Memorial Day

View from Little Round Top looking over Devil's Den

On this day of remembering the great sacrifice many man and women made for our freedom, I say thank you. Thank you to those who fought for this country. This day causes me to reflect on my last my last two posts. If you don’t follow weekly, shame on you. Go back and read at least last weeks.

Last week I wrote what great leaders do during life’s valleys. Life’s valley’s change us and often those around us. It’s up to you if it will change you for the better or worse. Today made me think back two weeks ago when I was on a field trip with my daughter’s class to Gettysburg. I learned a lot about the history of the Civil War. Talk about life’s valleys. One thing evident was this war changed lives. One life that was changed was President Lincoln. He got to a point of brokenness. Unfortunately it takes most of us to reach rock bottom before we see the blessings around us.

Celebrate the sacrifice of those who fought by saying thank you. Thank you to those who lost their lives, thank you to your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends, thank you to your employees, thank you to your clients, thank you to ...

We can’t always control life’s situation, but we can always control our attitudes and actions in the situation.

Enjoy your Memorial Day!

5 Things that separate Great Leaders through Life’s Valleys

I have to confess I’m not much of a hiker, but we all like to climb to the top of life’s challenges. Although we might not like it, we also go through valleys in life and in business. So far I probably have not told you anything new.

We all go through valleys in life and business, but some people tend to weather the storm better than others. What’s the difference?

5 Things Great Leaders Do:

• Prepare for it: Great leaders realize this day is coming. This may look like: saving for a rainy day; creating a strong support team around you, or simply doing what is right.

• Identify the problem quickly: This is not always easy if we are deep into our task. Great leaders have the ability to see things from different perspectives. Having a way to monitor or track is very helpful.

• Respond: Great leaders know how and when to respond. Good leaders do what is right even when it may be perceived as wrong. Great leaders know how to get everyone on board working towards the same goal.

• Learn: Don’t waste this opportunity to learn something that can only be learned through life’s trials. We have a different humbleness about us when we are struggling.

• Grow: Take everything you have just learned or are learning and grow. Grow in character and wisdom.

Remember: If you are sitting at the top you are no longer climbing upwards. Keep climbing, but be prepared for the fall. When you fall, have someone to help you get up so when you have the strength (and you will because you are stronger than ever before) you can return the favor.

Field Trip with my Daughter – No blog post this week.

I’m a strong believer in something’s are more important than work.  Hope you understand.

Have a great week.

Are you having fun? Get involved and give back.

Ribbon cutting ceremony

"Slyde" The Playground Hound

This industry can be as stressful as any, so are you having fun? Are you doing projects you can be proud of? Are your clients happy? What do you like most about waking up? What do you like most about going home? It would be easy to quickly read through these questions, but take a minute and go back and meditate on these.

Here are some photos of a playground we just finished. Friday was the ribbon cutting ceremony. We rented “Slyde” the playground hound to add some fun and excitement. We had a blast and so did the kids. This was a great way to start the weekend.

What are some things you have done or are planning for this year?

Is it still work if you’re having fun?

Pictures –Worth more than a Thousand Words



Crew perfecting the stone base

We all have heard the expression “A pictures worth
a thousand words”, but that might be selling it short. If you don’t take pictures, start immediately. If you are already taking pictures, take more. If you follow this blog you might have read about the four pillars of a landscape business – Marketing; Sales; Production and Finances. Pictures will help all 4. I’ll touch on just some of the benefits.



Accepting Awards at PLNA Conference

Marketing: This is obvious. We all need pictures to build a portfolio. Pictures are needed for Websites, Blogs; Publications, Awards, Presentations to Garden Clubs etc. The more unique you are the more important your pictures will be. Let your pictures show you stand apart from the rest.

 Sales: Good design and the help of 3D design show people what you are thinking, but nothing is better than showing pictures of similar projects. People want to know you are capable of achieving what you say. Pictures of previous project proof you are who you say you are. 



Brick Fountain



Production: Before pictures help production. This is especially true if the sales person is not the production crew. Crews love to see what they are getting into before arriving. This helps them be prepared physically and emotionally. Winning those awards mentions in marketing also lifts the crew’s moral and credibility. Make sure you show them pictures of projects they finished years ago.



