What do you have to offer?

[treeman82]

Hey everyone. I was kind of depressed this weekend because I couldn't get a job from this one guy because I am in school. I went home and talked with my folks. My father asked me "Matt, what can you offer that the current guy can't?" I thought for a while and didn't come up with much. I got in a rut about that for about an hour.

Then I thought to myself that in another year and a half I will have a lot to offer to just about any client. I will have an AS in Turfgrass Management from a highly reputable school. I will have a landscape designer who I can call at the drop of a hat who has an AS in Landscape Contracting, and may possibly have a degree in Turfgrass Management as well... he is unsure at this time. Then to top it all off I will have an Arborist (not your average tree guy) who has a BA in Urban Tree Management from one of the best schools in the world for that. Then on top of that I will have 2 excavation guys who I can call who together have over 50 years of experience moving earth. One guy is willing to manage projects for me. I will have 2 women who I can have out running crews for high detail work. I will also have several other things to offer to a customer. At this time I am a certified Technician for pesticides (gotta bump it up to Applicator) I will also rejoin the NYSTLA to get a membership there.

So with all that said- What do you have to offer your clients that your competition does not?

[Evan528]

Do you want a cookie? So ya didnt get the $180,000.00 job you were going on about the other night about? lol

[Williams Services]

... them eggs ain't dibbies yet.

That being said, all I can offer is my best, which is more than a lot of folks.

[treeman82]

No Evan, I didn't get the job :( or at least not as far as I know for now.

[Guido]

Thats a great list of "Contacts" but thats all they are are contacts.

I'm all the way in Germany right now, I've been out of Connecticut and Overseas on top of that for the past almost 4 years. And you know what? I have everything you listed on there still, from here.

I can call any of those people plus some and have them at a job site tommorow, but would someone hire me? Probobly not. They want to see someone there. Why don't you start with things you know how to do instead of looking or these huge jobs for other people?

Start with the smaller jobs, because it seems all you've been doing is shooting for these big jobs and loosing. I'm not trying to down you, but I think your looking in the wrong direction on this.

Now, I'll go over that list again, and since everyone out there has a phone book, they also hav everything on that list except for you.

So like your Dad said, What do YOU have to offer?? Its not about what the excavating service or landscape designer can offer me, its what do YOU have besides a degree.

School is great, I have an Assoc. in Construction Technology and am working on a BA in business management. When I get back to the states I'll work towards a 2nd in landscape construction, but none of that means anything if I can't back it up with my work, customer service and proffesionalism.So, what is different between you and some other guy looking to sub out 200,000 dollar jobs?

[65hoss]

Reliability!!!!

[HOMER]

I know some folks that could sell a drowning man water and have nothing in the way of an education.

I know others that are too intelligent for their own good.

Personality sells more than education down here. If folks think your honest and you treat them right then there ya go.

What do I have to offer?

I don't know..............wanna buy some water?

[AltaLawnCare]

I'm with 65Hoss and Homer.

And looking at a job, thinking about it and talking about doing it are a whole lot easier than getting out there and making it happen!

[djb_61]

Honesty, Reliability, Integrity, a willingness to get the job done no matter what, I'm available to talk over problems, ideas, or just to chit chat if that's what they need.
I try to offer whatever the last LMO didn't !
Even if it means giving 15 minutes of my time to the little old lady who is lonely and bored and just wants to talk about her kids that never come to see her.
Sure I'm in this to make a living but my customers are people, just like me. We all need something.
Find that out first.....make them happy.

[Crazygator]

I agree 100% with djb_61. I give my customers a warm smile, a southern friendly personality, and the willingness to help out with more than just a job. Many think of me as their grand child, and that is the way I like it. My Dad taught me to treat others like I want to be treated, and thats what I offer that 90% cant, because they dont want to or dont know how!

[cantoo]

Show your future customers (and us) pictures of your completed work.....Again

[treeman82]

Find me a free hosting site and no problem. If you can wait 2 weeks for my finals to be over then I think we can work something out ;)

Hope ya like lookin at stumps ROTFLMAO

[eslawns]

Credentials are nice, but what people want is service. They expect a job to begin when you say it will, end when you say it will, look the way you said it would, and cost what they agreed to pay. And they want all this without having to keep calling you out or arguing. They want you to pay attention to details, even when they don't know that's what they want.

Nearly all reasonable people will understand when you have things holding you up, or mis-communications, but they expect (in many cases, demand) to be treated as though they are important. What do we offer? In a word: Service. When things go wrong, I don't make excuses, I ask what I need to do to make things right.

I make a point of getting to know my clients. I spend time talking with them, feeling out what they want, and then do my best to provide it for them. Some want to see my face every week when I finish my work. Some never want to think about the grass at all, except to send a check. Most are somewhere in between, and they just want to feel as if they matter.

If you want to complete your education, spend some time working in sales. Attend some sales-oriented seminars. The common them will nearly always be: Know your customer.

[Williams Services]

Good post, eslawns! Credentials are definitely not everything. I was at a place today where they have a nice-looking rig to ride in. Good appearance. That's a form of credentials, image. But the folks are dissatisfied and I saw a few reasons why. Nothing real major, just the -little- things. I watched them work today and they started off scaring me. Backed a Z off of a tall trailer on boards. :eek: Hopefully I can do something there. ;)

[Big Nate]

Originally posted by treeman82
Find me a free hosting site and no problem. If you can wait 2 weeks for my finals to be over then I think we can work something out ;)

Matt Before yiu started treating me like a piece of shat you had a 2 page site on my geocities site, If you want I can set up one for you aslong as it has a link to my site and a line at the bottom that saysSite designed by NCLS webdesigns 419-385-9464 :crazy:

[Totallawn]

To bad a BIG imagination don't get an over abundance of clients!!

