WEBVTT 00:00:44.840 --> 00:00:49.340 Hustlers welcome back to the lawn hustle the 00:00:49.340 --> 00:00:53.740 podcast where we keep it real about the grind 00:00:53.740 --> 00:01:00.259 about growth and Everything in between when it 00:01:00.259 --> 00:01:05.540 comes to building a lawn care or landscaping 00:01:05.540 --> 00:01:12.739 business I Am Andy Wilson your host with 16 years 00:01:12.739 --> 00:01:18.489 of experience in the green industry. Today we're 00:01:18.489 --> 00:01:26.269 talking about a topic that can literally make 00:01:26.269 --> 00:01:32.170 or break your business. We talk all the time 00:01:32.170 --> 00:01:38.230 about finding new clients, growing your numbers, 00:01:39.510 --> 00:01:45.439 growing your revenue. scaling your business to 00:01:45.439 --> 00:01:53.299 the next level. But let's flip it. Sometimes 00:01:53.299 --> 00:01:57.540 the most important decision you can make isn't 00:01:57.540 --> 00:02:03.500 about who you say yes to. It's about who you 00:02:03.500 --> 00:02:13.060 say no to. Because here's the truth. Not Every 00:02:13.060 --> 00:02:19.400 client is a good client. Some customers will 00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:26.000 pay you on time, respect your work, and make 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:31.500 your business better. But other clients will 00:02:31.500 --> 00:02:36.719 drain your time, your profits, and your patience. 00:02:38.099 --> 00:02:42.340 So let's break it down here. are five types of 00:02:42.340 --> 00:02:48.259 clients that you want to avoid in the green industry. 00:02:49.960 --> 00:02:55.039 Before we dive into those five clients, let's 00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:58.979 take a short break and let's hear a word from 00:02:58.979 --> 00:03:05.300 our new sponsor, Eartha Pro. Tired of chasing 00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:08.659 payments and losing track of jobs? 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So there's five clients that you 00:03:38.180 --> 00:03:42.719 want to avoid in the green industry number one 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:50.180 the price shopper You know the type They start 00:03:50.180 --> 00:03:55.219 every conversation with how much do you charge? 00:03:56.819 --> 00:04:02.620 They don't ask about your quality of work They 00:04:02.620 --> 00:04:07.759 don't ask about your reliability or your results, 00:04:08.460 --> 00:04:17.439 just the price. And here's the kicker. Even if 00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:23.480 you lend them, they're not loyal. The second 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:29.060 someone comes along, $5 cheaper than what you 00:04:29.060 --> 00:04:38.810 are, that client is gone. That's why it's important 00:04:38.810 --> 00:04:44.449 for you to charge according to your value and 00:04:44.449 --> 00:04:50.889 according to the perceived outcome of the client. 00:04:52.970 --> 00:04:59.930 You don't want to just charge for the job. Charge 00:04:59.930 --> 00:05:05.370 for your value, your experience. the perceived 00:05:05.370 --> 00:05:11.949 outcome that the client desires. So you gotta 00:05:11.949 --> 00:05:17.870 beware of the price shopper. All they're interested 00:05:17.870 --> 00:05:25.029 in is the cheapest price. Here's an example. 00:05:26.870 --> 00:05:30.350 I once had a customer who called me back and 00:05:30.350 --> 00:05:33.209 forth, back and forth for about three weeks. 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:41.000 trying to save 50 bucks. We finally agreed. I 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:45.899 did the work. It turned out great. And the next 00:05:45.899 --> 00:05:52.939 season, they were gone because someone came along 00:05:52.939 --> 00:06:00.079 and offered them a special that was cheaper. 00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:06.420 And all that I'd done for that client all of 00:06:06.420 --> 00:06:13.620 my effort all of the work the sweat was nothing 00:06:13.620 --> 00:06:21.660 but wasted energy because they were a price shopper 00:06:21.660 --> 00:06:29.100 the lesson learned if a client doesn't see the 00:06:29.100 --> 00:06:36.720 value in what you do They're not a client worth 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:51.160 having. Number two. The Scope Creeper. The Scope 00:06:51.160 --> 00:06:57.079 Creeper. This is one of the most common ones 00:06:57.079 --> 00:07:01.480 in our industry. You quote them from Mowing. 