Seasonal Intelligence from Competitors

December 2021. While every other lawn guy was watching football and complaining about winter, I was reading my competitors' reviews. Found 47 people begging for snow removal that nobody offered. By February, I'd made $67K. Here's exactly how to find money hiding in your competitors' complaints.

Read their complaints, take their customers. It's that simple.

The Review Pattern That Changed Everything

I was broke every winter. Same sob story as every lawn guy—seasonal business, nothing you can do, wait for spring. Then I got pissed off enough to do something different.

Started reading competitor reviews in November. Every. Single. One. Pattern jumped out like a neon sign:

• "Wish you did snow removal"

• "Do you guys do Christmas lights?"

• "Need someone for salting"

• "Looking for leaf cleanup"

47 mentions in one month. 47 people literally begging to give money to lawn guys. And we were all sitting on our asses complaining about the weather.

How I Track Patterns: The Simple System

This is basic math, not rocket science. My spreadsheet:

Columns:

• Competitor name

• Review date

• Service mentioned

• Frequency count

• Contact info (if mentioned)

• Pain level (1-5)

What I Found (November 2021):

• Snow removal: 47 mentions

• Christmas lights: 31 mentions

• Gutter cleaning: 28 mentions

• Leaf removal: 44 mentions

• Ice management: 22 mentions

Money. Sitting. Right. There.

Building Winter Services From Complaint Data

Stop being seasonal. Here's how I built $200K in winter revenue:

Phase 1: Test the demand

• Responded to every review mentioning snow

• "Hey, saw your comment about snow removal. We're adding that service. Interested?"

• 73% said yes immediately

Phase 2: Scale what works

• Bought used plow for $3,200

• Hired two guys with trucks

• Focused on residential only

• Charged premium for reliability

Phase 3: Expand based on data

• Added Christmas lights (highest margin)

• Salting contracts (recurring revenue)

• Emergency ice removal (premium pricing)

First winter: $67K revenue. Second winter: $134K. Third winter: $201K.

While competitors cried about weather.

The HOA Contract Theft

This one's my favorite. Competitor had huge HOA contract for 15 years. Seemed untouchable. Then I read their reviews:

• "Never returns calls in winter"

• "Took 3 days to plow after storm"

• "Summer service great, winter terrible"

• "Promised salting, never happened"

I screenshot every complaint. Put together proposal addressing each one. Walked into HOA board meeting with their reviews printed out.

Contract value: $73K for winter services. They switched immediately.

Read their complaints, take their customers.

The Month-by-Month Service Calendar

Here's what review patterns taught me about seasonal demand:

September: Leaf cleanup anxiety starts October: Gutter cleaning panic November: Christmas light requests December: Snow removal fear January: Ice management emergency February: Planning spring cleanup March: Early lawn treatment demand

Each month has money if you're watching. Most contractors are blind to it.

Real Winter Revenue Breakdown

Quit crying about weather. Here's what's possible:

Snow Removal: $89K

• 43 residential contracts

• 12 commercial lots

• Per-push + seasonal contracts

Christmas Lights: $54K

• Install and removal

• 67% profit margin

• Books itself via reviews

Salting/Ice: $31K

• Recurring revenue

• High emergency rates

• Minimal labor

Gutter/Misc: $27K

• One-time services

• High margin work

• Leads to spring contracts

Total: $201K in "dead" season

My Wife Calling Me Obsessed

True story: Wife found me at 2 AM reading competitor reviews on my phone. "You're obsessed." Damn right I am. Obsessed with not being broke in winter.

That obsession pays for her BMW.

She doesn't complain anymore.

The Competitor Analysis Gold Mine

Every Tuesday, I spend an hour reading competitor reviews. Every Tuesday, I find money:

What to Look For:

• Service requests they ignore

• Timing complaints (opportunity)

• Price complaints (they're too high)

• Quality issues you can solve

• Geographic gaps they miss

Recent Find: Competitor doesn't service east side. 19 reviews mentioned it. Targeted Facebook ads to east side. Picked up 34 new clients in two weeks.

Why This Works

Winter money is easier money. Here's why:

1. Less competition - Most guys hibernate

2. Higher urgency - Snow must be removed

3. Premium pricing - Emergency rates accepted

4. Grateful customers - You showed up when needed

5. Spring conversion - Winter clients become lawn clients

My client retention from winter services: 84% become full-year customers.

Your Homework Assignment

Stop making excuses. Do this tonight:

1. List your top 5 competitors

2. Read their last 50 reviews each

3. Count every service request mentioned

4. Identify top 3 opportunities

5. Test one service immediately

Or keep watching football while I take your customers.

The Bottom Line

December 2021, I made a choice. Stop being a victim of seasons or start reading reviews. Three winters later, I'm buying a second property while competitors post "See you in spring!" on Facebook.

Seasonal businesses are for seasonal thinkers. Money flows year-round for those who pay attention.

Your competitors' reviews are screaming opportunities. But you have to stop complaining long enough to hear them.

$200K is hiding in those complaints. Go find it.

Or don't. More for me.

Sources:

• Lawn & Landscape State of the Industry Report - https://www.lawnandlandscape.com/article/ll-1022-state-of-the-industry-report/

• NALP Industry Benchmark Report - https://www.landscapeprofessionals.org/LP/LP/Industry-Resources/Industry-benchmark-report.aspx

• Snow Magazine Diversification Strategies - https://www.snowmagazineonline.com/article/snow-business-diversification-strategies/