[fakie99]

what kinds of strategies are you guys using to fill up your scheudles for the late season months? we operate in michigan where the season is pretty much done by the end of october. but we can certainly do installtions of patios, walls, etc on into december. my challenge is how to secure work now, when landscaping is the last thing on a homeowner's mind. i do not want to resort to cutting prices significantly to get fall work - i am sure there are some other techniques out there for putting together a backlog of work for the late season. has anyone implemented a strategy like this with any success? thanks,

jim

[Dale Wiley]

Depending on the part of country you are in, it seems to me that a 'backlog" of work is a thing of the past.

Due to the increase in the number of morons getting into the landscape contracting business, the prices have went down, and these yahoos can start a job for a client this afternoon.

We had a 3 week schedule or "backlog" 3 weeks ago, we are now back to about 4 days. In a small, $ 300,000 a year business, that is not good, nor does it allow me a comfortable feeling going into November.

I just keep the marketing program going, and keep making sales efforts.

I need some rain, so some athletic fields get destroyed and we can go in and fix them...

[PSUscaper]

One of my strategies is to keep the smaller jobs on the back burner for the last few months and the large projects bounced to next spring.

Starting in Nov, large jobs become a problem as you may not get in there to finish.

I hate starting a project and only getting half way through it. It just becomes a mess in the spring to get started again.

Thats why I am trying to keep all the small hardscape installs for the last month. With 2-3 day projects, you can get some bad weather, still get them finished, get PAID, and not have to go back in the spring time to clean up a mess that you couldn't in the winter. I hate holding money back on a project untill we can come back and plant or seed, or sod, or whatever.

[Stonehenge]

PSU - How do you handle those clients during the selling process if they express a concern about paying for the thing now but not getting to enjoy it until next spring.

That's one of the hurdles I face when trying to sell in late summer and fall.

[Dragonfly]

FOUR MONTH BACKLOG !!!!!!!!!! Set yourself apart from the competition ! We charge at the high end of the food chain. Once you pass up the lowballers and get to high end work things get easier to a point.

[mrusk]

I think its best to just do small projects after Nov 1st. I started a large project last year at this time and guess what, i lost my shirt on it. Once the temp starts getting in the forties, once it rains it take forever to dry out. Things become a mess real fast.


I'm finishing my last hardscape project of the year next week. Than i am taking ICPI
course. Then i am off to San Antionio for 2 weeks for some training for a new product line i will be installing. Once i get back i'm finishing my fall clean ups then looking foward to winter!

Its been a tough year!

Matt

[Stonehenge]

Originally posted by Dragonfly
FOUR MONTH BACKLOG !!!!!!!!!! Set yourself apart from the competition ! We charge at the high end of the food chain. Once you pass up the lowballers and get to high end work things get easier to a point.

Congrats on the backlog.

But your situation, where fall and winter don't really exist, is different from most in areas where snow flies in the winter. People start going into hibernation mode as early as August around here, so it gets difficult to even generate leads that time of year, let alone close on them.

Now maybe the answer is to just sell a boatload of work, and the work-in-fall thing just takes care of itself.

[johnkeegan]

One thing I've done to line up the late fall work is to start in late summer with mailings to past customers to push fall work. And even follow up with calls to "good" customers. Or "conveniently" stop by their property while "in the neigborhood" to check on past work and you'd be surprised how the conversation can turn to possible fall projects as you walk the property. Some of the things I stress to them is, 1) I want to contact my regular customers to see if there's any potential spring projects we can do now to avoid the inevitable spring rush. 2) They'll have it done now so they can begin enjoying it early in spring. 3) It will, inevitably, be cheaper now before I sit down this winter and reevaluate my pricing and that of my suppliers.
In my late summer/fall local advertising I also stress, "Don't Wait Until Spring," in bold print.
All of this seems to work because we are always booked up until late Nov. (or early Dec. if Mother Nature allows).

[TrickyDick]

We always seem to have a couple of slower weeks in October that we can fill with a few small projects or extras on maintenance accounts. Once we hit November and leaves really start to drop it seems like we are busy as hell just trying to complete regular fall cleaning, pruning, putting gardens and lawns to bed, planting bulbs, etc. before the end of November when when there's a real chance of getting anything unfinished burried by snow. We usually end up with a December full of things we had to put off in November.

Partly it is like pennscapes said. We are always thinking this time of year of what needs to be done right away and what can be put off until the end of the season.

[PSUscaper]

"PSU - How do you handle those clients during the selling process if they express a concern about paying for the thing now but not getting to enjoy it until next spring.

That's one of the hurdles I face when trying to sell in late summer and fall."

I hate to say it, but maybe you have to 'stretchhhhhhhh' the truth a little bit. When doing a project in the fall, is the grass going to germinate? Maybe not....but, you never know if you will get one of those warm winters!

Is is easy to say that you don't take any chances with ground conditions such as frost and freezing materials and poor compaction, but, at the same time, say that there is still time to get the job done even when you have had early frosts?...No, but it has happened.

I'm definitely more flexible with pricing in the fall. I can't say I've had any kind of backlog of work this year that made me real comfortable. It really is a balancing act between paying the bills and keeping job quality to the level it needs to be in the fall.

I think things just take time still. I have to say that this year has been a little slow, but will say that I am getting a lot of interest for next year, which is something I haven't had in the past. I will say that has a lot to do with being more established, and with spending more time searching for work. I have done more little jobs this year than I ever had, but, at the same time, I'm seeing all this little work starting to snowball into larger work as people keep referring me.

[Paul]

My question is why do you stop selling?

[familyguy]

cuz the customers go "dormant"?

I don't know that we ever stop selling work.. just the number of opportunities seems to diminish significantly from September to April.

I never understand why folks can't comprehend the concept of, think about it in Fall, make the plan in Winter, we will do the job come Spring, but, it never fails no matter how much I try to prod and encourage them to do so.

[Lanelle]

Often people like to think that they are getting ahead of the power curve. So sell to that with the notion that early decisions mean early installations equals a full three seasons next year to enjoy their new landscape project.

[jwholden]

I ran into a situation saturday where I was discussing a project with a customer that could go ahead in the fall or the spring. They are good customers and we have a long term relationship. I decided to take the high road, I can't deal with worrying about that call saying, "When the hell are you going to install my project?".

I told my clients that I have one large project that I am waiting to get notice on. If the people with the large project decide to hold off until spring I will be out to do their project. I further explained that for planting projects if I don't see the plants I want or the quality I want we will wait until spring to buy the plants. I asked for a 10% deposit on the job, as opposed to the normal 30%.

In reality I would like to get as much of this job done in the fall as possible. I may even decide to bump the larger job back another week or two. It is 100% planting and with the design completed it is a matter of getting the beds prepped and locating the plants.

Life is too short to life on false promises. I am going to take the high road and go with honesty about schedules and expectations of my jobs. It can be pleasantly surprising for clients!