Finances: This will follow from all of the above. Great pictures will help you get more and better
leads; resulting in more sales at better margins.

Production crew will have more pride resulting

Vegetable in the front yard of historic home

in better production with less call backs.



For more pictures http://www.rivervalleylandscapes.com/







Group Forums - Wise or Foolish Advice?

Today’s technology makes it easy to get advice on anything. You can find or start a discussion on anything. This can be a great thing or a dangerous thing. All in all I think it is great. Most people are honestly trying to help others while sharing their own experiences. It’s good to take advantage of what people have learned to reduce your learning curve. We have a lot of talented passionate people in the green industry and its great so many are trying to elevate our industry. I do caution you to think through the advice before acting.

Business is business, but no two situations are exactly the same. I know I don’t take it lightly when answering people’s questions. It’s hard to get all the facts in a group forum. If you are posting the question, make sure you are looking for the best advice. Check the source. The source doesn’t have to be the same type company as yours. Sometimes it’s better if it’s not. Also make sure you aren’t simply looking for conformation. Somebody will most likely agree with you, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best advice for you. Try posting the question to more than one group. If you have time, repost the same question a week or two later. 

Tip for big decisions:
Work with someone that knows your entire situation.
(Mentor, Spouse, Consultant, Accountant, Peer Group)

Again, I believe there are a lot of great discussions happening in these groups.

Keep the forums rolling. 

How do you prevent burnout?

Sorry for the delay on this one. I almost posted something before I realized I was completely wrong. Preventing burnout has to do with having a healthy body, mind and soul. This time of the year pushes many to work longer than usual. This can bring physical fatigue. Knowing and tracking your score can help prevent this. It’s a lot easier to call it quits at the end of the day when you know you have done enough to win or achieve your goals. Also remember to eat healthy. It’s easy to skip meals. I have to confess I need help with this.

The extra hours can also put additional tress to our minds. Obviously this can cause us make poor decisions. Make sure you have someone to keep you in check . Look to a business partner, spouse, or peer group for accountability. These first two are the easiest to prevent. Knowing the score in life’s goals helps a lot. Make sure your checking account isn’t your only gauge.

This last one is the hardest to measure, but can be the most powerful one. A healthy soul or spirituality helps us keep everything in perspective. Although it may vary from person to person, most of us need to have a purpose for what we do. We all need to know we are making a difference. This is hard to measure. My only advice here is to be still. We live in a fast pace world. After that, spend time with the people you want to influence.

Have a great week.

Monday April 16th Post Coming Soon

How to prevent burnout...

The Black Hole of Unbillable Activity

A wise consultant, Joe Mechlinsky from http://www.entrequest.com/ once told me, “Never confuse activity with achievement.” I still have this posted on my desk today. I find most designers are very passionate about their work. This is a good thing, but can also be their down fall. I find many designers end up spending more time designing, selling, and installing projects then they are charging. This will kill the design – build company.

The most profitable companies are often the ones that quickly go from call to cash (new lead to collecting). So where does that put the design – build companies? This is a process and often long process. Do we have to be a scratch and sign, in and out to survive? The answer is no. This would go against everything I and most of you believe in. So how do we compete and what’s up with the black hole?

The black hole is everything we are not charging for or say “it is built into my price.” Building it in is fine to an extent, but the reality what’s thrown into the black hole never comes back. The more that is “built in to the price”, the higher our price becomes. This gives you a disadvantage that’s hard to overcome. There is a good chance you are throwing it into the black hole, if you defend an activity by the following:

• It helps sell the job.
• I can’t charge them for that.
• It’s not that much concerning the size of the job.

Real examples could be: color designs, 3D designs, daily cleaning of the jobsite, tweaking (yes tweaking).

None of these things are bad. I actually I believe in doing all of the above. The problem is when we don’t charge for them. If we believe they add value to the job, we need to charge for it. Charging is the difference between activity and achievement.

Have a great week.

Why I don’t demand meeting with the decision maker.

I often hear people say they won’t meet without the wife and husband present. I understand the argument but hear me out. Who is the real decision maker? How do you identify the decision maker? Have you ever thought that maybe there is more to gain to win over the decision influencer? See this simple chart below.

