It can be frustrating to shop for something like lawn care services when you don’t truly understand the inner workings of the industry. How can you be certain that you’re making the best possible decisions when you don’t really know the lingo or understand what’s going on behind the scenes?
While there are plenty of lawn care secrets we know our competition doesn’t want you to know, we believe in transparency. We also believe that you should be well-equipped to make an educated decision about your lawn care and in order to do so, you must understand some key points about the industry.
Though we know it won’t gain us any popularity points with the competition, we have rounded up 10 important lawn care secrets revealed just for you.
1. Training Isn’t Always a Priority
We believe that training our people well makes a world of difference. But, here’s a lawn care secret other lawn care companies don’t want you to know. Many of them don’t invest the time or the money in training because of the fact that their turnover rates are so high. They just opt for the bare minimum, state-required training and that’s it.
They don’t want to put that investment into a person that they aren’t sure will even stay. We believe that ongoing training is one of many reasons our employees do stay. We invest in them and we believe in them. In turn, they provide the best possible service for our customers.
2. Your Technician’s Pay Structure Can Work For or Against You
Most lawn care technicians are paid on a commision structure whether the company wants you to know that or not. We will gladly admit that our technicians are paid that way. Because of the fact that we give an honest and fair price upfront as well as the fact that we pay our people really well, we believe the commission structure works in your favor. Our people have a vested interest in your satisfaction and want to keep your account on their route. That means they’ll work harder to keep you happy.
But for lawn care companies that come in with lowball prices or suddenly drop your rate to keep you happy, their people do not have the same incentives to work hard. What you may have thought was a great “deal” is in turn actually taking food out of the mouth of the family of your technician. Suddenly they are incentivized to hustle through your job and move on to the next one so that they can get more done.
3. A Lawn Care Program With the Wrong Focus Will Trap You
Do you get the feeling like you’re trapped in an endless game of whack-a-mole with your lawn? Your weeds may go away but always return in full force? While there is no product that will take care of all weeds forever, a lawn care program that is focused on addressing soil health, not just treating weeds, will ultimately make progress.
Most lawn care companies (not ours) focus on just treating these symptoms as they arise because they either don’t understand this level of lawn care, or they just frankly don’t want to invest in the latest technology. Make sure your lawn care company values building up your lawn’s natural defenses that help it choke out weeds on its own.
4. You May Not Have Been Given the Best Lawn Care Pricing Upfront
A lot of companies will give you a higher price for their lawn care services to start with but as soon as there are problems, the first thing they’ll do is offer to lower your rate rather than try to fix what is truly wrong. If your company is willing to lower your price if you complain or threaten to leave, you must ask them why they didn’t just give you the best price upfront?
Plus, a better price will not fix your problems. If you’ve been unhappy with your lawn care service, don’t be mislead to believe that a lowered price will equate to better service. We give the best price upfront and don’t believe our customers should have to haggle for a better rate. And that “great deal” ends up not being so great after all as your results end up suffering.
5. You may Not be Getting Enough Product...or Any at All!
There are many possible reasons why you may not be getting enough product on your lawn and all point back to poor service. You may have a technician who rushes, one who turns the pressure up too high on the sprayers so they can run across your lawn, or one that cuts corners by skipping multiple passes when more than one was needed.
Worst of all, we have caught wind of some lawn care scams where companies make false claims such as suggesting the application of lime or gypsum. Companies offering these services know you don’t truly need such products and may never perform them or perhaps may just throw some talcum powder down. It’s incredibly sneaky and does a disservice to our industry.
6. Introductory Lawn Care Offers aren’t Always What They Appear
By no means are all introductory offers lawn care scams. Virtually every lawn care company out there has new customer incentives. But it’s still important that you’re careful. Some introductory offers are tricky. They make it seem like you’re getting something extra or something “special,” when in fact you really are not.
If you were to compare their offering to the standard lawn care program of a more reputable company you might find that was already part of the program. Or, even worse, perhaps they’re offering something you don’t really need (such as lime or gypsum) and trying to make it seem like a deal. Bottom line? If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
7. Some Materials Are More Expensive...But They Work Better
Whether it’s for weed control, insects, or fertilization, there are plenty of lawn care companies that would have you believe all materials are created equal. The truth is, a higher quality product is going to produce a higher quality result, and that investment is worth it.
For example, there are specific broadleaf weed control products that work better on harder-to-control weeds such as wild violets. Some of these products can be used instead of the old standard weed controls (which work fine on most weeds), in the latter part of the fall when the weather cools.
This more expensive material may be just what your lawn needs to get rid of violets. Yet, many lawn care companies don’t use specialized products, and treat every lawn the same, leaving poor results on some of those tougher weeds.
8. The Lawn Care Industry Has a High Turnover Rate
In many lawn care companies, their technicians are here one day, gone the next. That’s because employees aren’t always treated well and companies are more driven by their bottom line than keeping their people on board.
But we believe there is great value in keeping the same employees on board for the long haul. They get to know their clients’ lawns and in turn do a better job. We treat our employees well and they treat our clients well because of it. If you want good help, you have to pay for it, and create an environment where they’ll want to stay for many years.
9. There is High Customer Turnover, Too
How valued do you feel by your lawn care company? Do you feel as though they really care? Would it make a difference to them if you left? If you aren’t sure, or your answer is no, you aren’t getting the high quality service that you could from a company that truly cares.
Not every company is only about the bottom line. Companies that truly do care about their customers are still out there. It’s possible you’ve overlooked them if you were solely shopping for lawn care based on price.
10. In the End, You Get What You Pay For
Okay, so this probably isn’t much of a lawn care secret but it’s perhaps the most important point to make. A lot of people shop for lawn care on price alone without spending the time to really think about where that low price comes from.
If you’ve been offered what seems like a really great deal on lawn care services, that price may be so low because the company has cut corners on products, equipment, and training. At the end of the day, the poor quality products and services will catch up to you and you could wind up paying more in the long run. Like most things in life, when it comes to lawn care, you get what you pay for.
We Don’t Keep Lawn Care Secrets
At Oasis Turf & Tree, we truly believe in honesty and integrity and that’s why we don’t keep lawn care secrets from our customers. As mentioned, we also believe in transparency. We give you our best price upfront, and that’s that. We don’t make you haggle or beg. You can feel confident from the onset that you’ve been given the best price possible.
Of course we know it’s probably not the lowest price you’ve been given if you’ve searched for lawn care services. We don’t make any claims to be the least expensive lawn care service in the marketplace.
But we do believe we are the most valuable. That’s because the long-term value you get out of a lawn care company that is truly focused on high quality in everything from products to service, will ultimately give you the best bang for your buck.
If you’d like to know more about Oasis Turf & Tree’s lawn care services for your Cincinnati, Dayton, OH or N. Kentucky property, we’d be happy to answer your questions. Feel free to contact us or call 513-697-9090.
Image Sources: wild violets