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John Deere, Fruit Snacks, and Your Lawn Care Business

Nov 25

Posted by Lawn Care Business in John Deere, Lawn Care Advertising, lawn business strategies, lawn care business | No Comments

I was in a convenience store the other day and I saw a John Deere item on the shelf. 

Now, I’ve long known about John Deere scale model tractors and John Deere keychains but this particular item took me by surprise.  It was a box of Kellogg’s Fruit Flavored Snacks featuring John Deere on the box and tractor shaped fruit blobs inside the box.
 
I have always admired John Deere’s marketing department for their efforts to make John Deere an American institution.  In our minds, John Deere built the American mid-west and currently cultivates the agricultural bread basket.  John Deere puts food on our tables and gives us the ability to sell wheat to the rest of the world.  John Deere has strength to both mow our home lawn and harvest a 640 acre central pivot cornfield.  We all know “nothing runs like a Deere.”
 
John Deere has cross promoted itself into many areas of American life and I think this cross promotion works well for them.  In an age where effects of advertising campaigns are measured in days or weeks, John Deere bucks the trend by using long term marketing efforts.  Who buys (or, at least, uses) fruit snacks?  Kids do.  The fruit snacks might be purchased by adults but it’s the kids who enjoy them.  I can’t believe John Deere is turning a profit selling fruit snacks.  However, that 10 year old kid who gobbles down a fruit snack today will remember the name John Deere 20 years from now.  When it’s time to buy a new tractor or lawn mower, John Deere will be forever entrenched in his mind and John Deere’s investment in fruit snack marketing will finally pay off.
 
I love to think about marketing strategies and I am as guilty as the next guy trying to developing advertising which has immediate dividends for my lawn care business just like John Deere does.  As we forge forward into a new year we should all attempt to develop marketing strategies which will have long term benefits and not just an immediate payoff of days or weeks.
 
I’m including links below to some interesting John Deere products based on a long-range marketing plan.

 

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30 Second Elevator Speech

Nov 10

Posted by Lawn Care Business in Lawn Care Advertising, customers, lawn business strategies, lawn care business | 3 Comments

Have you practiced your 30 second elevator speech?

The concept of an elevator speech is that you happen to get on an elevator just as a potential client is also getting on the same elevator. You are riding up only one floor together. While the doors are closed, you have 30 seconds to make a convincing sales pitch.  Those 30 seconds are all you have to convince your potential client to consider your business for future work.

A 30 second elevator speech is not a sales call and is not designed to gain clients’ immediate business.  Instead, an elevator speech should be conversationally designed to help potential clients remember your name and call you back, with interest, at a later time.

Though you probably don’t often encounter your potential lawn care clients in an elevator, you may encounter them at coffee shops, post offices, and in line at the bank.

If you had only 30 seconds to convince a client to use your services, what would you tell them?

Introduction:

Introduce yourself and your company.  A firm handshake with your first name will suffice here.  A good looking shirt with your lawn care company’s name and logo will help you sidestep repeating your company name at this point.

Expertise – Special Equipment

What sets your company apart from the rest of the lawn care companies in your community?  Without making your sales pitch sound like a sales pitch, entice your client by relaying specialized knowledge about a particular lawn care problem you are currently researching or by bragging on a specialized piece of commercial lawn care equipment.  

When leaf raking season rolls around, I like to carry flyers and pictures of my leaf collection equipment.  Leaf blowers are cool and even people who are disinterested in lawn care like to look at commercial leaf blowers in action.

Everyone knows what a lawn mower looks like but not many people are familiar with commercial leaf blowers that can move 800 cubic feet of leaves per minute.  They are impressive and anyone with a yard full of leaves will be interested in the ability of such a machine.  Knowing my company has the equipment to handle such a job keeps my name in potential customers’ minds.

