Marketing in the new world order

By Jeffrey Scott, Consultant

“I saw your trucks” and “I saw your job sign” used to be big drivers for the landscaping and maintenance business.  People would look down the street, see your work, then call you up and give you their business if you returned their call – as long as you didn’t insult them, ignore them or gouge them.

But in the new world order, this is no longer enough.

You still need to create a positive impression (clean, organized, eye-catching) with your trucks, job signs and properties, but buyers now do much more research before they give you a call.  They do Google searches and study your website, and they look for third-party online reviews like Angie’s List, Kudzu, etc. 

But even this is not enough.

You need active referrals to drive your business.  Referrals from existing clients are essential, and even more important are referrals from Professional & Influencers –architects, realtors, designers, inspectors, town regulators, tradespeople and association executives.

If you think you can solely focus on website SEO and pay-per-click, you will soon be disappointed, just like the yellow pages disappointed you in the past. In the new world order of increased competition, you need a broad Internet footprint, massive word of mouth, and community love.

Are you involved in the right charities doing the right community work? Are you literally loved by your community?  Community love creates emotional bonds that bind people to your company. They will hold you in high regard even if they have never used your services.

The residential landscape companies who bring in leads from a mix of all these sources will have the best chance of selling more work and more high-margin work. For commercial firms, it is a related but different mix. For all companies, it is critical to have a “mix.” This is marketing in the new world order.

Jeffrey Scott, MBA, grew his landscape firm into a $10 million enterprise. He now helps owners transform and profitably grow their landscape businesses by coaching them within a peer group format. Learn about his peer groups at www.GetTheLeadersEdge.com or contact him at jeff@jeffreyscott.biz.