Editorial

Experience Pays in Franchisee Satisfaction.

The real beauty of Buying a Franchise is that someone else has done the hard part – finding the right product, the market research, setting up the systems, and hiring the support people who can answer all the questions.

When that company has been successfully Franchising for over 35 years, you can pretty well assume they’ve had the time to get it right. That’s the position Lawn Doctor is in right now. With 438 Franchises in 40 states and a history that goes back to 1967, they are recognized by industry experts as one of the premier, affordable franchises in the country.Lawn Doctor, which provides lawn care, including weed and insect control, fertilization, aeration, seeding and also tree and shrub care, began franchising from the beginning and has no company stores. Their entire corporate effort is to support their franchisees.

Lawn Doctor CORE Proprietary Software

Russell Frith, president and CEO of Lawn Doctor, Inc. of Holmdel, NJ, says one thing that sets them apart from their competitors is their proprietary software, CORE (Complete Office REsourse), designed by Lawn Doctor to aid franchisees with almost every aspect of their business. In house, they have a six plus member IT staff which exists primarily to help franchisees with technical assistant.

“What we are trying to do is create the maximum opportunity for our owners to work on their business as apposed to working in their business,” says Frith. “To the extent we can automate processes or get things done for them in the beginning, the more likely their success and development will be.”

Computers are provided at training to franchisees with preloaded software. Other startup supplies provided include a fax machine, tools, office supplies, machinery, and marketing tools. “We’ve designed this business to be as turnkey as it is possible to make a service business,” says Frith.

Lawn Doctor Complete Lawn, Turf, Shrub and Tree Care

At Lawn Doctor, they are on their third or fourth generation of equipment, including the patented Turf Tamer®, which evenly broadcasts a custom-blend of granular fertilizers through ground-metered distribution. It also applies the necessary weed and insect controls and is designed to deliver three different granular products and one liquid -- simultaneously, if necessary. This machine can be programmed at each stop to deliver the specific product a lawn needs, without requiring on-site mixing and exposing the technician to concentrations of chemicals.

Since the company services properties nation-wide, Lawn Doctor has 40 different turf programs. Their machinery and equipment have been designed and manufactured in house and products are provided premixed and packaged.

One of the benefits of the Lawn Doctor Franchise is that the operation has low overhead. Owners can work out of their homes because no expensive store front is needed. Customers are found through a dedicated marketing program, which usually initiates when the new owner is still in training.

“We look to be the principal provider to our franchisees, as apposed to third parties who don’t have the same vested interest in their success that we do. For example, we have a seven person marketing department, including our own art director and copywriter, and, again, 85-90% o their activity is dedicated exclusively to our franchisees,” says Frith. “Since the franchisees are the sole source of our revenue, it is important to us that they do well and are profitable.”

The business offers owners numerous benefits:

Affordable investment. Lawn Doctor even finances part of the cost!
No huge overhead. All equipment, except the truck (which can be purchased or leased), is provided in the startup costs. There’s no expensive mall location to pay for and no huge build-out expense.
No large inventory to maintain.
Customer satisfaction is high so customers are retained year-to-year.
Service is rendered within a window, not on but within a specific time – giving technician more flexibility.

Lawn Doctor Lawn Care Services Are Increasing in Demand After 35 years in the lawn care industry, Lawn Doctor has seen its share of changes. One thing that has not changed is that people still want to have an attractive, weed-free, well-maintained lawn. What has changed is an “incredible increase in demand, specifically driven by dual-income households,” says Frith. Fewer and fewer people these days have time to do the work themselves.

“This is a business that stays stable during downturns in the economy,” says Frith. “People may be willing to cut down on some things, when necessary, but will not eliminate a service that increases the value of their homes.” With more two working partner homes, with people working longer hours, and with the home as the most valuable asset in most families, a lawn care service has become a necessity for many people.

Current franchisees come from all walks of life and if there is one constant, it is that they have business acumen. They must be able to come in and see the value of the system and follow it. Most owners have had no previous franchise experience or lawn care experience. But once they review the business, they see the potential. Lawn Doctor even has a plan for corporate employees and also employees of franchisees to enable them to become owners themselves.

If success can be measured by franchisee satisfaction, then Lawn Doctor has that all wrapped up. They currently have no litigation and have been able to say that for a decade or two. “Our franchisees are happy and I think a lot of that comes from a place of mutual trust and respect,” says Frith.

If success can be measured by awards, they have that, too. Of their many honors, they can claim a #3 ranking in Success magazine’s Franchise Gold 200 issue, October 2003. Entrepreneur consistently names them in their top 100 home-based business franchises. They are #1 in home service franchises in Franchise Times. They were in the top 150 for low investment startups in Business Startup magazine. And, they’ve claimed the Best in Category spot for 20 consecutive years in Entrepreneur Magazine.

As for customer satisfaction…what better indicator is there than the continued and rapid growth of the company? “We’ve prepared the underpinnings of our organization to manage our projected growth and we are now ready to increase the rate of expansion,” says Frith. Already the largest lawn care franchise in the world, in 2004 they plan to increase the franchise base more rapidly, from the previous rate of 20-25 new franchises per year to the 40-50 range.

But don’t count on rapid growth to weaken their dedication to franchisee support. There is one criterion used to weigh each and every decision made by Lawn Doctor and that’s a statement of mutual benefit. Is it good for the franchisees and is good for Lawn Doctor? Nothing is approved unless it meets that standard, which is why their mission statement is: Growth Through Mutual Benefit.