In any business, you’re never going to get every job. That’s a simple fact.
Never get discouraged if you don’t get every job, or even half the jobs you look at. That’s a simple truth.
Every year I talk to a lot of people about landscape work. Over time I’ve come to recognize the signs of a serious client.
First, serious clients make it easy to get in touch with them because they want to talk to you. Serious clients don’t hide information or ‘forget’ to fill out fields on your contact form. They aren’t being devious in any way.
Second, serious clients have a specific project. When they talk about a project they know what they want and when they want it done. If you visit someone and they’re ‘thinking about a project’ or ‘considering options’ they’re doing just that. It’s up to you to decide how to proceed.
Third, serious clients have a realistic budget, even if they don’t reveal it. You can sense they want the pain of an outdated landscape to end, they want the yard to look nice for the graduation party, they want to relax on weekends. They’ve hired other contractors and have a general idea of what skilled labor costs.
Landscape work is skilled labor. I can show you plenty of landscapes installed by unskilled labor if you don’t believe me.
Finally, and I’ve only figured this out recently, serious clients have time to talk. If you’re meeting with a couple and the husband isn’t available don’t ignore it. If the husband is home but pulls weeds or fiddles with something else that shows his lack of interest. There are exceptions, especially with society’s hectic pace, but use your judgment if a spouse is trying too hard not to be available.
I find husbands who don’t smile, even just a little, to be quite revealing. But you can make your own decision about that.
Just as potential clients are interviewing you to see if you’re right for the job, you’re interviewing potential clients to see if they’re right to work for.
Go get ’em.
Comments
2 responses to “Qualifying Potential Customers”
Your comment about a husband’s smile and attitude is really funny, and true!
It’s interesting that serious clients do have time to talk– I sometimes assume that if they really need you, they would be too busy to talk. But the real ones always make time in their schedule.
PS- Mr. Holden, thanks for your sharing your thoughts and experience. Yours is one of the very few blogs in all the electronic noise that I actually let filter through and read.
Andrew, thanks for reading the blog. I can’t believe anyone wants to read my ramblings. I think of my posts more as a starting point for discussion and amusement. Stay safe.