Getting It Done?EUR??,,????'??+On Time!

Well, with summer mostly over many of you are out there trying your best to get all your projects completed before fall and the rains set in. At least that is your mindset . . . finishing the projects while working conditions are still good . . .

But what of the client?

One of the worst things that a pro can do to damage his reputation (and thus lose referrals) is to not meet the deadlines expected by the owner of the project. On commercial jobs many of the developers or project managers simply won?EUR??,,????'???t let you get behind without ramifications . . . i.e., loss of incentive bonuses; lost potential for future million dollar projects; a good old fashion butt-chewin?EUR??,,????'???. . .

On the commercial projects most of the oversight is done by pros who are responsible for many crews and have the experience of working many projects over many years. Fall behind there and heads roll . . .

On the residential side, however, the owner is most likely doing this for the first time. That owner has no concept of the work done by you versus the work done by the electrician, the plumber, the grader, the retaining wall people or any of the myriad subs you may have put together to get the job done.

That homeowner hired you to do all the work and to get it done in time for the wedding, the party, the summer . . . whatever the occasion . . . they are expecting you to get it done and get it done in a prompt manner.

Of course, they do understand that you make most of your money in the spring and summer and are trying to squeeze as many jobs as possible into those months, using as few outside sources as you can get away with. But they don?EUR??,,????'???t really have the concept that their project isn?EUR??,,????'???t the single most important thing you have to work on today . . .

To that homeowner, nothing is worse than having a day go by without any work done on their landscape. They are relying on you to work the project in such a manner that they see the work being done on a daily basis . . . that is their mindset . . .

Of course many of you know the mindset of your clients and work your projects to meet those needs. But many of you are in that trap . . . right now . . . where you took on more projects than you could handle and are getting chewed out on a daily basis. Not only are you spending too many hours dealing with irate clients, but also you are missing important details in those projects and will ultimately end up working the fixes for many months to come.

This translates to greater expenses in the slower months and loss of future clientele . . .

So as you wind up the projects of summer ?EUR??,,????'???04, you can take two steps to improve your position for the upcoming cold and next busy season. First of all you can make the effort to get someone out to every project, every day . . . like the apple a day it will keep the client at bay . . . and when you start bidding for next year you should consider either turning down the excess or raising your rates. Either way the money you think you will be losing will actually be money you end up putting in your pocket . . .

God Bless