Lawn Care Marketing Expert
The online marketing agency for lawn care & landscaping business owners who want to market... SMARTER.
Rank #1: Landscape Management Magazine – 6 Ways to Make Your Website Sell.
Landscape Management Magazine February 2013 – Written by Lawn Care Marketing Expert Your website is your most important salesman. In fact, making sales is the ONLY reason to have a website. Here are 6 great ways to give your website the sales tools it needs to Always Be Closing… jQLeadBrite("#leadplayer_video_element_51A4472444B1F").leadplayer(false, "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"); Professional Design – Hopefully, no one reading this would ever let a member of their team show up at prospective client’s home or business wearing cutoff jeans, flip flops or a tank top. Like it or not our image projects an idea of how we operate. If your website looks sloppy, hard to use, or is just a glorified business card. It says something about your business. Make it professional and project the image you want to want to portray in your market. Certifications, Licenses, Awards, Memberships – In a sense every salesman presents a resume of qualifications to a prospect. Letting the world know that your business is licensed, insured, a member of important trade organizations and even an award winner shows that you are serious about how you do business and that you strive to be (or are) the leader in your industry. Companies that aren’t in it for the long haul, don’t go to the trouble. A Strong Guarantee – Giving a salesman the ability to guarantee your work is the ultimate counter to any objection a consumer would have to using your services. If you currently don’t advertise a guarantee, are you not going to fix a job when a client is unhappy? If you are, then you already have a guarantee. The only thing you’re not doing is telling people that you have a guarantee. Advertise it. Make it public. Let people know that they’re not going to make a bad decision if they choose you. They’re going to be happy with your service, no matter what. Public Recognition in Local Newspaper, TV or other Media – Salesmen selling services for popular or publicly recognizes companies have an easier time selling and can charge a premium for their services. Maybe you’ve been featured on the local news or other media; this recognition adds a lot of credibility to your business. It lets people know that you have a reputation, your trusted and the leader in your market. Positive Reviews & Testimonials from Lots of Satisfied Customers – 72% of consumers said that online reviews are as trustworthy as personal recommendations. 52% of them said that positive online reviews about a local business make them more likely to give it a try. Lots of positive reviews and testimonials from real customers, prove you have a reputation for high quality service and plenty of happy clients to prove it. This tells prospects that choosing your company is a safe bet. They also serve to diffuse the inevitable negative review you will receive from competitors and former customers that can’t be satisfied. Photos of Successful Projects, Your Staff & Fleet – A salesman that can demonstrate that you have successfully completed hundreds of different projects, just like what your prospects need, have an easier time getting that contract. Before and after photos of your work go a long way to demonstrate that fact. Showing that you have a large staff and a fleet of trucks, demonstrates you run a real business, you’ve been doing this for a long time, you have the resources to deliver and you’re not going anywhere. Your website is a salesman, and just like a salesman it should get better and better over time. So don’t just set it up and forget about it. Continually update it, add new content to it, improve it and focus on converting visitors to customers. That’s why we have websites in the first place. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
Rank #2: How to Get Commercial Lawn Accounts.
Every residential lawn care company seems to have the dream to land big commercial contracts and I get asked about this all the time. They want to know how to get commercial lawn accounts. Can I just put up a website and get calls? Will search engine optimization, pay per click advertising and online marketing in general help me get commercial landscaping accounts? Yes, absolutely… but… the commercial market works a bit differently. There are less commercial properties than residential properties in the market place so the number of commercial leads you will generate online will be less. Most commercial lawn accounts are given to lawn care companies that approach the property managers and HOAs. This is How To Get Commercial Lawn Accounts So if you want commercial landscaping accounts to be a significant part of your business you have to approach them. Some will approach you… but most are already being approached by your competitors so they don’t need to seek you out. That means you have to go to them. And that means networking and building relationships. So in order to go to them you have to discover where the property managers hang out. What groups are they apart of? What networking events do they attend? BNI, chamber of commerce? Who do you know at the HOAs? Is there someone that can introduce you? Who do you know that can introduce you. You may also want to research custom home builders and track home companies. You have to discover who controls the property. Who the decision maker is, build a relationship. “Shmoooze” And approach them to bid. All of this means leg work. Knocking on doors, asking questions, making your company known and putting your bids in. So, if you’re a small lawn care company your probably not going to be able to hire a professional green industry salesman. So that means the selling falls on your shoulders. A lot of guys don’t like to hear this… they want to sit back and wait for commercial accounts to beat down their door. It doesn’t work like that. You are going to have to do leg work and you will be the man selling and creating the bids. In fact, I would recommend you do this yourself before you even consider hiring a salesperson. The better you understand and become skilled at selling the better you will be at managing a sales team, should you decide to add one. Many of the largest commercial landscaping companies you have heard of, started with the owner knocking on property managers doors and doing the selling. Getting their bid in. In fact, the most successful commercial landscaper I know is a true shoomzer. He has a natural gift to talk to and instantly connect with anyone. And that is a huge huge benefit when a salesperson has that ability. You like this guy the minute you meet him. He went on to sell his commercial biz for 25 million. Doing all the selling himself. Honestly, that is a skill and natural gift that I would like to have myself. Some people are just born to talk… I wish I was one of ’em. So… Can you do it? Absolutely. But if you’re an introvert if you don’t like knocking on doors or are shy talking to your customers, you are going to have to grow a pair real quick and get over that junk. Getting past that fear is the secret of how to get commercial lawn accounts. So get in there and open those doors to commercial maintenance accounts. I know you can do it! Incoming search terms:how can i sell my landscape contractshow to get commercial contracts lawncare landscapinghow to get commercial mowing acountshow to get corporate accounts lawn carehow to get landscaping contractsFacebook Twitter LinkedIn
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