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Oct 2022

Posted at 06:00h in Blog

Considering the challenges of the last 12 months (rain, COVID, increased materials costs), some business owners might think it is hard to plan business growth. They might say “I am just trying to organise my business from week to week, and maintain reasonable productivity due to the unprecedented rainfall”. However, I believe these challenges only increase the need for planning business growth! Please read on. Why do we need a plan for growth? Running a business has its challenges, even when the weather is fine. I believe

Jul 2022

Posted at 14:13h in Blog

Last month, we discussed the potential solutions for Designers and Landscape Construction Contractors who experience difficult clients, and how to qualify their enquiries. This month, I am talking to our maintenance businesses. Identify the clients that suit your business If you were to describe the clients you want more of, what would be their profile? Ask yourself these questions to create a profile of your 'best clients' and your '2nd best clients'. What areas do they live in? What typically is the scope of works you provide for their

Jun 2022

Posted at 15:16h in Blog

They change their mind repeatedly, and remove parts of the quote - leaving the potential project segmented, which you know will end in an average result. They show disappointment with small details after work has been done, they question variations, and refuse to pay invoices. Remember that last time you had to deal with a painful client? So, how can you identify such a client in the first couple of meetings, before it’s too late? And if early identification doesn’t happen, how do you manage a

May 2022

Posted at 13:06h in Blog

When you are flat out running your landscaping business, it can be hard to find the time to focus on social media. It can be even more difficult to work out what to post and when to make sure you are attracting the right clients for your business. But, as a landscaping business in 2022, you can’t ignore social media. Now more than ever, it’s so important that you elevate your business profile online, or risk being left behind. You may be working away at your

Apr 2022

Posted at 10:27h in Blog

You have undoubtedly experienced previous projects that did not work out the way you had anticipated. For example; Construction mistakes that had to be rebuilt, different parts of the scope that took much longer to build than was quoted, material costs increasing and clients that ended up being difficult to work with

Mar 2022

Posted at 10:31h in Blog

Do you prepare your quotes on a fixed quote or a cost-plus basis? If you run a maintenance business, the basis is cost-plus generally, however, many clients want the service capped at a certain number of hours. In a landscape construction business, most offer a fixed quote rather than a cost-plus, however over the last few years in the residential sector, I have witnessed a small shift toward cost-plus quoting.   Let’s look at the pros and cons of the 2 offers. FIXED PRICE QUOTING Fixed price quoting means

Feb 2022

Posted at 12:33h in Blog

The Landscape industry has benefited from increased enquiries since the pandemic started. But, we should never expect enquiries to remain strong without a proactive approach to our marketing. So to assist you, I have highlighted some marketing trends that emerged during the pandemic and will remain strong throughout this year and into the next. HOW YOUR BRAND IMPACTS THE ENVIRONMENT With climate change as an important global issue, consumers are selecting brands whose business practices impact the environment less. Making your clients aware of how you care

Dec 2021

Posted at 12:13h in Blog

At the beginning of 2021, we were hoping the worse of COVID might be behind us, and some sort of normality could be experienced. But no, the delta variant, prolonged lock downs and imposed vaccinations dominated the year. Considering this year was even crazier than last, the Landscape Industry, and most businesses operating in this area, have done very well. Now that we are at the end of the year, let's reflect on what worked well and what could be done differently next year. Some ideas

Oct 2021

Posted at 14:36h in Blog

Think about how often you have said yes to a request in the last couple of months but wish you hadn’t. You may have arrived at a job, realised it wasn’t the right project for you, but you agreed to quote it anyway. You may have agreed to a wage increase for an employee, but realised the increase was too great, and now you will likely need to increase the wages of some of your other employees. Or, you may have told a client you would

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