More than once, I’ve been in meetings when I just had to shut my mouth. I’ve already won over the decision influencer in a previous visit. She knew exactly what she wanted, why and who she felt most comfortable buying from. She has done all the research and invested all the time. The husband had 100 reasons why they shouldn’t do this. I carefully watched her shoot down one argument after another. I also realized if this was my first meeting I would be trying to answer these questions. Also all people buy different. There are definite advantages letting them buy how they are most comfortable buying. Most couples have a system to buying weather they know it or not. They do what works for them. Trying to mix this up can do more harm than good.

Don’t get discouraged by only meeting with one spouse because you probably are talking to the decision maker.

Winning in Life

In last week’s post I challenged you to think about how and at what point do you know you are winning in your business. There are many different ways to identify your score. You really can know if you are winning or losing. The goal is to have a scoreboard that is up to date and easy to read. This is very important. The sooner you know the score the sooner you can make wise decisions. Let’s look at why this is important.

If you know the score you’ll see one of 3 things. You will be ahead of schedule, on schedule or behind schedule. It’s easy to keep score in business, but how do you keep score in LIFE? This is harder to do. Not impossible but harder, so let’s look at like this. If I had to guess, I would guess your business impacts your personal life in a big way. How much does your business affect your marriage, your family time, your life style, or your health? Do you just keeping working and working and working because you love it. Most of us love this industry, but is that winning in Life? I’m not judging if you think it is, but most people believe there is a lot more to life than work.

If you knew you were winning what would you do?

• Work harder and longer for more profits (not a bad thing if you have nothing saved for a rainy day)
• Go out to eat with your spouse
• Take off early to watch one of your kid’s events
• Take a vacation

 If you knew you were losing, what would you do?

• Try to work through it (for how long?) 
• Restructure 
• Evaluate if you have a Marketing, Sales, Production or Financial issue 
• Hire a consultant
• Take some time off to clear your mind (this is crucial for wise decision making) 

How we spend our time and money usually identifies what’s important to us.

When do you know you are winning?

We can learn a lot from NCAA’s March Madness. Whether you love basketball or old fashion competition, most people can appreciate March Madness. Let’s look at the similarities to business. NCAA tournament starts with 68 teams. A lot of teams/competition. Some teams are power houses with a chip on their shoulders. Some are underdogs and are hungry for any win they can get. Watch out for these guys.

What's your score?  Are you winning or losing?

Some teams have a history or reputation that gives them an advantage in ranking, but they still have to win the games. Isn’t this true with some companies? Each game starts 0-0 with 40 minutes to play. Everyone knows the rules. Everyone knows the score each second of the game. This includes the players as well the spectators.


Knowing the score brings a special intensity for everyone.
     Intensity brings Motivation.
     Motivation brings Achievement.
     Achievement brings Wins.
     Wins brings happy people.

Let me ask you a few questions:
     Do you know if you are winning or losing?
     How frequent is your scoreboard updated?
     Does your team know if you are winning or losing?
     Would your decisions change according to the score?
     Do you celebrate the Win?


We all start with a budget that has us winning in the end, but at what point do you know you are winning?

Contact me if you need help designing a scoreboard for your company.

Brad@rivervalleylandscapes.com

Distraction or Opportunity:

I’ll keep this short and sweet because everyone is short on time at this time of the year. My last couple posts on “When to say no to a Lead” addressed time management. Make sure you are working on things that will make a difference or better yet things that will achieve your goals. You do have goals set right? I see two camps. Are you being reactive or proactive? It is easy to get caught up putting out fires. There are people that find themselves with no plan. Simply reacting to whatever is thrown their way. The others have a plan and very focused. I believe it is better to error on this side of the fence, but be careful. Make sure you are focused, but not blinded throwing away opportunities.

Take a few minutes each day to prioritize and evaluate.

Part Three: “When do you say no to a lead?”

Let’s look at what bad leads can do to you.

