I started helping people for free, and that turned into seasonal returns and people paying a fair wage, and calling me back, I'm always willing to help with anything while I'm there, pallet forks go on every job every one needs something moved!
It's funny how people don't like to do work for free yet are perfectly happy to throw money at college. Both things are an investment in your future self.
Not 100% related to his issues, but here are points I consider when looking to have work done: 1) If you come out to do estimates, don't show up in a beat to hell truck or a 2022 Ford F-350. The customer perception is that the first says you don't take care of your equipment, the latter says if you can afford that truck, you're probably charging too much. 2) Return calls ASAP. Even if you have to tell the customer that you'll call them back later that day, ACKNOWLEDGE the customer. Nothing turns me off more than not getting a call or text back and wondering if they dropped the ball, don't care, or what. 3) Follow through. If you can't make the call, let the customer know as soon as possible. Example: I had a driveway gate installed last week. It was supposed to be done Thursday. Thursday morning at 6:30am, the guy texted me to tell me he was ill, and would be out there the next day if at all possible. And he was. 8:30am Friday morning, I had a gate installed. Communications with customers is KEY. (As an aside, this same guy installed the fence around the yard 14 months ago, and did a fantastic job. I recommend him to anyone needing a fence. So the gate was repeat business because I am a happy customer). 4) If you can't or don't want to do a job, tell the customer. It's OK to say you don't have the capabilities or equipment if you can't do it. If you don't want to do it, try to explain why unless you're directly crapping on the customer (e.g., "You seem like a crackhead, and I don't feel like I'm going to get paid afterwards" is probably not the thing to say). I have an area on my asphalt driveway that I want a berm on. Called a company, and they're like "Yea, we can likely do it. We typically do estimates on rainy days, we'll get back to you". I've been totally ghosted, last two texts to them went unacknowledged. They're on my DNDBW (Do Not Do Business With) list now. 5) A poor website is a deal breaker. Make it clean, concise, easy to find options. Contact info should be EASY to find at every step (banner across the top, footer, whatever). Phone and text are absolute requirements. Facebook Messenger, eh. 6) If you have a voice mailbox, make sure it isn't full. Not being able to leave a message is a fast track to being put on my DNDBW list. 7) Offer a cash discount, not a credit card charge (it's a matter of perception). If the job is listed as $500, I don't want to be surprised by a 3% credit card charge. I'd rather you say up front it's $515 with a credit card or $500 cash (and indicate if a check is the same as cash or not. Some businesses consider them the same, but the gutter company I use says cash means cash). I prefer to pay with a check as my first choice, cash is second, credit is third. 8) Put a couple business cards on any local bulletin boards, like at the coffee shops, equipment dealers, etc. Lots of places let you do that. That's my short list. For me, I'm generally very accommodating of dates slipping, etc AS LONG AS YOU COMMUNICATE. Equipment breaks, people get sick, etc. But if you just don't show up on the date the work was scheduled, you've totally ruined my day.
i have always said that about the truck. You want to look like you have the means and management to complete the job correctly but not that you are overcharging.
Not all of us can or want to replace a truck @ 35k-65k every 5 years. Who wants life long payments!? My truck is 22 years old and is not pristine. It still runs, hauls and tows just fine. That shows I take care of my stuff and am frugal. I’d rather have customers that are impressed with my work not my looks. I’ve had impressive looking “professionals” do things only to say I should have done it myself.
@@lcee6592 I think JC is talking more about someone having a newer truck that is all beat up. That said, people can't judge your work until you're done, so first impressions do matter. If you roll up looking like the Beverly Hillbillies truck to give an estimate, it doesn't give the customer a warm and fuzzy feeling. But I totally get what you're saying and have had the same experience, where the people who 'look professional' have done a terrible job......but those people usually don't last long since they don't get repeat customers and word gets around
I have been an industrial mechanic for over 45 years specializing in troubleshooting problem equipment I have a comment that has Helped me in the past. I’m sure you see different equipment while driving around when you do stop and visit talk to them about how a piece of equipment could be more beneficial to them my point is it will help you sell your equipment if you have a more understanding perspective on how they actually operate there machinery they are relying on your experience to make their life easier when operating their equipment. The best way to get to the personal that are using the equipment is go into the back door. See what they have and it won’t take long for you to be able to see what they need just by observing at ground level. The person your operators are your best friend along with a single word more productivity. Keep up the great work. 😎
Great video and I think those are some good suggestions. Tractor Time with Tim did a series on this topic too...check it out. I had some major tree trimming to do that I could do but it would take me a week (old and bad back) or I could hire out. I talked to the company and they quoted a price of $1500 which for a weeks work is good value. They showed up with a big crew, specialized equipment, and were done in a day. I was over joyed at them getting it all done and how clean they left the lawn. Lesson: Actual charge was ~$250/hour. If they had quoted that, in my mind it's several days work, that would have been $6000 !!! Yikes. By quoting a lump sum they took the risk and I didn't care how long it took. Everyone was happy. Don't quote by the hour, quote by the job.
Agreed, one of the videos in Tim's series was with his daughter, and their conclusion was it's hardly worth bidding any job less than 500 and that 100 an hour isn't unreasonable, but to not communicate it to the customer like that. And I think that is where the example that Courtney is referring to is making their mistake, I think that using just the words Courtney is using, he is wrong. But I think it is just miscommunication on his part, and that Tim's video communicated his point better. But with careful listening, they both make valid points.
Excellent advice and I’ve been a independent financial advisor for 11 years. It seems going to the property for a free estimate will allow you can see if there are other opportunities. Maybe the client just wants the main service, and you can discuss what other things could be done. See what the client’s vision is for the property. Take notes and maybe later call them and see if they need you for additional work. One thing that will especially work is know something about them, a dog’s name or something unique about the property. So when you call you can ask “How’s Fido the dog?” Develop a solid business relationship and they will be more likely to refer you.
I would like for you to put in your calendar a month from now and give us an update on how this guy is doing. What did he change. What did work. What didn't work for him. Thanks for sharing your ideas on ways to help this guy.
Love your videos. The prices do seem high for sure, I prefer to offer free quotes and then after looking at the job, I price by the hour according to how long I think it should take but quote by the job to the customer. In my experience a straight quote seems more palatable to people and if I beat how long I thought it would take there's no sour taste in their mouth because I quoted by the job, if it takes longer then it's on me.
Great advice! I think its hard to offer pricing online without seeing the property. if someone has 3 acres you may get there and see that in reality after their house/ building driveways they only need 2 acres mowed. Plus the guy that lives a mile down the road and needs his field mowed that has been mowed yearly and the guy that lives 25 miles away that has a field that has a lot of unkempt brush will be 2 different prices. It's always great to show up, look and act professional and give them confidence that you are the right person for the job!
I've been doing small tractor work for hire for over 4 years. I start out minimum $150 for brush hog mowing. $100 for tilling. I try and make $100 a hour but for return customers I offer a discount. I love it.
@@project.jericho sounds like you have to pay to have work done. Don't get so upset because other have skills or equipment you don't have or the ability to operate them. Just pour you a glass of lemonade go sit under the the shade tree. And when the work is done get your checkbook out and pay the man! Or shut your pie hole and do it yourself! At least this guy isn't living off the government and is out there trying work!
A landscaping channel I watch doesn't do the $500 first acre + 150 subsequent acres (or whatever the exact pricing is). For equipment, they charge a "mobilization fee" to get the equipment out to and back from the work site. Perhaps pricing in the form of XX per acre + modest flat fee ("Equipment transport"). End result is the same, but you avoid that perception that you're hosing them on the first acre, and people will understand it takes time and expense to load up the gear and bring it out and the reverse.
I put one ad online months ago and have had more calls for work than I am able to do while working a full-time job. I even increased my rate to what I consider a bit too high and still get work. I could easily start doing tractor work full time. Be honest, show up when you say, and do work you're proud of. People will call.
residential snowplowing started with flyers in mailboxes 1) free estimates ( generates traffic) 2)guarantee work If I can't make it right its free Never had a refusal to pay...quality work) 3); free add ons I would clean cars off if they were in the driveway good will minimum effort 4) Specific services. I did NOT do manual work like sidewalks etc Make it known on inital contact estimate if they needed it i sub'ed the work out with 10% to 20% for me 5 extras like 24 hour service. Doctors/nurses. police/ first responders could schedule any specific time based on their needs 6) free follow-up in case they got 'plowed in I would go back and do cleanup 7) tiered pricing based on snowfall: up to 12" one cost/ 12-18 2x/ over 18 2.5 or hourly rate. People underestimate the effort and expense of this kind of work Its long hours; expensive fuel trucks and equipment. If I had a bd customer, I would refer them to another provider
I have always charged jobs by the hour, not by the area or acreage. One acre in one location is not the same as an acre in another. For example, if I have to do a ton of cleanup before I can cut, that needs to be considered. I have to see what I'm running my equipment over before I start. Also, if the property is overgrown as opposed to just mowing a foot or two of grass, that takes more time. I then charge a standard travel fee of 1 hour for anything 25 miles or less. Over that is by the mile. I provide a free estimate up front. Then I have the contract ready to sign upon arrival. Always have a signed contract or agreement prior to starting work. It's the only way to guarantee you'll get paid. I know how long it takes to do the job I am doing and it's usually very close to what the hour meter indicates. It has always worked well for me that way. If your price/hour is set correctly for your location, your costs of doing business will be covered with plenty of profit left over. You're not going to get Elon Musk wealthy doing tractor work, but you'll do well enough to pay the bills. It takes time to build a reputation and a clientele though. Give it that time.
I offer till days in the spring time before the brush hogging picks up. I'll post on the local town page that I choose offering discounts for neighborhoods/referrals, reducing the minimum charge to next to nothing and spend the entire day just tilling. I've booked up weeks, full 10 hour days, of work from 1 post that was free. Timing is also another big factor in getting the jobs. Keep all your free posts active and up to date, then spend the money on the timing ads. You're not mowing much in winter, just as you're not pushing snow in July. Post a paid snow ad right as the news speaks of snow, post a tilling ad righ as the seeds show up in stores, bush hogging adds the first time you cut grass... whatever the time is, just spend the money right. Also try to make sure your ads stay local instead of across the country. I've got one video up so far on pricing jobs/running a productive business and I plan on breaking it down to specific jobs as I get time.
I agreed to mow a 1/2 acre lot for $75 last year. It was seriously overgrown. Damaged a wheel on my mower and lost money on the job. It was next door to my house but still not worth it. Just today I agreed to re-till portion of a community garden, took more time prepping and getting there than the job did. I don't want to know what it cost me to do that job. If you're rolling out with $33'000 plus in equipment you have to charge something substantial. The community garden was a not a billable job.
@@project.jericho It was just a one off job. I don't normally do tractor work for money. Later the realtor that sold the property told me the previous owner wanted $400-500 to clean up the lot. I just reverted back to the pricing I used like 20 years ago in college. I bought a new tractor because I wanted it, I agree there are better options if you need to make money.
