Property Measurements: Account Managers, Are You Still Wasting Time Doing It Manually In 2023?

Are you an account manager currently spending hours doing manual property measurements on Go iLawn or Google Earth, cursing, “I wish I had more time or more people to do this!” Well, you are not alone. For an Account Manager, time is crucial, for you barely have any between juggling multiple tasks, clients, and accounts. 

The most time-consuming aspect of an Account Manager’s job is property measurements. They are integral to your landscaping business, so much so that you often spend days just doing site visits or clicking on Google Earth drawing polygons for hours. But, are all these hours spent on manual property measurements even worth it? There’s got to be a faster, easier way out, right?

The problem with manual property measurements

Imagine a situation where a property owner is looking for a company for landscape maintenance. He narrows his search down to four companies. Out of which one gets back to him the very next day with accurate estimates and a winning landscaping proposal. The others tell them they’ll get back to him in 2-4 days. 

Which one do you think will win the bid? And which one of these are you? Probably none.

So, let's look at the 3 main problems associated with manual property measurements.

1. Time-consuming
2. Inaccurate estimates
3. Low win rate

Time-consuming

Some day back in school, we learned that the slowest step in a process decides the rate of the entire process. The same applies to a bid submission process. 

The most time-consuming step in the bidding process is manual measurements, and they determine the speed at which you can close a deal. Each property requires multiple site visits to analyze and take measurements. This is followed by hours spent drawing polygons on outdated tools like Google Earth or Go iLawn.

You might think it’s just a few hours here and there, but these wasted hours add up and compound in the long term. It not only slows you down but also negatively affects your margins.

While speaking about his time constraints, Kenny Watson, the Account Manager at Lonestar Landscape, a Texas-based landscape maintenance firm, said, “I used to spend 4 hours on Google Earth every week to make property measurements, besides multiple site visits to verify those measurements. Sometimes, I would think of hiring an assistant just for the manual measurement process.” 

As an account manager, you are orchestrating people and processes, which requires incredible organizational and time management skills. For you, time is of utmost importance, and manual measurements only waste it.

Manual property measurements mean inaccurate estimates

Let’s see how a manual measurement process usually goes:

1. You land a potential customer, and you visit his property for the first time. You take up a measuring wheel or a tape measure and start taking measurements. Or perhaps you are drawing polygons on scaled maps with online tools. Both ‌processes take up hours, and often multiple-day visits.
2. You use these measurements to estimate costs for things like mulch, gravel, ground cover, sod, or other materials which are sold by the square foot or cubic foot. Without accurate or close-to-accurate measurements, the chances are you will end up with little (or too much) of the material.
3. This also means you mis-bid labor, equipment, and other costs. Inaccurate estimates lead to one of two things: losing the bid or winning an unprofitable bid.

Not only are manual property measurements time-consuming, but they are also prone to human error. If you underestimate a job by even 1% (which many account managers do), a company with, say, $6 million in revenue is losing out on more than $24,000 in missed profits. 

When your measurements and estimates are inaccurate, you either under-or over-estimate your costs. With accurate estimates- you avoid over or underbidding completely.

Low win rate

We spoke to many Account Managers, and it’s the same story everywhere. Not having enough time on their hands, being bored with repetitive, tedious measurements day in and day out, and inaccurate measurements leading to inaccurate estimates. 

It’s not just about the lost time, but manual property measurements make you miss out on bids, especially during the peak season. Often, you are lagging top-of-the-funnel because you don’t have time to work on the bids when you are running from one property to another. When you are not the first to reach out to your customer with an accurate quote, you often lose the bid to your competitor. 

With manual measurements being inaccurate, overbidding leads to losing out on deals to your competition, directly affecting your commission. 

So what’s the solution to all these problems.?

The answer lies in the automation of your property measurements

Imagine a scenario where you have to create an estimate. 

Only this time, you let Attentive.ai automation software do all the work for you. You enter your customer’s property address, and the latest high-definition imagery comes up. You don’t need to visit the property at all, and while just sitting in your office, you get the most accurate takeoff. Equipped with this precise measurement, you take an accurate estimate for your customer. The detailed, high-def sitemaps impress him while your competitors arrive late, having taken days to measure the property.

Who will your customer choose? The answer is obvious. It’s you.

That’s the beauty of Attentive.ai's automated property measurement software. Designed for account managers specifically to save them thousands of wasted hours and help them win more bids, it takes away the slowest step in your estimating process. And you spend more time generating leads and meeting your prospects.

Attentive.ai provides a platform where you can measure properties automatically and scale up your sales funnel without having to invest in recruitment or marketing. This way, you create faster, more accurate bids, all-weather, all-season in the comforts of your home. You get to divert the saved time to your customer service, improving your closing rate and scaling up your business in no time. Sales teams save up to 95% of the time with Attentive.ai.

Don’t just take our word for it; we have helped 400+ outdoor services businesses across the US drive revenue so far. With Attentive.ai, you are not just selling a promise; you actually come with the proof. Sign up for a free trial and reclaim hours of wasted time.

FAQs

What are the methods of property measurement?

Property measurement methods vary but traditionally included using tools like tape measures, and laser distance meters. Now, you can use even advanced property measurement software like Attentive.ai for automated, accurate measurements.

How to measure property distance and size?

Property distance and size can be measured manually with measuring tools, such as tape measures, or using automated takeoff software or apps that utilize the latest aerial imagery for precise measurements.

How to calculate land area online?

Calculating land area online is easy with modern technology. Many online tools and software platforms allow you to input a property address or simply draw the shape of your land on a digital map. The tool then calculates the area instantly, giving you an accurate measurement without manual calculations.