• Drain your time


• De-value your product


• Doubt your product


• Cause you to doubt your product and abilities

I want to spend a little more time on the last one. If you hear you are too ______________ enough times you may start to believe it. This is tough because obviously you need to listen to what people are saying. You need to constantly examine your process and product. I just ask you to make sure you are polling your target clientele and not being blown by every passing wind. Stand firm in what you believe. Ask a few of your clients why they chose you. We often ask new leads, “Who else you are talking too? or How did you hear about us?” How about something like this? “Mr. and Mrs. Jones, I know you called us because you saw the work we did at the Johnson’s, but why did you chose to hire me? Fair question isn’t? Don’t you want to make sure you live up to their expectations? Try and let me know if this tip helps you manage your next project.

Just in… #1 thing what poor leads can do? I’m on my way to testify about how much damage widening a road will do to their trees. Think about charging for insurance estimates. We do now.

Enjoy.

Part Two: When do you say no to a lead?

I trust everyone had a great week and is looking forward to an even better one. Spring is here in south central PA. The phones are ringing off the hook. I don’t have time to follow up on all the leads. What do I do? Sound familiar? Obviously the past few years have been tough on our industry. Most people built there companies up and then struggled to feed it. Everyone is trying to use their resources more wisely, which brings us to part two of “When do you say no to a lead?”
In part one I asked you to answer one question.

          Do you want more leads like this one?

Hands down we all say referrals are our best leads. After you knock their socks off, everyone will be calling you, right.  Let’s take a step back to see who this people will be.

• Your Facebook and website groupies because you will post a picture of this job on Facebook or Website?

• The client’s friends and family because they socialize with your type of clients.

• The client’s neighbors because they live in a neighborhood you are targeting.

• People that are will to pay your price because they understand and appreciate the value you bring.

If this job does not bring you referrals you will be left casting nets hoping to put food on the table. This week we focused on the positive of a good lead. Next week we will look at the negatives of a bad lead.

Enjoy.

When do you say no to a lead?

We all have run across those obvious leads that we run from. Mine was just last week. A general contractor called me and was trying to find a pool contractor for his client. I asked what the client was looking to have. His response was a 750 sq.ft., natural shaped pool. Can you make it 3’ in the shallow end and 5’ in the deep end? I tried to get more questions answered like: Do they want concrete or liner? Do they know the advantages and disadvantages to each? Do they want any sun shelves? Spa? It was immediately clear I was talking to the guy that gives all contractors a bad name. I obviously said sorry we can’t help you without drawing a plan to meet the client’s needs and desires. Then we can price out the job. We parted ways.
Again we all ran across the obvious ones, but how do we decide on the not so obvious leads? This goes back to your core values and vision for your company. Where are you going and how are you getting there? You only need to answer one question.

              Do you want more leads like this one?

Remember this is not a paying customer yet? What does your sales systems look like? Do you believe in your system? Do you have a system? There are many ways to address new leads. What works for one company might not work for you. Remember you have a goal, a destination. How are you getting there? Does your current sales system help you get there? What would you change if you could?

The only thing worse than having no leads is have bad leads. Bad leads often drain your most valuable resource – TIME.

I’ll follow up next with part two of this post.

Enjoy the week.

How much value does a professional design / landscape add?

I’ll keep this short and sweet. If I had to do some home improvements and personal care it would look something like this.


Issue with Heat Pump:
$65 - $85 service charge to show up.
Due upon arrival of technician.

Issue with leaking dishwasher:
$85 - $100 service charge to show up.
Due upon arrival of technician.

Oven keeps blowing a fuse:
$65 - $100 service charge to show up.
Due upon arrival of technician.

Health issue:
Approx. $120 Doctor’s visit to tell you want is wrong.
Prescriptions extra.

Landscape Issue:I have a drainage issue, need a patio, screening of my neighbor, outdoor kitchen, irrigation for when my lawn burns out in Aug., and a swimming pool:

Free Design with unlimited site visits before signing any contracts.


Do you have a professional design / sales system in place?

Let me know if you need help.

Brad@rivervalleylandscapes.com

If a plant out grows its space, is it the designer's or home owner’s fault?

As designers we like to blame the home owner when our designs don’t look good. I do realize there is care to keep any garden look well, but I’m referring to the situations below.

What if a designer proposes a Hinoki Cypress, but it looks awful when it gets 10’ tall? Or when a Lilac that looks like it is taking over a space at 8’ tall? Don’t we know these plants will grow to these sizes? If the designer thinks the space needs a 4’ plant, aren’t there plants that mature at 4’?