I wanted to expand on what I wrote, because the prices have changed since the price of fuel and everything else has gone up. I was at around $60-$65 per acre before the cost of everything went up, but now I charge $75 per acre. Most of the time I am dealing with people with smaller properties and they may have .5 to 2 or maybe even 3 acres. I also round up, if they have 2.5 acres, then that would be 3 acres that I charge. What I try to do with my min charge is that will get them two acres. You can also charge more per acre if they are wanting you to back up around the trees to get as close as you can, because it does take time going around and getting close to every tree. I also never go look at the property, because that is time and money. That is why I just charge a certain amount per acre. I also explain to them that I do not more debris from where I am brush hogging, I am not there to move stuff into piles, but there to cut grass. I may move one or two things, but I am there to cut grass. I also tell them that I will get as close as I can to the tree without getting smack by the limb and for sure now that I have a cab tractor. Then if they are a certain distance from me, then I will charge a travel fee on top of that. One must look in their local area to see what others are charging and go by that. I am in Texas and have been doing this on the side since 2016. I also have really only used craigslist and facebook. Most of my jobs have come from craigslist and now I am on repeat customers, because I do not want to take on any more at this time. I do not like to charge by the hour, because people do not understand how long it takes to do dirt work or road work and can think that you are sandbagging as your working, so giving them a price per job is the way to go. One could also say that the price will be around this and the customer will at least have an idea of what it is going to cost. I get it has to be worth the guys time, but once you start getting repeats and many different small jobs they add up. There has been times when I could do two or three small brush hog jobs in one day. This is why the lawn companies can charge so little, because they are doing a bunch of yards everyday to make up that total amount earned per day. I hope this person that sent the question, really listens to the advice you gave him. I know that it can be hard, but one must also be fair in their pricing and most people are going to go with the cheapest person they can find most of the time. checking the prices in that area would be key. I know that I am not going to undercharge for my time and effort. I have learned over the years and have had some properties that I took a big loss on and had to learn. This is why I said that I do not every go look at the land before giving a price per job. I just need location and size and can give them a price. I also know that people wait till it is really over grown before they want it cut, so that is why I charge a little extra per acre, just from past experience.
Cool video! I personally really enjoy the business questions / discussions. That guy got a lot of good feedback, not only from you but tons of comments!! You might have to put a calendar on your website for people to schedule consulting time or you could make this sort of Q&A thing weekly. Maybe UA-cam shorts. 🤷♂️ As for $500/acre, the first thing that came to my mind was that seems high, but if he sold it differently...like transportation & fuel costs x-amount w/a lower per acre cost and maybe that total added up to $500 then I could justify it more in my mind.
You had a lot of very good information for the gentleman. I found it interesting that you developed a million dollar company selling refurbished cell phones. I have a refurbished from Boost, works great!!!
I agree with you on up front pricing. They will use your posted rate to negotiate the next guy down. You will never have another chance for first time impressions.
It’s funny this video popped up. I have been watching videos on tractor services lately (it’s satisfying to watch brush hogging). One particular video showed a guy hogging 49 acres with a 2-series tractor and a 6 foot brush hog. It took the guy 4 days (21 hours) and he charged $750 for the job, but the intent was to calculate how many acres he could hog in an hour with his setup (2.5 acres). In the end he determined the pricing structure of $35 per hour for hogging… not a per-acre or per-job basis. Hogging can be challenging - sometimes you think it should be a rapid job and it takes forever. That said, I think those prices mentioned are astronomical. I wouldn’t spend another second in the site once I saw the prices. Almost all the videos I’ve been watching show $35-$50 per hour for hogging, material handling and moving (spreading dirt, etc), post hole digging, etc. I think the person cited by Courtney may be trying to calculate a target “salary” and then figuring out how to hit that mark using the services the person provides. Thus, the prices aren’t reflective of what a job should cost or what a person would be willing to pay. Instead, the pricing should be established so that it is fair and reflective of the job, and then work to market those new rates to increase quantity of jobs. That process is typically used for all service-based businesses, not just tractor services. I guess someone somewhere might pay those rates, but it definitely wouldn’t be the average guy, average homeowner, average farm owner. Gotta price jobs to the 95-percent group… not the 5% of the population who can afford to pay premium prices. You will price yourself right out of business. Courtney’s commentary and suggestions are amazing!!!! Adding a totally new portfolio of services is a goldmine, instead of just the 2 or 3 services you feel most people want. However, the bottom line is still the same - the current per-job pricing structure isn’t the best approach for this type of work, the the current prices are astronomically high. 😁
It's almost a " better price high so if I don't get a lot of customers this one will tie me over until the next easy target comes along" type pricing Also sounds like scared of working type type pricing, rather have those couple big paychecks with less work rather than a ton of little paychecks for a little more work
@@justinteal495 yeah, I mean I don't want to judge... he may be a super hard worker and just doesn't have a good idea if how to price services... but it definitely could fit the feast-or-famine mentality you mentioned.
From Northwest NC. I agree prices are way too high. Myself $50 an acre for mowing a yard around a house. Bush hogging, which is normally a realtor, prettying things up for a sale. $100 that includes mow, rake and getting the cut long grass out of sight or having someone come in for free hay. I'd also bet those paying $500 are not repeat customers. And did he explain what the citations were for? Speeding between jobs 🤔 maybe?
Those prices are extreme. $500 an acre for brush hogging, if you have an acre full of small trees that’s a good deal if you have some grass that overgrew for a few months, that’s ridiculous. We had just half an acre on the property next to us and it had overgrown for six or eight months and the brush hog guy came through and did it for $100. I agree about not putting a set price on it, you need to bid by the job. As soon as you read off those prices, I would’ve ignored those ads right away because there are other people out there who will do it for half that price. If people can get that money then that’s awesome and I don’t have a problem with it but those prices are just way too high. A lot of people think you can go out and spend $35,000 on a tractor and some implements and you’re gonna pay that off in a year doing odd jobs. Guarantee your work quote for the job and from what I’ve heard from people who do this successfully, advertising isn’t a big deal, most of them get their jobs from word of mouth and when you start pricing it so every single job is going to be a guaranteed profit you’re eliminating most of your customer base. From everybody I’ve talk to that does this, people that are successful are successful because of word of mouth because they do a good job at a good price and usually that means getting jobs that aren’t going to make a ton of profit, you have to work yourself up to a business you can’t just go buy equipment and jump on the scene and expect to be successful, if it was that easy everybody would do it. Most people do jobs we’re not making a ton of profit and build up to it. Then when you have more business than you can handle you can throttle that by raising your prices but I’ve never been quoted $500 for bush hogging an acre that’s double what I think it is. I think your advice about bundling is right on. Somebody get you out there to bid on doing a couple acres of bush hogging, look at other things that could be done and tell them what the options are, if they added some grading and you can throw some of that in or remove some debris or whatever options they have it can seem a lot more appealing to spend that money when you’re getting a lot more for it. The only other thing I can think would be to find churches or local businesses like a hardware store or a feed and seed and do some cheap or even free work just to get the advertising. If you go mow some property around the church for free there could be 30 or 100 people going to that church and they might let you drop some cards there, there are a lot of landscaping companies I see now and one of the trends is they just go out and do yards for free. I see an overgrown yard that hasn’t been cut for a while and they just go up and offer to do it for free and they’ll put a video out on UA-cam or Facebook and it’s worth the advertising for them because those people go talk to their friends about how somebody showed up and did their yard for free. If you’re already in the neighborhood and there’s a yard that will take you an extra hour to do you can zip through it and they’re going to be happy because you volunteered to do it for free and that’s something they’re going to go talk about and tell their neighbors about so you’re already in the areas where you’re working getting great advertising. Are used to mow my neighbors lawn because we had 2 acres and they had half an acre and their yard was nice and flat and why already had the mower out and running it took it almost nothing to just zip across their lawn. Word of mouth I think it’s the trick and exposing yourself to local community information resources like churches hardware stores co-ops and feed places and local bulletin boards where people post flyers and cards. When you go to a job in an area close to you, go drop business cards in the mailboxes or post flyers near intersections with stop signs. Real estate agents and work with other companies. Companies will subcontract jobs they don’t want to do it either, so a large company that does a similar business but doesn’t take small jobs or doesn’t take large jobs can be a good resource and you might not make a ton of money off of those jobs because you’re sharing the profit but you’re working and making contacts
Love the link up with local real estate agent/bank/contractor tip! It's what a friend did with his business.. Depending where people are, you could also contact your local municipalities. Some smaller towns will outsource mowing sides of roads or parks, re ditching etc. Another thought is call your local "Honey wagon business" (septic guys)😁 alot of the smaller ones rent out backhoes for ditching and putting in new septic tanks. Just a few more ideas to throw at the wall with yours! Great video 👍
I had a neighbor that would let his yard grow about 3 to 4ft high then come ask me to mow it for him. I told him no many times. He finally got another neighbor to mow it for 40$. We have zero turn mowers that we mow with not a tractor. That neighbor that was mowing it for 40$ started having problems with his mower. Hell he couldn't even mow his acre much less that over grown neighbor's acre. We told him his mower wasn't big enough to mow grass that thick, tall and wet. He finally had to quit mowing that over grown yard. It cost him a pretty good penny to get his mower fixed so he could mow his own yard. I have a Scagg 52" mower. Now that scagg is built better and it would handle that over grown acre. So, I told him I would mow it for 300$. Oh he threw a fit that's to much. I said don't let it get so over grown and it would be a lot cheaper. He found some kids to mow it for him lol. Here comes back to me wanting to know how much I would charge him to clean up what the kids messed up mowing. I told him 300$. I said look I'll have to mow it twice to clean that acre up. Finally he said ok do it. I mowed it that time and that time only. You see he was trying to sell that place so, he finally got off his ass and started mowing it himself. He would spend 2 days knocking it down another 2 days raking it and another day burning what he raked. After him doing all that a few times he finally started mowing it about every 4 to 5 days. It people like him that makes it hard to help them out. Now I mowed around 8 acres for 2 different neighbors but I did charge them 300$ cause I was at their places about every 4 days in the spring mowing so their big 4 acre yards looked good all the time.
In the Houston area I was charging 80/acre or hour if traveling to site. I'm cheap, but 100-150 I think is fair on this area. I carry a million in coverage and have a zero turn, 3025, and a 5075. It's all expansive, but patience and lower starting price are what can help get you the calls. If you get enough volume people will be calling because of word of mouth. Word of mouth has gotten me more work than any of the advertising I paid for
Whenever someone quotes me a flat price on the phone or their website, I move on. Whether its brush hogging, putting in a door or whatever. Every situation is different, tall grass, trash in the lawn, restructuring for the door. When they give a flat price they are covering themselves for those contingencies. I don't want to pay for that if my situation doesn't call for it. If it does, I don't mind paying for it. Give FREE estimates, " I'll be in your area on Wednesday I can stop and take a look at it for you." Then like other comments have said, show up, or if not able communicate this. Communication is key.
In 2008, I mowed CRP land with a 20ft bat wing and charged $75 per hour. Another guy with same mower charged $15 an acre. In most conditions, I could cover 5 acres an hour. If it was 10 ft tall, it took longer. The guy charging per acre was losing money. My thing was, if I could speed up, I would thus saving the landowner. I wanted to come back so I was always driven to be fair about it. Never got a complaint to the day I quit doing it.
When you see those big tract houses offer to care for the model house for free in exchange for keeping your sign out partner with them to offer finish packages. Look for ones where all the surroundings look like crap no trees overgrown. Those are the ones that the contractor doesn't do lawn work
I always offer a free estimate. I have been doing these type of jobs for 15 years, I never give a price without going and looking at the job first. You also need to be able to do more different jobs. I have over 20 attachments to do different jobs
I started with 2 rates, then fuel prices went up and I've had to set it to a flat daily rate. Essentially, I'm cheaper than renting, but affordable where I could make a living working less hours than I do now. I haven't had a complaint about my rates, plus I make sure I have that communication before, during and after. Then I like to throw out a promotional price for referrals too. So I, in a way, make sure the work is to the customers expectations and if they need anymore, they're already paying for the day.
