The Landscaper's Guide to Modern Sales & Marketing

In this episode of the Landscaper's Guide podcast, host Jack Jostes sits down with Senior Landscape Marketing Strategist, Robert Felton, to discuss the crucial elements of a website that can significantly impact sales for snow and landscape companies. From the importance of an effective contact form to the power of a compelling thank you page, this conversation sheds light on key website comp...

In today's podcast episode, Jack Jostes is joined by CEO, Jake Harris of Jake's Designs in Colorado Springs, CO, where they dive deep into conversations of leadership, business growth, and how to retain employees for 10+ years and beyond. Listen to the full episode to hear:  How mentorship and active listening contribute to business success and employee retention. Effective employee moti...

In this episode, Jack Jostes sits down with Jessica Winkler, Director of Operations at Ramblin Jackson, to discuss the importance of a visionary and an integrator in business. Jessica shares insights on her volunteer work in a women's prison and how it relates to setting boundaries in professional relationships.  Listen to the full episode to learn:  The importance of having a visionary and a...

In this week’s episode, Jack Jostes sits down with Derick Kelso from All Purpose Landscaping who shares his journey from mowing lawns to becoming Operations Controller for a successful landscape company in Colorado Springs, CO. Together, they dive into the nuts and bolts of running a successful landscaping business, discussing sales strategies, customer relationships, and the integration of techno...

In today’s podcast episode, Jack Jostes sits down with Monique Allen, The Lifescape Coach, to discuss the intersection of landscaping and well-being. They discuss how yoga can not only aid in physical recovery for landscaping professionals but also serve as a pivotal aspect of personal and business growth in the industry. They also explore Monique's innovative approaches to staffing and appre...

In this podcast episode, Jack Jostes and Robert Felton discuss how SEO for landscapers is like investing in real estate. Robert shares his insights on the digital shifts he’s noticed after talking with over a thousand landscape companies over the last 6 years, and he shares a sneak peek of his upcoming presentation at the ProGreen Expo later this month.  Listen to the full episode to hear:  Why lo...

In this podcast episode, Jack Jostes interviews Tom Backman and John Hammond, who have partnered to create an innovative refrigeration system - the AG1000  that won the AHR Innovation Award. Tom also shares his experience of hiring a former police officer as a private driver, which turned out to be an excellent decision during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they share their experience and lessons lear...

In this episode of The Landscaper's Guide Podcast, host Jack Jostes interviews Dave Pacifico, co-founder of Team Engine, software that helps with employee recruitment and retention. They discuss the top trends in recruiting for 2024 and provide valuable insights and tactics for landscape companies to prepare for the spring recruiting rush.  Listen to full episode to hear:   Strategies for rea...

It’s the 200th episode of The Landscaper's Guide Podcast! In this episode, host Jack Jostes shares how he got inspired to start the podcast, what’s kept him consistently producing episodes each week, and he shares some lessons he’s learned along the way that you can apply to your business.  Watch the Full Episode to Hear: How creating microcontent from episodes and repurposing it on social me...

It’s the annual Bloopers Episode! We crossed over 40,000 downloads of the podcast this year, and I appreciate each of you that tune in every week to listen to our new episodes and share them with your colleagues. The Landscaper’s Guide podcast is a weekly project that I wouldn’t be able to do without the help of several Ramblers who help with editing, scheduling and promoting the show each week. ...

In today’s podcast episode, Jack Jostes reflects on his personal and business goals for the year and shares some lessons learned. He discusses the importance of setting goals and using the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) to plan and track progress. Jack also highlights some of the wins and milestones achieved by his company, Ramblin Jackson, including breaking $2 million in revenue and give...

In this week’s podcast episode, Jack Jostes interviews Jeremy Macliver, a certified EOS implementer and owner of Disruptor Group, to discuss practical strategies for landscape companies to boost net profit. Macliver provides actionable insights on tracking conversion rates and key metrics, and offers valuable guidance for landscape businesses who want to optimize their profitability in 2024.  List...

In today’s podcast episode, Jack Jostes discusses the challenges of recruiting employees with Terry Shaffer of Summit Lawn & Landscape and how Ramblin Jackson helped Terry improve his employee interview attendance rate and fill his staff using strategies from Ramblin Jackson's Ultimate Recruiting Package.  Listen to the full episode to hear:  The importance of pre-qualifying potential emp...