I also realize there are clients that are very opinionated and want what they want. I myself have had clients that didn’t care about tomorrow and just want it to look good for now. How do we handle these situations? First we need to learn more about the client. Maybe they are moving soon or are older and simply don’t want to wait. Educating our clients is all we can do in these situations.

If we are honest with ourselves, most times our clients are taking our recommendations and the results are ours to own. If we want people to respect our profession, we need to respect the client. We need to deliver what is right and not always what is asked for. Our clients are simply asking for what they are seeing. I challenge you to drive down your street. How far did you have to travel to find a really well thought out landscape?

Let’s all raise the standards of design.

Super Bowl Sneak Peak

If a plant is over growing its space, is it he designer or home owner's fault?

Post coming tomorrow...

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…

How do you get people to realize you are a great company?

Anyone can say they are great, so how do you get someone to realize you are a great company. First you have to be a great company. Great companies can happen overnight, but this is often a process that takes time. Smoke and mirrors will only go so far. Make sure you don’t over promise and under deliver. This will come back to haunt you many times over. Now that we got that settled, the next thing is to have marketing pieces that reflect your great quality. Make sure if it is not going to reflect you well, don’t use it. Everything from your website to invoices should reflect the quality organization you are.

The best way for prospective clients to know you are a great is to hear it from others. Let the industry say you are great. This can be done by submitting projects for awards and publications. We have had award winning projects published nationally, regionally, and locally. Our 28 “Excellence in Landscape” awards from PLNA has made River Valley Landscapes PA’s most award winning company 3 years in a row. To this day, River Valley Organics installs the most Filtrexx products in the world and has been recognized both locally and nationally for its environmental efforts. I realize I just said that about my company, but we often get these types of write ups about River Valley.

Another source a prospective client can hear it from is your clients. Your clients can be the most powerful testimony you have. Making your clients happy is the best way to get them to talk. If they really love what you did for them, why not make a video to let t hem express how great you treated them.

Watch this!

 

Regroup, Review, and then React:

Here I am planning my mini geta away to regroup.

With 3 weeks left in 2011, most of us have a good idea how our companies will end this year. The seasonal nature of our industry can be good and bad. Let’s look on the good side. The slow season is a great time to regroup, review, and then react. Each year we get to look at our business with a clean slate. Our entrepreneurial spirit pushes many of us to plow forward. Before you plow forward you need to take a moment to look back with a clear vision.

It is usually easier to give a nonbiased evaluation when you are not stressed about the day to day activities. May I suggest a few days off to clear your mind and soul before digging too deep? Having a clear head will help take the negative emotions out of your review process. Here are some suggestions:

• Extended weekend with spouse

• Skiing or fishing trip with a friend

• Spa and Shopping

• Tropical Cruise

Now you are relaxed and focused. Depending on your role or company size, the time needed for this review process may vary. You need to take an honest look at the past year before you do anything. This is a great time to pull out your core values and see how you are doing. Then check to see if goals were met in these four areas.

• Were Marketing or Leads goals met?

• Were Sales goals met?

• Were Production goals met?

• Were Financial goals met?

Now it is time to react. With a clear understanding of what happened in 2011, you can lay out a game plan for 2012. Use your review to evaluate your next steps. Which area of your company is growing and which is struggling? You have to decide, if it worth fighting for the struggling part of your company. Maybe your time is better spent growing the thriving part of your business. Maybe you can simple hit the repeat button. Be careful if this is your conclusion. Most businesses need to be trying to move forward or they will fall back. This doesn’t mean you need to grow your revenue. You may be more interested in growing profits. Whatever your plan is for 2012, make sure you make it with clear understanding of the past.

Good luck planning 2012!

How much information should be on a landscape design? Part Two:

Design Presentation

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. 

This question has different answers for different people. Boy, now I sound like a politician. Bear with me, I’m not copping out. What works for me might not work for you. You first have to ask yourself 3 simple questions.

• What does the landscape design accomplish for you and the client?

• How much time do you have?