Quick Exit – Leave Them Wanting More

An elevator speech should be 30 seconds or less and 130 words or less.  Nothing is worse than a salesperson who kills a potential sale by rambling on and on.  If you are truly in the elevator, hand them your business card and exit as soon as you reach your floor.  Remember, you are not trying to close the sale here, you are only trying to pique their interest.  If they are interested in having you visit their residence for an estimate, get their name, address, and phone number.   

I would love to hear your elevator speech.  If you have never written a 30 second elevator speech, write one now and leave it in the comments section below.

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Lawn Care Business Fireworks

Jul 2

Posted by Lawn Care Business in Lawn Care Advertising, bidding lawn care, lawn business strategies | No Comments

A very happy Fourth of July to you from everyone at www.StartALawnCareBusness.com

On a related note, lots of your potential customers are having cookouts this weekend for family and friends. As they are busy prepping food and buying drinks. they don’t have time for worrying about their yard.

It’s a great time to pick up a few extra lawn care customers. Canvas your neighborhood Thursday and Friday to drum up extra business.

Good luck and Happy Fourth!

There is still tons of money to be made this season. Check out our lawn care business program (on sale right now) at StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Bikini Lawn Care

Jun 25

Posted by Lawn Care Business in Lawn Care Advertising, Uncategorized, lawn business strategies, lawn care business | No Comments

Bikini Lawn Care

Several times each year we get questions from business owners wanting to start a Bikini Lawn Care business.  The most famous of all bikini lawn care companies was Tiger Time Lawn Care out of Memphis, Tennessee.  Tiger Time found world wide fame in 2007 when a local television news station reported on one of his bikini’d workers mowing a residential lawn.  Afterward, hundreds of television news stations, newspapers, radio shows, and blogs scurried to find more information about Tiger Time Bikini Lawn Care.

Bikini Lawn Care: Long Term Success?

We have not kept track of Tiger Time Lawn Care but we can tell you that out of the dozen or more lawn care companies we know about that have taken the bikini lawn care route none of them have found long term success solely offering bikini services.

Problems Offering Bikini Lawn Care

There are inherent problems offering bikini lawn care:

1)  Even when properly attired, lawn care workers face dangers on the job.  Lawn mowers are loud and weedeaters sling rocks and debris.  Protective clothing is essential.  Headware, safety goggles, hearing protection, work gloves, long pants, and work boots help protect lawn care workers.  A bikini doesn’t seem so erotic once it is covered up with layers of protective clothing.

2)  While lawn care companies thrive on repeat (weekly) customers, bikini lawn care customers only hire companies for one time services such as Father’s Day, a birthday celebration, retirement party, etc.   A bikini lawn care company needs a roster of hundreds of customers hiring them once or twice per year instead of only 40 to 50 customers needed for a typical lawn care company.

3)  If you have read the Start A Lawn Care Business Training Manuals you know that community respect is the cornerstone of many lawn care businesses.  You have a relationship with your customers.  If you do good work for them they will recommend you to their friends, relatives, and business associates.  Lawn care companies need to be taken seriously by their clients.  This is how larger contracts come about.  If you offer bikini lawn care, you really have to consider if you will garner the respect you desire for your business.

Bikini Lawn Care may sound like a great idea to generate quick cash and publicity but before you don your bikini or hire a cadre of scantly clad lawn babes consider whether or not it will lend to long-term success of your lawn care business.

Lawn Care Business Program

For more information on how to operate a successful lawn care business, visit our home page: StartALawnCareBusiness.com

Lawn Care Advertising: To Tree or Not To Tree

Jun 18

Posted by Lawn Care Business in Lawn Care Advertising, Uncategorized, lawn business strategies, lawn care business | No Comments

Have you ever seen obnoxious advertising that turns you away from a company and years later the memory of that advertising still leaves a bad taste in your mouth and you won’t do business with them because of an advertisement you saw years earlier?

On the opposite side, does GOOD advertising have as much a long-term impact?

Two advertisements involving trees.  One good.  One bad.