00:07:02.730 --> 00:07:05.269 And the next thing you know, they're saying, 00:07:06.430 --> 00:07:13.769 since you're here, can you trim this bush real 00:07:13.769 --> 00:07:19.529 quick? Won't take you long at all. Can you blow 00:07:19.529 --> 00:07:24.490 off the shed? It's got some leaves up around 00:07:24.490 --> 00:07:29.850 it. Can you blow the shed off or? While you're 00:07:29.850 --> 00:07:32.470 here, can you pick up this pile of sticks in 00:07:32.470 --> 00:07:36.170 the backyard? the storm the other night left 00:07:36.170 --> 00:07:40.069 some limbs down from our tree we picked them 00:07:40.069 --> 00:07:44.110 all up and they're in a pile and you walk around 00:07:44.110 --> 00:07:47.670 and it's a load and a half full of sticks and 00:07:47.670 --> 00:07:55.629 limbs and brush and Of course They expect it 00:07:55.629 --> 00:08:02.910 to be all included in the original price. So 00:08:02.910 --> 00:08:05.329 they want their yard mowed, they want their bushes 00:08:05.329 --> 00:08:10.870 trimmed, they want their yard picked up and cleaned 00:08:10.870 --> 00:08:24.329 up, all for $65. Here's another example. I had 00:08:24.329 --> 00:08:28.670 a guy that hired us for mowing. First week, he 00:08:28.670 --> 00:08:31.889 wanted a hedge trimmed. The second week, he wanted 00:08:31.889 --> 00:08:36.470 the driveway power washed. The third week, he 00:08:36.470 --> 00:08:39.029 asked if we could spread some mulch that he already 00:08:39.029 --> 00:08:45.750 had. By week number four, he had a full honeydew 00:08:45.750 --> 00:08:51.850 list for me and my helpers, all for the same 00:08:51.850 --> 00:08:59.279 price. It's a scope. creeper. All of that additional 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:08.440 work outside of what you estimated is work out 00:09:08.440 --> 00:09:16.779 of scope. You didn't bid it, so you have to charge 00:09:16.779 --> 00:09:22.320 more for it. I don't mind trimming the hedge. 00:09:22.789 --> 00:09:26.230 I don't mind picking up some brush from a storm. 00:09:26.690 --> 00:09:30.610 I don't mind blowing leaves away from the shed. 00:09:32.549 --> 00:09:42.490 But it's not free. It's not in scope work. So 00:09:42.490 --> 00:09:47.570 whatever a client asks you to do outside of the 00:09:47.570 --> 00:09:54.440 scope of your estimate. It's an additional charge 00:09:54.440 --> 00:10:02.639 to do it. Don't leave money on the table by continually 00:10:02.639 --> 00:10:10.399 serving a scope creeper. It's not worth it. It 00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:13.960 will affect your bottom line. It will affect 00:10:13.960 --> 00:10:22.000 your morale. The lesson learned is Scope creep 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:27.419 will eat your time, because if the yard only 00:10:27.419 --> 00:10:32.259 takes you 30 minutes to mow, but then you got 00:10:32.259 --> 00:10:34.679 a big pile of sticks to pick up, or you got a 00:10:34.679 --> 00:10:39.460 hedge to trim, or they want your driveway power 00:10:39.460 --> 00:10:44.679 washed, all of that takes time, and your time 00:10:44.679 --> 00:10:54.230 is valuable. So you have to set parameters. You 00:10:54.230 --> 00:10:57.909 have to be able to explain it to the customer. 00:10:58.409 --> 00:11:01.529 That's out of scope work. We never discussed 00:11:01.529 --> 00:11:06.450 it. I never bid on it. I'm happy to do it. But 00:11:06.450 --> 00:11:14.450 here's what it's going to cost you. Don't be 00:11:14.450 --> 00:11:24.960 afraid to say, No. Don't be afraid to say, yes, 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:32.259 I can do that, but it's going to cost you. The 00:11:32.259 --> 00:11:35.720 number three client to avoid in the green industry 00:11:35.720 --> 00:11:43.340 is the unrealistic perfectionist. These are folks 00:11:43.340 --> 00:11:49.750 that want golf course perfection. on a shoestring 00:11:49.750 --> 00:11:56.389 budget. They've neglected their yard for 10 years. 00:11:56.889 --> 00:12:04.850 The soil is shot. Weeds are everywhere. No irrigation. 00:12:09.350 --> 00:12:13.129 But the minute you step on the property, they 00:12:13.129 --> 00:12:17.279 expect perfection. When they mowed it, They never 00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:24.139 trimmed. They never treated for weeds. They never 00:12:24.139 --> 00:12:30.820 sprayed for fertilization or weed control. But 00:12:30.820 --> 00:12:33.320 the minute you step on the property, all of a 00:12:33.320 --> 00:12:38.220 sudden, now, they want the yard sprayed. They 00:12:38.220 --> 00:12:40.899 want the flower beds treated. They don't want 00:12:40.899 --> 00:12:45.120 any weeds in the mulch. They want the hedges 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:54.000 to be perfect. I had a client who wanted a full, 00:12:54.240 --> 00:13:00.980 lush, green, weed -free lawn. And I can get you 00:13:00.980 --> 00:13:08.480 there. But they wanted it immediately. I explained 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:11.240 to them it would take time. It would take several 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:14.139 mows to get the property under control. It would 00:13:14.139 --> 00:13:19.279 take several months of treatment to get the weeds 00:13:19.279 --> 00:13:22.840 out of the grass. to kill the weeds around the 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:29.639 house in the mulch beds or the rock beds. It 00:13:29.639 --> 00:13:37.379 would take months of consistent care. After the 00:13:37.379 --> 00:13:40.940 second visit, they were upset and asked, why 00:13:40.940 --> 00:13:50.350 isn't their yard look perfect yet? The lesson 00:13:50.350 --> 00:13:56.509 learned here, some people have expectations that 00:13:56.509 --> 00:14:01.250 you will never meet. I don't care how good you 00:14:01.250 --> 00:14:05.889 are, and you can be the best in your town, but 00:14:05.889 --> 00:14:08.750 there are some clients, I don't care what you 00:14:08.750 --> 00:14:14.009 do, it's never good enough. Because that client 00:14:14.009 --> 00:14:18.789 is nothing but an unrealistic perfectionist. 00:14:25.610 --> 00:14:32.669 They nitpick. They'll stress you out. They'll 00:14:32.669 --> 00:14:35.669 always find fault in something that you have 00:14:35.669 --> 00:14:43.009 done. Sometimes it's better to walk away than 00:14:43.009 --> 00:14:52.049 to take on the impossible mission. That's why 00:14:52.049 --> 00:14:59.740 you have to learn. What type of client you want 00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:08.659 to serve? Who is your ideal client? Who is the 00:15:08.659 --> 00:15:18.659 client that you want to work for? Number four. 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:31.220 The late payer or the non -payer. Cash flow is 00:15:31.220 --> 00:15:37.519 the heartbeat of your business. You can't pay 00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:42.460 your crew, you can't pay your fuel or your equipment 00:15:42.460 --> 00:15:51.820 if clients don't pay on time. We've all heard 00:15:51.820 --> 00:15:56.720 the excuses, the checks in the mail. I'll catch 00:15:56.720 --> 00:16:01.600 you next week. or the worst, they just start 00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:06.639 ghosting you. They won't return a phone call. 00:16:07.419 --> 00:16:10.039 They won't return a text message or an email. 00:16:15.779 --> 00:16:19.279 I had a client who was always just a week behind. 00:16:21.559 --> 00:16:27.120 And then one week turned into two, then three. 00:16:28.970 --> 00:16:32.629 By the time I finally cut ties with that customer, 00:16:33.830 --> 00:16:37.049 and I should have done it sooner than I did, 00:16:40.269 --> 00:16:43.269 but by the time I finally cut ties with them, 00:16:44.190 --> 00:16:52.850 they owed me several hundred dollars. And the 00:16:52.850 --> 00:16:59.019 stress wasn't worth it. If they're not paying 00:16:59.019 --> 00:17:04.259 you. You're just doing the work and you're getting 00:17:04.259 --> 00:17:06.859 nothing out of it. You're wasting your energy. 00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:12.359 You're being stressed and you're getting nothing 00:17:12.359 --> 00:17:14.660 out of it. As a matter of fact, it's costing 00:17:14.660 --> 00:17:18.460 you money because you got to get there. You got 00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:21.440 to fill up your mowers. You got to pay your help. 00:17:24.960 --> 00:17:30.410 It's not worth it. The sooner you cut ties with 00:17:30.410 --> 00:17:34.009 the non -payer or the late -payer, the better 00:17:34.009 --> 00:17:42.250 off you will be. The lesson learned is don't 00:17:42.250 --> 00:17:51.109 be afraid to enforce payment terms. Put late 00:17:51.109 --> 00:17:58.039 fees in place. And if someone makes a habit Cut 00:17:58.039 --> 00:18:03.759 them off. You're running a business, not a charity. 