How to Quote Lawn Mowing?

April 7, 2021

Summary

In this Article:

  • How to quote a lawn mowing job
  • Formula for quoting lawn mowing
  • List of add-ons

 

 

When I first got into the lawn mowing business in 2015, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. There was no good reason for me to enter the industry: I had not used a commercial mower since I was a teenager, I knew nothing about pricing and had no one to teach me. Using the internet to fill this knowledge base vacuum was my only recourse but as you the reader can probably confirm, most lawn guys on the internet have very little interest in “helping the competition” by “just giving away” their secrets.

I did brave the horror show also known as the lawn care Facebook groups and still bear the scars of the “you’ll never make it” responses my pricing inquiries received. So armed with absolutely no helpful information, I started pricing lawns based on “feel.” This led to some real pricing disasters but after a year of pricing lawns, I noticed a successful pattern that I hope will be useful to anyone that reads this.

Without really meaning too or realizing it, I was setting my price based on the total acreage of the property. Half-acre lawns were paying $50, quarter-acre properties were paying $25 (at the time) and my only one acre property was paying $100. I had inadvertently discovered a pricing method that worked perfectly for me and led to the development of a system that is built into the Service Autopilot rate matrix I now use everyday. It looks complicated when I use it now but the essence of this system and underlying formula is extremely simple and infinitely modifiable.

 

So, how to quote lawn mowing?

The formula for quoting a lawn mowing job:

100x= price
X=Total Acreage
Minimum Price is $35

This is exactly how I price lawns every single time. When a customer requests a quote I determine the total acreage of the property, put that number into the formula and that will get me the price as long as it is above my minimum price. So for example, a customer requests pricing information, I plug their address into whatever method I am using to determine property size (more on that later) and for the sake of example we can say the property size is 0.46 acres.

I can then take that number and plug it into the formula and say 100(0.46)=Price or 100 x .46 =$46. This number is more than my $35 service minimum so I will quote the customer a price of $46 per cut. In practice I prefer increments of $5 so I would just quote that customer $45. It is really quite simple after that since we’re basically just moving decimal points. A .35 acre property is $35, a .54 acre property is $54, etc.

This pricing method is so easy, it often does not even require a visit to the customer’s property. Armed with the address, the size of the lot can be determined by measuring it on findlotsize.com, locating the lot size on sites like Zillow, or even by searching land records if they are available in your state. Occasionally you will have to convert square footage to acres but even that is as simple as googling “sqft to acres” and the calculator appears in the search results.

With this method I then use an “add-on” system to further dial in my pricing. For the sake of example an add on for me would be a customer on a corner lot, I would add $5 to the price because of the extra trimming and edging a corner lot often requires.

 

Other add-on costs to your lawn mowing quote:

  1. Biweekly Schedule +$10

  2. Small gate +$5

  3. Steep hill +$5-$15 (depending on size)

  4. Customer seems annoying +$10 (not kidding lol)

This method is not without its downsides, the chiefest of these being that the close rate goes down precipitously once you go above the half-acre mark. Modification will be necessary for lawn guys using this pricing method if they intend to use it on larger lawns.

I encourage you to take this formula and method and make it your own, raise the numbers, lower them, do whatever it takes to make you and your company profitable. I have priced thousands of lawns this way and have had great success with it and it is my hope that you find great success as well!

What other ways of quoting can we use?

Time-base rate: Charging clients an hourly rate (or a portion of) is a straightforward and transparent pricing system. The bigger a job and the longer it takes, the more you get paid. However, there are a few pitfalls that you should factor in when setting a price. Calculate the amount of time you spend travelling, setting up your equipment and cleaning up, etc.

Price per square foot: Pricing according the square footage of the lawn is similar to charging an hourly rate; the bigger the lawn, the bigger the cost to the client. To set a fair price you need to determine how long it takes you on average to mow 1,000 square feet.

Flat-rate pricing: Perhaps the simplest billing model of all, a flat-rate fee allows you to charge a pre-set rate, regardless of how long it actually takes to complete the job. This model offers predictable and consistent pricing to your clients – something that is always appreciated. It also allows you set a minimum rate, ensuring you aren't losing money on smaller jobs. Base your flat fees on the size of the property: for example, one set price for lots under 10,000 square feet, one for lots between 10,000 – 30,000, and one for 30,000-50,000.

Randy Dulin