Summer is winding down, and it’s time to think about how you’re going to get the word out about your winter services.
Depending on where you work and live, you may make a ton of money over the winter plowing roads and commercial parking lots. You may also have a thriving fall yard care schedule as well.
What Do Lawn Care Companies Do In the Winter?
If your lawn care company is in the northern half of the U.S. or it’s in Canada, you probably plow roads, parking lots, and even driveways.
If your lawn care company is in the U.S., you have fall yard care services, such as
- Aeration and overseeding services for cool season grasses
- Deck and driveway sealing
- Fall fertilization services
- Gutter cleaning services
- Leaf cleanup
- Mowing
- Mulching
- Planting annual ryegrass seed for warm season yards.
So, your off season lawn care business can still be busy or busier than your summer services. For example, your crews will be busy if you provide holiday lighting and decoration services because installations start at the same time as your fall yard care services.
To be successful in your landscaping business off season, you need to sell both your fall and winter services now.
How to Sell Your Off Season Lawn and Landscaping Services
You should be upselling your fall and winter services by the end of the summer. And your clientele should be well-versed in your fall yard care, holiday lighting, and snow plowing services by Labor Day weekend.
Here are some tips for marketing your fall and winter landscaping services:
- Have your crews put door hangers on residential door knobs starting in mid-August.
- Upload blog posts to your website describing each fall and winter service your company provides. For example, your blog posts can focus on the following titles: “Fall Yard Care Services” or “Decorating Your Home for the Holidays.”
- Keep your social media updated with your fall and winter services. A picture is worth a thousand words, so include photos of your crews working on fall lawns and landscapes or plowing a parking lot.
- Upload videos of your teams working. Some landscaping companies record their crews doing funny antics while working, while others will have a silent video showing a step-by-step process of a job.
- Include reminders with your invoices.
- Send out email blasts highlighting your fall and winter services.
- Teach your crew leaders how to upsell or have your account managers remind their customers of fall and winter services.
- Record these off season services on your voice mail to remind folks that you’re still in business during the fall and winter months.
How to Make Money in the Off Season
If you’re new to landscaping and lawn care, you may not realize all of the opportunities available to your business during the fall and winter.
Here are some examples to keep your company earning money during the off season months:
- Fall yard care – You can offer to rake, mulch, or blow leaves off your customers’ lawns, landscapes, and hardscapes.
- Mowing – For most lawn services, your crews will be mowing until the grass stops growing, which is by the first freeze.
- Winterizing evergreens – You can provide horticulture oil to stop insects from invading shrubs over the winter. You can also offer anti-desiccant to evergreen shrubs before it gets cold.
Watch more: Win the Winter with Spyker Ice Melt Spreaders.
- Gutter cleaning – If you and your team have ladders, you can climb up and clean out customers’ gutters before winter hits.
- Outdoor irrigation system shut-off – If you live in an area with freezing temperatures, you can offer blow-out and winterizing services for lawn sprinkler systems.
- Fall lawn services – You can advertise your winterizer services where you put down a potassium-rich fertilizer to help lawns develop deep root systems before winter.
- Snow plowing and ice removal – Prep your truck with a snowplow and a deicer system. Then, put on winter tires and update your insurance. Start by contracting your snow removal services with larger snow and ice removal companies.
Don’t Forget Your Spyker Spreader
If you provide deicing services to retailers, doctor offices, and other businesses during the winter, you need to outfit your crews with our Ergo-Pro Ice Melt Winter Spreader.
Our Ergo-Pro Ice Melt Winter Spreader comes complete with the following features:
- An all-welded, stainless steel frame
- An extra-large opening for distributing rock salt
- A stainless steel carving blade for breaking up ice melt.
If you’re ready to deice your customer’s walkways and entrances, you need our winter spreader. You can find Spyker Spreaders at these online retailers or at your local Spyker dealer.
If you have any questions about your Spyker Ergo-Pro Ice Melt Winter Spreader, contact our customer service at (800)972-6130 or fill out our contact form.
Sources:
ServiceAutoPilot.com, “9 Lawn and Landscape Services to Sell in the Fall or Winter (When There’s No Snow).”
Ibid, “11 Profitable Landscaping Services for the Fall.”
TotalLandscapeCare.com, “Remind Maintenance Crews: Sell Those Off Season Services.”