Ah, the old Razr phone. That was my favorite cell phone. I bought Razr phones until you could not buy them anymore. Maybe we did some business back in the day when I was buying Razr phones off of eBay.
More and more people are not getting timely access to tractors and their implements. The farmer who knows how to fix things and keep it running is good as gold. The Tractor supply people become the parts place and have all the old implements, tools and parts made up that'll do the job such as created by industrialized sized 3D Printers, "You need, we got it" is their motto to happy farmers.
Sites that do not include pricing but rather use 'call now for pricing' buttons are always a red flag they will be much too high and a waste of time to call. The youtube channel 'tractor time with tim' did a segment on tractor work pricing and not under-bidding, but over-bidding can still be a problem. What are regular 'fork truck driver' hourly wages in the area? Start with that for the operator and perhaps half that for the tractor hourly plus the fuel cost (since people understand the fuel equation these days).
Owning your own business should get you more than some forklift driver wages. I'm not saying to gouge, but the person taking on the risk should be rewarded.
@@seanbailey8545 for brush hogging the price is absolutely dependent on the property. If its all grass and flat, the price will be different than a brushy, rocky, hilly field
I’d head down to the local coffee/breakfast place and become a regular. All the old guys like me are there every day and know everyone in the area that is looking to have/need to have that kind of work performed. Better yet once you get to know the “Group” they will recommend you/your business to everyone they know. Great content, you touched on tons of stuff that I have never considered and option. 👍👍🔥🔥
Had a group like that in the small town where we used to live. Everyone knew them and yes they did mention to folks who could do what or who did what and what kind of work they did. They were called the Rusty Zippers. Lol
I've got a small acreage and a couple small tractors (new 1025R and o.l.d. B7100). I need and use them both on my place - very useful for not having to switch implements every 5 mins, for example. I don't do tractor work for others at this time, but I am interested in it - if I ever get my place up to speed and have the time. More to the point, I've done service delivery in other industries for years and years. A few points I would make. This kind of service by its definition is extremely local - so you've got to know your area and its population. $500 per acre would be almost trivial in a place like Beverly Hills, for a wild example, where almost nobody owns a tractor, and properties are small. Contrast that to the middle of Iowa, where EVERYBODY might already own a tractor (competition and/or DIY), the population is smaller to begin with, incomes are lower, and properties are larger. $500 per acre might seem outrageously high. Know your area - know your competition - know what pricing the local economy can bear. Yours wouldn't be the first business to have to relocate to find a suitable area to operate in - but these issues are better identified BEFORE you start up. Your first acre costs are higher - that's a given. You've got to factor in things like prep of your equipment, travel time, cost of sale, etc. - even the time you lose NOT doing something else for a different customer (lost opportunity costs). But why is this your customer's problem? I use a local HVAC company that charges me just to show up, which includes a miniscule amount of "diagnosis time," then charges an arm and a leg for 15 min intervals beyond this, and something like $250 for a $25 capacitor. As a customer, I hate this model. So why do I use them? Once they're on site, they work quickly and with high quality. They usually have the parts I might need on their truck. They get the job done correctly and we part friends. Contrast that with my vehicle dealer. I have to take my vehicle to them, which consumes my time and my temperament - it requires a whole day or more. I have to rent a vehicle from them. They never accept my diagnosis as correct. They never get to the work on schedule. They never have the parts. The parts are always delayed in arrival. They go off on tangents - just charged me $900 for a "transmission service" when all I needed was a $30 fluid change for example. Their entire service model is focused on making it necessary for me to come back to them for additional service, so they stop short of complete care, without actually solving my issue (technical incompetence and a don't care attitude), and they threaten me: "if it has this issue again, we'll have to blah, blah, blah, and that will REALLY cost a lot. Maybe you should just buy a new one from us - hint hint." I have some news btw: I will NEVER buy another new ICE vehicle from them or anyone else - 40,000 separate parts, each of which is designed to break or wear out , lol - see you on the scrap heap of history.) But I digress. I'm NOT suggesting that you eat the entire cost of the startup for that first acre. But I am suggesting you factor and blend it in - especially while you're establishing your demand curve (word of mouth is your best friend in this local situation, btw - AND it's FREE. Offer a reward/incentive if your customer's referral results in work). Make less on the first acre for your new customers - and give your repeat customers a break also - especially if it's something like mowing, which must be done on a repeat basis. You already know your costs for those customers - just don't gouge. Once you have enough business, you can use your pricing model to influence demand. Groom your workload - push off work to better times on the year (for you) by increasing your prices or offering "sales" selectively. Do the best job you can possibly do, and if something doesn't go quite right, let that be reflected in what you charge them - HOW you charge them - never discount your rate or your work. That establishes value for work. But offer rewards, kick-backs, exceptions, etc. They make the customer feel appreciated and grows their confidence in you. But be patient. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day. Know your costs - what does it cost you if you do no work at all for 30 days? Average that out annually. That's what you need to break even - without even supporting yourself or your family or pay taxes. What does that look like in terms of hours and hourly charges per month? How much cash do you have? Can you carry yourself through the low points? Do you look desperate to your customers? Do you have to charge higher rates just to make ends meet against the small amount of work you have? Customers come to know or sense this. Somebody below said to not show up in a beater vehicle or a brand-new highly expensive one. I both agree and disagree. You don't want to seem to be extravagantly high-priced, but everybody loves a success story. You could have the oldest equipment and vehicle in the world - but make sure they're clean, well-maintained and functional. - and definitely, NO FLUID LEAKS. Nobody wants you contributing to an environmental or appearance situation. I had a landscaper who had an old beat up riding JD lawn mower. I swear it broke down every time he tried to use it. The number of times he had to "come back the next day" to finish the job eventually caused me to stop using him - and by that next day, he was so rushed and behind schedule that he did a poor job. If you don't have this cash, your business isn't solvent. Hate to say it, but you need to rethink things. Can you start more slowly? Get a job - operate your business on the side? Get a loan for operations - but be sure your model and results support that on an annual basis. Your lender will require proof of that anyway. I detest going to family and friends - but for some people, its an option. Do crowdsourcing; start a cooperative or a subscription model (somebody who buys in gets a reduced rate for some amount of work on an annual basis, but it gets you cash up front). Well I could go on for a while, but this is already extremely long. Hope it helps a little.
One more thing. Get rid of the static formulaic pricing on your website. If your intention is to generate phone traffic, say something like "call us for a free estimate." But then HAVE SOMEBODY TO ANSWER THE PHONE, even if its just an answering service. Do NOT make any prospective customer leave a voice mail. A better idea is to have an on-line estimator. It hides the upfront static pricing (which is bad advertising, anyway) - you can feely adjust the rates and other factors behind the scenes. Make your pricing dynamic according to the situation and/or your workload. It engages your customers in the process (yes it might be inaccurate, but you can correct that on site or afterwards). It allows you to distribute your startup and front-end costs across the entire job, not just the first part: the bigger the job, the less per acre).
I haven't priced out this kind of work, and I'm not commenting on whether it's too high or not, but a good reality check is to compare to the cost of renting the equipment for the job. I suspect that if his customers were to rent the equipment to mow that acre, they would pay at least $500, and then they would have to do the work themselves including the time to pick up and return the equipment.
When participating in FB groups you have to make sure you are providing value to the group. If you come across as spamming it pushing your services then you are doing more harm to your business than good. If someone posts pictures of their property and asks a question about their lawn issues for instance. Don’t respond with “we deal with this all the time PM (or call) me and I can get you a quote. Do respond with something like this, “do you know how old the lawn is? looking at the pictures I’d suggest dethatching, aeration and possibly overseading. There are hand tools that will work for this or you can rent a power dethatcher at homedepot and those + plug aerators are available at many local rental companies. Have you done a soil test? The big box stores sell basic ones which are a good place to start. Many places have a cooperative extension that will run more advanced tests for a small fee and I can’t recommend that enough for a DIYer. We do this for a living and use a Lammotte mobile lab that provides extremely detailed info on micronutrient content but costs over a grand upfront with recurring consumables expenses. We need that so because we can’t wait a week for a service to return results. Obviously it isn’t viable for a residential property owner and I just mention it to ad context to the value offered with the testing available from your areas co-op.” With this response you have plugged a local not for profit that the hard core gardeners are guaranteed to be fans of. You have offered advice that they can use to solve their own problem. And you have discreetly let them know that you are a professional in the industry while asking questions that will hopefully engage them to respond. They may take your advice and DIY the work but many people reading the exchange will not want to do the work themselves and they are more likely to trust you based on that exchange. The goal is to build up a tribal following so anytime a lawn care or bush hogging question is asked the group members tag you for a response and in effect endorse your work.
Separate the hauling and moving of equipment with the actual cutting or other services (it may vary by how far you have to go). This way they see that part of it is the cost of moving the equipment. Also, you may get more business if they know the equipment is already onsite and the cost is already spent on one service and they can have another service without that cost.
Yeah I agree to not have the prices upfront on a site. Do more along the line of free quotes which are obviously rolled into the pricing structure. Also a lot of people do cheap work that doesn’t pay for the equipment and that will always happen. If you keep doing good quality work even if it’s more expensive. Your going to build up a customer base and word of mouth advertising and eventually that work will come in. Also having your prices a little cheaper than slowly bringing them up can also work if your wanting to have more exposure. But it does cut into the profits. Lots of good ideas in here though. All seem good.
With any job it is $100 to show up and depending on the job will be the price Bush hog -grass($45/acre) -small brush($75/acre) -thick brush($150/hour) and that’s if my tractor is large enough to handle it and I don’t have to get out to cut trees with chainsaw Any digging will be quoted based off the job.
Courtney, As a retired farmer I occasionally would have someone ask me to do some work involving equipment be it plowing mouldboard or chisel, disking, mowing, seeding and etc. I would tell them I have to see 👀 the job site. If required truck & trailer it was $1.25 per mile round trip + the cost of the job. Equipment fee $50.00 hrs Operator fee $15.00 hrs Of course in today's market I would probably double the prices.
doing a UA-cam channel showing some of if not all of your jobs and what you do can also be a way to free advertising (get enough viewers you will get paid from it as well maybe even pick up on some promotional products to review), it will also show all the services you can provide
Lower your hourly or per acre rate and apply a separate setup fee/mobilization fee/ pain in the ass tax to every quote. This does require you to sit down and figure out what it really costs you to mow an acre and/or simply load your trailer and show up to the job.
Another problem here may be psychology. First though, I'M NOT PICKING ON THIS PARTICULAR GUY - I don't know him. He may be a great, rational guy. The problem though, is that most people have some preconceived notion of what their time is worth. Say it takes an hour to hog an acre of land. That means that if this guy is charging $500 for the first acre, he may genuinely think his time is worth $500 per hour... or $300 per hour... or $100 per hour. Telling someone that a job should cost $50, which in a person's mind may translate to the fact that their time is only worth $50 an hour, is often seen as an affront. They may genuinely get insulted that someone would propose that their time isn't worth what they feel it is worth. The rationality of the job being worth a certain amount, and the person is charging 2x or 4x more than what it should actually cost wouldn't even be a consideration. With a person of this mind set, you can provide endless rational suggestions and justification, and more often than not if you check a year down the road their prices will still be the same, over-inflated, and the person will still be complaining about the same issue (but unwilling to change the prices). I have met so many people like this over the years and they are exhausting. AGAIN, this is not a reflection on the person mentioned in this video... just an observation about people over the years.
