September 1, 2019
Price guidance wins better customers
BY MARK BRADLEY
It seems like every season, it’s getting harder and harder to compete. And that’s mainly because, in this digital age, the power has shifted to buyers who are gathering all the information they need online in order to make decisions. If you want to be one of the landscaping companies they reach out to, position yourself as a trusted provider the moment they hit your website. And providing pricing guidance is a great way to do it.There has been general hesitation in the industry when it comes to sharing landscape service prices publicly, i.e. online. In this article, you will learn why providing price guidance can help you generate more leads and land better customers.
Stand out from the crowd
Chances are, the majority of your local competitors are not providing any form of pricing guidance. They are afraid a competitor will use their information as a benchmark to charge less and win business. But when it comes to price transparency, the pros far outweigh the cons. Price is only one factor a buyer considers when making a purchase decision, and by giving a prospect what they’re looking for (i.e. price ranges, guidance and/or expectations) you stand out for all the right reasons.Think about it: As one of the only vendors providing pricing help, you are automatically building trust with your future customer. You are proving that you are willing to go above and beyond, well before you get an inquiry.
Pricing guidance can come in a variety of forms: from blog posts on how to evaluate fees, to vendor comparisons, and more. When you post quality resources on price considerations, you increase your rankings when customers are Googling pricing for local landscape companies.
Give them valuable tools
“There are just too many variables to quote an accurate price.” This is the most common excuse landscape businesses give for not offering any pricing information on their website, particularly for larger design/build projects. Though the statement may be true, most prospects are looking for guidance, not a finite price.When it comes to the pricing page on your website, you have options. Chad Diller, Director of Client Success at Landscape Leadership, provides the following recommendations:
Lawn maintenance is one of the easier services to price. Customers like choices, so think about offering three package levels. To avoid committing to a fixed price until you have learned more about a property, use language like, “Prices starting at $X based on a XXXX-size lawn.”
Provide an interactive calculator for estimates on design/build projects. Allow customers to select from elements like project type (backyard redesign, patio, deck, etc.), project size, basic or premium material quality and other add-ons. Depending on the elements selected, the tool will calculate a price range for the project. A dynamic feature like this may be an investment, but one that will deliver significant returns in terms of qualified leads.
Make it work for you, too. Protect yourself where appropriate with disclaimers such as, “The numbers provided are for illustrative purposes only. Please contact us for an accurate estimate.” Furthermore, you can require prospects to provide their contact information in exchange for viewing pricing information or using an estimate calculator. Pass those leads along to your sales team for follow-up.
Weed out the bottom feeders
Do you really want to be the cheapest out there? Prospects who focus solely on price as the determining factor in selecting a landscape business are usually the customers that want to stretch their dollars far further than they should go. You end up losing money (and your sanity!), ‘discussing’ every little detail of a job. If you are looking for fewer headaches and premium clients, your price guidance page will help filter out the bargain shoppers.In fact, your pricing information page is one of the most important pages on your website, and when properly designed, it will be the highest-converting page. Price transparency will help to ensure you are dealing with qualified prospects.
For more best practices on pricing and examples of pricing pages in action, watch Chad Diller’s recorded webinar at https://bit.ly/2SS0gSV.
When you are focused on building a better landscape business, your pricing information page will become one of your greatest lead qualification tools, helping you land lucrative local jobs and secure dedicated customers.
Mark Bradley is the CEO of LMN Software, and former CEO of TBG Environmental, both based in Ontario.