# New Contracts?



## born2farm (Dec 24, 2007)

How is everyone else doing as far as selling new contracts this year. I am not talking about renewals, just new contracts. I have been calling and talking my but off the last couple weeks and can not get anybody to return a phone call, let alone let me submit a bid. I have got all of my last years to renew but only two new ones have let me submit a bid. Just wonering how everyone else is getting along. I am starting to get nervous as winter is getting close.


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## BossPlow2010 (Sep 29, 2010)

Did you leave them the right call back number?
I did something where I kept giving potential clients my competitors number.
I didn't get many clients that year. :laughing:


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## swtiih (Nov 30, 2008)

some people wait till the last minute to sign up


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## Glenn Lawn Care (Sep 28, 2009)

People are not worried about snow right now..... they don't even want to think about it!! I wouldn't worry about it yet.


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## Longae29 (Feb 15, 2008)

born2farm;1313386 said:


> How is everyone else doing as far as selling new contracts this year. I am not talking about renewals, just new contracts. I have been calling and talking my but off the last couple weeks and can not get anybody to return a phone call, let alone let me submit a bid. I have got all of my last years to renew but only two new ones have let me submit a bid. Just wonering how everyone else is getting along. I am starting to get nervous as winter is getting close.


95% are resigned from last year.

250+ NEW bids put out for the season.....

7 no's
3 yes's 
240+ undecided's

0 returned phone calls.

Amount of BS spewed by me to woo new customers? can't put a figure on that......


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## cold_and_tired (Dec 18, 2008)

I bid out two new commercials this year. One yes, one no.

We already have snow on the peaks and that gets people moving around here. We should have snow on the ground in about a month.


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## grandview (Oct 9, 2005)

Everyone is playing the how low you can go this year.Of course I raised my prices!


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## Longae29 (Feb 15, 2008)

That's why I have to play the #s game, no low prices here!


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## trqjnky (Nov 12, 2009)

i havent heard **** from anyone. the local school had their meeting. i got that account back. but other than that. just waiting. gonna make follow up phone calls this week. you know what they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. or a restraining order


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## born2farm (Dec 24, 2007)

Ya I know what you guys are saying. Just a little nervous as this year was the first that I really went out a targeted commercial work hard. I keep calling but when does it get to the point where its annoying. I call once a week and nothing yet.


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## milwaukeevtwin (Nov 2, 2008)

*accounts*

98 percent of my same ones are a go a couple new ones. I here ya on those calls. If you want it bad enough you will keep trying. It sucks but we always have a few stragglers. I offer a discount if it gets signed before october. It works on a few.


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## swtiih (Nov 30, 2008)

I've got 2 bids that are going out this week. Still working on pricing for one. I would rather not have the business if the money isn't there. I'm in business for a profit not to just trade dollars. If people think I'm to high they can call the lowballer. Born2farm don't be nervous just keep working hard at new customers


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## Spucel (Feb 6, 2011)

milwaukeevtwin;1313788 said:


> 98 percent of my same ones are a go a couple new ones. I here ya on those calls. If you want it bad enough you will keep trying. It sucks but we always have a few stragglers. I offer a discount if it gets signed before october. It works on a few.


Smart idea on the discount. Gets the paper signed before they started getting other calls from competitors. Thumbs Up


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## born2farm (Dec 24, 2007)

Thanks guys. Ya I offerd a discount on my residential stuff if they signed by October 15th. I have not gotten any new phone calls, but maybe my phone will be busy on October 14th. I am going to keep calling these places. Like you said I am not in it to exchange dollars, but if it takes breaking even sometimes to keep both trucks running then I guess thats what I have to do to grow,


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## trqjnky (Nov 12, 2009)

called today and got 2 new lots with one company. gotta love it, people are starting to make up their mind.


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## MikeRi24 (Dec 21, 2007)

Got everyone back from last year, working on a few new things. People just arent ready to think about snow yet. I just hate getting everything together last minute so I like everything planned out so it makes it difficult for me sometimes cuz in the end you dont want to say no but at the same time you dont want to take on too much.


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## Shamrock80 (Jan 28, 2011)

I haven't heard **** from anyone either, have a guy that has a good bit of money(family money) that just low balls the **** out of everything. Found out he bid 1k on a residential drive for the year. How the hell i'm I supposed to get work with him bidding jobs like that.


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## Chris112lee (Nov 2, 2010)

I havent heard back from a single commercial property I bid on. And up here we are likely to get snow in the next few weeks.

I bid on 5 new properties this year, and I was hoping to get at least 2


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## coldcoffee (Jul 17, 2008)

Cold calling isn't easy. Try to imagine what it's like for the secretary to answer that phone all day, especially now w/ every unemployed & homeless person who owns a shovel calling & add to that every other contractor who's challenged w/ their own business matters. In between they get to take calls dealing w/ complaints, carpet cleaning solicitations & every other service that's as hungry as you are.

You have to finesse your way through to the decision maker, or as close as you can possibly get to them. Monday mornings & Friday afternoons are the worst times to call almost anywhere. Restaurants usually like to be called around 2:30-4:30 pm. People like to hear their name, so ask for the secretaries name and repeat it, use it again when you say "thank you", use it again 3-4 times if you can make any conversation. If they want to vent about anything, let them. They are used to being abused and feeling unappreciated, but it never gets old hearing kind words. If they sound really busy, ask when the best time would be to call back...or offer to call that person directly so you don't have to bother them again.

Keep a log book & take good notes. Remember that if it looks like a good account to you, it looks good to everybody else also. The harder it is to reach the right person, the more worth wile the chase. It takes practice....lots of it. If you wait for a cold call to return your call, you will always be waiting.


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## shortboxchevy (Sep 29, 2011)

what exactly do you mean by cold calling? Just calling and leaving a message with anyone "regarding snowplowing"?


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## MahonLawnCare (Nov 18, 2007)

Cold calling is calling a place of business looking for a sale with no known lead or decision maker. They don't know you are calling and they aren't expecting it.


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## swtiih (Nov 30, 2008)

And can be very tough at times , but profitable if you happen to come across the right account


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## shortboxchevy (Sep 29, 2011)

Gotchya. Makes sense.


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## born2farm (Dec 24, 2007)

Things are starting to pick up. Got three bid requests yesterday and one today.


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## MahonLawnCare (Nov 18, 2007)

Requests are the easy part! Selling the job and not losing your arse on it is the hard part! Good luck


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## merrimacmill (Apr 18, 2007)

Its hard for me to believe, but when I think back, all but 1 of my accounts has been landed from cold calling and or networking. The 1 that wasn't called from a yellow pages ad.


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## born2farm (Dec 24, 2007)

MahonLawnCare;1317830 said:


> Requests are the easy part! Selling the job and not losing your arse on it is the hard part! Good luck


Agreed. I consider myself a pretty good salesman, once I get the face time and a bid request in my hand.



merrimacmill;1317943 said:


> Its hard for me to believe, but when I think back, all but 1 of my accounts has been landed from cold calling and or networking. The 1 that wasn't called from a yellow pages ad.


Ya, cold calling is definitly the way to go. I sent out 50+ brochures this year to commercial clients. I knew that many of them would not take the time to call be but, once they see my logo on the flier, maybe take the time to read it and learn about my company and then see the logo on my truck plowing the lot next door. Maybe just maybe it will ring a bell when I call in April to see how satisfied they are with there current service. Cold calling is nice once you get through to the right people.


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## ArlingtonLand (Oct 6, 2011)

I've been getting 3 to 5 calls a day for the last month or so. I really made sure my marketing plan was in order heading into this season. I would suggest looking at that and seeing where you might be falling short.


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