I agree with your points, but I imagine (or hope...) that he's factored in fuel, transport time, insurance, vehicle and equipment repair, etc as part of that. There's a couple ways to handle that. Have a minimum "show up" charge, and then a per-hour cost. Or do an estimate that's presented to the customer that has all that rolled in. The problem is that having no cost on the website is as bad as the $500. Am I wasting my time having this guy come out to do an estimate, and still find it's $500? Maybe something like "Prices starting as low as $xx", so a prospective buyer can at least get an idea, maybe?
@@JCWren yeah absolutely. All that stuff adds to the expense. Courtney did a good job of explaining the job actually starts at home. But as you said, one never knows. Lol. Still though, for $500 for the first acre, that’s a LOT of overhead factored into that price.
I charge myself 2-3 beers for cutting 2 acres and another 2 beers to Ted it twice and probably 3 more beers to hand bale it. My liver takes all payment deliveries and love handles are the bank I keep my earnings in
Perhaps it's just me, but when I see an fixed price for mowing/landscaping work (among other things) I tend to assume the person doesn't really know what they're doing as the fixed rate will inevitably be too high for some jobs and too suspiciously low for others. For example one of the few times I've done work for/with someone else was on a property that was about an acre in size (on paper) with weeds over 7ft tall that also had mow-able samplings and fallen/cut limbs that needed to be moved. While it could conceivably been mowed, we ended up taking it down to bare dirt on the areas that were workable - as that acre on paper also included a washout and steep embankment that meant not all of the property could be cleaned up. So with the property owner running a chainsaw to trim trees and drop the larger tress, and me running a tractor (with grapple & box blade) we managed to clean up the property in 6-ish hours .... so more than $500 worth of work on less than an acre. Though since it's not something I regularly do, I tend to look at what the current local rental rates (averaged to a per hour rate) would be for equipment similar to mine as a base cost for covering the equipment for the estimated amount of time, and then add (or not) for any skills/knowledge I can/will bring to the task. The latter of which is something that gets conveyed when clarifying the task and discussing what I can/will (and can't/won't) be able to do during an estimation/evaluation visit. After all I figure with some people the price/effort of renting the equipment and doing it themselves might be something that you're competing against every bit as much as you are other companies. ...and occasionally it's been helpful to (politely) point out that rental angle to people (whether they're "customers" or not) just so they can get a better understanding of what the equipment can cost hourly by itself without also paying for someone who knows how to use it or really even understands what to do in order to do the task "right".
We charge 50.00 a hour for brush hog work we do have a 2 hour minimum but the price is from the total length of time we are there and 2 hour cover most acrea lots
I charge by the hour ($90 AUD) with a minimum of 3 hours expect small square hay making which is a sliding scale from $4 a bale up to $8 depending on amount baled, accumulating and stacking is an extra $0.20 a bale. I don't advertise, all my work comes via word of mouth. I'm insured, I have a degree in agriculture science agronomy as well as my chem cert license as well as being Ausqual certified (fruit and vegetable production) I do abit of consulting work in the Veg, fruit, dairy and beef sectors. All my tractor work is within a 15km radius of home that way I can just drive the tractor to the job. It can be a bit chaotic trying to juggle contracting with home farm work as well as the work I do in the civil construction industry. But all in it's paying well and affords me the ability to buy new toys and put more money into the home farm.
It's better to price by the job. I always had a 2 hr minimum within a 10 mile radius of my home. At the time I was doing all this, I had more equipment, $40 per hr, and I got alot of jobs within the first month of business. I had a regular job also and I ended up taking my tractor with me to work and I had magnetic signs on my truck with my phone #. Never ran an ad anywhere but I handed out business cards also at the coffee shops, etc. I got layer off from my full time job but I was still doing tractor work and then I started driving a dump truck for a guy and I got alot of work from that. Then my health went south, heart attacks. But now I wish I still had my equipment, miss it. I still get calls.
Been there, done that. I had a successful snow removal business as a side hustle for several years and got tired of people waiting until a couple hours before they had to leave for work and expect me to move them to the head of the list, then rip me out because I wouldn't.. Now I just do it for a small # of people and they are tickled and I make a little extra cash.
Having a flat fee per acre for mowing seems too narrow, I would offer say $300 the first acre, $250 each additional with a one time clean-up fee of up to $200 per acre assessed at time of estimate. If it is a neglected field with small trees, rocks, hazards etc I would lean into the "one time clean-up fee" that way you have some room to justify a higher price.
For perspective, the company I retired from rented dump trucks w/trailer with an operator for $150 per hour, the truck with trailer was about $200K to purchase. I think I would set up distance fees for transportation and then a flat per hour fee. Some places are going to be quick and easy to mow, others not so much. I would also make it clear that the time for pulling fence wire and baling twine out of your mower is also charged hourly.
For myself. I charge $40.00 hr min 3 hr i will do other stuff like move trash or small brush piles and and mow around them. I get so much business and it’s word of mouth. I make sure job is good.
Great video! The guy's prices are WAY too high for those tasks. By his measures, the 3 acres I mowed yesterday with my tractor and bush hog would've been $800 for someone -- really easy mowing conditions done in 45 minutes. That's $1200 per hour!! (And, who decides how many acres you're mowing?) Most custom work around here is priced hourly and $45 is about the top for mowing. The only job custom operators do in this area for a set fee is till a garden plot. That said, my last excavation operator bid our work by the job which was a first. I kept track and his estimate proved out to be pretty much on target for what it would have been hourly for his D8 and excavator.
Don't people check what others are charging before they set a price or agree to one? Around here unless you are cutting in a junkyard or young forest, The price for brush hogging grassland is around 20 to 25 dollars per acre.
Theres 1,000 guys in every county borrowing daddys tractor, no tax ID #, No licenses, no insurances...and if the tractor breaks, they just hand it back to daddy...until those people stop, we will never make what we should...i try to get $100/hr without telling the customer that...i estimate time and apply the $100/hr to that estimate...usually works out well ...but Bubba with daddys blue 1984 Ford and bush hog will do it for $35 for beer money...
EDDM Cards to your targeted area. Stop listing your prices and give free estimates based on the property as all are different. Target the areas you want to do business in and you can route your days to minimize travel time to each as necessary. Just my thoughts anyway. EDDM cards work.
Renting a BX here is $50 an hour with no-operator. I don't think his $500 was low it's just that there isn't any money out here. It's also difficult to get customers to understand drainage & lawn designs that speed up the time we must waste to try to catch the $65 they wish it costs to mow 1acre.
$500 an min nope. I brush hog on the side and no way I charge that. There can be a min, which I charge $150 and that gets them 2 acres at least. If they are over a certain mileage then there is a travel fee.
I agree prices too high, and would not post prices. They look and get an idea then they are moving on and getting an actual quote elsewhere is my guess. Every job is different and you should quote it. Dont quote an hrly rate. Quote the job based on the time you estimate. Consider some free work to get your name out and referrals. Showing pictures of those attachments on a job or being used is a better description than just words describing the work. Look at advertisements for box blades are post hole diggers etc typically you will see them in use. That allows the customer to visually see or anticipate that on their property
Definitely need to take the prices off your site, because a 1 acre lot if just tall grass can be priced cheaper than the 1 acre that is over grown with saplings and multifloral rose which should cost more and the person with the over grown acre is going to expect to have to pay more and the tall grass customer. Another point is when making Facebook Marketplace ads do not list all of your services and one great big ad. Make completely separate ads. Make one ad for brush hogging. Make one ad for driveway grading a completely separate ad for post hole digging for fence posts that way you get more exposure for ten different Services as opposed to listing 10 services on one single add plus it also makes it a whole lot easier to keep track of customers as you can see exactly what they're messaging about
He wouldn't stand a chance here in rural low country SC. I am lucky to get $150 for an acre, however I also believe that is not all that bad for "easy field cut". By easy I mean grass/weeds only about knee high, no low areas or woody growth and few or no trees to maneuver around. I feel better quoting hourly costs vs per job. I review the job, survey the challenges and quote the cost based on my estimated time. I will do well around here to get $60/hr. I can deal with that for part time under the table gigs.
I don't remember if it said where this guy was from but location has a lot to do with prices. In the rural midwest this guy would get laughed out of town for asking $500 an hour. Sounds like just another 30 - 40 year old that thinks he's all that and a bag of chips. Does he haul that tractor around with an 80k pickup LOL
I have had multiple people on my property to do things as varied as install culverts, confirm property lines, move power line guide wires, trim trees, all fill dirt, etc. I would never hire someone with a price structure set up that way. Come out, look at my property. Talk to me face to face once you know the scope of the project and what I expect upon completion. Don't tell me a minimum fee when you have no idea how hard/easy the job will be, how far you will have to transport equipment, and how long it will likely take. Not acknowledging the obvious difference between bush hogging land that was cleared six months ago and what hasn't been maintained in twenty years is absurd and shows a clear disconnect with reality and customer expectations/intelligence.
I think like others his pricing is not good. 500$ for the first acre is not a good model and frankly expensive. Best would be to thru experience figure out how long it takes to mow an acre that is easy and a badly overgrown acre. Then offer to estimate use 150$per hour(or whatever you need to make an hour for machine and labor) plus a mobilization fee, but just give the estimate as the price. For instance if it takes 1 hour to mow an acre and the costumer needs 3 acres completed, my price to them would be a total 525$ and the estimate would be detailed as 75$ mobilization fee for 30miles or less and 450$ for the mow. I wouldn't tell them its 3 hours or 150$ per hour.
Well $500 for the first acre seems high. He must have watched Tractor Time with Tim. He lobbies for 300-500 and hour pricing. I do some bush hogging and I’m in the 100-150 and acre depending on how over grown it is. The key for me is to see what your competitors are charging. If you can’t under cut the price, then over deliver on your service.
To answer the question in the title...yes, it's too much. At that rate I'd have to pay myself $800.00 to mow my yard every week. That's just BS. And that's not even doing the weed eating.
If you’re advertising a “starting at” price, it’s supposed to be attractive, not prohibitive. Start your post holes for what you’d do 1 hole, in sand, next door.
Your service is only worth what people are willing to pay for it. They’re telling you that your rates are too high…..and your presentation is off putting.
I started helping people for free, and that turned into seasonal returns and people paying a fair wage, and calling me back, I'm always willing to help with anything while I'm there, pallet forks go on every job every one needs something moved!
It's funny how people don't like to do work for free yet are perfectly happy to throw money at college. Both things are an investment in your future self.
Word of mouth is my best advertiser. I'm priced below my competitors, give an excellent product and still make money.
Not 100% related to his issues, but here are points I consider when looking to have work done:
1) If you come out to do estimates, don't show up in a beat to hell truck or a 2022 Ford F-350. The customer perception is that the first says you don't take care of your equipment, the latter says if you can afford that truck, you're probably charging too much.
2) Return calls ASAP. Even if you have to tell the customer that you'll call them back later that day, ACKNOWLEDGE the customer. Nothing turns me off more than not getting a call or text back and wondering if they dropped the ball, don't care, or what.
3) Follow through. If you can't make the call, let the customer know as soon as possible. Example: I had a driveway gate installed last week. It was supposed to be done Thursday. Thursday morning at 6:30am, the guy texted me to tell me he was ill, and would be out there the next day if at all possible. And he was. 8:30am Friday morning, I had a gate installed. Communications with customers is KEY. (As an aside, this same guy installed the fence around the yard 14 months ago, and did a fantastic job. I recommend him to anyone needing a fence. So the gate was repeat business because I am a happy customer).