I came across two forms of advertising signs this week.  Neither of them deal with lawn care but they both have something in common.  Trees.  Both advertisements make use of trees outside their buildings.  One of the advertisements is an obnoxious banner hung lengthwise down a tree’s trunk.  The other advertisement is a positive and tastefully designed sign which incorporates trees on the business’ property.

Advertising sign #1

IMGP4758_1
As you can see from this photograph, a financial services company strapped a white banner to a tree in hopes of luring customers into their business.   This banner is a distraction, it’s ugly, and it is completely out of place hung from an otherwise very attractive tree in a residential-type neighborhood.

Advertising sign #2

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The second sign is for a health wellness center.  The company has named itself “The Wellness Tree” and it incorporates a beautiful shade tree just outside the front door.

The sign includes a wrought iron rendering of this tree.

IMGP4761_1

The Wellness Tree honors the trees on their property and invites clients to enjoy their beauty and shade.  The other company degrades their trees by hanging ugly banners from them.

As silly as this may sound, I will forever remember the gaudy banner hung by the financial services company.  It will always be a deterrent to my doing business with them.

As you design your lawn care company’s advertising, consider the aesthetic of your placements and how they fit in with their surrounding landscapes.

If you are just starting your lawn care business and you want to know more about marketing to your customers, our Lawn Care Business program offers a large marketing guide to help with your advertising.

Visit our home page to learn more: www. StartALawnCareBusiness.com

100 Door Knocks: A Free Lawn Care Business Marketing Campaign.

Jun 17

Posted by Lawn Care Business in Lawn Care Advertising, customers, lawn business strategies, lawn care business | 7 Comments

Free Advertising for your Lawn Care Business

Far too often new lawn care business owners are lulled into a false sense of imminent success.  Afterall, how hard can it be to start a lawn care business?  Tack up a few flyers on telephone poles and hang a few door hangers.   Put an advertisement in the news paper and distribute 1000 business cards you designed yourself at Office Depot. Develop a website and pay someone to make a really cool logo.

Before getting started in the lawn care business, you have to ask yourself:  How much do you really know about your customers, their needs, and their willingness to pay?

Before you go to all the expense of starting your business and before you pay one penny toward marketing, take $50 of your start-up capital and buy yourself a new pair of shoes.  With those shoes, start walking.  Pound the pavement of your local neighborhoods and knock on doors.

Forget the sales pitch.  Forget the flyers.  Forget the door hangers and business cards.  Forget trying to gain even a single customer.  You are on a learning mission.  Don’t try to make any sales at all at this point.  Let them talk while you listen.

Some people won’t talk to you but many WILL.  They will tell you about weeds in their flower beds and mulch that has been bleached by the sun which needs to be replaced.   A young couple will be working overtime and not have the energy to mow their grass and an elderly gentleman won’t be able to clean his gutters like he once did.

When potential clients see you are trying to learn and not pressuring them into a mowing contract they will be more willing to talk with you.

Be tenacious. Set your goal at 100 doors and don’t stop until you have knocked on all 100  (not 70 or 80…..100). If rude customers close doors in your face just smile and walk to the next door. If you knock on 30 doors and everybody refuses to speak with you just smile and start knocking on #31.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t gain a single customer. By the end of the day you will know infinitely more than when you started. You will have a “feel” for your potential clients and you won’t have to guess what lawn care and landscaping  services to offer.

At the end of your day compile your notes.  Group similar comments and requested services.  What are most people looking for in a lawn care company?  What did they dislike about their last company?  How much are they willing to pay?  How often are they willing to have their work performed?

Grouping your comments will help you define a core set of services to offer potential customers.  Drawing a graph of prices customers are willing to pay will help you maximize your profit potential.

When you have finished your research, visit those same 100 doors, knock on them, and thank the people for helping you decide to start your own business.  Then, ask if you can give them an estimate.

