Are you a white collar, blue collar, Or GREEN COLLAR worker?

Hey Mike Callahan here, just leaving Dallas, Texas- The Lawn and Landscape Top 100. My question for you today is are you a white collar, blue collar, or maybe a green collar worker? I had the pleasure of meeting a gentleman called Ivan Geraldo of Clean Scapes out of Austin, Texas. A conversation we had was how can we differentiate ourselves and get above the industry perceptions of lawn care and snow removal. A lot of people think we are individuals running around in a brokedown pickup truck with a used lawnmower. But obviously, that’s not the case.

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What we weren’t doing and what was included in the service. It also included our satisfaction guarantee. So we took the risk out of the equation. So we were no longer someone running around with a broke down pickup truck and a lawnmower. We were a professional company. We had uniforms and we had a professional guarantee with a written contract that’s spelled out exactly what we’re doing and what we weren’t doing for the contract. The next thing we required is either a credit card on file, which eventually required 100%, but only worked in credit cards and checks. We differentiate ourselves from the competition. We would not take cash because we’re not a fly by night operation. And then the final and third thing that we did is we went out and had our satisfaction guarantee and we basically required to check or credit card. We went out and actually, with all of our bids, submitted a copy of our liability insurance. So those three factors which seem really obvious, most people running a professional business is what differentiated ourselves from the competition and we were the green collar industry. Most people think we’re a blue collar and running an illegitimate business but we really weren’t. So by taking these steps, we really differentiated ourselves to potentially justify a higher price and overcoming those perceptions of our industry right out the gate. I know just about any industry that’s service industry related, whether it’s lawn care or home cleaning, those are the issues that we all face. So I’d highly recommend having a written contract. It outlines the services of what’s included, what’s not included, your satisfaction guarantee. Operate only in check or credit card. I recommend 100% credit card required on file for cash flow. And then the final thing is submitting your insurance with workman’s comp and liability insurance right upfront with your estimate or bid that you’re submitting. So any comments or questions, drop below. Ivan and I had a really interesting conversation and we really aren’t the white collar, we’re not the blue collar. Lawn care industry maybe the green collar industry now and I really like that saying. So do you have any other thoughts yourself what can we do to raise the perception of whether it’s lawn care or home cleaning industry in the perception of our industry as professionals and not just a fly by night operation? So hopefully this is interesting to spark some conversation but it was on my mind in the last couple of hours here, on the way out of Dallas, Texas.