Customer Loyalty.

How to create customer loyalty.

This is a challenge for any business. I assure you that it costs a lot more to get a new client than it does to sell to an existing one. So you best keep your clients happy! Is it possible to never lose a client? No, of course not. There are too many other options for them and many will only think of cost and drop you as soon as a cheaper competitor comes along. All we can do is provide dependable quality service and try to find the clients that fit our particular business model. Getting referrals from current clients breeds loyalty…. Make sure you ask for referrals or even start a referral program that gives incentives for getting you more work. Lawn care is a business that most anyone can do so the new competition starting up each year is tremendous. This makes it a buyers market in most parts of the country. Many new start ups don’t last long but the next season finds new eager start ups every time.
I have some customers who never even ask a price on extra work they want me to do. They know I will be fair and they are not price shoppersThey are loyal. But a good percentage of people are price shoppers. Why do you think Wal mart has lines backed up all the time at the register despite their poor customer service, lack of cashiers, etc? Low Prices Everyday is tough to beat. I sell weed killer (check the ebay link) at a great price and mentioned it to one of my best customers last year and he did not even ask a price because he got his from a store he had dealt with for a few years. He could have saved quite a bit but he was loyal to his original supplier. On the flip side, I have had a couple of ladies drop my services because I went up $2 per cut for a fuel surcharge after the Hurricane Katrina a few years back. $2….. I couldn’t believe it. I have one client who will not ever run his sprinkler system, fertilize his lawn, put out any mulch or pine straw for his $400 property in a subdivision. He just chooses not to spend his $$$ that way.
One thing I have had trouble with in the last 2 years is losing clients due to the fact that they have a family member who wants to service the lawn. As more and more LCOs (Lawn Care Operations) start up this gets worse. It is hard to compete against, a grandmother letting her grandson cut the grass. Leave your comments as to how we can promote loyalty. Thanks

Late,
Shane
Georgialawncare.com
Lawn Store