The Landscaper's Guide to Modern Sales & Marketing

Hey, do you eat meat?  Do you want to win a Traeger grill?  Check out today's episode to see how you can, plus I'm going to share with you my maple pork loin roast recipe. Full transcript & more episodes: https://landscapersguide.com/podcast/  Be sure to stop by booth 1128 if you're going to Elevate! https://landscapersguide.com/elevate/

The snow business is no doubt competitive, but could your competitors actually help you grow your business?  Check out today's interview with the president of a multimillion dollar snow and landscape company Elizabeth Bonadonna from Busy Beaver in New York, including: How she learned to build strategic partnerships with people she once viewed as competitors.  Elizabeth shares why attending SI...

Do you ever wish your clients could share their ideas about their design-build projects with you more efficiently? If you're generating a high volume of residential design-build leads and spending a lot of time qualifying them to get to the ones who are a good fit for you, you're not alone. Throughout my book and this podcast, we've shared a lot of different ways that you can use yo...

Do you have a clearly defined Hell Yes customer? You better, because it is the key to a thriving organization fueled by sales and marketing that's aligned with operations. You've probably heard me talk about a Hell Yes customer a million times on this podcast and throughout my book. But what about a Hell No customer? Check out today’s episode where I'm going to share with you some f...

If you’ve ever experienced depression… Why, you just might be a human being AND today’s episode shares some ways to manage it.  Today’s episode is especially relevant for business owners -- and what our guest  Wayne Herring , calls business builders.  Check it out for some:  Insights into what kind of depression do successful business people experience -- and why does it happen when things seem to...

Is your office and sales staff overwhelmed with unqualified leads? Well, what if you had a video that you sent to each customer that not only pre-qualified them, but helped you get the budget faster and close more sales?  Check out today’s episode where I interview a very successful landscape company owner Jason Turpin who's using video throughout his website, including: His story of how he w...

As the leader of your company your overall mindset, attitude and outlook, have a huge impact on everyone in your organization and ultimately your profitability and success. But as a human being how do you manage the stress of marital and relationship challenges, health issues, dogs, what if your dog gets sick?, all this stuff in addition to running the company. Check out today’s episode where I in...

Many of the best employees at your landscape company will come from… the best employees at your landscape company! While many new team members will definitely find you online and get referred by your current employees -- how can you proactively find them?  Check out today’s episode where I interview a Tommy Cole from McFarlin Stanford, a professional recruiter for the green industry, who shares ti...

Have you ever struggled with taking excellence so far in the direction of perfection that it's at the expense of your mental health, or the profits of your company, or relationships with the people that you work with? As a creative landscape design professional, I'm sure that you personally experience this challenge in your own work, leading your team, producing landscapes for your clien...

Is direct mail dead? Or is it alive and thriving?  Find out why Chris Holthouser Vice President and Director of Design at Outdoor Craftsmen in Boulder County , Colorado is increasing his budget for direct mail postcards during a recession, including: How he's using precise targeting to get in front of their Hell Yes Customers The postcard strategy he is using to keep the company top of mind I...

Have you had a hard time bridging the gap between snow events for your snow removal and landscape crews?  Check out today's interview where I talk with Mark DuBois a landscaper who invested in real estate so he could keep his staff employed year round in between snow events, doing home repair on his properties, including: How real estate has opened a lot of opportunities, not only for himself...

As rampant inflation storms the world, every small business, and human for that matter is feeling it. But as someone once told me, despite a recession, the grass will grow and the snow will blow. People will still buy lawn and landscape, snow services, and landscaping. But when it comes to landscaping, they may buy smaller projects.  They may choose to do things in phases over a longer period of t...

Do you ever have some weeks that go really well, and then some weeks that just are a total disaster?  I've found that the key to really winning the week is having an exceptional plan. In today's podcast, I'm going to share with you how I learned to plan my week, including: Some of the books that I've read Some of the people that I've worked with on this Why do I start with...

For quite a while, we've had a boom economy. There's been enormous demand for landscaping. The stay-at-home thing the last couple years with COVID had even increased the demand for landscaping. But what happens during an economic downturn? How do you prepare for that? In today's podcast, we hear from one of my clients Jeffrey Riddle the owner of Alterra Landscape Design who shares a...

What's your reason for running your business or working in whatever position you're in? Business is hard and having a personal ‘why’ that's deeply and truly meaningful to you is a must if you're going to make it.  In today's episode, we hear from Kenny Nguyen the owner of Peakview Outdoor Living in Colorado, who shares the challenges he went through building a career after...

Are you using assessments, surveys or indexes to figure out which people on your team would be the best fit to be promoted, and into which positions? It is springtime and if you want to learn how to manage your landscape team with Kolbe Assessments check out today’s interview with Kolbe Certified Growth Consultant and Green Industry veteran Jason Cupp , including: What is the Kolbe assessment How...

If you work in snow and ice management check out today's interview with Martin Tirado , the CEO of SIMA, the Snow & Ice Management Association, including: What to expect at the 25th Annual Snow and Ice Symposium coming up in June in Milwaukee How you can push back against insurance claims by having the right documentation How to leverage SIMA to increase training resources for staff See f...

People buy residential landscape services because they want to have a beautiful space for experiences with their friends and family. What’s the best way to share experiences with people before they even buy them?  In today’s episode, Landscape Architecture owner Joe Haneur shares how he uses photos to sell experiences, including: Technology behind the sales process Joe Heneur created over the last...

If you own a lawn and landscape company in the United States, you've got to join the National Association of Landscape Professionals or the NALP. What is the NALP? Find out in this interview with NALP’s CEO Britt Wood, including: Why NALP has branched away from the GIE Expo to start their own show called Elevate NALP's take on sustainability and how they’re working with federal and state...

If you want to attract great landscaping clients and great employees to work on your team, you've got to show them excellent photographs on your website.  If you're wondering which photos have the biggest impact on potential customers and potential employees, check out today's episode where I share the visual identity chapter from my book, The Tree Of Good Fortune, including: How to...

Do you share a big vision with your company?  In today’s interview, Elkhorn Lawn Care CEO and green industry consultant,  James Manske shares why sharing the Vision is key to growing your team, including: Which part of business to automate first  How to grow with strategic partners  How he created a Scholarship with his local high schools to give back to the community See the full transcript at: ...

If you sell commercial landscaping, what do you do when you get a cancellation notice from a top client? Do you just let it go away… and cry?  In today's episode, we hear from Wade Martin , the president of Martin Landscape Inc. a multimillion dollar landscaping company, who shares his top three sales mistakes, including: A stealthy and brilliant one-year-later follow up tactic to renew lost...

You’ve probably heard the old adage “The Customer is Always Right”, but are customers always right? In today's episode, we hear from Scott Callenius the president of Forever Green Landscaping Services , who has been in business for thirty years, and shares why the customers are not always right, what his perspective on it is, along with insight on leadership, growth, and personal development...

Are your job advertisements boring? If you are not getting a reply they probably are… In today's episode learn a proven and simple copywriting formula that will help you get a better response to your open positions, including: How to write killer job ads to make them look like opportunities, not wanted ads How to tap into the emotions of your potential employees based on the inverted pyramid...

You’ve probably heard of IQ and maybe EQ… but what about BQ… Body Intelligence? In today’s episode learn valuable takeaways for improving your landscape company’s culture, recruiting, and retention including: How to stand out in your interview with job applicants -- so they feel a connection to your company and want to join YOUR team How hiring and managing around self-awareness creates more cando...