Creating a Landscaping Form that Fits Your Business

May 31, 2013 1:51 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Designing your first form for your landscaping business can be overwhelming. Many questions will go through your head about what you need or don’t need on your forms. Or maybe you have a form but it’s not working for you?

The goal of this tutorial is to help you make an informed decision on what kind of Landscaping Form will best fit the needs of your business.

First thing to remember is that you can never have too much information. Having all the details in front of you will save you time and money and will allow you to bill your customers more efficiently.

customer detailsDates/Seasonal information:
As you probably know, it’s very important to keep a record of dates. Start dates and finish dates should be recorded so that both parties are aware of when the service will start and when it will end. If most of your business is seasonal, you’ll want to make sure there is a place to mark it on your form.

Work Ordered By:
If a company has hired your lawn care services to take care of their property, it is extremely important you get the name of the person that hired you. They will be the one you deal with directly.

 

The next few areas will be very beneficial to have on your form. It’s helpful to have all of your services listed in one place so that you or your employees can go over it thoroughly with your customers.

It’s even better to be able to check these services off because that way you know what your customer wants and what is expected of you.

prepDesign/Planning:
If you offer landscape design or are able to assist your customers in planning what kind of plants and flowers they should plant, then you will want to have this offered.

Grading:
Do you offer lawn planting services? Let your customers know that you are able to level their lawn in preparation for planting.

Soil Preparation:
If you do lawn testing and offer soil care and treatment this is also important to have on your form.

Other things you could add to this section: Sod Removal.

Now that your customers know that you can prep their lawn for new grass, let them know what kind of planting options they have.

lawn installationDo they want sod placed down?

Or do they want seed that will take longer to sprout and grow?

Or maybe they want to spray down the new hydroseeding. That can be added here if your lawn care business offers it.

maintenanceThe maintenance section should include all of the services you provide regularly.

Fertilizing:
For customers who don’t like to buy their own fertilizers and apply it themselves, they might find it helpful to know you offer this.

Lime:
If your company checks the soil for lack of calcium and will treat it with lime, this is something nice to have on your form.

Raking:
What does your customer want you to do with the fallen leaves and grass clippings? Do you provide services to clean up yard waste?

Aerification & Thatching:
Do you own equipment used to aerate lawns? Customers with thatch problems might request your services to get rid of the problem and aerated lawns are healthier looking lawns. If aeration will not help the thatch problem, do you offer more aggressive plans to get rid of thatch? List those here.

Insect and Weed control:
Lawn care services that are equipped to tackle issues of bugs and weeds will need this added to their list.

Hydroseeding:
Are you able to offer maintenance for lawns that have hydroseeding?

masonry and stonework

Does your company offer masonry and stonework? If so, then section off a part of your form to list what kind of work you offer.

Stone walls:
If you find a customer with a steep, dangerous, slope in their backyard, perhaps you can talk them into letting your landscaping company design a new terrace that will eliminate the need for mowing that part of the yard?

Stairs and walkways:
These are decorative things that add beauty to landscaping designs and flowers beds.

If these aren’t things you isntall, perhaps these are things you maintain and that could also be noted.

water
More installation! These are huge projects that will catch your customers’ attention. Since you don’t know everything that your customer might be planning for their yards, when they see this on your form, they may hire you instead of trying to track down yet another company to install something for them.

miscSpring/Fall Cleanup:
If you choose, you could add Gutter Cleanup or other types of work you offer seasonally.

Rototilling:
Customers with gardens will be most interested in this. Tilling your land in preparation for planting isn’t fun but you can do it in half the time with your rototilling equipment.

Post Hole Digging:
Customers who are about to put up a new fence will be pleased to see this listed on your form. You can offer to do the backbreaking part for them… for a price of course.

Stump removal & grinding:
Offer to get rid of those unwanted stumps!

Misc Tree work:
We’ve covered trimming, pruning and insect treatments but what about tree removal?

Debris Removal:
When a large storm hits, let your customers know you will be there to pick up the fallen limbs and leaves.

Snow removal:
Do you work where there is a lot of snow? Do you offer services that shovel snow? Then you will want this on your form as well.

checklist

Noting where certain work is to be done will help you save time and resources and get the job done right the first time. Every customer is different and some might want mulching around their flowers but not around their shrubs. Others might want trees trimmed but want to do their shrubs themselves.

A good form will let you keep excellent notes on where you customers have requested your services.

descr and materialsEvery form needs areas to write in because every customer is going to bring something different to your company. You need sections that will allow you to write extra things in or describe any extra things that need to be done.

Labor:
This section is important because you will be able to clearly state what your labor is and how much you charge for said labor. There are extra lines here because not all labor will be at the same rate. If you’re planting a lawn, you won’t charge the same amount for when you’re just mowing. So make sure you have enough lines here for every type of work you offer. This way there’s no questions when your customers get handed the bill.

Material:
What kind of material did your customers order? Here is where you will list what kind of mulch you’ve used, if you’ve put down rock, what kind of fertilizers you’ve used and how much each of those things cost.

Being able to clearly state your pricing will make sure you don’t short change yourself or over bill your customers.

totals

Again, there is a “Work Ordered by” but this time it is for signature purposes. Very important to have on file that someone within the company signed a contract with you for your services.

Totals:
Total everything up for you and for your customers. Customers like being able to see how everything comes together and how you came to the price you’re giving them. Being able to show them a detailed account of their lawn care plan is a way to build trust with your customer.

And maybe most importantly, add a big thank you. Your customers like knowing you appreciate them! Okay, that part is optional but if you have room it looks really nice on a form.

This is what your end product could look like.

landscaping form

You will notice a blank spot at the top of this form where it says “Terms”. If your company has any kind of terms of services you will want that printed on the form. It is always wise to be upfront with your terms of service and spell out what you believe your company is liable for and what it is not. Be clear, be concise, and your customers will appreciate having all of the facts up front.

Now that you know what is helpful to have on your lawn care form, take a look at this landscaping form Printit4Less has to offer. We will customize it for you with your name and company details. If there is anything you need added or removed from any of the forms, just respond back to the proof you receive with any changes you have.

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This post was written by Progressive Printing Team

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