Don't Pass on Smaller Jobs

If a customer asks you to take on a one-time job that is much smaller than what you are used to, it initially may not seem worth your while. Before you start turning down business, though, be sure to consider some of the numerous advantages smaller jobs offer.

Something Bigger?
“Even if something sounds small or unprofitable, I always check it out,” says John Chiarella, president and owner of Ultimate Services Professional Grounds Management in Wolcott, Conn. “Before you know it, something small turns into something huge.”

The potential to upsell or gain that client’s attention can be a lucrative payoff to taking on a smaller project. “There are many advantages to taking smaller jobs,” says Joel LaRusic, author of Start & Run a Landscaping Business. “Small jobs often lead to big jobs.”

LaRusic suggests that when visiting a customer’s home don’t just go in prepared to quote on one specific task, instead be prepared to talk to them about improving the entire landscape. “The upsell need not necessarily have anything to do with the original job but hopefully you offer complementary landscaping services that you can sell to your new customer,” he adds.

Better Relationships
Even if a small job doesn’t lead to bigger business with the same client, the one-on-one contact a smaller job affords is a good way to get referrals. “The goodwill generated by somebody who has a small job more than makes up for the small amount of profit,” says Carol Chernega, owner of Pittsburgh-based One Garden at a Time.

Strong relationships with your clients also can improve your company’s image through word of mouth. “Larger companies that don’t have time for the small jobs are a turn-off,” LaRusic says. Showing your customers that no job is too small for you leaves a positive impression. “Customers are especially appreciative if they know it’s a small job and you still do it for them in a timely manner.”

Getting to know some of your smaller customers can be rewarding in other ways as well. Chiarella enjoys the good rapport with the smaller clients, some of whom he’s worked with for more than 30 years. “Bigger clients are not as readily available, so it’s hard to develop a one-on-one relationship,” he says.

Extra Training
Because smaller jobs often require less staffing, they provide a good opportunity for new employees to get one-on-one training and supervision on the job. Additionally, smaller jobs are a way to get your veteran employees experience in more of a leadership role. Chiarella says his smaller crews consist of three or four people and are much easier to handle than the crews on his biggest jobs, which can have up to 35 people at one site.

“Smaller jobs are a great way to train up-and-coming employees to take on more responsibility,” LaRusic says. “I recall my boss letting me run a crew at such a job and it was very exciting for me.”

Find a Niche
Taking on smaller jobs that focus on one particular aspect of landscaping may lead you to discover strengths you didn’t know you had. “With a little work and ingenuity you may find you do well at scheduling and completing certain ‘small jobs’ efficiently,” LaRusic says. You may find you can perform a particular small project at an unusually high profit margin. “If this is the case,” he says, “you can, perhaps, pursue the niche, even advertising for more [jobs], and find yourself with a nice little profit center.”