If you are in the early stages of developing your own lawn care business, the chances are you will be focusing on adding plenty of private customers to your client list.  This makes perfect sense because they are for the most part easier to find – after all, they are in every street and road in your area and beyond.

But what about adding commercial clients to your list?  Once you have started to develop your business and you want to spread your wings a little, it could be time to think about commercial businesses as well as private individuals.  This is particularly the case when you reach the stage of employing helpers to work with you.  Indeed many businesses will only consider working with larger companies as only they are perceived to be big enough to handle the workload.

This sector of customers is not reached in the same way as private individuals though.  For instance you might put ads in local windows to attract the attention of private homeowners.  These same ads won’t reach a business audience though.

So how do you begin to target this area?

There are various ways you can do it but the one thing you will always need is persistence.  Firstly you should accept that a lot of businesses simply won’t have a need for a lawn care company at the moment.  They may already have a company they use, or they may simply not be interested in what you have to offer.

A professional image is always essential, no matter how you get in touch.  A good portfolio is a good idea, and you should be prepared to reveal how you can offer services that are designed to appeal to the commercial lawn care customer.  A lot of lawn care experts cold call various companies to see if they need any help in this area.  This can be demoralizing as you will get a lot of knock backs.  But on the other hand some may ask to see your portfolio and rates, and they may also put you on a shortlist if they like what they see.  You never know when these shortlists might pay dividends for you.

If you are trying to break into the commercial market for the first time, think about targeting smaller businesses to start with.  It doesn’t make sense to go straight for the big companies.  Take a look round your local area and see if you can spot any smaller businesses that seem to be in need of a lawn care expert or landscaper.  Sometimes they aren’t even aware of the positive impact it can make until you point it out to them!

A lot of companies hire the people they need towards fall time, so bear this in mind when you are calling or sending out flyers or brochures.  Timing can make a big difference when it comes to trying to get those first few commercial contracts, so make sure yours is spot on.

Interested in starting a Lawn Care Business? Click here to learn more about our Lawn Care Business Guide.