Monday, June 06, 2011

10 sure-fire landscape sales boosters


Tom Oyler loves to sell. He founded and sold U.S. Lawns, and has sold millions of dollars of products, services and companies over the past three decades. He owns and still actively runs several Florida-based companies in addition to partnering with Bruce Wilson in their successful consulting business, Wilson-Oyler Group.

Oyler's an entertaining speaker, too. We attended the recent Next Level Network University and participated in a spirited day-long selling seminar with Oyler and a group of talented managers from top U.S. landscape companies.

Here's Tom's top 10 things to think about in the sales process:

1. Qualify prospects. (No bad meat in your camp. Laser sharp value proposition. Time management.)

2. Maintenance services are short-cycle and renewable services. (You do not have to sell the customer; you have to suppress the competition. Build value chains. Empathetically engineer sales solutions)

3. Build market density. (A crew behind glass is just burning gas. Speed of service and service recovery. Lower supervisory costs.)

4. Do the math. (Data base management. Time management. Meeting goals.)

5. Inside sales support may be needed. (Inexpensive. Accurate. Routine.)

6. Get there first. (Build your brand. Understand market trends. Alter pricing strategies. Sell strategically.)

7. Invest in your client. (Be selflessly selfish.)

8. Become a business leader. (Within your company. Within your community.)

9. Build trust. (Communications. Corporate and competency.)

10. Gain subject matter and domain matter expert status. (Be the knowledge leader.)

9 comments:

rohini said...

it was realy wonderful blog..!

Zac Shaw said...

We would add... use 3D landscape design visualization software to close sales faster by letting the client see exactly what the finished product will look like. That means less hemming and hawing over plans, and greater likelihood of upselling products.

May we humbly recommend VisionScape (http://www.visionscape.com), which has a leg up on the competition such as Google Sketchup, by offering social features, real products from major manufacturers and super-fast smart tools built specifically for landscapers.

Eric said...

Tom, you have a great way of thinking about sales holistically which is why you are so successful. I hope you have a pack of raving fans!

Shawn said...

Thank's Tom's really apperciate your knowledge, extremely informative & motivating.


Shawn P. Gardner,
YardMan Landscapes
Owner/Project Foreman

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LMstudent said...

I am a Current Landscape Management student about to start my Internship, need some insight on what top 5 qualities an Employer has to have with there managers. Also I would recommend for your Landscape Designs is a program we use called "DYNASCAPE" they have really cool new software that allows you to take sight measurements from the palm of your hand and uploads the information to the program with relative ease, not to mention exceptional SUPPORT for this software it keeps getting better. But unless your a student which I payed $100 dollars for my version, you can expect to pay a couple thousand for the contractor program but well worth it. I have a link to a free older version that anyone can download to try some of the features; it is an older version but you still have most of the newer functions from the current program.

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