Andy B
30-08-2009, 10:43 PM
I've been mowing lawns for awhile now and a few months ago I bought and read Dean's book Lawn Mowing Fastrack to Success. To thank him publicly for his book and support and website and everything ILMCOA has done to give me the confidence to build my own business, I have just written my version of "the first job". It's a bit lengthy and I apologise for that but it's true and hopefully someone new to the game can get something out of it.
So if you've got the time have a read, and when you're finished write yours and share it.
After reading Dean’s book a couple of months ago and stretching the finances to the limit to purchase equipment, insurance etc. I have finally done a letter box drop and it’s now generated 3 calls!
The first was a quote for mowing and hedges on a house that’s going to become a rental, (yet to do job). The second was for a yard clean up, mowing hedges etc. Big job but cancelled day before. The third call generated the first job! Until now I had only ever worked for people I knew or friends and relatives of people I knew.
The following is my analytical recollection of the day. I quoted the job thinking it would be done in about two and half hours but as taught by all ILMCOA gave set price. I wrote quote on the bottom of a short introduction letter with my business name in large print at the top.
I advised the client I would be there around 9am. The client greeted me out the front as I was putting on sunscreen and showed me another garage door that had not been opened when I did the quote. It was a big relief as I was dreading carrying my brand new Honda 196d up the back stairs. I thanked the client and finished with the sunscreen and pulled out my Kawasaki EG35 (brushcutter with the chord head on). Put the straps on and started her up. Cut all the front edges and headed around the side and out the back.
Wow this really is a 1200 sq m block (I must of had rose coloured glass’s when I quoted it) headed up the side cutting the edge all the way and lifted up the fallen pailings onto the back fence. Stopped halfway across there and then did all around the trees and all the other odd bits I could find before heading up the other side and across to the middle of the back fence where I’d stopped. Crikey, I forgot my phone and my drink bottle. I headed back to the car and sighted the clock, crap an hour had gone already.
Well better christen this new mower. Lifted her out of the back of my wagon and grabbed one of my new 175L garden bags. Went straight up to the back yard and started her up there. Quickly realised none of the guys on the ILMCOA website told me the new mower was going to be way harder to push up a hill compared to my 20yr old rover. Cursed them half way up but was so enthusiastic when I made the first turn. Did two full laps around the edge and wished I hadn’t forgotten my drink bottle. When I got to the top I started to zig zag down hill. The catcher was full on about the second crossing which was okay cause I placed the garden bag on the ankle high clover expecting it would be a heavy area. By about my sixth pass through the clover I realised that it was slowing me up so emptied the catcher for the third time. Then mowed the clover patch ignoring the zig zag pattern I’d been working on. Cleaned up the clover and emptied the 175L bag then about three quarter full for the first time.
There used to be a pool closer to the house and the client wanted the clippings etc dumped into it. It also was about three quarters full but solid enough of logs to stand on. Finished the back yard after draining the tap a couple of times to keep hydrated. What is with these 30 degree days in August? The client requested that the back cement court yard be swept. Guess what? Forgot the broom after using my Pope blower so much since buying it, I was thinking I’d use the vacuum function I paid the extra 30 bucks for. In hindsight I wish I had used the broom or the vacuum function but knowing I was taking way longer than I thought I opted to blow the leaves etc into a pile then scoop them up into the garden bag and dump them when finished. It worked well but now wish I had blocked off under the back door to prevent any leaves flying under it and wish I had told the client at the end of the day where I placed the towels I took off clothesline and placed folded on upstairs undercover outdoor table. Will only know if client okay with what I did if they get me back!
Continued out the front with the blower, the client had said picking up all the leaves was important. Then blew off all the paths and the driveway and around the front door. I blew it all onto the grass and leafy areas for the mower to pick up. It was looking good and out came the mower again. It was sectioned off into three so like the back yard I did two laps around outside of each section then mowed them zig sagging from top to bottom. It looked great, all the leaves, all the clippings, all collected up into the garden bag ready to go out the back into the old pool.
Out the back, I had noticed a hedge that I hadn’t seen when quoting. If I had, the quote would of been a bit higher. There was also another small hedge about 3m long going from a tree across to the letter box. It looked as though it had never been kept so I got out my Pope hedger and shaped it into a nice little rectangular strip. Collected the hedge bits and looked back over job. Tidied up the driveway and the front gutter a final time with the blower and blew the dust off my now brown mower. I then emptied the garden bag for the final time and put all my gear away. As I started to write the client out an invoice they approached cash in hand and stated they did not wish for a receipt. I thanked them kindly and advised that I didn’t notice the hedge out the back when I quoted but I have done the small one at the front for no extra charge. The client thanked me and advised they would call me when they need me next, which would probably be some time after it next rains. I advised I saw rain predicted finally for next week which will be great because it’s been so long.
