Business Benchmarking: 10 tips to taking the offensive in 2010
It’s time to shift your business focus from defense to offense. Reducing costs is essential, but the easy cuts already have been made. Additional cuts probably will slice into muscle and bone. And, as...
View ArticleBusiness Benchmarking: It’s a brave new world
The most important of these is pricing. Competition and the customer are changing the notion of what fair price means. The reason is more capacity relative to demand right now, and customers are using...
View ArticleThe Benchmark: Managing face time
Selling has never been more challenging. That’s because it’s becoming more difficult to get real face time with prospects. Therefore, when you do get face time, it’s critical to manage it effectively....
View ArticleHow to sell sincerely
I remember a conversation I had with a friend who worked as a project manager for a large commercial real estate development company. The name of a particular landscape company came up and my friend...
View ArticleHow to prepare your business for sale
Preparing a business for sale usually isn’t one of a landscape contractor’s highest priorities for two reasons: A Green Industry business owner usually doesn’t start his business with the goal of...
View ArticleHow to upsell? Market well
It amazes me when fellow business owners get upset when one of their customers uses another company to perform a service they also offer. For example, earlier this year the owner of a landscape firm...
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Ep. 109: Making sales fun
Kirk Gibson, sales manager of Bobcat and Doosan, discusses selling professionally. Some of the topics covered include the “projection is perception” theory, the sales process and the 2 C’s:...
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Habits of successful salespeople: Listening
The most successful salespeople are the best listeners. Yes, successful salesmen must be articulate, but listening is where you build rapport. And it’s rapport that a salesman needs to increase closing...
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Case study: Staged to sell
Buyers of landscape staging services are often looking for quick fixes. Photo: Schmechtig Landscapes One landscape company helps clients sell their homes. As Michael Schmechtig observed real estate...
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Prepare, present and close
During sales presentations, focus on the big picture and don’t get bogged down with details. Master the tricks of a perfect kitchen-table presentation. Public speaking or giving presentations is a...
View ArticleProfit Power: Quicken your response times
Imagine if you could respond twice as fast as your competitors to a client request or new lead inquiry. What advantage would it give you in the long run? This week I’m leading a peer group meeting in...
View ArticleCommunication Coach: How the right words predictably sell
I get it. Writing is not your thing. You would rather craft your message with a video. That’s your preferred communication medium. Or maybe you like to use snapshots on Instagram to tell your story....
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Communication Coach: Trust your instincts to grow client relationships
Photo: welcomia / iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images One of my longtime landscaping clients kicked off our relationship by informing me that wherever he lives his landscaping always sets the...
View ArticleGrow your Green: Are you selling a commodity or a service?
Are you selling a commodity? Before you answer with a no, let me tell you a story. I was speaking with a client who said, “You know, Greg, when it gets down to it, the landscape business is just about...
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