4) If you can't or don't want to do a job, tell the customer. It's OK to say you don't have the capabilities or equipment if you can't do it. If you don't want to do it, try to explain why unless you're directly crapping on the customer (e.g., "You seem like a crackhead, and I don't feel like I'm going to get paid afterwards" is probably not the thing to say). I have an area on my asphalt driveway that I want a berm on. Called a company, and they're like "Yea, we can likely do it. We typically do estimates on rainy days, we'll get back to you". I've been totally ghosted, last two texts to them went unacknowledged. They're on my DNDBW (Do Not Do Business With) list now.
5) A poor website is a deal breaker. Make it clean, concise, easy to find options. Contact info should be EASY to find at every step (banner across the top, footer, whatever). Phone and text are absolute requirements. Facebook Messenger, eh.
6) If you have a voice mailbox, make sure it isn't full. Not being able to leave a message is a fast track to being put on my DNDBW list.
7) Offer a cash discount, not a credit card charge (it's a matter of perception). If the job is listed as $500, I don't want to be surprised by a 3% credit card charge. I'd rather you say up front it's $515 with a credit card or $500 cash (and indicate if a check is the same as cash or not. Some businesses consider them the same, but the gutter company I use says cash means cash). I prefer to pay with a check as my first choice, cash is second, credit is third.
8) Put a couple business cards on any local bulletin boards, like at the coffee shops, equipment dealers, etc. Lots of places let you do that.
That's my short list. For me, I'm generally very accommodating of dates slipping, etc AS LONG AS YOU COMMUNICATE. Equipment breaks, people get sick, etc. But if you just don't show up on the date the work was scheduled, you've totally ruined my day.
Seems like you and I are basically on the same page. That said, hoping to be ready for customers come August, of you happen to need landscape work...
i have always said that about the truck. You want to look like you have the means and management to complete the job correctly but not that you are overcharging.
Not all of us can or want to replace a truck @ 35k-65k every 5 years. Who wants life long payments!? My truck is 22 years old and is not pristine. It still runs, hauls and tows just fine. That shows I take care of my stuff and am frugal. I’d rather have customers that are impressed with my work not my looks. I’ve had impressive looking “professionals” do things only to say I should have done it myself.
@@lcee6592 I think JC is talking more about someone having a newer truck that is all beat up. That said, people can't judge your work until you're done, so first impressions do matter. If you roll up looking like the Beverly Hillbillies truck to give an estimate, it doesn't give the customer a warm and fuzzy feeling. But I totally get what you're saying and have had the same experience, where the people who 'look professional' have done a terrible job......but those people usually don't last long since they don't get repeat customers and word gets around
@@ian3580 I figure as long as my tractor and implements look good, It should be okay! Lol
Those prices seem not just high but outrageous! Seems like he did not look at competition before deciding to buy a tractor.
I have been an industrial mechanic for over 45 years specializing in troubleshooting problem equipment I have a comment that has Helped me in the past. I’m sure you see different equipment while driving around when you do stop and visit talk to them about how a piece of equipment could be more beneficial to them my point is it will help you sell your equipment if you have a more understanding perspective on how they actually operate there machinery they are relying on your experience to make their life easier when operating their equipment. The best way to get to the personal that are using the equipment is go into the back door. See what they have and it won’t take long for you to be able to see what they need just by observing at ground level. The person your operators are your best friend along with a single word more productivity. Keep up the great work. 😎
Great video and I think those are some good suggestions. Tractor Time with Tim did a series on this topic too...check it out. I had some major tree trimming to do that I could do but it would take me a week (old and bad back) or I could hire out. I talked to the company and they quoted a price of $1500 which for a weeks work is good value. They showed up with a big crew, specialized equipment, and were done in a day. I was over joyed at them getting it all done and how clean they left the lawn.
Lesson: Actual charge was ~$250/hour. If they had quoted that, in my mind it's several days work, that would have been $6000 !!! Yikes. By quoting a lump sum they took the risk and I didn't care how long it took. Everyone was happy. Don't quote by the hour, quote by the job.
Agreed, one of the videos in Tim's series was with his daughter, and their conclusion was it's hardly worth bidding any job less than 500 and that 100 an hour isn't unreasonable, but to not communicate it to the customer like that. And I think that is where the example that Courtney is referring to is making their mistake, I think that using just the words Courtney is using, he is wrong. But I think it is just miscommunication on his part, and that Tim's video communicated his point better. But with careful listening, they both make valid points.
Excellent advice and I’ve been a independent financial advisor for 11 years. It seems going to the property for a free estimate will allow you can see if there are other opportunities. Maybe the client just wants the main service, and you can discuss what other things could be done. See what the client’s vision is for the property. Take notes and maybe later call them and see if they need you for additional work. One thing that will especially work is know something about them, a dog’s name or something unique about the property. So when you call you can ask “How’s Fido the dog?” Develop a solid business relationship and they will be more likely to refer you.
I would like for you to put in your calendar a month from now and give us an update on how this guy is doing. What did he change. What did work. What didn't work for him. Thanks for sharing your ideas on ways to help this guy.
Love your videos. The prices do seem high for sure, I prefer to offer free quotes and then after looking at the job, I price by the hour according to how long I think it should take but quote by the job to the customer. In my experience a straight quote seems more palatable to people and if I beat how long I thought it would take there's no sour taste in their mouth because I quoted by the job, if it takes longer then it's on me.
Great advice! I think its hard to offer pricing online without seeing the property. if someone has 3 acres you may get there and see that in reality after their house/ building driveways they only need 2 acres mowed. Plus the guy that lives a mile down the road and needs his field mowed that has been mowed yearly and the guy that lives 25 miles away that has a field that has a lot of unkempt brush will be 2 different prices.
It's always great to show up, look and act professional and give them confidence that you are the right person for the job!
I've been doing small tractor work for hire for over 4 years. I start out minimum $150 for brush hog mowing. $100 for tilling. I try and make $100 a hour but for return customers I offer a discount. I love it.
@@project.jericho sounds like you have to pay to have work done. Don't get so upset because other have skills or equipment you don't have or the ability to operate them. Just pour you a glass of lemonade go sit under the the shade tree. And when the work is done get your checkbook out and pay the man! Or shut your pie hole and do it yourself! At least this guy isn't living off the government and is out there trying work!
A landscaping channel I watch doesn't do the $500 first acre + 150 subsequent acres (or whatever the exact pricing is). For equipment, they charge a "mobilization fee" to get the equipment out to and back from the work site. Perhaps pricing in the form of XX per acre + modest flat fee ("Equipment transport"). End result is the same, but you avoid that perception that you're hosing them on the first acre, and people will understand it takes time and expense to load up the gear and bring it out and the reverse.
I put one ad online months ago and have had more calls for work than I am able to do while working a full-time job. I even increased my rate to what I consider a bit too high and still get work. I could easily start doing tractor work full time. Be honest, show up when you say, and do work you're proud of. People will call.
residential snowplowing started with flyers in mailboxes
1) free estimates ( generates traffic)
2)guarantee work If I can't make it right its free Never had a refusal to pay...quality work)
3); free add ons I would clean cars off if they were in the driveway good will minimum effort
4) Specific services. I did NOT do manual work like sidewalks etc Make it known on inital contact estimate if they needed it i sub'ed the work out with 10% to 20% for me
5 extras like 24 hour service. Doctors/nurses. police/ first responders could schedule any specific time based on their needs
6) free follow-up in case they got 'plowed in I would go back and do cleanup
7) tiered pricing based on snowfall: up to 12" one cost/ 12-18 2x/ over 18 2.5 or hourly rate.
People underestimate the effort and expense of this kind of work Its long hours; expensive fuel trucks and equipment. If I had a bd customer, I would refer them to another provider
I have always charged jobs by the hour, not by the area or acreage. One acre in one location is not the same as an acre in another. For example, if I have to do a ton of cleanup before I can cut, that needs to be considered. I have to see what I'm running my equipment over before I start. Also, if the property is overgrown as opposed to just mowing a foot or two of grass, that takes more time. I then charge a standard travel fee of 1 hour for anything 25 miles or less. Over that is by the mile. I provide a free estimate up front. Then I have the contract ready to sign upon arrival. Always have a signed contract or agreement prior to starting work. It's the only way to guarantee you'll get paid. I know how long it takes to do the job I am doing and it's usually very close to what the hour meter indicates. It has always worked well for me that way. If your price/hour is set correctly for your location, your costs of doing business will be covered with plenty of profit left over. You're not going to get Elon Musk wealthy doing tractor work, but you'll do well enough to pay the bills. It takes time to build a reputation and a clientele though. Give it that time.
I offer till days in the spring time before the brush hogging picks up. I'll post on the local town page that I choose offering discounts for neighborhoods/referrals, reducing the minimum charge to next to nothing and spend the entire day just tilling. I've booked up weeks, full 10 hour days, of work from 1 post that was free. Timing is also another big factor in getting the jobs. Keep all your free posts active and up to date, then spend the money on the timing ads. You're not mowing much in winter, just as you're not pushing snow in July. Post a paid snow ad right as the news speaks of snow, post a tilling ad righ as the seeds show up in stores, bush hogging adds the first time you cut grass... whatever the time is, just spend the money right. Also try to make sure your ads stay local instead of across the country. I've got one video up so far on pricing jobs/running a productive business and I plan on breaking it down to specific jobs as I get time.
I agreed to mow a 1/2 acre lot for $75 last year. It was seriously overgrown. Damaged a wheel on my mower and lost money on the job. It was next door to my house but still not worth it. Just today I agreed to re-till portion of a community garden, took more time prepping and getting there than the job did. I don't want to know what it cost me to do that job. If you're rolling out with $33'000 plus in equipment you have to charge something substantial. The community garden was a not a billable job.
@@project.jericho It was just a one off job. I don't normally do tractor work for money. Later the realtor that sold the property told me the previous owner wanted $400-500 to clean up the lot. I just reverted back to the pricing I used like 20 years ago in college. I bought a new tractor because I wanted it, I agree there are better options if you need to make money.
I wanted to expand on what I wrote, because the prices have changed since the price of fuel and everything else has gone up. I was at around $60-$65 per acre before the cost of everything went up, but now I charge $75 per acre. Most of the time I am dealing with people with smaller properties and they may have .5 to 2 or maybe even 3 acres. I also round up, if they have 2.5 acres, then that would be 3 acres that I charge. What I try to do with my min charge is that will get them two acres. You can also charge more per acre if they are wanting you to back up around the trees to get as close as you can, because it does take time going around and getting close to every tree. I also never go look at the property, because that is time and money. That is why I just charge a certain amount per acre. I also explain to them that I do not more debris from where I am brush hogging, I am not there to move stuff into piles, but there to cut grass. I may move one or two things, but I am there to cut grass. I also tell them that I will get as close as I can to the tree without getting smack by the limb and for sure now that I have a cab tractor. Then if they are a certain distance from me, then I will charge a travel fee on top of that. One must look in their local area to see what others are charging and go by that. I am in Texas and have been doing this on the side since 2016. I also have really only used craigslist and facebook. Most of my jobs have come from craigslist and now I am on repeat customers, because I do not want to take on any more at this time. I do not like to charge by the hour, because people do not understand how long it takes to do dirt work or road work and can think that you are sandbagging as your working, so giving them a price per job is the way to go. One could also say that the price will be around this and the customer will at least have an idea of what it is going to cost. I get it has to be worth the guys time, but once you start getting repeats and many different small jobs they add up. There has been times when I could do two or three small brush hog jobs in one day. This is why the lawn companies can charge so little, because they are doing a bunch of yards everyday to make up that total amount earned per day.
