[springfever]

I am thankful for finding this site today. I am new to your forum. Just sitting here evaluating what we did last year and how to grow this year. January is the time of year when we are low on money and low on prospects. I desperatly want to grow, but have not found the perfect solution. I have been in the industry all my life. I have the education and the experience. I have been in business for 5 years. If I can set up a face to face meeting, I can win the bid 75% of the time. I live in the fastest growing community in six states. What am I doing wrong? Am I just wanting too much too soon? How do I close the gap between getting leads and setting up the appointments? Just need a pep talk from all of the smart contributors out there. This site has given me more ideas in the last five hours than the last five years. THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !

[Stonehenge]

Glad you found the site and I'm also glad you're getting a lot out of it.

It's hard to say what might be going right or wrong with any company without knowing a bit about what's already being done. Your close rate is very good, but it might even be a bit too high. My first year or so in biz I closed 100% of my leads. All of 'em. Turned out the reason I closed them all is because I came off as someone that could do the work the client wanted, and for probably half the cost! So sure, I was closing a lot, but I was also not making anything (which leads me to my next point). You say you're sitting here in January with little cash - another indicator that you may not be charging enough.

But I know that pricing was not what you were asking about.

Where do you think things are falling flat? You're getting calls but can't schedule an appointment? Or just not getting enough calls?

Give us an idea of what you've tried and what has worked and what hasn't, and I think people here will be able to offer more focused, useful advice.

[springfever]

Stonehenge,

Thanks for the reply! I am comfortable with my pricing, and I have worked hard to sell my company as a well respected, professional firm. I am not a lowballer. I just need more call volume. I need more leads. We have done 1 to 3 home shows every year. All of them have done well except for last year. Our print advertising almost never works. We have done a float in the local city parade that has actually gotten more calls than the print advertising, but that is a once a year thing. We have done door hangers and postcards and even a traffic sponsorship on a local radio station. We have done charity work by doing all the design work for a school and got a $30,000 contract because of it. The best thing we have out right now is our website. It is www.getspringfever.com . Our local community is very computer literate and I have received very good success with it. How do I drive more people to my website and what other creative things are people doing for lead generation? Our area is swamped with landscapers. Every person with a pickup and shovel is a landscaper. We set ourselves apart by our designs and professional installs. I am looking for an edge that no contractor has tried in our area. Please help me brainstorm. Thanks for any help!

[Rick Carver]

Spring

You have been in the bizz for 5 years. Your in a market that from your own words is saturated with LCO's. Maybe what you need to do is realize that your OK!!!! That's right YOUR OK.
Yup,,,, you do need more work, everyone does but just knowing we all have been there or are exactly where you are now may be little comfort to ya,,, but a little is better then none. LOL
Keep your chin up,,,,
In bizz for 5 years in a crowded market is really not much time. You need exposure for sure and you need to plan for a continued branding plan for the exposure you need.

Is there any intersections that are very busy and has a medium strip of turf in between? Is there a county or town that you may get authorization to adopt that area and plant it with a great variety of color? A real nice sign saying that your company has adopted this island in between a busy intersection??? Well there ya go,,,, a start.
How about some pizza shops. Maybe ask if you can advertise on the back and split the cost with the pizza shop? Coupons on the pizza box's for discounts off their next pizza?
Make sure your companies logo is on all your trucks,,,, and now ask everyone in your family,,, including cousins and uncles etc if you could get them to put those brand new PRETTY magnetic signs on their family vehicles for a small time and you will give them a heck of a deal on spring bulbs etc etc. MORE AND MORE exposure,,,, making your company appera to be evrywhere is the trick.
LOGO your companies WEB address on everything!

Lots of real easy stuff to do,,,,, just don't think anything is really wrong my friend,,,,, it's just some growing pains.

Take care
Rick Carver

[Green4Me]

Bruce, I checked out your website and the site itself is very impressive and your work is superb. I am in a similar situation as you. We do good work, the jobs go well and we make money, we just need more of them. I believe that the work will increase as time goes on and we develop a quality reputation. I am focusing on working for landscape architects this year. Some call these high end projects, I am working toward "high margin" projects!


MKK

[springfever]

Rick,

Great ideas! This industry is the best in the world. As owner/operators, we forget sometimes that there are hundreds of other contractors going through the same thing I am every day. I am thankful that I can turn to others in the trade for a helping hand. Most people tell me that I am successful just by lasting in the business for five years. I am going to brainstorm with your suggestions. Thanks!

[springfever]

Green4Me,

Thanks for your reply! Good luck with your efforts with landscape architects. How do you find and work with one? How do you submit bids? I would like to pursue this line of work also. High end, high profile work is what we are after also.

[mrgreen_perth]

Hey Springfever

I recently read some tips about working with Landscape Architects etc in a free green industry email mini course about green industry common marketing mistakes. Below I include an excerpt from the Mistake #2 newsletter about referrals systems. Also below the article is the link where you can subscribe (free) to the whole course after completing a short survey.



Now – the second important group that you must work
with to generate referrals is the group we are going
to call your “centers of influence”. And, your
“centers of influence” can be broken down into 2
subcategories which we are going to call tier 1 and
tier 2 centers of influence.

Your Tier 1 Centers of Influence are other people who
have a connection to the same people that you serve.
Not your competitors, but other folks who provide
complimentary products or services to your clients.

