by Landscaping and lawn care companies can exist as either residential or commercial-facing businesses. Some others stay in the pockets, serving residential and commercial customers. Each of these companies is different based on the customers they serve and the capacity they can handle.
Many people often wonder why a commercial landscaper, a B2B business, cannot serve residential customers (B2C) and vice versa. Drake’s 7 Dee has answered the question. Drake’s 7 Dees is a highly respected landscape design firm with years of experience in the landscaping and lawn care industry.
Differences Between Commercial and Residential Lawn Care
The major differences between residential and commercial lawn care companies stem from the type of customers they serve. Businesses and consumers have different habits, motives, budgets, and behavioral patterns. In fact, the goals of each target audience’s lawn care and landscaping needs are far apart.
Based on these factors, the differences include;
The expectations from a commercial and residential landscaping or lawn care service are different. For commercial customers, there’s more premium on aesthetics, especially as it sets the tone for their clients and customers. With aesthetics being a major concern, commercial customers are willing to sacrifice a higher financial budget to achieve the desired look and feel.
On the other hand, residential customers focus on managing their property’s appearance. In most cases, they aren’t really trying to impress the neighbor; rather, they are more interested in keeping a trim and healthy appearance. So, a landscaper can get away with a minor level of shoddy work when working on a residential property but may be unable to do the same on a commercial property.
Added to the expectations, commercial customers are also very picky when choosing contractors. Contractors may have to pass through several levels of the vetting process to ensure they can deliver perfectly on the job. The vetting process will involve verification of the company’s license, insurance, and certifications. The commercial customer may also be interested in safety practices, the right equipment, and the labor capacity required to deliver the project on time.
The commercial market is rife with competition. This is understandable, especially because of the service pricing and project costs. In most instances, commercial landscapers have to bid for projects, competing with others to show they are worthy of the prized retainer.
Winning a new business for commercial landscapers and lawn care businesses is often hard. Not only are there several others bidding for the same job, but there’s also a wide range of considerations or criteria that could affect their chances.
On the other hand, residential landscapers face less scrutiny and competition, especially as they’ll likely get a call from customers requesting their services. Residential landscapers may need to focus more on marketing to get them leads, while commercial landscapers have several more steps to scale before they’re hired for the job.
Service pricing and estimates are important to residential and commercial landscaping service providers. Commercial landscapers have a higher turnover rate, especially because they’re more likely to be placed on a retainer. As an extremely price-driven and competitive market, commercial landscapers often charge higher for their services.
On the other hand, residential landscapers may find it hard to get a retainer from their customers. With residential landscaping, customers are likely to bounce from one lawn care company to another in search of the best one.
Residential lawn care and landscaping services generally come in the form of one-time or recurrent calls homeowners make for their lawn care needs. Some lawn care companies may be able to get their customers to subscribe to a lawn maintenance package over a period – but this isn’t as common in most areas.
Commercial landscapers often make their money from contracts and retainers. These contracts and retainers often specify the workload, work pattern, and the areas covered. With this, commercial companies can be sure of a steady cash flow over the contract’s lifetime. It is important to note that contracts can sometimes be revoked by commercial customers, however, landscapers may enjoy the benefit of a protection clause in their contract.
While the above four factors set commercial landscapers apart from residential landscapers, the hiring process can vastly be compressed into a similar pattern. Whether you’re a commercial property operator or homeowner, hiring a landscaping contractor requires due diligence. Start by researching the best contractors around you and proceed to read reviews from past customers. You can also check their past projects, license, insurance, and certifications to be sure they’re up to standard. Request quotes from the best ones and make your decision based on the company’s experience, equipment and labor size, and professionalism
