If your company is growing and looking for methods to boost your revenue, one way to do so is to increase your service offerings.
As for what type of service is a good addition depends on customer demand and leaning into what your company is already equipped to handle. Play to your strengths and focus on areas where you have, or can build, a distinct advantage in meeting the market needs.
Below are some of the supplementary services that lawn and landscape companies have added to their businesses.
Parking Lot Sweeping
If you mainly serve commercial properties, adding parking lot sweeping is one way to help increase the quality control on the sites you maintain.
“After paying subcontractors a premium for sweeping services and receiving services that did not meet our standards, I knew that this was a service that I wanted to offer in-house,” says Wade Martin, president of Martin Landscape, based in Port Royal, South Carolina. “This allowed us to create new opportunities for our team members that they can take pride in, by delivering quality services that exceed the expectations of our clients.”
This service is profitable, but the necessary trucks can range from $90,000 to $120,000.
“Some properties need services more frequently than others in order to stay pristine and make a positive impression,” Martin says. “Most people don’t realize the amount of debris and foreign objects that parking lots can accumulate in a short period of time. It’s important to monitor properties, especially shopping centers, for a full week before pricing.”
Mosquito Control/Pest Control
If you are in the lawn care business, one of the natural add-on services is mosquito control or pest control. Customers often appreciate a one-stop shop and being able to handle all their outdoor pest needs is an easy sell.
Joshua Tree Experts, based in Stockertown, Pennsylvania, took this even one step further and offers both indoor and outdoor pest control services.
“A lot of lawn care companies are offering perimeter pest control and focusing on outdoor treatments,” says Joshua Malik, owner of Joshua Tree. “But we wanted to differentiate ourselves so that our clients didn’t feel as though they needed to still hire an exterminator for indoor pest problems. But in order to do that successfully, we needed to bring on the right person.”
He brought in a pest control specialist with more than 15 years of experience to oversee the division and explains you need people first before marketing a new service.
Pet Waste Removal
If your company provides lawn mowing services, dealing with pet waste is probably already a matter you deal with. The franchise Scoop Soldiers simply turns pet waste removal into a source of revenue. They have service packages running from three visits per week to one-time cleanups for special events.
With their model, a uniformed technician rakes pest waste into a dustpan, makes sure the gate is closed and sends a picture of the closed gate to the client before moving on to the next site. The waste is double-bagged and hauled off to a dumpster or landfill.
“Pet waste removal is not just about scooping poop,” E.J. McCoy, CEO of White Picket Team Management, the parent company of Scoop Soldiers. “It’s about being a pet lover. It’s as much a part of the billion-dollar pet industry as it is part of any other industry. You want pet lovers doing this work. This goes back to finding the right team!”
Holiday Lighting
If you have more of a seasonal landscape business but aren’t looking to get into snow removal, providing holiday lighting is one way to stretch the season longer and keep crews busy in the winter. Holiday lighting is a high-profit margin service that you can either do independently or break into as a franchisee.
The main selling points to share with potential clients include professional turnkey installation, takedown and storage and customer-wowing displays that create a magical, festive impression.
“I don’t think we have to really sell it too much,” says Heather Lashbrook Jones, director of marketing, and senior account manager of maintenance for a Blade of Grass, LLC, based in Sudbury, Massachusetts. “It sells itself. Some beautiful photos showing what we do and usually people get pretty excited.”
Outdoor Lighting
If your primary focus is design/build work, it’s likely you already offer outdoor lighting, but if not, it is a natural upgrade you can provide clients. Recently, landscape lighting has seen increased demand and it can have high-profit margins.
“It’s a great add-on for us,” says Dakota Williams, co-owner of GreenPro, LLC, based in Jenks, Oklahoma. “It’s easy to do while we’re out on the job site. Ultimately, it enhances what we do in the evening time. People enjoy their landscapes and outdoor spaces during the daytime, but if we can extend the depth of the property and make it more secure during the evening, that’s just a plus.”
Junk Removal
If you are looking to round out your offerings or take advantage of your existing equipment during the off-season, junk removal is another option. Buddy’s Services, LLC, based in Calabash, North Carolina, says during the fall and winter, if things slow down for their landscaping crews, they can transition to handling junk removal.
“Junk removal is very easy,” says Justin Decker, owner of Buddy’s Services. “You already have a trailer on site. You have dump trailers and enclosed trailers; why not utilize what you have? All you’re doing is hauling it away. So, I realized the profit margins on junk removal are very high, higher than anything we’ve done in landscaping.”
