grave care customers – Page 3 – Grave Care Business

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

he wants to start a Grave Care Maintenance Business

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

We received a telephone call over the weekend from a retired gentleman who is interested in starting his own Grave Care Maintenance Business.

After a full and long career he wants to start a Grave Care Maintenance Business to help many of his acquaintances that can no longer care for their loved-one’s grave sites. General plot maintenance, floral decorating, and research of old cemeteries are his main interested. We spoke for a few minutes of his reason for starting the business. He wants to stay active in his 70’s and into his 80’s.

This man is an inspiration and it made me think about the poem by Dylan Thomas “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.” The poem speaks of our need to rage against becoming old. We should not quietly relinquish the fire that burns in young men’s eyes.

For this gentleman, starting a business caring for burial plots and providing cemetery cleanup services will keep his fire burning.

To read Dylan Thomas’ poem, visit Poets.org: Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.

Two Grave Site Decoration Events

If you are running your own Grave Care Business, I hope you’re not forgetting two very special holidays

If you are running your own Grave Care Business, I hope you’re not forgetting two very special holidays over the next few weeks. St. Patrick’s Day is March 17, 2010 and Easter is April 4, 2010.

If you have a strong contingent of Irish (or Irish loving) clients, it is a great time to call them to ask if they would like to decorate their loved ones’ grave sites for St. Patrick’s day. I just wanted to remind you of this because St. Patrick’s day sneaked up on me. There are a few days left before St. Paddy’s day so you have time to prepare for the 17th. As important as St. Patrick’s day is, Easter is much more important. It is a prime time to look for new clients that will want you to make special preparations for grave site decorations.
Oh, I almost forgot too; As I am writing this, it is Pi-Day and if you have any families with Mathematicians you know that this is a great day to offer math related decorations. If you need to know what Pi day is, this Wikipedia article should explain if for you. It’s meant to be a fun day and Mathematicians with senses of humor will get a kick out of the fact that you remembered them.

If you haven’t started your Grave Care Business yet or if you are looking for ideas to expand your business, be sure to take a look at our main website where you can learn about our Grave Care Business program. It is packed full of great information and business tools that will help you with your Grave Care Business. The main page is: https://GraveCareBusiness.com

Maintaining a neglected cemetery.

you are interested in maintaining the historic value of cemeteries you should think about starting a Grave Care Maintenance Business.

A recent news article caught out attention over the Memorial Day weekend. The news article concerns a cemetery in West Virginia that is not being taken care of properly.

Most notable is the claim that the cemetery’s grounds maintenance crew is improperly handling their lawn care equipment and causing damage to tombstones.

If you have read our Grave Care Business program you know the importance of proper lawn equipment handling to eliminate damage done to grave markers by lawn mowers and weedeaters. Grave stone are easily damaged by lawn equipment and the grounds crew at this cemetery should be trained in proper procedure.

The news article also highlights, at least in our minds, the need for a Grave Care Company in this West Virginia town. Look at the heartache of the families that have loved-ones buried at this cemetery. They shouldn’t have to face damaged tomb stones and poorly maintained grave sites. Families hurt by improper grave care from a cemetery company are willing to pay good money to an outside company to properly care for these grave sites.

If you are thinking about starting a small business in your community and if you are interested in maintaining the historic value of cemeteries you should think about starting a Grave Care Maintenance Business. You may never have thought about a Grave Care Business. There is much more to this business than grounds maintenance and you can build a lucrative business offering many Grave Site related services. Visit our home page to learn how you can get started with your own Grave Care Business. Our program is on sale right now through this website. www.GraveCareBusiness.com

Father’s Day: 6-21-2009 Grave Care

Around the country this year there are millions of families who have lost their Fathers. Though their Fathers have passed on, they can still buy a perfect Father’s Day present.

What is your experience shopping for Father’s Day?

Whether your experience is fun (because your Dad is easy to shop for) or hard (because he already has everything he needs and he’s not hip to new things) you know how good it feels when he truly appreciates what you have bought (or done) for him.

Father’s Day Gifts and Services

In my family, we often perform services for one another instead of buying the latest gadget at a department store that won’t be used anyway and ends up being a waste of money. Services for Fathers day used to include mowing the lawn or giving him a day alone just to watch sports on TV. He always appreciated quiet time. I even remember one year as gift to my Father I installed a shower head that had awaited installation for 6 months. Sometimes the services were a big hit and it was always a great feeling knowing I had given him something he truly cherished.

Grave Care is the Perfect Gift

Around the country this year there are millions of families who have lost their Fathers. Though their Fathers have passed on, they can still buy a perfect Father’s Day present.

If you have read our Grave Care Business Program you already know the importance of special days for your customers. Father’s Day is a perfect example of a time when you can advertise special services and promotions for your business. Don’t lose sight of the fact that grounds maintenance, photography, and Father’s Day Card (message delivery) services are very much in demand for Father’s Day. Your Grave Care Maintenance customers may not be aware that you offer these services. Elderly spouses may not be able to physically visit their husband’s gravesite. Younger family members may have moved away and are not able to visit the gravesite nearly as much as they wish. These are the customers you need to cater to. They are the ones truly in need of your services.

