Snow removal

[biggdoggservices]

As part of our lawn care business, we want to get some snow removal customers... preferrably commercial accounts. Any ideas who to target and how? We thought about churches or apartment buildings. Are there free lists out there? Any other thoughts? Thank you!

[Steve]

How to get lawn care customers - Vol 2

One of the things you could do is drive through your area and make a list of the different commercial location that you would like to service. We have a letter in the free letter section that you can send to these properties to request to be put on their bid list. But the best thing to do is to knock on the door and ask who is in charge of the property and who you should send such a letter too. You improve your chances of landing these jobs when you meet the people who make such decisions. Let me know if this helps.

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Just thought i would add my $.02. When you are driving around town take a photo of commercial signs that are posted in front of bussiness, then when you get home take and put the information in a data base. Also looking the yellow pages (Book and Internet). get on the internet and look for Realtors and find commercial listing for rent or sale, the broker should be listed with contact information. add these to your data base. then in the slow times do a mass mailing. not only for snow removal but for lawn care to. it may take you longer and may have more return, but it bets spending big $$$ for a data base put together buy a big company, especially if your marketing budget is small. Microsoft office Acess has a good data base (contacts) and it does mail merge. A friend of mine has had a big return doing this (painter) my return is growing but at a slower rate. just remember for every 100 you send out you will get 10 calls for eastimates and land 1-2 jobs, but depending on job and price it may just pay for your small investment.

Rob
R&B Enterprise
"Quality is a lasting impression"

[Steve]

Rob,

What do you suggest a lawn care business owner send to a potential customer to get them to sign up for snow plow services?

Should they send them a bid? Or what kind of wording would you suggest in a letter?

Any help would be appreciated.

i took the invite to bid format that you had on this site and modified it to my paticular market. just requested to be added to their bid list for future snow removal and lawn care needed. granted i only had a partial list. (75) and gave 2 estimates. but the goal was to confirm a accurate data base of the mailing address. i only had 0ne invalid address. another group is going out end of october, along with the previous 75. i will keep this up during the winter. until i do mass mailing in early Feb. i will keep sending them letters to keep my name in front of the broker. Hope this type of marketing stratagey will pay of in the spring time.

Rob

In Referance to a bid or letter. i Would Send a letter requesting a invite to bid on a residental coustomer. around here you can not go to someones property and knock on the door selling your services its call solicatation and is against the city code. so if a coustomer ask you to do a bid, that is fine, also you want to get a good lay of the property you will be plowing and make a sketch of the place, take digital photos, may be a ariel shot from google earth so when it snow and every thing is hidden, you have a good idea where the obsticles area.

[Steve]

i took the invite to bid format that you had on this site and modified it to my paticular market. just requested to be added to their bid list for future snow removal and lawn care needed. granted i only had a partial list. (75) and gave 2 estimates. but the goal was to confirm a accurate data base of the mailing address. i only had 0ne invalid address. another group is going out end of october, along with the previous 75. i will keep this up during the winter. until i do mass mailing in early Feb. i will keep sending them letters to keep my name in front of the broker. Hope this type of marketing stratagey will pay of in the spring time.

Do you suggest doing any follow up calls at all or going into the commercial establishments to find out who is the contact person for property maintenance?

Diffently do follow up calls, just ask the person you sent the letter to, if they received your letter and go visit the place you want to target if at all possable, some times that is difficult be cause the person thats doing the contracting may be out of the city or state. Brokers and Realtors have a short attention span (no pun intented) because they recieve alot of phone calls and letter and walk in clients on a daily bases, so you need to keep your company name in the front of their mind,


Rob

[snowmenkc]

Definitely, it helps when you knock on the door and ask who is in charge of the property and to whom you should send such a letter too.

[Clapper&company]

--> Its about time I find a Thread on here I can really put some insight and help out.

The Letter's will work how ever the return is small, so that we have found. If you want to pic up some Comm Accounts. First your going to want to target your Lawn Accounts... Next Start Cold/ Call Knock... Start calling mangers and start stopping in and talking to them.

Ask them if there happy and if there taking bids this year.

Keep in mind:

1. Always try to set up a meeting with them... Talk to them find out what they want.

2. Put together a Bid Packet.

3. Drop a Bid back off to them.

* The above should be all done within a 48hour time frame.

4. Send them a Thank you Card, (We send them the same day we meet/drop our bid off)

5. Do a Check up call if you dont hear anthing within 7 days.
( we do 7 days then 7days then Before it snows)

6. Sit back and wait for the Phone to ring.




Hope this helps, How long have you been pushing snow?

Let me know if you want to talk some more snow. Im not sure what area your in, but I'm from NE Ohio in the snow belt where we get real snow lol.

I'm also a member of SIMA and was in Snow Bussiness Magazine Sept 2008