This type of marketing is free and potential clients respond to it much more readily than flyers or door hangers especially from a new company like yours. For a new lawn care company, face-to-face advertising is the best marketing tool available…and it’s free.

If you decide to use this free marketing strategy, let us know results from your “100 Door Knocks” campaign.

For much more information on starting your own lawn care business, visit our website by clicking on “HOME” at the top of this page.

Landscaping and Homeowners’ Associations

Apr 27

Posted by Lawn Care Business in Lawn Care Advertising, Real Estate Clients, landscaping, lawn business strategies | 3 Comments

by: Lawn Care Business

Free Lawn Care Advertising by Landscaping a Homeowners’ Association Entryway.

Landscaping an entryway can bring many new lawn care customers. (Free Advertising)

The impact made by your landscaping work may be your best form of self advertising especially when you landscape by planting decorative shrubs and colorful perennials.

Bidding lawn care contracts within homeowners’ associations can be very profitable for your lawn care company.  Often, homeowners’ associations bid out contracts for public areas within their confines.  Pools, road right-of-way, and, most importantly, sub division entrances are included within the lawn care and landscaping arrangements.

Allowances for advertising vary from one homeowners’ association to another.  Some HOAs will allow you to place signs on completed project areas while other HOAs will place a free ad for you within their monthly newsletter and recommend you as trusted vendor within the community.

The entrance to a residential complex under the guidance of a HOA is probably the most important initial portion of your landscaping work for the HOA.  The subdivision entrance is the first impact anyone entering the subdivision experiences.  If your landscape work is dreary or unkempt it will make a negative impact on those who notice.

However, if you skillfully design your landscaping and make a spectacular impact every resident of the subdivision will notice your work and many of them will clamor to become your clients.

Free Lawn Care Advertising

Although landscape design and installation will bring you many new lawn care customers, resist the temtation to reduce your price in exchange for “Free Lawn Care  Advertising” as you might be convinced by the HOA. Great landscaping is free advertising for the HOA since residents, seeing great landscaping, will happily continue paying their HOA fees.

When landscaping for a homeowners’ association, charge fairly and do a great job.

Landscaping a subdivision entryway is free advertising for your lawn care business.

Landscaping a subdivision entryway is free advertising for your lawn care business.

Our Start A Lawn Care Business package is on sale right now for quick shipment.   For much more information about the business package, visit our website at:  http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

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KISS Advertising for lawn care

Apr 9

Posted by Lawn Care Business in Lawn Care Advertising, customers, landscaping, lawn business strategies, mulching | No Comments

KISS Advertising: 
Keep it simple, stupid!

If you are anything like me in the early days of my lawn care business advertising, you over-think yourself with your flyers, newspaper ads, and other advertising.  It took me a couple years to realize the beauty of simplicity. 
A potential customer only needs to know two things before they call you:
1) What service do you provide? 
2) How do they contact you?

I recently came across a sign tacked to a telephone pole which, in two words, summed up an entire business concept.

lawn care advertising sign

NEED MULCH?  Two words
sum up an entire business concept.

Your potential customers are smarter than you might think:

Customers do not require overly complicated advertising to explain your offer.  Two words "lawn care" or "gutter
cleaning" or "leaf raking" are all you need to say along with your phone number or website address.  Your potential customers can figure out the rest.

Legibility is important:

How many times have you seen a sign taped to a telephone pole written on a piece of notebook paper with magic marker that has faded or run from the rain?  I have seen many flyers like this.  If potential customers cannot read your sign, they are not going to call you.  A professional sign gives your customers an immediate favorable opinion of you.  Look at the "NEED MULCH" sign.  It is professionally printed and easy to read with bold, black lettering.  I did not need to slow my truck down to be able to read the numbers and make a mental not of them.
 