• What is your UCA (Unique Competitive Advantage)

A simple answer to the first question may sound something like this: “The design shows the client what we are doing.” True, but not really. Some companies use the design to sell the installation, while others start by selling the design. The design process should be your first step to win the client. This starts before you ever come up with an idea. Your questions and follow up questions will quickly inform the consumer on how well you connect. Your questions will also demonstrate how much you know and care. Show you are the professional by how you approach the project not by saying how good you are. Does the design process get your creative juices flowing? Does it get the client excited? The more information you can get from the client the more you can apply to the design.

How much time you have should be looked at from 2 angles. First, how much time do you have to create the design? Even if you don’t have much time, make sure you know what you are creating. You can’t have an accurate estimate without a good idea of what you are creating. Believe me this will cost you more than just time. The second is even more important. Secondly, how much time do you have to oversee the project once it has been sold? How many times have you said we can figure that out on site? Where is the designer when it is time to figure it out? He or she is trying to sell another job, picking plants at the nursery, on vacation, at the gym, etc. The more time you spend up front the easier it is to pass off to production. This will leave the production staff with less questions and more time for the sales staff to sell.

Thirdly what is your Unique Competitive Advantage? If you don’t have artistic skills you have options. You can always capitalize on technology. Technology won’t make a bad design good, but it can make a design look professional and attractive. Your other option is to down play the design process. In order to do this you will have to be a good communicator. You still have to establish consumer confidence. This can be done by having a strong portfolio to back what you are saying. Also you may have to rely heavier on referrals. If you are artistic, make sure you express that through your designs. This will create immediate consumer confidence. The reality is all consumers are different and so are we the providers. Remember you are the only thing your competition can’t offer, leverage it!

How much information should be on a landscape design?

This question has different answers for different people. Boy, now I sound like a politician. Bear with me, I’m not copping out. What works for me might not work for you. You first have to ask yourself 3 simple questions.

• What does the landscape design accomplish for you and the client?

• How much time do you have?

• What is your UCA (Unique Competitive Advantage)?

You should have a clearer understanding once you answer these 3 simple questions. I find most people are somewhere in the middle. Next week I’ll follow up with each of these 3 questions in detail.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The best landscape designers don’t use perfect plants, pavers, or products!

The best advice I can give any designer is to go back and critique your work. I have been doing this for over 20 years. Although it is not always flattering, it has made me the successful designer I am today. The best designs are those that comes the closest to meeting your client’s wishes. It took me about 10 years to realize the properties that look the best are not the ones that are maintained the best, but the properties that have lack of maintenance designed in.


This discovery has made me search high and low trying to find the perfect plant, paver or product for a designated area only to come up empty. It’s not because I don’t know the materials that exist. The reality is the perfect, you fill in the blank does not exist. Successful designers realize this and search for the best plant, paver, or product. Knowing the weakness of the material and how it will decline over time is crucial. When designers don’t understand this, it results in a disposable landscape. This understanding will help you design a landscape that will improve as time goes on and need little to keep it going.

Sales - Speak After Listening Equals Success

It always bothers me when people tell me I could sell ice cream to an Eskimo.  I guess this bothers me because it applies I can trick them into buying something they don’t want.  Being successful at sales, starts with listening.  Most people like to talk about how great their product or company is.  The best sales people understand they are there because the consumer is looking for something.  They never assume they know why.  People buy for different reasons.  The more information you gather from the consumer the easier it is to serve them not sell them.  The salesperson’s role is to educate the consumer, but not just educate.  Successful salespeople quickly identify what the consumer wants to know.  Again the closer you listen the easier this is to identify.  Don’t just hear what they are saying, but listen and understand them.  As the salesperson educates the consumer he or she is adding value to the product or service.  Most fail to realize this also adds to their value. 

I still remember my first lead after starting our business.  The client had a walkway going down their property line to the neighborhood park.  The first thing they said to me was, they want a hedge the entire way down the path.  At this point I had a choice to make.  I could be an order taker or a design / salesperson.  I ask them, why do you want a hedge?  It wasn’t because I didn’t know the answer.  I wanted them to see the thought process that good designer’s use.  After they told me it was to screen the people walking, I followed with another question.  Would you be open to another suggestion to screen the people?  Of course, they said.  I suggested a naturalized planting that you couldn’t see through.  We also identified that most of the traffic happens in the summer when the deciduous trees have their leaves.  We scattered, hemlocks, river birches, viburnums, rhododendrons, azaleas and an assortment of perennials.  I tell this story because I just didn’t let the client talk, but I tried to understand them.  Listening helped me truly satisfy the client with something they never would have come up with themselves.  In the end the client saw more value while spending more.

