Be an Innovative Landscape Professional
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Landscaping professionals may not think that technology is an integral part of their business, but times are changing.
The business world has been quick to adopt cutting-edge technological tools, tactics and practices in order to move their businesses forward, but many members of the landscaping industry still prefer the traditional way of doing things.
Jason Cupp, president of Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) reminds his colleagues that as clients become savvier and their lives become increasingly fast-paced, they need their landscape professionals to keep up with them. “We live in a ‘have it now’ and ‘need it now’ society and the unfortunate part of that is we still offer a custom product to our clients.” Those who do not evolve, face the risk of extinction. Consider the following strategies and tools to manage and grow your business.
Blogging
Using the Internet does not have to replace personal contact.
Jeff Korhan president of True Nature Inc. and former chair of PLANET’s marketing committee says, “what it does is that it makes those face-to-face encounters more dynamic and productive when you have them.” Korhan suggests starting with a blog, which he describes as a consistent ongoing dialogue that makes a company more authentic. It’s important that the blog aligns itself with the company objectives, which may range from selling a product or driving people to your Web site or blog, building a fan base, carving out a niche or rebranding your company’s identity.
Read Korhan's blog: The Green Marketing Guru
After setting up your Web site and blog, Korhan suggests establishing a social media presence, which will feed into a larger stream of people, potentially drawing higher traffic to your Web site and blog. Susan Cohan, the Association of Professional Landscape Designers Board of Directors, International Membership Chair, uses her Facebook business page to fortify relations with her clients who can become “fans” of her work. She also posts photos of clients’ projects, which they enjoy.
Jason Cupp started advertising on Facebook on the advice of a friend. “I got on line and was shocked at how inexpensive it was,” he says. “So we started to put ads up and it’s worked. We’ve already gotten three client leads [in just a couple of weeks.]”
By joining this on-line community of ‘microbloggers’ who post messages of 140 characters or less, you have the opportunity to connect with colleagues and potential clients around the world. “It’s expanding the network of people who know about your business and what it does and what’s unique about it,” says Korhan.
Cohan maintains contact with the contractors she works with through a specialized group, if one of them is stuck in a traffic jam or delayed at a client meeting, they can communicate with each other. “I send out a message to the group and the group gets my message. I don’t need to text everyone individually,” she says.
Stand out from the Competition
To show his clients that the grass really is greener on his side, Cupp has amassed a collection of between 500 and 600 photos, which he and his colleagues can display on a large screen. “We can tailor it to the type of client that’s in our office. I can sort it by budget. So if I know I have a client coming in that wants to spend X; I can have photos running of all the projects that are in that X range.”
Cupp and his colleagues also use mobile phones with video and photo abilities, which prevents them from having to revisit a job site multiple times.
Don’t Expect Overnight Success
“It’s not like turning the light on, it’s like turning a dimmer switch on,” says Cupp who thinks a common mistake is using technology in a vacuum and thinking hoping it will drive sales. “I struggle when people say, “I’m just going to throw a couple of ads on this’ or ‘I’m going to start blogging’ and they expect that’s going to hit their bottom line immediately. We’ve be doing this for years and we’re just starting to reap the benefits of it.”