Professional printing of your lawn care flyers:

How much did the "Need Mulch" sign cost? 
If you buy signs like this in quantity, you can buy them for just a few dollars each.  A professionally designed and printed sign will bring you many more customers than a flimsy piece of paper printed from you home computer.  If you are tempted to print your lawn care signs on a piece of paper think again. 
Pony up a few dollars and have a professional sign company make your signs.
 

No need for area code or additional information:

If your target lawn care customers are in the same area code as you, there is no need to include the zip code. Two pieces of information will satisfy your customers desire for information before they contact you. 
1) The service you offer.
2) A way to contact you.

Professional placement:

I only have one issue with the "Need Mulch" sign.  Sometimes, signs tacked to telephone poles are considered eyesores by residents of the neighborhood.  In many cases, it may also be illegal to tack your sign to a utility pole.  Be discreet in placement of flyers and signs.  Get authorization before you put advertising on public or private land.  Do not let your signs become torn or worn out.  If they weather, replace them.

Advertising for your lawn care business can be much more successful if you follow a few SIMPLE rules.

The Lawn Care Business Program available from
www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com
includes a large marketing guidebook to help you get the best results using the latest advertising methods.  The program covers old school advertising such as flyers and newspaper ads.  It also covers the latest in advertising strategies such as MySpace, YouTube, and Facebook. 

STARTALAWNCAREBUSINESS.COM

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How to get lawn care customers: a view from the other side.

Apr 8

Posted by Lawn Care Business in Lawn Care Advertising, bidding lawn care, customers, lawn business strategies | 1 Comment

by:
Lawn Care Business

How to get lawn care customers: a view from the other side.

Do you miss out on lawn care jobs and wonder why your customers pick your competitors?  This article will show you a view from a residential customer’s eyes.

Being associated with the lawn care industry for over 17 years and developing lawn care business software, I don’t often have the opportunity to hire green industry companies in a retail type setting.  When I do hire companies it is mainly for sub-contract work.  Sub-contractors work on a professional level.  Hiring and working with them, I don’t gain a full understanding of a residential relationship.

What can lawn care companies learn from a tree service?

Last week, I had the opportunity to search out and hire a tree service to cut down a tree that was threatening a neighbor’s house.  I called several companies to judge their price, estimating skills, and delivery of service.  Although this was not a lawn care company, I approached this process with the mindset of a residential customer trying to find a lawn care service. Hiring the tree company gave me good insight to our lawn care customers.

Your customers are excited to call you.

I have watched this tree lean at an ever increasing angle for the last two years.  During this year’s spring storms, I have had nightmares about awakening to a knock on my door from an angry neighbor with a tree on his house.  Though I wish I could do this job myself, I was excited to find a company able to handle the work so I wouldn’t have to do the heavy lifting and risk destroying a house.
Lawn care customer are equally excited about hiring a professional company. When doing your initial estimates, approach your client with the same enthusiasm you expect from the companies you hire.

Lawn customers employ a variety of advertising media to find you.

In my search for a tree service, I employed word-of-mouth advertising, business cards, internet search, flyers, and those signs you see on telephone polls.

lawn care companies can learn from tree service
Dangerous tree leaning toward a neighbor’s house

Your lawn care business can avoid complaints.

My biggest complaint with companies I called was their failure to return my call.  Generally, if I call a service company, I expect a return phone call within one business day.  If you really want to impress me, return my call within an hour.

Tree Service Company #1 and #2

I found the first company by seeing their phone number on their truck about 5 miles from my house.  I called and spoke to the owner of the company who assured me he would come by the same afternoon to give an estimate.  Two days later, he had still not showed up. 
The second company was found through a web search.  This company did not return the message I left on their answering machine.