So that was my first official job three and half hours. All tools did what they are meant to. It was a tough job, bigger than I thought but who cares I’ve completed my first official job. Home for lunch and a cold drink!
So if you've got the time have a read, and when you're finished write yours and share it.
After reading Dean’s book a couple of months ago and stretching the finances to the limit to purchase equipment, insurance etc. I have finally done a letter box drop and it’s now generated 3 calls!
The first was a quote for mowing and hedges on a house that’s going to become a rental, (yet to do job). The second was for a yard clean up, mowing hedges etc. Big job but cancelled day before. The third call generated the first job! Until now I had only ever worked for people I knew or friends and relatives of people I knew.
The following is my analytical recollection of the day. I quoted the job thinking it would be done in about two and half hours but as taught by all ILMCOA gave set price. I wrote quote on the bottom of a short introduction letter with my business name in large print at the top.
I advised the client I would be there around 9am. The client greeted me out the front as I was putting on sunscreen and showed me another garage door that had not been opened when I did the quote. It was a big relief as I was dreading carrying my brand new Honda 196d up the back stairs. I thanked the client and finished with the sunscreen and pulled out my Kawasaki EG35 (brushcutter with the chord head on). Put the straps on and started her up. Cut all the front edges and headed around the side and out the back.
Wow this really is a 1200 sq m block (I must of had rose coloured glass’s when I quoted it) headed up the side cutting the edge all the way and lifted up the fallen pailings onto the back fence. Stopped halfway across there and then did all around the trees and all the other odd bits I could find before heading up the other side and across to the middle of the back fence where I’d stopped. Crikey, I forgot my phone and my drink bottle. I headed back to the car and sighted the clock, crap an hour had gone already.
Well better christen this new mower. Lifted her out of the back of my wagon and grabbed one of my new 175L garden bags. Went straight up to the back yard and started her up there. Quickly realised none of the guys on the ILMCOA website told me the new mower was going to be way harder to push up a hill compared to my 20yr old rover. Cursed them half way up but was so enthusiastic when I made the first turn. Did two full laps around the edge and wished I hadn’t forgotten my drink bottle. When I got to the top I started to zig zag down hill. The catcher was full on about the second crossing which was okay cause I placed the garden bag on the ankle high clover expecting it would be a heavy area. By about my sixth pass through the clover I realised that it was slowing me up so emptied the catcher for the third time. Then mowed the clover patch ignoring the zig zag pattern I’d been working on. Cleaned up the clover and emptied the 175L bag then about three quarter full for the first time.
There used to be a pool closer to the house and the client wanted the clippings etc dumped into it. It also was about three quarters full but solid enough of logs to stand on. Finished the back yard after draining the tap a couple of times to keep hydrated. What is with these 30 degree days in August? The client requested that the back cement court yard be swept. Guess what? Forgot the broom after using my Pope blower so much since buying it, I was thinking I’d use the vacuum function I paid the extra 30 bucks for. In hindsight I wish I had used the broom or the vacuum function but knowing I was taking way longer than I thought I opted to blow the leaves etc into a pile then scoop them up into the garden bag and dump them when finished. It worked well but now wish I had blocked off under the back door to prevent any leaves flying under it and wish I had told the client at the end of the day where I placed the towels I took off clothesline and placed folded on upstairs undercover outdoor table. Will only know if client okay with what I did if they get me back!
Continued out the front with the blower, the client had said picking up all the leaves was important. Then blew off all the paths and the driveway and around the front door. I blew it all onto the grass and leafy areas for the mower to pick up. It was looking good and out came the mower again. It was sectioned off into three so like the back yard I did two laps around outside of each section then mowed them zig sagging from top to bottom. It looked great, all the leaves, all the clippings, all collected up into the garden bag ready to go out the back into the old pool.
Out the back, I had noticed a hedge that I hadn’t seen when quoting. If I had, the quote would of been a bit higher. There was also another small hedge about 3m long going from a tree across to the letter box. It looked as though it had never been kept so I got out my Pope hedger and shaped it into a nice little rectangular strip. Collected the hedge bits and looked back over job. Tidied up the driveway and the front gutter a final time with the blower and blew the dust off my now brown mower. I then emptied the garden bag for the final time and put all my gear away. As I started to write the client out an invoice they approached cash in hand and stated they did not wish for a receipt. I thanked them kindly and advised that I didn’t notice the hedge out the back when I quoted but I have done the small one at the front for no extra charge. The client thanked me and advised they would call me when they need me next, which would probably be some time after it next rains. I advised I saw rain predicted finally for next week which will be great because it’s been so long.
So that was my first official job three and half hours. All tools did what they are meant to. It was a tough job, bigger than I thought but who cares I’ve completed my first official job. Home for lunch and a cold drink!