When I started out I viewed everyone who had a home as a potential customer. I did not want to do commercial and only residential. So, everyone that lived in a home and had a patch of grass that needed to be mowed was my so called “potential customer”. Problem is that not all of them can be. Not everyone can afford lawn service. Some want to do it for themselves for a list of reasons. Some don’t care for it and wouldn’t want to pay for it. Others just pay once in a while just to appease the city or landowner.
Who you have left are those that want lawn service and would pay. Within this section of customers you’re going to have those that would want to pay the minimum to those that would pay more and subscribe to additional services/products your business sells. On a regular basis you need to evaluate your customers, your services/products, and where you see your business.
It’s December and i’m looking at my clients, the services we provide, and the revenue we bring from each one. For example, right now I have a client that had me start late in the season because “grass has not started to grow”, then had us stop in October because “Winter has come” and no longer needed my services. The customer lives on the nice part of the city, but you wouldn’t know this by looking at the home. The bushes, that I did last year, are overgrown again. The house needs a paint job, windows are broken…you get the picture.
So instead of servicing a client X amount of times per year its reduced per their request. It would be better to replace this customer with one that would not only fulfill the lawn service visits but also receive other services/products your business offers. I will be dropping this client next year and open that slot for a more lucrative customer.
It doesn’t have to be the visit situation. It could be that they always complain, are late payers, you have to make house visits in order to get paid, are not willing to accept a price increase because they’ve always paid X for lawn mowing etc.
It may seem harsh but you need to look out for your business, your family, and if you have employees, for them as well. Don’t be afraid to let customers go. It may seem counterintuitive but my business revenue has not fallen due to dropped customers. There is always a customer around the corner that can take their place and be a better fit for your business. Find your ideal customer!