Pricing

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peaklawncare

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my biggest problem right now is that I don't know what to charge people for cutting and trimming. What techniques should I use to make sure my business is profitable but also fair for the customers?? Thanks
 
peaklawncare said:
my biggest problem right now is that I don't know what to charge people for cutting and trimming. What techniques should I use to make sure my business is profitable but also fair for the customers?? Thanks
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Pricing a lawn can have a lot of variables. You can set a base price for your standard cut to include the mowing trimming edging and blowing off and add a couple of dollars if there fences or an extreme amount of trimming or edging than normal etc. Basically you have to consider your overhead and what it's costing you and adjust your price accordingly for lot size and obstacles.
 
9 years ago our first yard was given to me by a man who was tired of dealing with the customer.....he charged her 35 so we did too.....i set that as a base price because it was what i call a regular size yard......just about all our regular size yards are a minimum of 40 now and they go up from there......these are probly one forth acre and require cut,weed eat and blow clippings...in and out in 45 minutes.......only have 4 or 5 that i charge less for and these are either original customers or old people
 
We are in an economically depressed area. We usually do a $35 minimum with few exceptions. I try to base the rate on $30 per man hour for everything except the zero turns. I try to base that on $45 per hour each for them. Those rates are cheaper than many areas can fetch but again money is tight here and competition is tight as well.

How often we cut a yard, (weekly, bi weekly......) how far we have to travel..... Can determine a cheaper price as well. Many times because we are in a rural area we have to drive several miles. If a yard is somewhere we pass several times a week we we might go a few $$$ cheaper if it gets us the yard.

Because of the economy here few people can cut every week. Therefore it is brutal on mowers as well.

We started up in Aug 2012. I tried every way I could to get pricing right. What people will pay in one area of the country is. to necessarily what they can pay in another area.
 
sounds like south alabama.......if i will cut it for 40 somebody else will do it for 35....i have to keep that in mind when pricing
 
In my trailer park (these lots are small) our base price for mowing is $10.00. When more things get added to the equation (i.e. hedge trimming, edging, etc.) the base price jumps to $15.00. Since these lots are small we don't go by hours unless we're doing something major. I usually determine the price going by how much work was done.

Example:
If I went to a typical lot and trimmed 3 bushes that were about 6 ft. tall, along with mowing and weed whacking I would probably charge at least $30.00. If memory serves me right, all that would take about an hour.

I haul all yard waste away.

The typical lot takes about 10 min to push mow, 5 min to weed whack.
 
When it comes to leaf removal I charge $15.00

If I have to make more than 5 trips to the dump using my lawn tractor, I charge more.

Leaf removal with 4 trips to dump = $15.00
" " with 7 trips to dump = $20.00
" " with 12 trips to dump = $30.00

and so on.

I use my push mowers for leaf removal so I don't have to make so many trips to the dump. I unfortunately don't own a truck.
 
edd said:
sounds like south alabama.......if i will cut it for 40 somebody else will do it for 35....i have to keep that in mind when pricing
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Somebody else will do it for 35, wish they would say that here. There was a handfull of ads on CL today with prices starting at $50 monthly and the season is getting started. :confused2:
 
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