It’s important to track the profitability of your services, whether it’s a one-time project or recurring maintenance like mowing.
But looking at services in isolation does not tell the full story. A lower-margin service might be offset by more profitable work over the year.
That’s why you should evaluate each customer’s total revenue and gross profitacross all 12 months—treating every account like its own profit and loss statement.
Many landscape companies miss this by focusing too narrowly on individual jobs instead of understanding a property/customer’s total contribution over all four seasons.
This broader view is critical: Though it can become challenging in a soft market, where homeowners and property managers are cautious about approving extra spending.
If upgrades and enhancements are a tougher sell, don’t give up.
Clients may slow down in one quarter and then speed up spending in the next – or at worst they will push their spending off a year if you help them plan correctly.
Selling Profitable Upgrades Requires Trust
To offset lower-margin maintenance accounts, it’s critical to sell upgrades. But selling extras isn’t about pushing—it’s about helping.
Clients are more likely to say yes if they know you genuinely want to help them achieve their goals for the property.
Trust is Enhanced with Impeccable Response Time
When a client or property manager calls with an issue, don’t let it fall through the cracks. Follow the three Be’s.
- Be prompt in your response.
- Be clear about what you will do and when.
- Be professional, even if the client is frustrated.
A fast response signals your dedication, reliability, and genuine care—qualities every client values, especially if they are under pressure themselves.
Growing Wallet Share Expanding wallet share doesn’t just mean offering flashy new services. It means becoming the go-to partner for everything your customer buys—even if you subcontract or outsource certain services.
Position yourself as the first call they make, and they’ll be less likely to shop you around or bid you out.
Your Challenge: Taking a Holistic View of Every Client
Achieving a healthy profit/loss per account requires staying top-of-mind with your clients.
This involves consistent marketing, planting seeds, and developing new ideas tailored to each client.
In reality it’s a team effort: great account management, solid quality control, and a production team that can speedily handle big challenges and nuisance issues.
You will find as you look at the property’s total P/L for the year – that not every client will be the right fit. That’s okay.
You can’t service everyone.
It’s smart to free up capacity and say “no thanks” after you’ve assessed their contribution.
The clients you choose to keep (say “yes” to) deserve 100% of your effort.
Even if they’re not buying upgrades this quarter, you’re planting seeds for next year and building the long-term loyalty needed for your long term success.
Go get em!
Regards, Jeffrey Scott
