Specialise Or Jack Of All Trades?

[Landscape Hub]

Do you think it's best to specialise in one service / sector or offer a range of services?

 

Being a specialist can bring in clients looking for just that - an expert in the field, (no pun intended!). It also makes the choice of vehicle, tools, equipment and even employees that much easier. Your website can be heavily focused on that one sector, (a bit like Arbtalk really), and can reap benefits from that. Keeping up with training and H&S requirements might be easier as well. You might be able to command a premium rate for your service or through specialist equipment and staff, simply be able to make much more profit on a standard rate.

 

Having said that, what's the downside? If demand for your specialist services rises and falls, so does your income. If your service is particularly affected by the weather you might find yourself sat at home with no wage coming in.

 

You / your business could offer a range of services. This can help spread the net wide and bring in a variety of revenue streams. Diversification allows you to offer more services to your customer base and often clients seek out companies / individuals who offer a one-stop-shop, keeping the whole process easier for them.

 

Diversifying can help keep the work interesting. Perhaps you'd get bored doing effectively the same task week in week out?

 

Diversification also brings its own headaches however. Firstly you're perhaps no longer viewed as a true specialist. You're vehicles, tools, equipment and employees all have to be geared to a range of services with the danger that you're not really optomised for any specific task. Vehicles are a good example of this; a specialist might buy and equip a vehicle ideally suited to their trade. A business carrying out a range of services often wish for a pickup one day, flatbed the next and a panel van the day after!

 

Targeting a website or adverts to a range of services has its challenges, (as we all know!). You're often trying to be all things to all people, which has the danger of making you look a bit unprofessional, (or unbelievable).

 

So what's your take on it?

 

Is there any real one size fits all answer to this and what are your experiences of being a specialist in one sector OR someone that offers a range of services?

[skyhuck]

I only do trees and hedges, last year I did strim some land for an existing client, but thats the one and only time I've done work other than tree work.

 

I think most tree firms do other work, I often read on here about them turfing or fencing, but I'm just trees.

[Dean Lofthouse]

I just feel that unless you employ a number of people who are experienced in different fields then it looks a bit jack of all trades.

 

Tree work, dependant on how much you want to get into, is a lifetime of learning and even then you will not know everything

 

Taking down and pruning trees is less than one percent of the job

[Scott Walker]

We also only do tree and hedge work you see some companys offering tree,hedge gardening, grass cutting patio cleaning etc witch to me doesn't come across as being very professional I think if a customer is looking to have a tree cut down they will get someone who specialise in tree work and tree work only.

 

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[Robert_S]

i use to do quite a bit of landscaping/fencing but now sub contract the enquires to another firm and get a % fee paid if they are successful in getting the work, it can be quite a hassle collecting materials for landscaping jobs especially when you are kitted up to do trees, you just hook the chipper up and go.

i still undertake a few commercial grass cutting sites but that was more so i can stop competition getting on site and quoting for the tree work.

So 95% tree work:biggrin:

[onyx landscaping/fencing]

if I can o it I will do it! simple as that really

[mad matty]

if I can o it I will do it! simple as that really

 

AS long as its as good and professional as anyone else do it!!

[skyhuck]

We also only do tree and hedge work you see some companys offering tree,hedge gardening, grass cutting patio cleaning etc witch to me doesn't come across as being very professional I think if a customer is looking to have a tree cut down they will get someone who specialise in tree work and tree work only.

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

This is what I have alway thought too, but TBH I think we may be kidding ourselves, while quoting work or carrying job I often get asked if we do fencing or landscaping and when I say no the customers seem disappointed.

[onyx landscaping/fencing]

AS long as its as good and professional as anyone else do it!!

 

I aim to do the job better than anyone else even if it takes that little bit longer!

[s.varty]

if I can o it I will do it! simple as that really

 

I,m with ya