How many years have you been in business? Can you help my lawn be greener and thicker? Do you have grub worm and chinch bug treatments? These are the kind of questions prospective clients ask me, Brent Williams. I’m the CEO of Everything Exterior. Most people have never hired a lawn care service professional. So we understand their concerns. All lawn care service providers are not alike. So here are 12 signs of a highly-qualified lawn care service professional.
12 Signs of a Professional Lawn Care Service
We must speak with the home or business owner to learn about their concerns and goals. A detailed quote and detailed measuring of the lawn and yard is required before we perform any services. Consider the following.
1. Licensed and Insured
Every legitimate business has a business license. It’s not negotiable. A license means the owner accepts responsibility for his behavior, the actions of his workers, and the welfare of the client.
A lawn care company has several employees who could get hurt on the job. Without insurance (general liability, fleet auto, and workers compensation), you (the client), are liable. Your home/building, vehicles, windows, etc. could be damaged with lawn care equipment. Again, without insurance, you would incur the cost of repairs.
Although small, a minor sprinkler line break could easily flood a basement a cause $100,000+ of damage. Lawn care companies are notorious for breaking windows due to rocks being thrown through them with string trimmers or edging while providing lawn care services.
2. Stellar Management
Everything Exterior has been in business for over 10 years. So we know how to fertilize lawns, diagnose insects or fungus in the lawn, and identify diseases that affect local turf grass. Also, we prepare your lawn for early spring lawn care, summer lawn care, and fall/winter lawn care.
We support our team members personally and professionally. A lot of our management staff started working for the company during college. Years later, they have graduated and assumed leadership positions. We have many bonuses for performance, safety, and high-quality work. We hold monthly company-sponsored classes to tech our team real-life skills and how to be high contributing members of society.
3. Asks the Right Questions
Home and business owners have different types of properties. You can only determine the best treatment plan for their specific needs by asking detailed questions.
Are they having problems with grubs? Do they need mosquito yard control? What is their lawn fertilization schedule? Getting answers will help us avoid common mistakes like an over-fertilized lawn or the wrong tick yard treatments for your specific type of turf.
4. Social Media and Online Reviews
If there’s one good thing about the internet, it would have to be the ability to check a company’s reviews. In Cedar City, Google and Facebook reviews are good sources. and Yelp! does have a small presence.
However, the strength of the social media is also an indication. It’s not necessarily the number of followers because they can be paid to do so, but the comments of clients who have done business with them. Are their pages up-to-date? How do they handle complaints? Is their website professionally managed? Do they have a blog addressing trending issues at least once a week? Can you leave a comment?
5. Provides Referrals
In Cedar City, there are three leading lawn care service companies. Besides years of experience, word-of-mouth referrals, online reviews, and a rating with the Better Business Bureau, how do you know if the company you are considering is the right one for you?
Our residential and commercial clients are located in Parowan, Paragonah, New Harmony, and Kanarraville in addition to Enoch and Cedar City. They provide new clients with excellent testimonials about our work. We also have great online reviews and hundreds more than the next leading competitor.
6. Background Checks
We conduct background checks according to state and federal laws. Employees must pass a pre-employment screening that includes a criminal records check and drug screening. We also require three references who we contact and converse with.
Job candidates are highly vetted, undergo multiple interviews with management, and must agree to adhere to a very strict code of conduct that prohibits smoking/vaping of any substance as well as any other drug or alcohol use at all times while employed by Everything Exterior. After 90 days, employees are evaluated.
7. Employee Training
According to an article published in Worldwide Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development, “Employee training and development assists the organization and employees in attaining diverse goals, such as improving morale, sense of security, employee engagement, and overall competency…”
Our employees receive on-the-job training in our 12,000 square foot training course and indoor facility. They learn how to string trim in multiple scenarios, when to edge vs. when to string trim, how to run and maintain each piece of equipment, how to use mobile devices to make sure every job is done correctly, how to perform a lawn aeration, as well as many other tasks.
Continuing training is done in house as each employee completes certifications and can then perform additional services. Written manuals, videos, modules, practices, and written tests are used to teach an evaluate each lawn care technician.
8. Community Involvement
I have lived in Cedar City for over 12 years. I came here to go to school at SUU and fell in love with Cedar City and its surrounding beauty.
I met and married a local Cedar City girl. We own property in Cedar City. Our kids were born here and we love the community and everything about it (except for maybe the snow, but we do recognize we need the moisture).
We have donated to many schools, non-profits and people in need and look forward to being a local presence who makes the community better for all.
9. Up-to-Date Equipment
We have a state-of-the-art fleet of vehicles including Super Lawn Trucks, custom built in Atlanta, Georgia. They have a ramp gate for loading, on-board fuel stations to limit trips to gas stations, and a custom-designed and organized box to house all equipment.
Our zero turn mowers are the best that money can buy (and when time yields better mowers, rest assured we will add them to our fleet). We use multiple sizes of mowers so that each commercial and residential property receives the specific lawn care for its needs.
The shovels, edgers, rakes, etc. are properly handled and maintained. Equipment and tools are serviced daily.
10. Memberships
We are a member of Iron County Home Builders Association, Business Networking International, Landscape Business Course, as well as the Chamber of Commerce.
11. Service After the Sale
We love getting new clients. We also love keeping them. So we strive to render outstanding customer service through every phase of our partnership.
Although our office is open for limited hours (keeping costs low for you) the best way to contact us even after hours is via email.
12. Money-Back Guarantee
Even with the best efforts, mistakes happen. We are insured for $3,000,000 against property damage, injury, and theft.
If you aren’t satisfied with our services, we will do everything we can to ensure your total satisfaction. We don’t have any complaints registered with the Better Business Bureau. We have a 98% approval rating as well as a 4.9 Google rating with almost 400 reviews!
Everything Exterior has come a long way since we started with two employees and one truck in 2012. We’ve demonstrated that superior service entails more than caring for an over-fertilized lawn or knowing when you should fertilize your lawn. The ultimate sign of a highly-qualified lawn care service pro is the sincere desire to put the client’s needs first.