In this week’s podcast episode, Jack Jostes discusses the importance of identifying your Hell Yes Customer for your snow and landscape company.  Listen to the full episode to:  Understand who your Hell Yes Customer is and why they should choose your company over others  Download the Hell Yes Customer  worksheet to help you clarify your target customer and offers  Hear examples of unique selling po...

In this podcast episode, Jack Jostes interviews Mike Callahan, CEO and founder of Simple Growth, about the five key hurdles that landscape companies face on their path to $10 million in revenue.  They uncover those 5 hurdles and share tips for overcoming them. Listen to the full episode to hear: How a scorecard can help you retain A Players on your team A simple concept called the Big Three How to...

Today Jack Jostes takes you behind the scenes of his annual Elk Hunting Experience in the mountains of Colorado with one of his clients. Even if you’re not a hunter, check out today's podcast to hear a story of adventure and four wheel drive in the high country of Colorado. The holidays are quickly approaching, and he also gives a gift suggestion that every outdoor enthusiast will appreciate...

The results are in…and in this episode of The Landscaper's Guide Podcast, Jack Jostes discusses the highlights of the 2023 Snow & Landscape Sales Survey. The survey, which interviewed nearly 200 companies in the snow and landscape industry, covers topics such as sales close rates, marketing budgets, and the most effective marketing strategies. Watch today’s episode to gain more insight on...

In today’s podcast episode, Jack Jostes features Andrew Hardison as the winner of this year’s “What’s Working Now” contest from the 2023 Landscaper’s Summit.  Andrew challenges the belief that working 80 hours a week is necessary for success and shares his strategies for taking control of your time and serving customers more effectively.  During his (hilarious & fun) presentation, Andrew share...

In this episode of the Landscaper's Guide Podcast, and in honor of Halloween, Jack Jostes discusses 7 things that may be scaring potential customers away from working with your snow & landscape company.  WARNING: if you don’t like terrible puns and dad jokes…do not watch today’s episode. Today Jack talks about how:  Old, low-quality website photos make your company look outdated Lack of r...

The Landscaper’s Summit is a virtual conference happening on October 26th, 2024. In today’s podcast episode, Jack Jostes shares nine reasons why snow & landscape companies should consider attending the summit.  Attend the Landscaper’s Summit if you want to:  learn how to become a manager and leader increase employee retention through communication improve your sales process understand key numb...

Today, Jack Jostes interviews Megan Parker, a certified executive leadership coach at McFarlin Stanford. In this episode you’ll get a preview of Megan's upcoming presentation titled “Don’t Take the Monkey” at the upcoming Landscaper's Summit happening on October 26, 2023, where she will provide interactive coaching exercises and tools for landscapers to improve their coaching skills.  Li...

What would happen to your landscape company if you were banned from Google for 18 months? In today’s episode, Kelly Slater, VP of Pleasant Landscapes shares the consequences of working with a shady SEO company, how working with Ramblin Jackson transformed her online presence and got her out of Google Jail, and her secret to hitting her goal of 500 maintenance clients. In this episode, Kelly shares...

On today’s podcast, I’m bringing you stories of real-life landscape companies that I met while attending NALP’s ELEVATE event in Dallas, TX. The green industry connects people from different backgrounds – from military to master’s degree students – who all share a common passion for landscaping, horticulture and ultimately serving others. Today we’re highlighting those people and giving you an ins...

On this week’s podcast episode, I’m interviewing long-time client Scott Callenius from Forever Green Landscape Services. Scott has increased his revenue from $1 million to $3 million in just under 5 years, and today he’s sharing some great insights on how he achieved that goal and how you can too.  In this episode we’ll cover:  Why dialing in your Hell Yes Customer is critical for business success...

We’ve got some fantastic guests on today’s podcast today from the FNGLA Landscape Show. Listen to the whole episode to learn more about everything from earthworm life cycles to AI developments including:  How Eaton Worms is saving the planet with worms & contributing to landscape companies’ sustainability The most critical training component for sales people - with Mike from Artificial Grass W...