Pricing Advice & Client Management Tips for New Landscaper

Welcome to the industry and props to you for asking the right questions early on. You’re 100% right to be thinking about the difference between hourly vs. per-job pricing — and you nailed one of the biggest pricing traps out there:

Charging hourly can penalize you for being efficient.

Experienced pros (like you’re becoming) can knock out a job faster and better, and you should be rewarded for that, not punished by making less.

That’s why flat-rate, per-job pricing is usually the way to go — as long as you base it on your actual costs and profit margins, not just what others are charging in your area.

If you’re just guesstimating a rate that feels fair, that’s a good start — but I’d strongly recommend building a simple pricing system that:

• Covers your labor, materials, overhead, and fuel
• Builds in profit (not just paycheck) 
• Is easy to explain to customers with confidence

I actually just did a webinar that walks through exactly how to do this — how to build your prices from the bottom up so you’re not guessing or undercharging.

You can check it out here: https://www.getjobber.com/events/five-numbers-to-grow-your-business/https://www.getjobber.com/events/five-numbers-to-grow-your-business/

Great Question! 

I have a lawn care/landscaping business as well. I think it's reasonable to question your pricing when you start. 

If we're just talking about one time jobs, I go off a "budgeted hours" model. You've done several jobs now so you can guestimate how long it will take you. 

If you decided you wanted to charge $100/hour, and you go to the job and think it will take you 5 hours, I'd quote $500 + any materials. Sometimes you might be off in either direction, but as you get better at quoting, it should average out. 

You can check check your competitors pricing, but I find that doesn't matter in the long term. You'll find out based on your quote conversion whether or not you're pricing competitively. If you're in the early stages and feel like undercutting for now, you can just mark down your "hourly rate" by $10 or $20/hour. As you get more confident you should aim to increase that price. 

As for software tools, I use Crew Insight in the app marketplace. You can track your job efficiency rate (based on budgeted hours), keep track of recurring clients, sales metrics, etc. Disclaimer, I built this for myself because I found the Jobber metrics and exporting spreadsheets to be a pain. If you're starting off and don't feel like the cost is justified, I think simply using Jobber and staying organized can be sufficient. 

When I started out, I priced jobs low just to get work, then realized I was getting punished for being fast and efficient. That’s when I switched from charging hourly to per job — it let me build in my value, not just my time.

Here’s what helped me:

• Start with a minimum job price no matter the size (minimum call out fee / service fee)
• Charge based on outcome, not hours
• Build in your overhead and profit, even early on
• You’re not just getting paid to mow or clean — you’re getting paid to show up, handle the job, and make their life easier.
  
  you have to understand your numbers , your overhead, your aimed profit margins etc etc