The landscaping industry is one of the more profitable businesses out there, especially in warm climate areas. NerdWallet shares that the field brings in around $93 billion annually.
Your landscaping business may be making money, but you could also be leaving money on the table. There could be elements of your landscaping business that would benefit from some improvements to boost revenue.
If you want to make your landscaping business more effective, continue reading for our suggestions.
Analyze Costs
Before the money comes in, you need to know how the money’s going out.
Many businesses struggle to generate more income because they don’t always spend their money in the right places. Even worse, they could be wasting money on expenses that don’t contribute to growth.
Here are the areas where you could be losing money:
- Poor marketing strategies
- Using ineffective equipment
- Slacking employees
- Poor labor tracking and allocation
- Not sticking to the budget (if there is one)
Reduce your unnecessary spending by first compiling a list of all your expenses. We recommend having a financial assistant look over this with you. Itemize each expense, then ask yourself how necessary it is to spend on this item. Or, if it is necessary, ask yourself if you could cut back.
For example, if you hired a marketing agency to do your marketing but you’re not seeing results, it might be time to find an agency that’s a better fit an understands your business sector.
Another example is spending on taxes by missing out on deductions. If you’re not noting what items you buy to grow your business, you’ll miss out on many tax deductions when tax season comes along. A good bookkeeper or small business accountant will keep tabs on transactions, payroll and other financial statements to help you maximize your deductions.
Invest in Better Equipment
“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” We know you’ve heard that phrase plenty of times. Sometimes this is very true.
But other times, it’s not. If you’ve been in business for years and you’re still using the same equipment from day one, it may be time for an upgrade. Lawn Care and landscaping equipment is always evolving, making the work less and less strenuous.
Instead of using old-school, bulky gear, upgrade to lightweight, energy-efficient tools. You slowly see better results and performance from your crew.
Upgrade to More effective Lawn Care Technology.
Still sticking your crew on traditional, noisy, bulky lawn mowers?
It might be time for an upgrade.
Robotic lawn mowers are not a “new” technology (they’ve been around in some way for about 25 years!) and throughout the years, they have advanced to a point where more and more commercial lawn care pros are using robotic mowers to get ahead in the business — and to put their crew on more detail-oriented tasks that benefit the client.
Here are some benefits robotic mowers can bring to your lawn care business:
- Give your clients that “just mowed” look all the time.
More and more landscaping companies are giving their homeowners that “just mowed” look by essentially renting out a robotic lawn mower to their property that can “micro-mow” on a daily basis to provide that “freshly cut” look. Your team comes by once a week for trimming and details.
Your clients will be happy, because their lawn is healthier too — robotic mowers create less stress on the lawn, leading to healthier grass.
2. Robotic mowers are super quiet.
You can tell the robotic mower to mow at night and it won’t bother the neighbors. Gone are the days when you’re sending your crew out to disrupt the peace with loud, ear-drum-busting equipment.
3. Your lawn-care business will save money.
“Initially, most savings will be in reduced fuel and routine maintenance costs thanks to the all-electric platform. Even greater savings will come from reduced labor cost since a robotic mower will take the place of a person,” says Joe Conrad to Green Industry Pros, who is also president and founder of Mean Green Mowers in Ohio.
Especially when it’s getting harder and harder for green industry professionals to find workers, robotic lawn care technology (such as autonomous lawn mowers) can help your landscaping business take on more work, despite fewer employees.
Read: Do robotic mowers have a place in your lawn care business?
Track Your Labor.
One simple way to see how effective your business is is to time track the labor. See how long it takes to finish a project. Note how long it takes to get from one client to the next.
What’s being done during these timeframes? Can you make improvements in working procedures to save time? Just a few minutes saved will save you a few dollars on labor expenses.
Tracking time will also be useful as it lets you see if your crew is using their time most effectively and efficiently.
This is another place robotic lawn mowers just make sense: if your crew is dragging down profits and effectiveness with their speed, consider putting them on trimming while the robots tackle the lawn.
Perform Regular Maintenance
One way you’d hurt your company’s finances is stalling on repairs. If you’re made known that some equipment isn’t behaving properly, fix the issue right away. Even if the issue is small, fixing it sooner will avoid costly repairs later.
Even with up-to-date equipment, you need to routinely check on mowing blades and motors. If something’s dulling out, replace it. Dull blades make cutting more difficult, which stalls time.
By using robotic lawn mowers, you can check on their performance right from your device with the help of fleet management. Simply register the device with the software and you can check on the mowers’ battery, location, and operating conditions. Check out which robotic mowers are best for your business.
Read: Best robotic lawn mowers for lawn care pros + commercial property managers
Your Customers make or break your landscaping business
The happiness of your clients is the health of your business. The more dissatisfied your clients are, the less money you’ll bring in. The happier they are, the more likely they’ll refer your work to others, thus bringing in more money.
What can you do to listen to your customers?
- Be available for chat on your website or social media platforms
- Ask for feedback and reviews.
- Give them what they’re asking for (and exceed expectations in the process)
- Address complaints right away
- Show gratefulness for choosing your service over competitors
- Make them feel valued
Make it a priority to do these things. This will guarantee you more customers’ smiles, better online reviews, and referrals. All of this will boost your revenue.
Learn aBout Your Employees
A good manager knows how to effectively run their team. That means knowing who’s the best at a task, who’s weak point is a different task, who works the fastest, and who has the best results.
Knowing your crew’s individual strengths and using them wisely adds up to high-quality results. Don’t forget to listen to feedback from your crew, too. Their input matters about as much as the customer.
How do you strengthen your lawn care business?
Is there something we forgot in this list? Write it in the comments. Autmow is America’s largest and fastest-growing network of robotic lawn and turf-care specialists, and we are here to help landscaping businesses, groundskeepers, and anyone in the green industry succeed (while ensuring the grass is always greener.)
Have questions about implementing robotic lawn care technology in your commercial lawn care business? Reach out to us and we’ll help you find the right technology that best fits your needs.