[Williams Services]

It does, Brian, when you piece it out and act on it.

[Michael Wall]

Great post Eslawns, all the degrees in the world mean nothing if you can't back it up with quality work habits. What I have to offer is proven reputation for being on time, never screwing the customer and high quality of work. When you do good work, word of mouth spreads that news, when you leave customers hanging + do crap work that news spreads even faster.

[Lawn Dog]

I treat all of my customers like family, especially older people. I take the time to listen to they're problems, be them lawn related or not. Im honest with my customers. I keep my prices reasonable, especially for my oldest accounts. Im a good salesman, but Im not pushy. You will have to search far and wide to find someone who is unhappy with my company.

THESE ARE THINGS YOU CAN NOT LEARN IN COLLEGE!

Treeman, I respect the fact that you are so eager for knowledge of this industry. I respect the fact that you want to be the best in your field. But eventually you are going to realize, that just because someone did not throw thousands of dollars at a college, does not make them unqualified.

My father in law works for a huge landscaping company. He is a foreman. He has years of experience. He is the most knowledgable person I have EVER met in this field. He never attended college. He just has years and years of experience. i guarantee that all your scholling will not give you 1/2 of the knowledge that he has in this field.

BTW You know what else I have to offer? I am the best looking big man in lawn care! :biglaugh:

[treeman82]

I respect what all you guys are saying here. I do. My chiropractor told me a while back, (he is a very smart / rich man BTW) "Matt, go get your degree. Once you have got that then go and make your money off the backs of guys like Maxni there." Maxni is his current landscaper, and the doctor said this as we were watching him work.

BTW- my language there was changed around to protect those virgin ears that many of you guys have. ;)

I do agree that experience is key, however if you have 2 people with the same years of experience, one has a degree and the other doesn't. Who would you chose? Trying to compare a guy with 30 years in the industry to somebody who is fresh out of college is like comparing apples and oranges. The 30 year experience guy is going to know a lot of the in's and out's of how to make a business work, how to actually do the job, price the job, etc. While the college kid is going to know the technical aspects, such as plant needs, updated proceedures on how to do things, diseases, insects, etc. I have met many tree guys who are somewhat knowledgeable as to the diseases that trees suffer from. I have a buddy who is gettin his BA now, knows at least 10x more diseases and bugs than these guys who each have 20 more years than he does.

[1grnlawn]

best looking guy in, lawncare thats a prize!

Treeboy

Keep up the hard work. No, you don't have to go to college to cut grass. But don't let anybody that did't go tell you about what you don't need. Enjoy this time in your life, because it will be the best(old guy cliche). Over time you will gain experience and you will have both, an education and experience. I have to go and take my turfgrass final. Good luck!:think:

[jwcoat]

Don't forget to keep the services within your capabilities (don't bite off more than you can chew) and know the rules and their interpretation (whether EPA, permits or etc.).
Recently I had a water heater installed by a company with 20+ years in my city... to make a long story short, they installed the water heater within code, but charged me an additional $175 because they "interpreted the code" wrong. Now I'm getting the runaround because they said "if we change it for you, we change it for everyone."
Hey, I could care less about the change. I'm the customer and your interpretation of the building code set me back an additional $175. Fix it, or I tell all my buddies not to use you and then I tell Home Depot and write letters...
Anyway, that's how bad service starts. By not taking care of the customer. Be there for them; be nice to them; be punctual; be reliable as the sun and provide value.

[FOX-PROPERTY]

I think it's great that a business has the credentials to help back up sales to clients. But I also think that the "BUSINESS" end of this business has to be the most important. Sure we can all go out and get degrees in this and that relating to this industry, but the business end is what seems to be the most important. Without any business sense, what good are all those years of studying going to to for you?
What I have to offer is very little. I know the basics of this industry and that's it! Yes, I'm learning more and more every day, but I need to learn more! What I do give to my customers is my dedication to care for their property the way I care for my own. I don't mow and go...yes time is money, but so is keeping a customer.
On the other hand, I have degrees in business. I can generate customers without any problem. I can manage my paperwork, I am very well organized and so on.....Yes, I have plan for down the road for some rapid growth/expansion. I can hire the employees with the degrees in this industry to help my company grow. I want to stay connected to this industry in a "BUSINESS" sense as well as a "HANDS ON" position. I keep a POSITIVE outlook for the future of my company...without dreaming to big. REMEMBER: Just because you have degrees in this industry, It's not a guarantee that it alone will be the building block of your business (but it sure can help!)

[scottt]

treeman82,
I think getting a degree is great. I'm working on mine right now. But, if I was going to hire a landscape contractor to do something I don't know how to do yet, I wouldn't ask or care if they have gone to college or not. In fact if they have just gotten out of college that is who I would be concerned about. It seems like when my friends get their degrees, they think they know it all. Well it doesn't work that way. They have taken on jobs they couldn't handle and don't have a very good name for themselves now. But back to who I would hire, it would be who has more hands on experience, not book experience. There is a big difference between reading about it and going out and doing it. If they both had the same amount of hands on experience, whether one had a degree or not wouldn't matter to me. If they both have a good reputation and equal quality, it would be the best price.