“Looks like about $45 a cut.” Said from the truck. Feels fast. Feels experienced. And it’s how lawn companies underprice themselves for years.
Fuel moved. Wages moved. Insurance moved. Your memory didn’t.
What it costs
If your real fully-loaded cost is $38 and you keep quoting like it’s $32, you’re not “winning work” — you’re volunteering. A 5–15% margin leak across a book of weekly cuts is the difference between a decent season and wondering why you’re busy and broke.
Why it happens
- Pride in knowing the neighborhood by gut feel.
- Fear that a written price sheet makes you look corporate.
- No square-footage habit — just “big yard / small yard.”
- Old customers locked at last year’s number forever.
The Monday fix
Build a one-page price card for this season:
- Three size bands (e.g. under 5k, 5–10k, 10k+ sq ft) or minutes-on-site bands.
- Add-ons listed with hard dollars.
- A floor: “We don’t take weekly cuts under $X.”
Put the card in every truck. Quotes still sound human — you’re just not inventing math on the driveway.
Owner move this week: pull 20 random active properties. Compare quoted price vs size/time. Raise the bottom 5 with a short “season adjustment” note — not an apology essay.
Make it stick
New quotes get a photo of the lawn + size band + price in a group text or sheet before you confirm. Memory is for the route. Paper is for money.