Drive through your hometown in the middle of any given weekday during the summer, and you are sure to see a number of different lawn maintenance trucks pulling trailers loaded with lawn mowers, trimmers, and blowers. Just in your own neighborhood, a dozen different companies could be hired by your neighbors to maintain their lawns throughout the season. Despite hours and hours of research to find and learn about our competitors, we constantly see trucks from companies about which we were previously unaware. To put it simply, when it comes to choosing a company to maintain your lawn, you have dozens, or even hundreds of options. Between large companies with fleets of over 100 vehicles, smaller companies with just a few employees, and even just a kid from down the street looking to earn some gas money throughout the summer, the number of options can be overwhelming.
When it comes to making a decision on a company, you may ask yourself, “How do I know make sure I am not overpaying? How do I know which companies are going to be reliable? How do I know which companies are going to take their time and do a good job? How do I know I am even asking the right questions?”
Here’s your guide to help you answer those questions and make a decision you will be happy with the whole summer long.
When it comes to lawn maintenance companies, there are four aspects to consider: reliability, quality of work, company values, and, of course, price. We believe it is in every homeowner’s best interest to make sure they hire a company that knows what they are doing, works efficiently, and shares their values all at a price that makes sense. What good is it to hire a company that has low prices, but rushes to get the work done, and isn’t able to address your concerns and questions throughout the season?
When beginning your search for a company, look online or around your neighborhood. Take a look at their online reviews and take the time to look through websites to learn as much about a company as possible! It is a good idea to pick three companies and give them all call or email. See how prompt they are at returning phone calls or emails. You want to make sure that if you have problems or questions down the road, you can be able to reach someone and get an answer quickly! Oftentimes, only one out of those three companies will answer the phone right away and the other two may even take a few days to return a message. If a company doesn’t respond quickly, you should immediately scratch those off of your list.
Once you can find two or three companies that provide you with prompt responses, invite them out to take a look at your lawn and do a walk through with you. When a company’s representative arrives for an appointment, whether it be a manager, company owner, or crew leader, pay attention to how professional they act. Take note of how they’re dressed, how courteous they are, and if they came prepared with a clipboard or other necessary tools to diagnose the condition of your lawn and to take notes. It could be expected that they may have a little dirt on their clothes, given the industry, but a professional landscaper should have a uniform or nicer shirt with company branding. The idea here is to find someone that takes themselves and their company seriously. If they take themselves seriously, you can bet they take their work seriously and that they will have instilled that sense of pride in the crews who will be taking care of your lawn. Furthermore, it is important to know you have someone who is friendly and pleasant to work with and won’t make you feel as though you are wasting their time when you have any questions.
Next, make sure you get quotes from more than one company to compare prices. After meeting with more than one company, there may be one that you like more than the others, but you still want to make sure you aren’t paying too much. Every company has a different way of estimating their lawn maintenance contracts. Some include other services such as bed maintenance and fertilization, others may have those as optional add-ons that aren’t included in the price. It is a good idea just to clarify exactly what is included so you know what you are getting. One company may operate better equipment that allows one to operate a little more efficiently than the other companies so their price may be lower for that reason, but it is important to realize that the lowest price isn’t always the best option. If a price is too low, a crew may be forcing itself to hurry and get the job done within a certain time to stay ahead of budget. This is something you want to avoid. Don’t be afraid to ask how a company comes up with its price. At the end of the day, it is usually your best bet to go with the company that impressed you the most over the phone and when you met them on your property. Every time you see that company's truck pull on your street, you will be happy you chose a company you feel good about!
Pirc Company’s goal is to be that company you can feel good about. Every one of our employees is trained to put an emphasis on professionalism, reliability, and dedication to their customers. You can expect a Pirc Company lawn maintenance crew to show up on time every week, treat you in a friendly manner, and leave your lawn looking as great as it possibly can. We know how to treat our customers well because we force ourselves to think like they think. We firmly believe that when you give us a call, meet us in person, and see our crews cutting your lawn, you will be consistently impressed with the way we go about our business.
Don’t let just anyone with a lawnmower cut your grass; you owe it to yourself to have a company you can count on week after week, year after year.