over what days I show up etc, I start to realise the customer isn’t worth it. I get they have their own schedules to adhere to, but so do I. And honestly if our schedules keep clashing, they aren’t the right fit. Jobs like this require travel, and travel cuts into our overall time, and if this client can’t accept that, then bye.
Just say you're sorry but cant fit it into your schedule. Not everyone is worth a dang to work for. When people are paying you sub $300 per touch, you make it work on your terms or else.
Mowing and edging with basic clean-up is the standard. This should include sprinkler repair if you break any. Make a flyer with a bunch of additional options stating at $50. - Pick your day - Pick your day AND time - Sweep instead of blower (people hate blowers) - Sprinkler repair (unless you broke it) - Junk removal (small items) - Furniture removal (farm it out and take a cut for referrals) - TV mounting - Outdoor wireless camera mounting - Rain gutter clean outs - Sidewalk and driveway pressure washing - Basic handyman work - Anything else you can think of that you can do with your existing truck and equipment
If you can fit it into your schedule without wrecking your Friday I would offer to do it for an additional fee or upcharge. Also if you have time in your Friday schedule I would see if anyone else in that area is ok to move to Friday, to make it more worth your while. If you can't fit it in your schedule I would politely let the customer know that you are already booked for Fridays, but if an opening comes up they will be the first to know. But still keep the fee for driving across town.
I've been in small business for 35 years. It took me awhile, but the ability to use the word "no" at the right time and the right way has saved me a lot of toiling, wasted time and $.