Do you have a marketing plan or a marketing idea?

Our season will be here before we know it for most of us. I often hear people talking about the plans they have for their business. People say they have marketing, sales, and even training plans, but are they really plans or ideas. The difference is subtle, but often there is a fine line between success and failure. My main point is an idea usually is not as thought out and is left in our heads. A plan may not always be good, but usually it has more meat to it. Your marketing plan should have a main theme or goal. Who are you trying to hit and how is that going to be achieved. It should also have a timeline on when this will take place. Finally don’t forget to have some way to measure your results.



Do you have a marketing plan or a marketing idea? Make sure you get’s this done while you still have time. Cast this vision to everyone on your team. Their work may impact marketing more that you realize.

Why buy what you can't see?

Your client should no longer have to image or hope they will be happy with the landscape you will create.  Check out this cool video of some of our projects we have been working on.

Remember showing a lot of detail in your design will only help the best landscape designers.  If you are not a talented designer, you are better off keeping it rough and do a lot of selling.

What do you think?

How do you present your Designs?

Today I did a presentation at the GLTE in Grand Rapids, MI. The talk was “Increase Sales and Production by using CAD and 3D imaging”. I tried something interesting. I presented some of the session through “Go to Meeting”. I connected with my designer as if my audience was the client. He walked us through a design. We were able to ask him questions to see the 3D image from different angles. This isn’t the way of the future, but the way it is now.

I still come from a generation that would like to sit down in my client’s kitchen and review there project. I love getting to know my clients, but do they really want to get to know me? I don’t take it personal. We have to think about how the consumer wants to buy. Why not connect with our clients through the internet? This is better for us and them. We can do a lot less driving. This saves time and money. Less driving is a good thing right.

By the way, the GLTE is a great conference. I would suggest attending if you can.

Happy New Year’s – Purpose in 2012

This is the time of the year business owners often set new goals and strategies for their business. Let me challenge you to think first about your personal life. I’m not talking goals or strategies, but what is your purpose. This may be too deep for some of you, but hang in there.

Many people set their list of priorities from top to bottom. I’m not going to lecture you on your order of priorities, but most look something like this chart. The problem with this perspective is we often feel we are juggling to keep what we feel should be on top, on the top.

 Let me share an analogy someone once shared with me. Let's look at a washer. Most of us know what a washer is, but what is the purpose? The purpose of the washer is determined by what you place inside.

How does that apply?  What if instead of placing your priorities in a list, you placed them around in a circle? Whatever you place in the center is your purpose. That purpose will influence all the surrounding values in your life. If making money is your purpose for being here, that choice or belief will influence how you treat life’s priorities. If a happy marriage is your purpose, that will do the influencing. If your faith is your purpose, that will influence how you treat your spouse, career, friends, hobbies, etc.

So how does this impact running your business. After you determine your life's purpose, you can determine your purpose for your business. How does your business help support your core purpose? Does it strengthen you or wear you down? Do you struggle finding ways that your business reflects your purpose?

Contact me at: Brad@rivervalleylandscapes.com to find how your business can support your life's purpose.

Bring on 2012…