A plan for Tim's Outdoor Services
Tim, here's the short version. Skip the $800 yard jobs. Go after businesses and builders with $2,000+ jobs. I'll find them for you, you call them and do the work.
You quote it, draw it, buy the materials, run the job and finish fast. The owner signs once and never has to babysit.
My lead finder looks for businesses and builders who need work right now and sends them to your phone.
A simple contract with a deposit and set payment dates on every job. No more waiting at the end.
The lead finder
Google and Facebook wait for people to find you. This goes looking for them. Press the button to watch one lead come through.
The deal
10% of the first job from each lead I send. Nothing up front. Slide the numbers to see how it works out.
Add the 10% into your quote on these jobs, like any other cost of getting work, so it doesn't come out of your pocket.
Leads that don't turn into jobs cost you nothing.
The details
| Who | Why they're good | Job size |
|---|---|---|
| Home builders and contractors | Every new house or addition needs grading, seed or sod, plants and a walkway before they can hand over the keys. They need someone insured who shows up on time. Work all year. | $2k to $10k a house, many houses |
| Property managers and owners | Shopping centers, office parks, HOAs, medical offices, churches. They're required to hire insured people and they hate chasing contractors. They often switch landscapers when a property sells. | $3k to $25k, plus seasonal work |
| Businesses with a storefront | Restaurants, car lots, dentists, vets, breweries, wedding venues, shops. A nice front brings customers in. Owners are busy and care more about easy than cheap. | $2k to $15k |
| New and moving businesses | New lease or building and a grand opening date. They have a deadline and money set aside. | $3k to $20k |
Skip: anyone whose first question is "what's your cheapest price?" Let the cash-only guys have them. Your customer asks "can you just handle it?"
The big companies are reliable but slow and loaded with fees. The cash guys are cheap but uninsured. You're in the middle: the owner himself, insured, handling the whole job, without big-company fees.
"You've got a business to run. I'll take the outside off your plate. I come out once, you get a drawing of what it'll look like and one fixed price, and my crew handles the rest. I'm licensed and insured, I'll send you proof today, and you deal with me the whole time, not some account rep."
| Payments | Businesses: 30% to book, 40% when work starts, 30% when done. Builders: bill each house, due in 15 days, with a cap on how much they can owe at once. |
| Late fee | 1.5% a month on anything overdue. Tell them up front. |
| Changes | Any added work gets written down with a price and signed before you do it. |
| Finishing | Walk the job together at the end. Small fix-ups get a date. Final payment is due when the job is basically done, not after every last touch-up. |
| Plants | Guarantee them for a set time, like one season, as long as the customer waters. |
| If they don't pay | Maryland lets you put a claim (a lien) on the property. Working under a builder, you generally have 120 days from your last day to notify the owner in writing and 180 days to file in court. Have a Maryland lawyer check the contract once and confirm those dates. Set a 90-day reminder on any unpaid job. |
| How they pay | Card or bank transfer from a link on the invoice (Jobber, Housecall Pro or QuickBooks). One click. |
Real paperwork also helps you win jobs. Businesses trust it.
| What it watches | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New building permits | Carroll County permit office, Baltimore Metropolitan Council permit data (Carroll and Howard), Frederick County permit office | New buildings need landscaping at the end. Also shows which builders are busy. |
| Properties that just sold | Maryland property records | New owners fix places up and pick new contractors. |
| New businesses | State business filings, local news, chamber announcements | Grand opening dates and fresh budgets. |
| Worn-out storefronts | Google Maps listings, plus photos you or I take driving around | Places that clearly need the work. |
| Posted bids | eMaryland Marketplace, county bid lists, HOA boards | Work that already has a budget. |
For each good one, it finds the right person (owner, manager or builder), a phone number and email, and makes a quick picture of their property looking better.
Hi Dana, I put together a quick idea for the front beds at your office (picture attached). We're a local, licensed and insured crew in Eldersburg. We handle the design, materials and install so you don't have to manage anything. Worth a 10 minute walk-through? Tim, (443) 386-3705
Most small landscapers can't show what the job will look like. If you can, you win more jobs and can charge more.
| Up front | Nothing. I build and run the lead finder. |
| My cut | 10% of the first job from any lead I send, paid when you get paid. |
| Repeat work | 5% on more jobs from that same customer for 12 months. After that, nothing. Same for builders I bring you. |
| No job | You owe nothing. |
| Keeping track | Every lead goes on a shared list with where it came from, so there's never a question about which jobs count. |
| Trial | 90 days, then we look at the numbers together and adjust. |
| In writing | A one-page agreement we both sign before starting. |
For comparison, lead websites charge anywhere from about 2.5% to 25% of the job. I find the lead; you do the selling, pricing and contract. Maryland requires a license to sell home improvement work on houses, so this deal is for business and builder jobs. Check with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission before we include any house jobs.
| Good leads sent | About 40 |
| Real conversations | 10 to 15 |
| Walk-throughs | 5 to 8 |
| Jobs won | 2 to 4, around $4k to $8k each |
| New work | $8k to $30k a month, growing as builders come back |
| Weeks 1 to 2 | Contract and online payments set up. Business page and insurance badge on the site. Ask for reviews. Gather photos of 3 business jobs. |
| Weeks 3 to 4 | I build the lead finder and the shared list. We pick a design program. |
| Weeks 5 to 8 | Leads start coming. You call and do walk-throughs. Join the chamber. |
| Weeks 9 to 12 | We look at what's working and do more of it. Sign the first builder. |
Why start now: businesses plan their spring work in January and February. Start now and you're the one they already know when the money opens up.