I hope this person that sent the question, really listens to the advice you gave him. I know that it can be hard, but one must also be fair in their pricing and most people are going to go with the cheapest person they can find most of the time. checking the prices in that area would be key. I know that I am not going to undercharge for my time and effort. I have learned over the years and have had some properties that I took a big loss on and had to learn. This is why I said that I do not every go look at the land before giving a price per job. I just need location and size and can give them a price. I also know that people wait till it is really over grown before they want it cut, so that is why I charge a little extra per acre, just from past experience.
Cool video! I personally really enjoy the business questions / discussions. That guy got a lot of good feedback, not only from you but tons of comments!! You might have to put a calendar on your website for people to schedule consulting time or you could make this sort of Q&A thing weekly. Maybe UA-cam shorts. 🤷♂️
As for $500/acre, the first thing that came to my mind was that seems high, but if he sold it differently...like transportation & fuel costs x-amount w/a lower per acre cost and maybe that total added up to $500 then I could justify it more in my mind.
You had a lot of very good information for the gentleman. I found it interesting that you developed a million dollar company selling refurbished cell phones. I have a refurbished from Boost, works great!!!
I agree with you on up front pricing. They will use your posted rate to negotiate the next guy down.
You will never have another chance for first time impressions.
It’s funny this video popped up. I have been watching videos on tractor services lately (it’s satisfying to watch brush hogging). One particular video showed a guy hogging 49 acres with a 2-series tractor and a 6 foot brush hog. It took the guy 4 days (21 hours) and he charged $750 for the job, but the intent was to calculate how many acres he could hog in an hour with his setup (2.5 acres). In the end he determined the pricing structure of $35 per hour for hogging… not a per-acre or per-job basis. Hogging can be challenging - sometimes you think it should be a rapid job and it takes forever. That said, I think those prices mentioned are astronomical. I wouldn’t spend another second in the site once I saw the prices. Almost all the videos I’ve been watching show $35-$50 per hour for hogging, material handling and moving (spreading dirt, etc), post hole digging, etc. I think the person cited by Courtney may be trying to calculate a target “salary” and then figuring out how to hit that mark using the services the person provides. Thus, the prices aren’t reflective of what a job should cost or what a person would be willing to pay. Instead, the pricing should be established so that it is fair and reflective of the job, and then work to market those new rates to increase quantity of jobs. That process is typically used for all service-based businesses, not just tractor services. I guess someone somewhere might pay those rates, but it definitely wouldn’t be the average guy, average homeowner, average farm owner. Gotta price jobs to the 95-percent group… not the 5% of the population who can afford to pay premium prices. You will price yourself right out of business. Courtney’s commentary and suggestions are amazing!!!! Adding a totally new portfolio of services is a goldmine, instead of just the 2 or 3 services you feel most people want. However, the bottom line is still the same - the current per-job pricing structure isn’t the best approach for this type of work, the the current prices are astronomically high. 😁
Well said! Brush hogging for me is $35/hr, I am expecting it to be $45/hr with the gas prices this year.
It's almost a " better price high so if I don't get a lot of customers this one will tie me over until the next easy target comes along" type pricing
Also sounds like scared of working type type pricing, rather have those couple big paychecks with less work rather than a ton of little paychecks for a little more work
@@newhampshire-bob1604 yeah between gas and insurance and everything else, prices have to rise FAIRLY to accommodate those increases
@@justinteal495 yeah, I mean I don't want to judge... he may be a super hard worker and just doesn't have a good idea if how to price services... but it definitely could fit the feast-or-famine mentality you mentioned.
From Northwest NC. I agree prices are way too high. Myself $50 an acre for mowing a yard around a house. Bush hogging, which is normally a realtor, prettying things up for a sale. $100 that includes mow, rake and getting the cut long grass out of sight or having someone come in for free hay. I'd also bet those paying $500 are not repeat customers. And did he explain what the citations were for? Speeding between jobs 🤔 maybe?
Great advice all around. That is why we are here! Thanks!
Those prices are extreme. $500 an acre for brush hogging, if you have an acre full of small trees that’s a good deal if you have some grass that overgrew for a few months, that’s ridiculous. We had just half an acre on the property next to us and it had overgrown for six or eight months and the brush hog guy came through and did it for $100.
I agree about not putting a set price on it, you need to bid by the job. As soon as you read off those prices, I would’ve ignored those ads right away because there are other people out there who will do it for half that price.
If people can get that money then that’s awesome and I don’t have a problem with it but those prices are just way too high. A lot of people think you can go out and spend $35,000 on a tractor and some implements and you’re gonna pay that off in a year doing odd jobs.
Guarantee your work quote for the job and from what I’ve heard from people who do this successfully, advertising isn’t a big deal, most of them get their jobs from word of mouth and when you start pricing it so every single job is going to be a guaranteed profit you’re eliminating most of your customer base. From everybody I’ve talk to that does this, people that are successful are successful because of word of mouth because they do a good job at a good price and usually that means getting jobs that aren’t going to make a ton of profit, you have to work yourself up to a business you can’t just go buy equipment and jump on the scene and expect to be successful, if it was that easy everybody would do it. Most people do jobs we’re not making a ton of profit and build up to it. Then when you have more business than you can handle you can throttle that by raising your prices but I’ve never been quoted $500 for bush hogging an acre that’s double what I think it is.
I think your advice about bundling is right on. Somebody get you out there to bid on doing a couple acres of bush hogging, look at other things that could be done and tell them what the options are, if they added some grading and you can throw some of that in or remove some debris or whatever options they have it can seem a lot more appealing to spend that money when you’re getting a lot more for it.
The only other thing I can think would be to find churches or local businesses like a hardware store or a feed and seed and do some cheap or even free work just to get the advertising. If you go mow some property around the church for free there could be 30 or 100 people going to that church and they might let you drop some cards there, there are a lot of landscaping companies I see now and one of the trends is they just go out and do yards for free. I see an overgrown yard that hasn’t been cut for a while and they just go up and offer to do it for free and they’ll put a video out on UA-cam or Facebook and it’s worth the advertising for them because those people go talk to their friends about how somebody showed up and did their yard for free. If you’re already in the neighborhood and there’s a yard that will take you an extra hour to do you can zip through it and they’re going to be happy because you volunteered to do it for free and that’s something they’re going to go talk about and tell their neighbors about so you’re already in the areas where you’re working getting great advertising. Are used to mow my neighbors lawn because we had 2 acres and they had half an acre and their yard was nice and flat and why already had the mower out and running it took it almost nothing to just zip across their lawn. Word of mouth I think it’s the trick and exposing yourself to local community information resources like churches hardware stores co-ops and feed places and local bulletin boards where people post flyers and cards. When you go to a job in an area close to you, go drop business cards in the mailboxes or post flyers near intersections with stop signs. Real estate agents and work with other companies. Companies will subcontract jobs they don’t want to do it either, so a large company that does a similar business but doesn’t take small jobs or doesn’t take large jobs can be a good resource and you might not make a ton of money off of those jobs because you’re sharing the profit but you’re working and making contacts
Love the link up with local real estate agent/bank/contractor tip! It's what a friend did with his business.. Depending where people are, you could also contact your local municipalities. Some smaller towns will outsource mowing sides of roads or parks, re ditching etc. Another thought is call your local "Honey wagon business" (septic guys)😁 alot of the smaller ones rent out backhoes for ditching and putting in new septic tanks. Just a few more ideas to throw at the wall with yours!
Great video 👍
Another high quality video. Thank you.
I had a neighbor that would let his yard grow about 3 to 4ft high then come ask me to mow it for him. I told him no many times. He finally got another neighbor to mow it for 40$. We have zero turn mowers that we mow with not a tractor. That neighbor that was mowing it for 40$ started having problems with his mower. Hell he couldn't even mow his acre much less that over grown neighbor's acre. We told him his mower wasn't big enough to mow grass that thick, tall and wet. He finally had to quit mowing that over grown yard. It cost him a pretty good penny to get his mower fixed so he could mow his own yard.
I have a Scagg 52" mower. Now that scagg is built better and it would handle that over grown acre. So, I told him I would mow it for 300$. Oh he threw a fit that's to much. I said don't let it get so over grown and it would be a lot cheaper. He found some kids to mow it for him lol. Here comes back to me wanting to know how much I would charge him to clean up what the kids messed up mowing. I told him 300$. I said look I'll have to mow it twice to clean that acre up. Finally he said ok do it. I mowed it that time and that time only. You see he was trying to sell that place so, he finally got off his ass and started mowing it himself. He would spend 2 days knocking it down another 2 days raking it and another day burning what he raked. After him doing all that a few times he finally started mowing it about every 4 to 5 days. It people like him that makes it hard to help them out. Now I mowed around 8 acres for 2 different neighbors but I did charge them 300$ cause I was at their places about every 4 days in the spring mowing so their big 4 acre yards looked good all the time.
In the Houston area I was charging 80/acre or hour if traveling to site. I'm cheap, but 100-150 I think is fair on this area. I carry a million in coverage and have a zero turn, 3025, and a 5075. It's all expansive, but patience and lower starting price are what can help get you the calls. If you get enough volume people will be calling because of word of mouth. Word of mouth has gotten me more work than any of the advertising I paid for
Whenever someone quotes me a flat price on the phone or their website, I move on. Whether its brush hogging, putting in a door or whatever. Every situation is different, tall grass, trash in the lawn, restructuring for the door. When they give a flat price they are covering themselves for those contingencies. I don't want to pay for that if my situation doesn't call for it. If it does, I don't mind paying for it. Give FREE estimates, " I'll be in your area on Wednesday I can stop and take a look at it for you." Then like other comments have said, show up, or if not able communicate this. Communication is key.
In 2008, I mowed CRP land with a 20ft bat wing and charged $75 per hour. Another guy with same mower charged $15 an acre. In most conditions, I could cover 5 acres an hour. If it was 10 ft tall, it took longer. The guy charging per acre was losing money. My thing was, if I could speed up, I would thus saving the landowner. I wanted to come back so I was always driven to be fair about it. Never got a complaint to the day I quit doing it.
When you see those big tract houses offer to care for the model house for free in exchange for keeping your sign out partner with them to offer finish packages. Look for ones where all the surroundings look like crap no trees overgrown. Those are the ones that the contractor doesn't do lawn work
I always offer a free estimate. I have been doing these type of jobs for 15 years, I never give a price without going and looking at the job first. You also need to be able to do more different jobs. I have over 20 attachments to do different jobs
Nicely presented, nicely done ! Thanks for sharing...
I started with 2 rates, then fuel prices went up and I've had to set it to a flat daily rate. Essentially, I'm cheaper than renting, but affordable where I could make a living working less hours than I do now. I haven't had a complaint about my rates, plus I make sure I have that communication before, during and after. Then I like to throw out a promotional price for referrals too. So I, in a way, make sure the work is to the customers expectations and if they need anymore, they're already paying for the day.
Ah, the old Razr phone. That was my favorite cell phone. I bought Razr phones until you could not buy them anymore. Maybe we did some business back in the day when I was buying Razr phones off of eBay.
Fantastic stuff my friend !!!
I loved the razor phone.
More and more people are not getting timely access to tractors and their implements. The farmer who knows how to fix things and keep it running is good as gold. The Tractor supply people become the parts place and have all the old implements, tools and parts made up that'll do the job such as created by industrialized sized 3D Printers, "You need, we got it" is their motto to happy farmers.
Sites that do not include pricing but rather use 'call now for pricing' buttons are always a red flag they will be much too high and a waste of time to call.