Tier 1 Centers of Influence can be a very powerful
source of referrals.

If you're a residential landscape construction
company, then your tier 1 centers of influence should
certainly include home builder, spa & pool contactors
and architects.

Your objective with these tier 1 centers of influence
is for your name (or company name) to be the first
thing that pops into their mind when someone mentions
the word “lawn care”, or "landscape installation" as
in the second example.

In order to accomplish this objective, the first thing
you obviously have to do is form a relationship with
some of these people. I would suggest choosing only
one say…irrigation contractor to start, rather than
trying to nurture a relationship with every irrigation
guy in town.

Remember, we are talking about a relationship here
and that means you'll only get out of the relationship
what's equal to that you put into it, so this will
take some real time and effort.

It will be far more rewarding for you to have 1 really
close friendship than to have hap-hazard relationship
with several.

So sit down with your spouse or business partner, or
your staff and start to think about some proactive
ways that you can start to place yourself in the
forefront of the minds of your potential tier 1
“centers of influence”.

Here are a few ideas that should get you off to
a good start:

1.Start to develop awareness to their line of business.
Anytime you run across an interesting article or any
other tid bit of information that could help them with
their business, or that they may even find interesting,
clip it out and mail it over with a nice handwritten
note attached.

2.Become Their #1 Referrer – Before you receive, you
must give. Start sending some referrals their way
and they are almost sure to reciprocate. Think about
any of your clients that maybe in need of their
services right now.

3. Sponsor an all expense paid luncheon where you
invite all of your tier 1 centers of influence. This
will not only benefit you, but will also give them a
chance to develop other relationships which could be
of great benefit to their businesses.


Link to survey and subscription:
http://www.greenindustrysuccess.com

[johnkeegan]

Your work and website appear very professional. And I'm sure all of us were nervous (and broke) in the off season after our fifth year. Patience. If your attitude is as enthusiastic and committed as it seems, the work will come.
But during this down time sharpen your pencil and REALLY go over your pricing, overhead, efficency, vendor pricing etc. You say that you are "comfortable" with your pricing but you don't seem equally "comfortable" with your financial situation. Remember increased sales don't necessarily equal increased profit, especially if you're not charging enough or your operations are inefficent. In a seasonal business every minute wasted on inefficency or on a unprofitable job is especially important because it can not be made up later. And if you can financially make it through the next few years, the referrals and exposure will create the added work.

[RootRot]

We are on our third year and I understand fully what you are feeling. Our third winter has shown a pattern though and I am trying to remain calm. The pattern being that just when you think you are finishing your last or second to last job scheduled for winter installation, the spring booking calls begin and WHAM! you are booked out again.

What I worry most about during this time: will I be able to keep "the guys" working for me if we run out jobs or things to do to keep them busy during this slow season? Nothing freaks me out more than losing a crew just before the spring burst and then having NOBODY to do the jobs.

[grlandscaping]

Hey Spring

Listen to the guys here, and when they tell you that you are OK, they are telling you the truth, because this industry can be tough at times (with saturated markets, lowballers, etc...)

You sound a lot like me last winter. I ran my company for 6 years (just recently sold it) and the winter times were always my tough times. One of the big things I learned early on in order to keep 1. Your name out in the public eye, and 2. Getting leads coming in, was to join networking groups and local committees. I joined my local Chamber of Commerce and helped start a Tips group where you get a group of business people together, one company from each type of industry and exchange leads on work. With a LOW yearly cost, I was able to grow my 'sales force' by 15+ people. Give them each some cards and brochures and whenever they run across someone who needed some landscaping, guess who got the lead, and leg up on everyone else because I was referred to them. I also did committees within the Chamber in order to get to know more people and have them familiar with me so when they talk with people, they are confident in what I can do and how I do it.

If you're good at what you do, make sure you make it obvious to everyone by simple signs in the yard while your working, promote the hell out of your website (I was able to get my site listed at the top of Google searches for my region with no money at all with a little research!), and get involved. I won an entrepreneurship award while in college and became a co-author of a book on Ethics in Business. I have some more info and a link on my website to check that out, www.grlandscaping.net

Sorry to ramble on but hopefully you find some great insight on this site and remember to always stay positive!

[RHayden]

Exposure is of course key. A minor variation to Rick C's post about signs on family members vehicles: we had some small window decals printed up and everyone we know gets at least one.

Some other things we've done over the years:

We had some inexpensive t-shirts screen printed with a light hearted design. Clients all get one at the end of the job. Kids especially love them.

Quarterly newsletters.

"Bonus Bucks" program for referrals.

Sounds like you are doing fine so far!!

[springfever]

WOW!!!

Where has this sight been for the last 5 years of my life! You guys are awesome! Just when you think that all is lost and your too tired to go on, total strangers tell you their storys to pick you back up. I really appreciate it! I would like to get more involved with my local Chamber this year. It is hard to work ON your business rather than IN your business when you are small. This forum is giving me some great insight and ideas. Thanks!!

[site]

Sending a quick thank you note to good customers with a nice inexpensive gift works wonders. In the note you can politely ask for referrals. We send the National Audubon Society book "Field Guide to New England". It costs about $20/ book, and its the kind of thing people look at over and over. Put a little sticker or stamp on that book with your log and phone and each time they use it they think of you.