Oftentimes, acquiring each landscaping project means submitting a successful bid.
But even for seasoned professionals, bidding and winning landscaping projects can be challenging. For that reason, this guide will walk you through what it takes to win more landscaping jobs and keep your deal flow up. Let’s do this.
The art of winning landscaping bids into a few easy steps:
The sections below will cover each in detail, setting you up to bid and win your next project in flying colors.
The proposition depends heavily on your reputation. As your landscaping company grows, its reputation will precede it. But early on, you need to build it. And that means delivering quality service, job after job.
For any business, your reputation is often what opens the door to each potential client. Word of mouth advertising is your best friend and it’s free! But you first need to build up a client base who can vouch for your skills and services. To help find more clients and build your reviews, consider:
While the first of these is relatively stable, the second and third can vary widely. Your own costs form the basis of your overall pricing, but the specifics of a given landscape job ultimately determine how much your client pays out of pocket.
Labor costs – Will you be using additional workers? If so, will they be specialized or general laborers? How many people do you need on your crew?
Materials – What’s needed to get the job done? Is the client providing any materials, or are you providing these yourself? Consider:
Synergies – Does the potential contract synergize with other landscaping projects in the pipeline? Consider:
Deals – If you think you can facilitate future contracts or consistent landscaping work with prices lower than your normal rates, you should consider:
Type of pricing – Does it make more sense to price the job by the hour, or to give a fixed rate for the entire bid?
Other costs – Finally, factor in any other costs, like taxes, fees, and insurance.
Thimble’s Landscaping Insurance, customized to the hour, day, or month, is a great way to keep costs down
And, one of the most important factors of cost is what kind of landscaping work you’re doing for the client.
As a landscaper, you always want to have insurance in place. This safeguards your business’ finances should a mishap occur. When it comes to your bid, being able to produce a Certificate of Insurance is one more selling point. It tells your prospective client that you’re professional and prepared.
For instance, landscaping insurance can help protect you from third-party claims of:
It also puts your clients’ minds at ease knowing that, should something go wrong on the job, your policy will help cover them.
It’s important to understand the differences between costs incurred by various landscaping jobs. For example, you might set different prices for just mulching or lawn care:
How to price mulching jobs:
Mulching is an isolated task typically performed infrequently, so it makes sense to price it using factors like square footage of area mulched, materials, and either hourly or project-based labor.
How to price lawn care jobs:
A more holistic lawn care service involving several aspects (planting, mowing, irrigation, etc.) might take the course of several months or years. It could be billed per-appointment, or on a daily, weekly, or monthly cycle.
These prices would likely be lower than a bid for building a whole garden, but they might be higher than planting a tree or installing a large planter.
How to bid on commercial landscaping jobs:
Pitching to a commercial client is different than having a conversation with a neighbor. To begin with, word of mouth may not be enough to land commercial jobs. While businesses may have a sense of your reputation, you will likely need to showcase your work. This is why it’s important that you create a portfolio!
Doing so will allow you to provide examples of previous jobs, including pictures, videos, and testimonials of the work you’ve performed.
In terms of pricing, whereas you might find yourself giving private clients ballpark estimates, businesses often require detailed, itemized quotes. As a general practice, being able to itemize your invoice or contract for any client is a great way to put your most professional foot forward.
No matter the job, understanding the factors that influence pricing is the only way you’ll be able to price your bids perfectly.
Another way to help your client make the right choice (you) is to ensure their financial safety knowing you’re protected business insurance.
Hopefully with everything above, you’re well on your way to bidding more landscaping projects, winning them, and providing an excellent service.
Market your services, price your bids with careful consideration, deliver them in a way that’s convenient to the client, and, just like the lawns you return to, watch as your landscape business grows.
Our editorial content is intended for informational purposes only and is not written by a licensed insurance agent. Terms and conditions for rate and coverage may vary by class of business and state.
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