Gotta know what you’re fishing for before you bait the hook

Part 4:
Choose your bait.
Identify how to reach or connect with those clients

Only after you have defined your services and the client that uses these services, can you try to understand how to connect with them. Choose the media that will appeal to them. For example, if you love competing on commercial bid work, don’t send 1,000 direct mailers to residences. Yes, everyone lives in a home, but you could send 100 contractors a direct mailer 10 times for a similar cost. There may be reason to go out on a limb, but be careful. I once tried targeting a wide market that was not hitting our client base. It worked in getting the phone to ring. We got more leads from this form of marketing than anything else. The problem was that none of them turned into jobs. The only thing worse than not having work, is working hard for people that will never be clients.


Once you grasp this concept with marketing you will be able to apply it to every aspect of your business. The more you align your marketing, sales, and production with a focus on your vision the more dynamic the results will be. You are now on your way from marketing to branding.

Congratulations, you caught the big one!

Gotta know what you’re fishing for before you bait the hook

Part 3:
Determine your fishing hole.

Identify who is looking for these projects or services

Identify existing clients that are the best fit for your business. If it’s residential work, examine their lifestyle. What is their profession, what kind of neighborhood do they live in, where and how do they shop? This will direct your approach to them. It is one thing to take a lead that falls in your lap, but it is another thing when you are paying to get a new client. Before you start spending any money for marketing or advertising, be sure that it will be going to the right place.

Look for Part 4 to follow…

Gotta know what you’re fishing for before you bait the hook!

Part 2:
Three tips on how to stay in focus:

Define your catch.
Identify what are your preferred projects or services
You may have heard the advice to define your largest jobs or even the most profitable jobs. I believe that is very important, but look first at what kind of work will fit with your vision. It’s a lot more satisfying to make the work you enjoy profitable then to profit from the work you settle for.

Look for Part 3 to follow…

Gotta know what you’re fishing for before you bait the hook!

Part 1:
You might be wondering; what does fishing have to do with the Green Industry? Just hang in there, it’s coming…. I’ve noticed in the past 20 years as a business owner, that as much as business has changed, it is basically the same. However, in today’s business there is less room for mistakes. We all have to be a little wiser, more creative, and mostly, more focused on what we need to do.

Before you bait the hook, you must first decide what you want to fry up for dinner. Too often we spend money throwing out the nets simply hoping to catch something worth keeping. The problem with this strategy is either spending more money than needed or catching the wrong clients. It is common to think any job will put food on the table, but not any job will take you where you want to go. I’m sure I’m not the only one that has taken a job I should have walked away from. In these economic times, it is easy to fall to this temptation and deviate from your vision. But it is critical to define your best market and stick to it.

Most companies, weather by design or just plain reality, are set up to service a certain type of client or job. Some are geared for commercial work, while some are better positioned to service a residential market. Most small to mid-size companies have conflict when trying to service a diverse clientele. When you try to service the wrong client, you generally don’t meet the client’s expectations. You will either fall short on price, service, or quality. In some cases all three. This results in a poor reputation and eventually will affect the bottom line. Any time you have two distinct client groups you are trying to service, it is best to break your company into divisions. This will allow everyone to stay clearly focused on their client’s needs.

Look for my 3 simple tips to follow…

Get the most out of your conference!

Most people go to a conference finding themselves looking for the Golden Nugget that will change their business or life forever? They get back home fired up. They can’t wait to share the great news with everyone. They find out that no one is on board and the employees feel, “Here he/she goes again.”

I can help your participants get the most out your conference. As a business owner for over 20 years, I will show how businesses are made up of 4 main elements. This will help them focus on improving what matters most and not get burned out achieving nothing. This opening talk will be as beneficial for the one man show as it is for an entire team. With everyone running lean businesses can only give resources to what will make a difference!