The youtube channel 'tractor time with tim' did a segment on tractor work pricing and not under-bidding, but over-bidding can still be a problem.
What are regular 'fork truck driver' hourly wages in the area? Start with that for the operator and perhaps half that for the tractor hourly plus the fuel cost (since people understand the fuel equation these days).
100%, I see 'call for pricing' etc....I instantly click off and look elsewhere.
Owning your own business should get you more than some forklift driver wages. I'm not saying to gouge, but the person taking on the risk should be rewarded.
@@seanbailey8545 for brush hogging the price is absolutely dependent on the property. If its all grass and flat, the price will be different than a brushy, rocky, hilly field
I’d head down to the local coffee/breakfast place and become a regular. All the old guys like me are there every day and know everyone in the area that is looking to have/need to have that kind of work performed. Better yet once you get to know the “Group” they will recommend you/your business to everyone they know. Great content, you touched on tons of stuff that I have never considered and option. 👍👍🔥🔥
Had a group like that in the small town where we used to live. Everyone knew them and yes they did mention to folks who could do what or who did what and what kind of work they did. They were called the Rusty Zippers. Lol
I've got a small acreage and a couple small tractors (new 1025R and o.l.d. B7100). I need and use them both on my place - very useful for not having to switch implements every 5 mins, for example. I don't do tractor work for others at this time, but I am interested in it - if I ever get my place up to speed and have the time. More to the point, I've done service delivery in other industries for years and years.
A few points I would make. This kind of service by its definition is extremely local - so you've got to know your area and its population. $500 per acre would be almost trivial in a place like Beverly Hills, for a wild example, where almost nobody owns a tractor, and properties are small. Contrast that to the middle of Iowa, where EVERYBODY might already own a tractor (competition and/or DIY), the population is smaller to begin with, incomes are lower, and properties are larger. $500 per acre might seem outrageously high. Know your area - know your competition - know what pricing the local economy can bear. Yours wouldn't be the first business to have to relocate to find a suitable area to operate in - but these issues are better identified BEFORE you start up.
Your first acre costs are higher - that's a given. You've got to factor in things like prep of your equipment, travel time, cost of sale, etc. - even the time you lose NOT doing something else for a different customer (lost opportunity costs). But why is this your customer's problem? I use a local HVAC company that charges me just to show up, which includes a miniscule amount of "diagnosis time," then charges an arm and a leg for 15 min intervals beyond this, and something like $250 for a $25 capacitor. As a customer, I hate this model. So why do I use them? Once they're on site, they work quickly and with high quality. They usually have the parts I might need on their truck. They get the job done correctly and we part friends. Contrast that with my vehicle dealer. I have to take my vehicle to them, which consumes my time and my temperament - it requires a whole day or more. I have to rent a vehicle from them. They never accept my diagnosis as correct. They never get to the work on schedule. They never have the parts. The parts are always delayed in arrival. They go off on tangents - just charged me $900 for a "transmission service" when all I needed was a $30 fluid change for example. Their entire service model is focused on making it necessary for me to come back to them for additional service, so they stop short of complete care, without actually solving my issue (technical incompetence and a don't care attitude), and they threaten me: "if it has this issue again, we'll have to blah, blah, blah, and that will REALLY cost a lot. Maybe you should just buy a new one from us - hint hint." I have some news btw: I will NEVER buy another new ICE vehicle from them or anyone else - 40,000 separate parts, each of which is designed to break or wear out , lol - see you on the scrap heap of history.) But I digress.
I'm NOT suggesting that you eat the entire cost of the startup for that first acre. But I am suggesting you factor and blend it in - especially while you're establishing your demand curve (word of mouth is your best friend in this local situation, btw - AND it's FREE. Offer a reward/incentive if your customer's referral results in work). Make less on the first acre for your new customers - and give your repeat customers a break also - especially if it's something like mowing, which must be done on a repeat basis. You already know your costs for those customers - just don't gouge. Once you have enough business, you can use your pricing model to influence demand. Groom your workload - push off work to better times on the year (for you) by increasing your prices or offering "sales" selectively. Do the best job you can possibly do, and if something doesn't go quite right, let that be reflected in what you charge them - HOW you charge them - never discount your rate or your work. That establishes value for work. But offer rewards, kick-backs, exceptions, etc. They make the customer feel appreciated and grows their confidence in you.
But be patient. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day. Know your costs - what does it cost you if you do no work at all for 30 days? Average that out annually. That's what you need to break even - without even supporting yourself or your family or pay taxes. What does that look like in terms of hours and hourly charges per month? How much cash do you have? Can you carry yourself through the low points? Do you look desperate to your customers? Do you have to charge higher rates just to make ends meet against the small amount of work you have? Customers come to know or sense this. Somebody below said to not show up in a beater vehicle or a brand-new highly expensive one. I both agree and disagree. You don't want to seem to be extravagantly high-priced, but everybody loves a success story. You could have the oldest equipment and vehicle in the world - but make sure they're clean, well-maintained and functional. - and definitely, NO FLUID LEAKS. Nobody wants you contributing to an environmental or appearance situation. I had a landscaper who had an old beat up riding JD lawn mower. I swear it broke down every time he tried to use it. The number of times he had to "come back the next day" to finish the job eventually caused me to stop using him - and by that next day, he was so rushed and behind schedule that he did a poor job.
If you don't have this cash, your business isn't solvent. Hate to say it, but you need to rethink things. Can you start more slowly? Get a job - operate your business on the side? Get a loan for operations - but be sure your model and results support that on an annual basis. Your lender will require proof of that anyway. I detest going to family and friends - but for some people, its an option. Do crowdsourcing; start a cooperative or a subscription model (somebody who buys in gets a reduced rate for some amount of work on an annual basis, but it gets you cash up front).
Well I could go on for a while, but this is already extremely long. Hope it helps a little.
One more thing. Get rid of the static formulaic pricing on your website. If your intention is to generate phone traffic, say something like "call us for a free estimate." But then HAVE SOMEBODY TO ANSWER THE PHONE, even if its just an answering service. Do NOT make any prospective customer leave a voice mail.
A better idea is to have an on-line estimator. It hides the upfront static pricing (which is bad advertising, anyway) - you can feely adjust the rates and other factors behind the scenes. Make your pricing dynamic according to the situation and/or your workload. It engages your customers in the process (yes it might be inaccurate, but you can correct that on site or afterwards). It allows you to distribute your startup and front-end costs across the entire job, not just the first part: the bigger the job, the less per acre).
I haven't priced out this kind of work, and I'm not commenting on whether it's too high or not, but a good reality check is to compare to the cost of renting the equipment for the job.
I suspect that if his customers were to rent the equipment to mow that acre, they would pay at least $500, and then they would have to do the work themselves including the time to pick up and return the equipment.
💥 Great video with lots of helpful tips for anyone with a business.
*Keep on tractoring!*
good advice...
Around East Tx, the norm for bush hogging is $150 the first acre and $50/acre after that.
When participating in FB groups you have to make sure you are providing value to the group. If you come across as spamming it pushing your services then you are doing more harm to your business than good. If someone posts pictures of their property and asks a question about their lawn issues for instance. Don’t respond with “we deal with this all the time PM (or call) me and I can get you a quote.
Do respond with something like this, “do you know how old the lawn is? looking at the pictures I’d suggest dethatching, aeration and possibly overseading. There are hand tools that will work for this or you can rent a power dethatcher at homedepot and those + plug aerators are available at many local rental companies. Have you done a soil test? The big box stores sell basic ones which are a good place to start. Many places have a cooperative extension that will run more advanced tests for a small fee and I can’t recommend that enough for a DIYer. We do this for a living and use a Lammotte mobile lab that provides extremely detailed info on micronutrient content but costs over a grand upfront with recurring consumables expenses. We need that so because we can’t wait a week for a service to return results. Obviously it isn’t viable for a residential property owner and I just mention it to ad context to the value offered with the testing available from your areas co-op.”
With this response you have plugged a local not for profit that the hard core gardeners are guaranteed to be fans of. You have offered advice that they can use to solve their own problem. And you have discreetly let them know that you are a professional in the industry while asking questions that will hopefully engage them to respond. They may take your advice and DIY the work but many people reading the exchange will not want to do the work themselves and they are more likely to trust you based on that exchange. The goal is to build up a tribal following so anytime a lawn care or bush hogging question is asked the group members tag you for a response and in effect endorse your work.
Separate the hauling and moving of equipment with the actual cutting or other services (it may vary by how far you have to go). This way they see that part of it is the cost of moving the equipment. Also, you may get more business if they know the equipment is already onsite and the cost is already spent on one service and they can have another service without that cost.
Yeah I agree to not have the prices upfront on a site. Do more along the line of free quotes which are obviously rolled into the pricing structure. Also a lot of people do cheap work that doesn’t pay for the equipment and that will always happen. If you keep doing good quality work even if it’s more expensive. Your going to build up a customer base and word of mouth advertising and eventually that work will come in. Also having your prices a little cheaper than slowly bringing them up can also work if your wanting to have more exposure. But it does cut into the profits. Lots of good ideas in here though. All seem good.
Great stuff, buddy
With any job it is $100 to show up and depending on the job will be the price
Bush hog
-grass($45/acre)
-small brush($75/acre)
-thick brush($150/hour) and that’s if my tractor is large enough to handle it and I don’t have to get out to cut trees with chainsaw
Any digging will be quoted based off the job.
Very great video, Thank you.
Courtney,
As a retired farmer I occasionally would have someone ask me to do some work involving equipment be it plowing mouldboard or chisel, disking, mowing, seeding and etc. I would tell them I have to see 👀 the job site.
If required truck & trailer it was $1.25 per mile round trip + the cost of the job. Equipment fee $50.00 hrs Operator fee $15.00 hrs
Of course in today's market I would probably double the prices.
doing a UA-cam channel showing some of if not all of your jobs and what you do can also be a way to free advertising (get enough viewers you will get paid from it as well maybe even pick up on some promotional products to review), it will also show all the services you can provide
I was selling watermelons at 2.50 apiece Wasn't selling a thing so I changed my sign to 2 for 5.00 and sold out in 9 hours
Lower your hourly or per acre rate and apply a separate setup fee/mobilization fee/ pain in the ass tax to every quote. This does require you to sit down and figure out what it really costs you to mow an acre and/or simply load your trailer and show up to the job.
Another problem here may be psychology. First though, I'M NOT PICKING ON THIS PARTICULAR GUY - I don't know him. He may be a great, rational guy. The problem though, is that most people have some preconceived notion of what their time is worth. Say it takes an hour to hog an acre of land. That means that if this guy is charging $500 for the first acre, he may genuinely think his time is worth $500 per hour... or $300 per hour... or $100 per hour. Telling someone that a job should cost $50, which in a person's mind may translate to the fact that their time is only worth $50 an hour, is often seen as an affront. They may genuinely get insulted that someone would propose that their time isn't worth what they feel it is worth. The rationality of the job being worth a certain amount, and the person is charging 2x or 4x more than what it should actually cost wouldn't even be a consideration. With a person of this mind set, you can provide endless rational suggestions and justification, and more often than not if you check a year down the road their prices will still be the same, over-inflated, and the person will still be complaining about the same issue (but unwilling to change the prices). I have met so many people like this over the years and they are exhausting. AGAIN, this is not a reflection on the person mentioned in this video... just an observation about people over the years.
