Are You Lawn Account Diversified?



Diversification of your customer base can avoid the hard times

from other accounts.



Many businesses are made up of a certain type of customers. These

can include homeowners, apartments, office complexes, or

government accounts.



Diversity of your market segment can protect your business from

the ups and downs of different market segments.



For example, I have 2 friends who are brothers that work for

their dad. He owns a printing company. They supply one local bank

with all their printing needs. This makes up about 60% of their

work. If this bank merges with another, as many do, they may lose

this account. That could put the printing company out of

business. To this day they are not aggressively going after more

accounts. I have never understood this.



Market mix should be made up of multiple market segments.



I recommend business owners maintain at least 30-40 residential

accounts as a good base. This keeps the income flowing weekly as

most commercial accounts pay 30-60 days after invoice.



After you have these 30-40 accounts established, try to tackle

a few commercial accounts.



For those that only have 10-15 lawns, market for new business

around your already established lawns you feel are the most

profitable. It is better to acquire business close to existing

accounts as the drive time will be significantly reduced.



Some ask me "How do I gain commercial accounts if I have no

commercial references?"



My answer is this...



1 Submit good references from existing customers

2 Make sure your price is competitive

3 Sell yourself



Many people buy from someone they like, not necessarily from the

company. Be likeable!!



Remember these things when going after different types of

accounts.



1 Is there enough potential there

2 Does the customer seem to look for the lowest bids (government accounts)

3 Does it seem possible to maintain long-term business relationships

4 Can you meet the customers expectations



Never put all your eggs in one basket, diversification is

important to keep a business thriving.



Best of Luck!





Kevin Whiteside is the owner and editor of www.LawnForum.com Monthly,an online newsletter and website for lawn and landscape professionals.Get a FREE subscription here LawnForum@aweber.com

He is also the author of "Turn High Grass Into Cold Cash- How to Start the Ultimate Lawn Business" www.GrassToCash.com

You can use this article as long as the bylines are included.

kevin@GrassToCash.com