Start your Grave Care Maintenance promotions now to let you current and prospective customers know of all the services you offer specifically for Father’s Day.

Purchase the Grave Care Business program

If you have not yet started your Grave Care Maintenance Business, right now is a great time to start. Get started on the right foot with our Grave Care Business program available through our website:

www.GraveCareBusiness.com

The complete program is on sale right now. Visit our homepage for more information.

How-to Run a “GREEN” Grave Care Business

Small businesses are rewarded by providing their services in an environmentally friendly manner. Grave care is no exception.

If you have read our Grave Care Business materials you know important we feel it is to operate your business as environmentally friendly as possible. By saying this, we are not eco-fanatics. However, we believe an eco-friendly business will be looked on favorably by your comunity, loved by your customers, and cost less money to operate.

The Grave Care Business program outlines many different services to offer your customers. Today, we are giving you a brief overview of ways to make the landscape maintenance side of your business environmentally sound.

1) Lawn Mower

If you Grave Care business normally does single plots, you will find it beneficial to use a push-style reel mower. Reel mowers do not use gasoline thereby eliminating ozone destroying pollution. Since they do not have engines they they practically producs no sound. For larger areas and entire cemetery clean-ups feel free to use a powered mower but for single plots a reel mower is a great choice to cut the grass.

2) Weedeater or String Trimmer

There aren’t many effective non-powered options to trim weeds. Since 2-cycle engines are some of the most polluting lawn care equipment engines, if you are in the market for a weedeater, seriously consider purchasing a battery operated or a propane powered weedeater. We have personally tested several models of battery and propane powered models. The Lehr propane powered line trimmer is our favorite. Though it is noisy like many weedeaters, it produces very low emissions and it runs for two hours on a 1 lb. bottle of propane. As always, use caution with string trimmers around tombstones and grave markers. The string can damage these stones.

3) Plan your routes

Plan your routes so trips to the same cemetery coincide with each other. Travel time is a huge waste of your resources. Plan your jobs so all jobs in the same cemetery are performed on the same day. One trip is much less wasteful than three or four trips.

These are just a few tips on how you can “green” your Grave Care business. For our entire Grave Care Business package, visit our home page at: GraveCareBusiness.com

Small Business Start-Up Advice: Pricing.

If you are a new Grave Care and Maintenance business owner you may find it difficult, especially at the beginning, to charge prices on par with your service.

Have a strong pricing strategy for your Grave Care and Maintenance business.

Pricing is a tentative subject for most new small business owners. Pricing is particularly difficult for businesses that provide services where prices are subjective and up to the discretion of the business owner.

If you are a new Grave Care and Maintenance business owner you may find it difficult, especially at the beginning, to charge prices on par with your service. After all, since pricing is up to you, you are able to charge whatever price you want. You can even work for free if you want, right?

If you want to stay in business you cannot work for free. There is a minimum price you can charge for your services and remain an ongoing concern as a business.

A common problem we see with new business owners is wanting to lower prices to attract customers. Lowering your price is not the best option to attract customers. Customers will always want you to lower your price. They will gladly accept your services for free if you agree.

Your small business survival depends on your development of a strong pricing strategy. Know your costs and know what the market will bear. If the market won’t bear the amount you need to cover your costs then don’t do the job. If the market will bear more than your costs then you will be able to make a profit.

Grave care and maintenance is an emerging market. It’s not a business that many people (both business owners and customers) know what the going rate for service is. Therefore, it is up to you to develop a strong pricing strategy by knowing your per-job costs and deciding what the market will bear.

Our Grave Care Business program will help you develop a strong pricing strategy so you can make the best money possible in your local market. The program is on sale right now and it can be ordered directly from our home page. Click “ORDER HERE” above.

Overgrown cemetery plot.

How do I charge for overgrown and neglected cemetery plots…

How much money to charge for an overgrown cemetery plot a customer wants you to clean up.

Today’s blog post is a questions from a recent customer who purchased the Grave Care Business package.

“Hello. I am focusing on grounds maintenance in my new Grave Care Business. A recent new customer wanted me to care for her husband’s grave site. She knows I charge $25 to maintain a double plot but when I got there the grass was knee high. It hadn’t been cut in over a year. How much money do I charge for overgrown and neglected cemetery plots and what’s the best method of cutting high grass so it looks good?”

Overgrown cemetery plots normally require at least 1 1/2 times your typical charge. Sometimes, you should charge double depending how much additional work is involved.

When grass is very high you will need to make at least two passes with your lawn mower. Set your blades as high as they will go for your first pass. Use a straight-line mowing pattern (left-right or front-back). When you are finished with the first pass, rake excess clumped grass and remove it from the cemetery plot.

Now, lower your blades to the correct height for that type grass and make a second pass. For the second pass, choose a different mowing pattern. If you did left-right on your first pass, mow front-back for your second pass.

It is important to rake excess grass away. Unkempt gass will never look good after your first service. Once grass gets leggy, stems close to the ground become thick and discolored. Let your customer know it will take at least two services before it begins to look like a lawn again.

After your initial servicing of an unmanicured grave site, resume your standard charge as long as the customer agrees to regular servicing.

Don’t forget, the Grave Care Business program includes a large pricing guidebook that tells you how much to charge for certain services.

Visit our home page for more information.