October 23, 2008
Lawn Care Business: 5 Steps to Prospering In ANY Market
So, how have the ups and downs of the economy treated you thus far? Are you seeing your customer base slowly shrink away? Are you finding it harder and harder to line up new customers than in months or years past? Well, if you have, you’re definitely not alone.
There’s absolutely NO DOUBT things are going to rough for a while. I’d be blowing smoke up your skirt if I didn’t admit that. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to build a thriving, profitable business.
Did you know that during the Great Depression, a time many keep comparing our current situation to, there were more millionaires made than during any other time in history? And did you also know that there are quite a few prognosticators predicting that we’ll see more billionaires come out of this current slump than any other time in history?
Why is this do you think? What is it about these turbulent times that these millionaires and billionaires know that we don’t?
Well, to be completely honest, I don’t think they know any more than we do. I think it’s what they DO that makes them so successful. You see, instead of sitting in the dark, sucking their thumbs, these money-makers are out aggressively pursuing the many opportunities becoming available.
Now, you obviously need to proceed with caution, but sitting back, waiting for things to blow over is certainly no way to come out the other end of this mess smelling like roses.
In that spirit, I’d like to share with you 5 things you and I can do over the next little while to make sure our businesses keep growing and prospering in spite of the trouble marketplace:
1. Cut the dead weight
Listen, just because I’m saying it’s still possible to build a thriving, profitable business doesn’t mean you have to drag the whole flying circus along for the ride. You’ve got to utilize this opportunity to get lean and mean.
Go over your organizational charts and look for ways to consolidate job functions without sacrificing productivity. Are you keeping staff around doing jobs that could be done better, cheaper, or faster by someone else? Have you considered outsourcing some of your more ‘commodity’ jobs? Do you have employees that aren’t pulling their weight?
It’s important to look for every opportunity available to cut the fat and get as lean and mean as possible. Sure, it’ll take some sacrifice and difficult decisions, but the well oiled machine you create right now will become even more profitable for you once things do turn around.
2. Implement systems for EVERYTHING
As you’re looking to eliminate unnecessary waste with your employees or processes, if you haven’t already, now’s a great time to begin the process of implementing systems for everything.
And I mean systems for EVERYTHING. Operational systems. Equipment maintenance systems. Employee hiring systems. Employee training systems. Financial management systems. Customer service systems. Joint venture systems. Marketing systems.
Again, systems for EVERYTHING. When you learn to systematize your business you’re able to accomplish more with less and all the added profit these systems produce flows directly to your bottom line.
3. Analyze your target market and adjust if necessary
In a tough economic climate like this there’s no denying the fact that a lot of people are struggling financially. Joe the plumber isn’t the only one trying to squeeze every last penny of his paycheck. Everybody feels the pinch.
However, there are some segments of your marketplace that are more insulated than others. These are the segments you want to go after. Why? Because they’re less affected by the ups and downs of the stock or real estate markets, and they pay less attention to the talking heads screaming about how the sky is falling. This means their grip on their pocketbooks isn’t as tight as everyone else’s.
Now, if you’re worried about competing in a more affluent market, don’t be. The companies that are already there have NO CLUE how to properly market their business. As a result, they’re probably competing on price, just like everyone else.
So with just a small amount of knowledge regarding how to differentiate yourself from the competition, you’ll absolutely blow away your competition and quickly become the service provider of choice.
4. Commit to becoming a master marketer
Listen, you probably don’t realize this because you’re down in the trenches every day, but when it comes to marketing your services, you and your competition are saying THE SAME THING. As a result, your prospects and customers don’t know how to tell the difference and they usually end up making a decision based on price.
Now, be careful not to fool yourself into thinking they want the cheapest price. They don’t . In most cases, they would gladly pay a premium IF they were presented with the right value proposition.
Remember, the world doesn’t owe you a thing, but they’ll gladly pay any price for the right value. It’s your job to present that to them and the only way you can do that is through effective marketing.
5. Focus the a healthy portion of your budget on your existing customers
This one is key in today’s market. Unless every one of your existing customers is ‘Joe the plumber’ and his cronies, you should be focusing a good bit of your resources on selling more to your existing customers. This means locking them into service contracts when possible and selling them additional services when applicable.
This also means you need to invest some resources in building a solid relationship with your customers. Stop viewing them as a simple transaction. Take the time to express an interest in their lives and they’ll reward you by remaining loyal through thick and thin. Plus, chances are they have a few friends they’ll gladly introduce to you as well.
So, as you can see, right now is a GREAT time to grow your business beyond where it is currently. However, it’s not going to happen by accident and will require sacrifice and work. But it can happen.
Filed under Articles, Customer Prospecting, Customer Retention, Lawn Care Marketing, Marketing Systems by Chestin




















