You finished the patio, cleaned up the site, and got a five-star review. Then you left — and someone else got the maintenance contract. Here is how to close that account before you pack up your truck.
A client who just spent $20,000 on a landscape project with you is the best maintenance prospect you will ever encounter. They know your work. They trust your crew. They just invested in a yard they care about. All that trust evaporates if you disappear after the final invoice — and they hire a lawn service off a flyer.
The window to sell a maintenance agreement is narrow. It opens at project completion and closes within a few weeks. Here is how to close it.
Why the Timing Matters
At project completion, the client is at peak satisfaction. They are looking at a finished yard they love. They just paid you a significant amount and got exactly what they expected. That emotional state — relief, pride, excitement — is the best context for a follow-on sale you will ever have with that client.
Two months later, that feeling has faded. They have moved on to other priorities. A maintenance proposal sent at 60 days is a cold outreach. A maintenance proposal at project completion is a natural extension of a conversation already in progress.
What to Include in a Post-Construction Maintenance Proposal
The maintenance proposal should reference the construction project by name and explain what ongoing maintenance protects. Clients respond better when they understand what they are maintaining — not just getting a generic lawn service offer.
- Reference the project: "Following your backyard installation in April, this agreement covers ongoing care for the plantings, paver patio, and turf areas."
- Turf care: Mowing schedule, edging, blowing. Specify frequency — weekly, biweekly, monthly depending on season.
- Plant care: Trimming and pruning schedule for new plantings. Include a note about establishment watering if they do not have irrigation.
- Seasonal services: Mulch refresh, fertilization, pre-emergent application, overseeding — list what applies to your region and season.
- Paver / hardscape care: Annual polymeric sand refresh, spot cleaning, sealer reapplication interval. Clients who invested in a paver patio want to know it is being maintained.
- Irrigation monitoring (if system exists): Seasonal startup, head checks, seasonal shutdown if applicable.
Pricing: Flat Monthly vs. Per-Service
Monthly agreements are easier to budget for clients and easier to track for you. Offer an annual agreement billed monthly — that locks in the work for 12 months and removes the "let me think about it for each visit" friction. A client who pays $350/month for maintenance is a predictable revenue line on your schedule.
Offer two tiers: a base agreement covering turf and basic care, and a premium tier that adds seasonal services and paver maintenance. Keep the difference simple enough that the client can choose in five minutes.
"Every construction job is a maintenance lead. The ones who sign the agreement are the clients who refer you next."
How to Deliver the Maintenance Proposal
Hand it to the client at the project closeout walkthrough — or email it within 24 hours of final invoice. The pitch is simple: "We put this together so you don't have to find someone else to keep it looking the way it does right now. Here's what we'd cover."
Do not oversell. You have the trust. Let the proposal do the talking. Most clients who receive a maintenance proposal after a good construction experience sign on some version of it — because the alternative is starting the contractor search all over again for a different type of work.
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Book a Demo →Frequently Asked Questions
Should I offer a discount on maintenance if the client just did a large construction project?
Not as a default. The construction project earned you trust — but maintenance is a separate service at a separate price. If you want to offer something, make it a first-month credit or a free seasonal service at signing, not a blanket rate reduction. A 10% discount on a recurring contract is a meaningful margin cut over 12 months.
What if the client already has a lawn service?
Ask what that service covers. Often it is mowing only — which means plant care, paver maintenance, seasonal services, and irrigation are uncovered. You can offer to supplement the existing service for those items, or offer a full-service proposal and let the client decide whether switching makes sense. Many clients who built a relationship with you on construction prefer a single point of contact for the whole property.
What term length should I put in a maintenance agreement?
12 months with a 30-day cancellation notice is standard. Shorter terms give clients less commitment but also give you less scheduling predictability. Avoid month-to-month for new maintenance clients if you can — it is harder to route efficiently and easier to cancel. A 12-month agreement gives you time to prove the service and gives the client time to see its value.
How do I price a maintenance agreement for a new installation?
Price it based on what the property will need — not on what the client might pay. Estimate your time on the property per visit, your crew's loaded cost per hour, and your materials for seasonal services. Add your margin. New installations sometimes require more frequent visits in the first year while plants establish — price that year's contract to reflect it.
Edgar Galindo
Co-founder, Ledge
Edgar built Ledge while running a landscape design-build company in Central Texas. He started converting construction clients to maintenance accounts after realizing how much recurring revenue he was leaving behind at project closeout.