I showed up thirty minutes early to a SOD installation estimate. To my surprise, there was talking to my customer on the lawn. I figured out that they may have called another company to give them an estimate. That was okay with me; a look at the competition is always a good thing. It is always good to see what the other guy is doing. You can learn a thing or two about the competition. I waited patiently in my car listening to one of my favorite bands, CCR. As the song "Proud Mary" was starting to play, I noticed the other SOD guy walking around the lawn in a straight line, moving from one corner to the next. Before the song was over, my competition had sped off. I gathered my things- measuring wheel, check, business cards, check, ID card, check, tablet, check. I approached the customer and asked her what happened to the other guy. She replied-that he basically walked around her yard then handed her a piece of paper. She showed me the paper. It had an astronomical number that blew my mind. It was followed by, "Have a nice day."
Of course, I introduced myself and handed her my business card. She also said that he had just arrived. I figured he was there about 5 minutes, give or take one. I asked the customer if he had explained what type of SOD she should get because the lawn was blanketed in shade. She said, "Yes, he said that Bermuda would be the best." I almost fainted. I told her that I would measure first then explain the process. She said, "Well, he measured with his feet." I said, "No, Ma'am, we use tape or the orange wheel I bought from Home Depot."
Once I measured, I explained to her that I could give her a discount because she only had patches of grass, and it would be easier to till. Also, I let her know her four Live Oak trees needed to be trimmed. From the looks of it, it had to be at least five years since they were serviced. She told me she was on a budget. The best SOD to be planted was St. Augustine Raleigh. I chose Raleigh because it is the most affordable St. Augustine compared to Palmetto and would do well in the shade. I calculated my measurements. She needed two-hundred and fifty square feet of SOD, about five pallets. Soil amendments were not needed. The soil was a nice loam, perfect for root growth. The trees provided plenty of vegetation to enrich the soil. I tested for earth worms, there were plenty squirming about.
We landed the job. The customer appreciated the time we spent with her explaining the SOD installation process. We also had a detailed invoice that broke everything down: Materials, Delivery, Labor, Tax.
If you called someone out to your house for a SOD quote and they are measuring with their feet and eyes, do not panic. Click here.
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