I agree with your points, but I imagine (or hope...) that he's factored in fuel, transport time, insurance, vehicle and equipment repair, etc as part of that. There's a couple ways to handle that. Have a minimum "show up" charge, and then a per-hour cost. Or do an estimate that's presented to the customer that has all that rolled in. The problem is that having no cost on the website is as bad as the $500. Am I wasting my time having this guy come out to do an estimate, and still find it's $500? Maybe something like "Prices starting as low as $xx", so a prospective buyer can at least get an idea, maybe?
@@JCWren yeah absolutely. All that stuff adds to the expense. Courtney did a good job of explaining the job actually starts at home. But as you said, one never knows. Lol. Still though, for $500 for the first acre, that’s a LOT of overhead factored into that price.
@@daved8551 Let's just be honest about it. The guy has some issues thinking he's worth $500 an hour.
@@itruck1 well, I've met people who have had that mindset and they aren't able to be reasoned with. It is a deep financial conviction. 😁
3:23 - had me rolling on the floor. 😂
I charge myself 2-3 beers for cutting 2 acres and another 2 beers to Ted it twice and probably 3 more beers to hand bale it. My liver takes all payment deliveries and love handles are the bank I keep my earnings in
Ha!
Give a first-time customer discount coupon and do an outstanding job to keep the customer coming back.
That price would depend on the area you are located in. I have a company and I can not get to a site for under 1K. Thats what I start with.
Perhaps it's just me, but when I see an fixed price for mowing/landscaping work (among other things) I tend to assume the person doesn't really know what they're doing as the fixed rate will inevitably be too high for some jobs and too suspiciously low for others.
For example one of the few times I've done work for/with someone else was on a property that was about an acre in size (on paper) with weeds over 7ft tall that also had mow-able samplings and fallen/cut limbs that needed to be moved. While it could conceivably been mowed, we ended up taking it down to bare dirt on the areas that were workable - as that acre on paper also included a washout and steep embankment that meant not all of the property could be cleaned up. So with the property owner running a chainsaw to trim trees and drop the larger tress, and me running a tractor (with grapple & box blade) we managed to clean up the property in 6-ish hours .... so more than $500 worth of work on less than an acre.
Though since it's not something I regularly do, I tend to look at what the current local rental rates (averaged to a per hour rate) would be for equipment similar to mine as a base cost for covering the equipment for the estimated amount of time, and then add (or not) for any skills/knowledge I can/will bring to the task. The latter of which is something that gets conveyed when clarifying the task and discussing what I can/will (and can't/won't) be able to do during an estimation/evaluation visit.
After all I figure with some people the price/effort of renting the equipment and doing it themselves might be something that you're competing against every bit as much as you are other companies. ...and occasionally it's been helpful to (politely) point out that rental angle to people (whether they're "customers" or not) just so they can get a better understanding of what the equipment can cost hourly by itself without also paying for someone who knows how to use it or really even understands what to do in order to do the task "right".
We charge 50.00 a hour for brush hog work we do have a 2 hour minimum but the price is from the total length of time we are there and 2 hour cover most acrea lots
Prices are high. I don’t post prices for services. I post prices for products only (Firewood and Forest Products).
I charge by the hour ($90 AUD) with a minimum of 3 hours expect small square hay making which is a sliding scale from $4 a bale up to $8 depending on amount baled, accumulating and stacking is an extra $0.20 a bale. I don't advertise, all my work comes via word of mouth. I'm insured, I have a degree in agriculture science agronomy as well as my chem cert license as well as being Ausqual certified (fruit and vegetable production) I do abit of consulting work in the Veg, fruit, dairy and beef sectors. All my tractor work is within a 15km radius of home that way I can just drive the tractor to the job. It can be a bit chaotic trying to juggle contracting with home farm work as well as the work I do in the civil construction industry. But all in it's paying well and affords me the ability to buy new toys and put more money into the home farm.
It's better to price by the job. I always had a 2 hr minimum within a 10 mile radius of my home. At the time I was doing all this, I had more equipment, $40 per hr, and I got alot of jobs within the first month of business. I had a regular job also and I ended up taking my tractor with me to work and I had magnetic signs on my truck with my phone #. Never ran an ad anywhere but I handed out business cards also at the coffee shops, etc. I got layer off from my full time job but I was still doing tractor work and then I started driving a dump truck for a guy and I got alot of work from that. Then my health went south, heart attacks. But now I wish I still had my equipment, miss it. I still get calls.
I agree a guarantee is a great things but we've all had those customers who are never happy.
Been there, done that. I had a successful snow removal business as a side hustle for several years and got tired of people waiting until a couple hours before they had to leave for work and expect me to move them to the head of the list, then rip me out because I wouldn't.. Now I just do it for a small # of people and they are tickled and I make a little extra cash.
Having a flat fee per acre for mowing seems too narrow, I would offer say $300 the first acre, $250 each additional with a one time clean-up fee of up to $200 per acre assessed at time of estimate. If it is a neglected field with small trees, rocks, hazards etc I would lean into the "one time clean-up fee" that way you have some room to justify a higher price.
For perspective, the company I retired from rented dump trucks w/trailer with an operator for $150 per hour, the truck with trailer was about $200K to purchase.
I think I would set up distance fees for transportation and then a flat per hour fee. Some places are going to be quick and easy to mow, others not so much. I would also make it clear that the time for pulling fence wire and baling twine out of your mower is also charged hourly.
For myself. I charge $40.00 hr min 3 hr i will do other stuff like move trash or small brush piles and and mow around them. I get so much business and it’s word of mouth. I make sure job is good.
are you charging enough to pay your operation costs and be able to save for future repairs and replacements?
I think his prices are great I love bidding against people that overcharge
Great video! The guy's prices are WAY too high for those tasks. By his measures, the 3 acres I mowed yesterday with my tractor and bush hog would've been $800 for someone -- really easy mowing conditions done in 45 minutes. That's $1200 per hour!! (And, who decides how many acres you're mowing?) Most custom work around here is priced hourly and $45 is about the top for mowing. The only job custom operators do in this area for a set fee is till a garden plot. That said, my last excavation operator bid our work by the job which was a first. I kept track and his estimate proved out to be pretty much on target for what it would have been hourly for his D8 and excavator.
Don't people check what others are charging before they set a price or agree to one?
Around here unless you are cutting in a junkyard or young forest, The price for brush hogging grassland is around 20 to 25 dollars per acre.
Theres 1,000 guys in every county borrowing daddys tractor, no tax ID #, No licenses, no insurances...and if the tractor breaks, they just hand it back to daddy...until those people stop, we will never make what we should...i try to get $100/hr without telling the customer that...i estimate time and apply the $100/hr to that estimate...usually works out well ...but Bubba with daddys blue 1984 Ford and bush hog will do it for $35 for beer money...
EDDM Cards to your targeted area. Stop listing your prices and give free estimates based on the property as all are different. Target the areas you want to do business in and you can route your days to minimize travel time to each as necessary. Just my thoughts anyway. EDDM cards work.
Renting a BX here is $50 an hour with no-operator. I don't think his $500 was low it's just that there isn't any money out here. It's also difficult to get customers to understand drainage & lawn designs that speed up the time we must waste to try to catch the $65 they wish it costs to mow 1acre.
customer comments on tour services?
your services...
$500 an min nope. I brush hog on the side and no way I charge that. There can be a min, which I charge $150 and that gets them 2 acres at least. If they are over a certain mileage then there is a travel fee.
I agree prices too high, and would not post prices. They look and get an idea then they are moving on and getting an actual quote elsewhere is my guess. Every job is different and you should quote it. Dont quote an hrly rate. Quote the job based on the time you estimate. Consider some free work to get your name out and referrals. Showing pictures of those attachments on a job or being used is a better description than just words describing the work. Look at advertisements for box blades are post hole diggers etc typically you will see them in use. That allows the customer to visually see or anticipate that on their property
Wow. $500 an acre? There’s a billboard down the road from my place and it advertises $40 an acre for brush hogging.
Definitely need to take the prices off your site, because a 1 acre lot if just tall grass can be priced cheaper than the 1 acre that is over grown with saplings and multifloral rose which should cost more and the person with the over grown acre is going to expect to have to pay more and the tall grass customer. Another point is when making Facebook Marketplace ads do not list all of your services and one great big ad. Make completely separate ads. Make one ad for brush hogging. Make one ad for driveway grading a completely separate ad for post hole digging for fence posts that way you get more exposure for ten different Services as opposed to listing 10 services on one single add plus it also makes it a whole lot easier to keep track of customers as you can see exactly what they're messaging about
He wouldn't stand a chance here in rural low country SC. I am lucky to get $150 for an acre, however I also believe that is not all that bad for "easy field cut". By easy I mean grass/weeds only about knee high, no low areas or woody growth and few or no trees to maneuver around. I feel better quoting hourly costs vs per job. I review the job, survey the challenges and quote the cost based on my estimated time. I will do well around here to get $60/hr. I can deal with that for part time under the table gigs.
Ypu never throw out your prices out like that. That. Will dive people away very fast. Ad be flexible on your prices.
Never know what you may hit, old fence,big rocks,wood/steel fence posts. No thanks.
Yes. A bit high, he needs to have a loss-leader. It’s not how much you charge it’s total revenue over the life of the customer.
Stump wrecker HD!!! Lol sorry...
I don't remember if it said where this guy was from but location has a lot to do with prices. In the rural midwest this guy would get laughed out of town for asking $500 an hour. Sounds like just another 30 - 40 year old that thinks he's all that and a bag of chips. Does he haul that tractor around with an 80k pickup LOL
I have had multiple people on my property to do things as varied as install culverts, confirm property lines, move power line guide wires, trim trees, all fill dirt, etc. I would never hire someone with a price structure set up that way. Come out, look at my property. Talk to me face to face once you know the scope of the project and what I expect upon completion. Don't tell me a minimum fee when you have no idea how hard/easy the job will be, how far you will have to transport equipment, and how long it will likely take. Not acknowledging the obvious difference between bush hogging land that was cleared six months ago and what hasn't been maintained in twenty years is absurd and shows a clear disconnect with reality and customer expectations/intelligence.
Yes $500/acre is to much. I recently had approximately 4.5 acres bushhogged for $450.
Way too high
I think like others his pricing is not good. 500$ for the first acre is not a good model and frankly expensive. Best would be to thru experience figure out how long it takes to mow an acre that is easy and a badly overgrown acre. Then offer to estimate use 150$per hour(or whatever you need to make an hour for machine and labor) plus a mobilization fee, but just give the estimate as the price. For instance if it takes 1 hour to mow an acre and the costumer needs 3 acres completed, my price to them would be a total 525$ and the estimate would be detailed as 75$ mobilization fee for 30miles or less and 450$ for the mow. I wouldn't tell them its 3 hours or 150$ per hour.
To cut an acre of grass is only worth 100 dollars. That includes wear and tear on the tractor
$500 a acre lol $120-160 a acre. Post hole digging $100 and 20-40 per hole after the 1st.
Well $500 for the first acre seems high. He must have watched Tractor Time with Tim. He lobbies for 300-500 and hour pricing. I do some bush hogging and I’m in the 100-150 and acre depending on how over grown it is. The key for me is to see what your competitors are charging. If you can’t under cut the price, then over deliver on your service.
To answer the question in the title...yes, it's too much. At that rate I'd have to pay myself $800.00 to mow my yard every week. That's just BS. And that's not even doing the weed eating.
If you’re advertising a “starting at” price, it’s supposed to be attractive, not prohibitive. Start your post holes for what you’d do 1 hole, in sand, next door.
this guy unknowingly mowed up a bunch of weed, and then burned it, and then came up with his rates.
Too high
Your service is only worth what people are willing to pay for it. They’re telling you that your rates are too high…..and your presentation is off putting.