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To grow your lawn care business, you'll need to attract customers, and one way of doing this is by submitting appealing bids. If you've been using Microsoft Excel or Word template file formats to draft bids from scratch, you've probably wasted a lot of time.
Skynova can help you take back time with our lawn care bid software, which you can send to your customer via a private link or as a printable PDF. Once the bid is accepted, Skynova will automatically convert it into an invoice template, streamlining most of the necessary paperwork.
Skynova enables rapid bid creation, automatic invoice conversion, and customization. And easy online editing, sending, and storing of customer details make tracing and problem-solving simple when you use Skynova.
What's the result? You have more time to focus on maintaining your lawn care business with a bid sheet template that works for you. If you're a lawn care professional, check out the template we've made below just for your business:
Create your own landscaping services bid with Skynova's bid template. The great thing about the template is that you can customize every part of your bid, from your business logo to any additional notes you want to provide.
All it takes is a few steps. Continue reading to learn how you can make a lawn care bid in minutes.
Be clear about your name and address on the template. Your customer should immediately recognize the origin of the landscape bid sheet to avoid the service contract bid being discarded. If your customer recognizes you by your first name, type in the name of your business with your name in brackets for easy recognition.
Add your customer's details in the address field below. If you only communicate via email, it is fine to omit the full address and include an email and phone number. If the customer has multiple addresses, state which one the lawn care contract relates to on the bid template. Alternatively, you can make this clear in the "Notes" section later.
Including your landscaping logo is going to add professionalism to your proposal form. Distinguish your lawn mowing business by uploading your logo into your proposal template.
Above the address line, you will see an option, "Show Customization Options." Click on the link and choose "Logo." Upload your landscaping business logo by selecting "Browse." Your logo will appear, giving your customers extra confidence that they are dealing with the right person.
Identifying numbers on lawn care bids is essential to keeping track of business transactions and confirming details. Input a lawn care bid number where indicated. You can start at "0000001" to simplify the process, or choose a different numbering system if you are comfortable with it.
Turn two administrative tasks into one by attaching a purchase order (P.O.) number to your bid. Select the same customization option on the bid template page that you chose to upload your logo and select the "P.O. #" option. This feature is available to all Skynova customers who want to automatically convert bids to invoices on acceptance.
Include a bid date below the bid number. Most businesses will use the same date used to prepare the bid. If your dates are out by a day or two, this won't usually be a problem. Also, if you have a different dating system that you are more comfortable with, simply use that when inputting a date.
Keeping track of lawn maintenance and landscape design supplies is vital to get paid what you are due. Go to "Item" and click on "Product" to input a list of your supplies. Type in "lawn care fertilizer," "garden mulching," or "new plant supplies" in the "Description" line, for example.
Make sure that you use layman's terms so that customers easily recognize the items. No one wants to receive a landscape proposal with vague numbers, chemical terminology, or Latin names for plants. Keep it simple to promote quick acceptance instead of wasting time on constant explanations that delay your bid acceptance.
Input the cost of the item under "Unit Price" (e.g., $30 for an azalea bush) and finish off the line item by capturing the number of supplies under "Quantity" (e.g., 5 azalea bushes). An automatic total for the items will appear under "Amount." Create a new line for each additional product as needed.
You work for a living, so it is critical to charge for your landscaping and lawn care services. On the Skynova bid template, you can charge per service or hour or day worked. Input labor costs similarly to how you captured supplies in the previous step.
Underneath "Item," click on "Service," "Hours," or "Days" and describe the labor. For example, a mowing job may take you an hour at $20. Select "Hours" from the "Item" menu. Include the description (e.g., "lawn mowing every two weeks"). Add "20" under "Unit Price" and "2" under "Quantity" to arrive at a total amount of $40.
Where specialist subcontractor services are used, add a description of the specific services, such as "pest control," "electricians," or "stonemasons." Follow the process above to include separate labor charges at different unit prices and quantities to complete this step of your bid estimate. "Expenses" can also be found under the "Item" drop-down menu when you need to include other costs related to your landscaping bid.
Landscaping and other businesses all use discounts as a promotional tool. Good business practice is to give discounts for loyal customers, those who refer new business, or to first-time customers. Overall, discounts are a good strategy to build goodwill, increase branding, and build the reputation of your landscaping business.
Decide whether you want to promote your business by offering cash discounts or a free lawn mowing service to reward customers. Click on "Item" and select the "Discount" option. Type in a description of the discount offered (e.g., "lawn mowing discount").
Add the value of the service under "Unit Price" and round off your offer by adding "0" under "Quantity." Also, use the same principle to include multiple discounts under "Quantity" if you are doing a massive ongoing job for a potential customer.
Lawn care business owners often use the "Notes" section to explain that the bid proposal will be subject to contingencies. Unexpected circumstances, such as not being able to mow a lawn due to recent construction work and excess rubble, may cause delays and extra costs, for example.
Another case might be that planting shrubs is impossible if a bug infestation is noted. Planting shrubs will have to be postponed until after a pest control expert has sorted out the problem.
The "Notes" section helps to add context when you want to make an item clearer for the customer's benefit. You may even want to use this field to include banking details to streamline payments.
Skynova's bid proposal template offers many opportunities to boost large or small business growth. Saving time and money by streamlining administrative tasks gives you extra time to focus on customer needs. It also provides more time to encourage new business prospects. Here are some more tips to help you on the path to growing a business that is as abundant as lawns and landscaping.
New lawn care contracts are always welcome. Use the "Notes" section to market your business on top of providing generous discounts that reward loyal customers. Take this opportunity to advertise specials in the "Notes" section for upcoming specials during vacation seasons.
Offer discounted services on lawn maintenance for homeowners who are on vacation. Encourage seasonal specials when business is slow. Reduced prices are another option for customers who want to sign up for long-term lawn care contracts.
This is your space and your business, so utilize marketing strategies to boost profits with a contractor bid estimate that looks professional and makes more than one administrative task quicker and easier.
Landscape maintenance and lawn care bid templates are part of the solution to building a sustainable business. Why not access other free templates, such as quotes, business proposals, order confirmations, deposit requests, and more?
You can already convert your bid template to an invoice automatically on customer acceptance. Access Skynova's solutions for long-term growth through better administrative housekeeping - all in one convenient place.
As an additional customer service, consider including a project timeline proposal when creating your bid form. Customers will have a better idea of the size and timing of small and large jobs. Providing a plan will be appreciated, as customers will be able to organize their lives around the project. Less inconvenience for customers means better service from you.
Skynova helps landscaping companies grow with business support solutions. Using a bid template that converts to an invoice with one action saves precious time. As we all know, time is money needed for any growing business.
Save even more time by exploring other Skynova contract templates, like invoice templates or estimate templates, as well as our software products. Additional benefits include invoice and accounting options that help you to create financial and expense reports. Grow your lawn care business organically with Skynova.