00:18:05.700 --> 00:18:09.440 And I'm all for charity, but that's not part 00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:13.240 of professional lawn maintenance. And it shouldn't 00:18:13.240 --> 00:18:20.920 be a part of your business. Now we're going to 00:18:20.920 --> 00:18:23.380 talk about something, another type of client 00:18:23.380 --> 00:18:29.500 that's very important. Number five. the disrespectful 00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:37.160 client. This is the one that makes your blood 00:18:37.160 --> 00:18:45.200 boil. They talk down to you or your crew. They 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:49.460 don't respect your time. Calling it all hours 00:18:49.460 --> 00:18:57.869 of the night expecting immediate responses. Some 00:18:57.869 --> 00:19:01.829 even stand over you and try to micromanage while 00:19:01.829 --> 00:19:10.109 you work. I had a customer once that texted me 00:19:10.109 --> 00:19:18.450 at midnight asking why their lawn wasn't mowed 00:19:18.450 --> 00:19:24.410 that day. The thing about it is, it poured rain 00:19:24.410 --> 00:19:32.559 all day long. and their yard was too wet to mow. 00:19:35.059 --> 00:19:41.200 No respect for my time, no respect for my crew, 00:19:43.940 --> 00:19:54.680 or they just had no common sense. Respect goes 00:19:54.680 --> 00:20:01.250 both ways. That's the lesson to learn. If a client 00:20:01.250 --> 00:20:05.630 doesn't respect you, if they don't respect your 00:20:05.630 --> 00:20:15.130 time or your team, you don't need them, period. 00:20:17.410 --> 00:20:28.670 No paycheck is worth a toxic relationship. Now 00:20:28.670 --> 00:20:31.789 thankfully today I have a lot of great customers, 00:20:31.950 --> 00:20:41.589 but it took me a long time to weed through and 00:20:41.589 --> 00:20:45.529 get rid of the clients that I didn't want to 00:20:45.529 --> 00:20:54.390 serve or need to serve. So you have to spend 00:20:54.390 --> 00:21:00.200 time learning. Figuring out who do you want to 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:09.039 serve? Who is your ideal customer? So hustlers, 00:21:10.859 --> 00:21:18.059 here is the takeaway. The wrong client will cost 00:21:18.059 --> 00:21:24.119 you way more than they pay you. They'll drain 00:21:24.119 --> 00:21:30.230 your time. They will hurt your business and your 00:21:30.230 --> 00:21:34.529 reputation Because as soon as something doesn't 00:21:34.529 --> 00:21:38.250 go the way they think it should They're gonna 00:21:38.250 --> 00:21:42.509 tell everybody about it So they'll ruin your 00:21:42.509 --> 00:21:49.230 reputation And they will block you from serving 00:21:49.230 --> 00:21:55.980 clients who actually appreciate you and your 00:21:55.980 --> 00:22:02.359 work. I've got one customer, every time I mow, 00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:08.720 we load up, we pull away from the property. Within 00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:14.619 just a few minutes, my phone will alert me to 00:22:14.619 --> 00:22:20.059 a text message. And the text message always says, 00:22:21.099 --> 00:22:25.569 thank you, Andy. I appreciate all you do for 00:22:25.569 --> 00:22:31.230 me. The yard looks great. I love those customers. 00:22:32.849 --> 00:22:38.250 That's the kind of people I want to serve. You 00:22:38.250 --> 00:22:46.009 see, I can't demand respect. I earn it. And neither 00:22:46.009 --> 00:22:51.589 can a client. They cannot demand my respect. 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:57.319 but they can earn it. And it's those customers 00:22:57.319 --> 00:23:03.559 that I don't mind going above and beyond to make 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:07.059 sure that I take care of them, make sure I take 00:23:07.059 --> 00:23:09.519 care of their property, make sure everything 00:23:09.519 --> 00:23:21.839 looks great. Remember, it's okay to say no. In 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:28.359 fact, saying no is one of the most powerful things 00:23:28.359 --> 00:23:34.799 you can do to protect your business and your 00:23:34.799 --> 00:23:42.960 sanity. So ask yourself, which of these five 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:51.769 clients have I dealt with? And more importantly, 00:23:53.569 --> 00:23:57.210 how are you protecting yourself from dealing 00:23:57.210 --> 00:24:06.470 with them again? So today we've talked about 00:24:06.470 --> 00:24:11.269 the five clients that you want to avoid in the 00:24:11.269 --> 00:24:17.049 green industry. If this has resonated with you, 00:24:17.049 --> 00:24:21.190 share with another Lawn Care Pro. who's grinding 00:24:21.190 --> 00:24:27.349 through these same challenges. Hit me up on Instagram, 00:24:27.529 --> 00:24:33.190 TikTok, Facebook, or YouTube. Let me know which 00:24:33.190 --> 00:24:37.670 type of client is your biggest headache. Until 00:24:37.670 --> 00:24:43.750 next time, keep hustling, keep grinding, and 00:24:43.750 --> 00:24:50.920 remember, you don't need every client. just the 00:24:50.920 --> 00:24:57.319 right ones. Until we talk again, I hope you have 00:24:57.319 --> 00:25:00.640 a great week. Thank you for listening. Thank 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:03.740 you for your support. We'll talk again real soon.