You have been in the lawn care business more than just a few years. You have a business location, several employees, several fully equipped trucks, maybe an office manager/assistant/partner. Growth has become an issue. You have heard stories about big buyouts by one of the big 3 corporate lawn care companies and would like to position the company to be more attractive.

You are ready to add an additional lawn service truck because your current fleet is reaching thier limits.
You have the staff and drive to take on an additional 250 - 500 new customers next year. You have the staff and drive to run 500 - 1000 new leads in the spring.
Your customer base has grown to cover most of the community, but is not really saturated in most neighborhoods.

What to do?

Besides all of the options mentioned in the 0-250 Lawn Care Customer Base Guides, you should be thinking of using additional marketing tools. Telemarketing (outsourced) is a great tool to build density in specific areas. It can be turned on and off as needed so that you don't fall behind in running leads.

Consider a Spring Direct Mail Campaign. Lawn care direct mail usually costs more, but is highly targeted and reaches those prospects you can't reach by phone because they are on the national Do-Not-Call list. Direct mail sales traditionally have a lower cancel rate than any other form of marketing and revenue per sale is usually higher. Response rates have averaged 0.80% over the last few years and have ranged from as low as 0.45% to as high as 2.50% depending on geographic area, offers and text (closing rates average 45%). On average these rates have remained consistent since 9/11.

When adding new vehicles, consider adding up-scale graphics that will tie in with your web site, direct mail and other marketing materials. This is typically more than just a logo and phone number, but large decals that cover a good portion of the van. This helps build consumer recognition of your name and service and improves all other forms of marketing.

Web Site ($500 - $1500)
Door Hanging Neighbors of Current Customers ($0.20 each + labor costs)
Business Cards an inexpensive way to make a big impact (less than $0.07 + postage)
Telemarketing — New Leads; the fastest way to increase market share; closing rate is typically lower than direct mail leads; list selection is targeted ($1600 - $2000 for 50 hour test)
Telemarketing — In-house Cancel/Reject File -- the gold mine of any business;
Spring Direct Mail Campaigns — the best time to generate quality leads and long-term customers; highly selective list following specific criteria for maximum results and return on investment
Premium Truck Decaling — truck sales account for between 2 - 4 % of new sales each year; make a lasting impression with quality truck signage; investment depends on size and quantity of graphics; include web site on truck as well as all literature used by company

750-1500 Lawn Care Customer Base

What to do?

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