Tree Service Company #3

I found this company through a business card pinned to a grocery store bulletin board.  The business card caught my eye by being bright green with bold black type on the front and back of the card.  The business card mentioned several services offered but it did not specify if they carried insurance.  Knowing that one misstep could bring a tree down on a house, I needed a company with insurance.  The business card listed a gmail address but did not mention a website.  I googled the company name and found a positive article in a local newspaper speaking about environmental consciousness of this company.  I called them.  The owner was friendly and talkative.  He said he would call back to schedule a time when he and the climber could review the tree.  Two days later, he called back to say that he had out-of-town guests and would not be able to estimate the job for another two days.  Two days later, he called and said he would be over in 15 minutes.  He showed up as scheduled and gave an estimate of $350.  I asked him about business liability insurance.  He said they were insured but he answered in such a way that I questioned whether he really had coverage or not.  He was not ready to work and said he needed a 2 day lead to get the tree down.  I thanked him and he was on his way. 
Almost one week had passed since I first called him.

Tree Service Company #4

I saw a sign on a telephone pole with a phone number.  I also had a flyer left on my mailbox with a number.  I asked a friend if she knew of a reliable tree company and she gave me a phone number.  All three numbers where the same company.  I called this telephone number on  Friday morning about 11:30 and left a message. 
By 12:30, the owner of the company called to ask for my address.  At 1:00 a 4 man crew showed up at my property.  The lead tree climber surveyed the tree and gave an estimate of $300.  I told them I was looking to spend about $200.  They called the owner and he refused to budge from their price since the tree needed to be pieced down to guard against it damaging a house.

lawn care tree care knowledge and ability sell jobs
Knowledgeable tree climbers can teach a lawn care businesses how to successfully bid and estimate lawn care jobs.

Your lawn customers seek your confidence.

This crew was confident, knowledgeable, and ready to work immediately.  Knowing a storm was brewing that evening and knowing that I wanted my weekend time off to clean any mess left by the tree cutters, I gave them the green light to proceed with the work.  Within 5 minutes, the climber fitted his harness and was making his way up the tree.  Branches were falling 10 minutes after the workers had arrived at my property.

A dogwood tree, a fence, shrubbery, and a house all risked being damaged by falling branches.  All items were safe as this crew expertly dropped each branch and each section of tree exactly where needed to protect my property.  Within an hour this four man crew had performed their work and were loading up their equipment, $300 richer.  I am happy with their work and I will likely call them back if there is ever a tree I cannot handle myself.

bring lawn equipment to your estimates
Show up for you lawn care estimate with your lawn mower and other equipment. 
These guys got the job because they came ready to work.

Your lawn care / landscaping company can learn a few pointers from my experience.

1)  Your customers are excited to call you.  They have thought hard about finding a lawn service.  They wish
they could do the work themselves but they are pleased with their decisions to hire a knowledgeable and professional company to perform the work.  Once they make that call, they expect you to be responsive and quick to show up for an estimate.  If you drag the estimating process out too long, they will find another company.

2)  Your prospective customers have a general idea what they will pay for their lawn care work.  If your price is a few dollars over their expectations and you can prove to them why the estimate is fair, they will likely hire you.  However, if you are significantly over their expected price and you are not professional in your presentation, they will look elsewhere for a better estimate on the lawn care or landscaping job.

3)  Your lawn customers expect to be treated with respect.  When you give a date or time for your estimate, keep
to your time table.  Making a customer wait is disrespectful.  Also, your customers are proud of their yards and they want their property treated with respect.  In addition to giving a professional cut, do your best to avoid impacting any property, such as lawn furniture, which may obstruct your cutting path.

4)  Show up ready to cut the grass or do the landscape work.  Once a customer calls you to do their work, they
are ready to have it done immediately.  This isn’t true in all cases but normally if a customer agrees on your price you can count on them letting you do the work right away.

Next time you hire someone to perform a service (oil change for your car or having your hair cut) analyze how you are treated to see what you can learn.

Our Lawn Care Business package contains our complete manuals teaching you how to operate a professional and profitable lawn care business.  The package also includes a full software suite, video tutorials, and estimating calculator software.

Visit our site at: 

http://www.StartALawnCareBusiness.com

 

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