LAWN CARE – HIRING A PROFESSIONAL
Lawn Care
Hiring a lawn care or landscape professional…
There is a lot of competition out there in the local lawn care and landscaping industry. It seems like every week I see a new truck driving around town with a magnet sticker on its door hauling a trailer down the road full of mowers and lawn equipment. Just as quickly, however, those names fade and are here today gone tomorrow. Hiring a lawn care or landscaping professional can be a stress reliever or, in a bad situation, be a huge frustration. So how do you hire a professional lawn care or landscaping company? Hint: the key word is PROFESSIONAL.
1. Research the Company. What’s their reputation? What’s the word on the street? Do you’re homework and look at online reviews, their website, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and so on. Also ask around. Who have your neighbors used and liked? This is a good way to weed out unreliable and poor quality companies.
2. Licensed and Insured. This is VERY important! Do NOT do business with a landscaper that does not have the proper licenses and liability insurance. You may be getting a “deal” from the guy that only accepts cash, but it can have disastrous consequences. Remember, companies that are licensed and insured have created a profession out of their business. This is their livelihood, not just a way to make a few extra bucks. And,in this sue-happy world, you can’t be too cautious!
3. Customer Service. Customer service and lawn care companies don’t typically go hand-in-hand. There are a lot of guys out there that give our industry a bad name by not showing up on time, not doing quality work, not answering or returning phone calls, not providing estimates, etc. However, there are a lot of reputable companies out there as well. Try to find a company with an office manager or an owner-operator that responds reasonably. Also, refer to rule #1: Research. Do they have a website? Do they use social media? Do they have an e-mail address? Do they use billing or scheduling software? These are all signs of a professional business.
4. Appearance. It’s not always apt to judge a book by it’s cover, but when it comes to lawn care and landscaping companies you can get a few ideas about what kind of company you may be doing business with. What do the trucks look like? Are they well maintained or do they look like they’re a few miles away from being put in the junk yard? What about the other equipment? Is there a crew and do they have a dress code? *Let me just note here: if you hire a guy who shows up with sleeveless shirt (or worse NO SHIRT) and cut off jean shorts you’re on your own. Professional lawn care and landscaping businesses will try to maintain a professional appearance at all times and maintain a look of consistency thru their workforce.
5. Price. This is a tough one because lets be honest: everyone wants a deal. BUT – when you see signs that say “Any size yard only $25 per cut!” you’ve got to know that that person will not be in business for long. Just like any other business, true professional lawn care and landscaping companies have expenses like overhead, payroll, equipment maintenance, gas, etc. and price accordingly. Feel free to shop around, but know that the cheapest bid is not always going to provide you with the best service.
As in any business there are good and bad lawn mowers and landscapers. But doing just a little bit of homework can help you hire a professional lawn care or landscaping company that you can have a relationship with for years to come. Are you looking for lawn care or landscaping services? Click here to contact us today.
