How to Break down a Landscaping Job- Mulch, Sod, Edging, Excavation, Demolition, Grading, Pricing
Stan: How do you eat an Elephant? This is a concept they use the especially when I'm bidding landscaping project. We are getting set to do a complete makeover project on this yard, strip everything out and regarded it and reinstall everything brand new and this is something that I want you guys to get I want burst straight in there and I don't want it to ever leave because you're going to use this concept how do you eat an elephant for almost everything that you have to do to build your business. You will be able to apply this concept of every component of your business especially when you're bidding landscaping. You get into these big projects you like ah man where do I even begin, to build a job like this you develop it the answer is one bite at a time now I want you to stop what you think about this concept because it's going to apply to everything you do. One bite at a time means you break down the job you break down the pit the very first thing if you feel that you're getting overwhelmed and you're looking at a job you just break it down into manageable bite size pieces that you can wrap your head around and if with those bites size pieces you still can't wrap your head really they're not small enough but you keep going but, beauty of this concept when you break it down not only can you grasp the what has to be done in that project but your customers can grasp what has to be done you are now throwing up the mystery magic lump sum number I hate that concept is any time one of you guys has the magic mystery lump sum number have somebody else kick you in the ass because that number scares your customers and it does not protect you breaking it down like I don't but I don't buy the line I don't buy. I don't need to protect you the contractor and your customer feel more comfortable with what you are going to be doing when you break each component job into a little piece think our room is filled profit in to every company hold it because every component on the job has the potential to change is in fact almost guaranteed every component on the job will more than likely change their remain status quo. Because the jobs we were in landscaping hired to keep their fluid things, they are created they're not just created for you you know for your customer's needs so your customer is really have a difficult time perfectly and visioning you aren't visioning and vice versa and at some point in that project you two are going to have to meet in the middle and if you don't clearly outlined how much that component of the job costs you, well guess what when you meet in the middle instead of good how do you do it it's nice to meet you this looks great we are all happy yeah, yeah you’re going to be arh arh , rrh, rrh I don't want to pay for that, that shouldn't have been in the contract. So that's the difference, so make sure you break every component down.
So we're going to switch from the attachment, good God I love this thing.
Speaker 1: Hey, what do you think of that tool?
That tool is slicker than anything dude, I absolutely, that tool, what it the multi tool from echo holy...is
Speaker 1: This was covered in dirt earlier, I swept it off, I swept it off the bend so we could put the mulch down and we wouldn't have to put dirt in the mulch.
Stan: I know, now we are going to switch it over. It doesn't take long to switch it over does it?
Speaker 1: No.
Stan: So we are switching from the broom to the edging machine right now.
Got to line up the holes right?
Speaker 1: That machine is amazing.
Stan: So make sure you break every component down and that you understand the costs for those components and profit because it's the change only going to the customer or you the contractor is going to benefit the customer having that control helps them to understand that if they go ahead or they add more pushes to a project where they want a backyard manicured and landscape and site that you may have a new contract Well guess what it's not in your proposal it's going to be and it's going to save you and incredible amount of headaches the more complicated the project the longer my proposals are very complicated jobs I often get three or four page proposal and it's not the numbers that they're worried about its every single part of the job has a Description quality has a price per unit for that portion of the job and that's multiplied by the units to get that lump sum number over here for that one line item, example I have five hundred square yard on the job If the customer wants me to grade another area, well maybe I have five hundred twenty square yards of site on the job now I have the unit price which has profits for me the contractor in there it also has a clear sense of price for the customer who knows that I'm adding twenty square yards unto this job it's going to cost me twenty times I charge six dollars a square yard for stop it's going to charge it cost me twenty times six for an extra one hundred twenty dollars, as simple as that but that is your backup plan that map is going to lead you more a comment you are going to have a leader line of communication when you start eating your elephants one bite at a time.
What you can find is this concept isn't just great for your legs keeping bids and landscaping proposals but it's great for your crew members to understand what has to be done on a crowded street for you when you go back to the office is very real overwhelming because you get twenty calls on the answering machine you get fifty emails going out your for one trillion nonstop from other people and you stop and you go I've eaten up one bite at a time which means I'm going to then prioritize what is the most important order for me to accomplish anything and do it that way instead of trying to take it all in and letting yourself implode because you can't manage it all because you can't know what he kept but when you manage it in bite size chunks guess what my friends things don't see you then put that on your wall how do you need to know one but it is time now lesson never left me and still use it almost daily and I hope that it helps you guys to run your jobs more efficiently run your business more efficiently.
Get more done, treat your customers better through all the magic mystery lump sum number, break each component of the job down clear sense of direction for you clear sense of direction for your customers clear sense of direction for your crew members everybody knows what has to be done you want the customer to fall below with your work to the point where they're like yes please let's build a patio together, yes please let's put another retaining wall in, yes please you guys are so awesome it is so easy to work with you guys and your pricing is so clear and I'm so comfortable with the process that I want you to keep coming back here after your time after time expanding into as the way I do it I hope this helps you guys. Go get them!
