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Feb 2017

Posted at 09:53h in Blog, Entrepeneurship, Systems

It’s March and by now our plans for the year are starting to take shape. During last year many business owners found themselves dealing with the same problems over and over again, and because they were busy running their businesses they often just tolerated the problem. But business life is like that, we often just put up with an issue if we can still move ahead and it doesn’t affect us too much. We know it’s not ideal because sooner or later it will appear again

Dec 2016

Posted at 06:04h in Blog, Money, Project Management, Quoting + Tracking, Sales

It is important when running a business to be able to know at any time how well your business is progressing toward your goals. Some owners may say, “if I am getting lots of enquiries or doing lots of quotes things are going well”. Others will say “if we are booked up 3 months in advance, we are going well”. But wouldn’t it be great if you had a number that could tell you more accurately if your business is on track to hit your

Oct 2015

Posted at 03:37h in Blog, Money, Sales

With a construction boom in full swing in Sydney at the moment and just 10 weeks to go till Xmas you are probably fully booked with construction projects and/or maintenance clients. So how do you make the most of this period? Put prospects under pressure to sign Most of you will have full schedules till Xmas but in case you don’t let your prospects know that if they don’t sign off on the project/makeover now, they will have buckleys getting it done before Xmas. Sign clients for

Oct 2015

Posted at 07:01h in Blog, Entrepeneurship, Money

This article is for any owner of a landscape construction or maintenance business, whether you run a 2 man or 20 man team. It’s about preparing mentally first to take your business to the next level. Not everyone wants a $1million business and that’s fine Not everyone wants to have a 6 man team and sales of a $1million a year and that's fine, you can still take your business to the next level without having too many staff. Regardless of how big or small you want your

Aug 2015

Posted at 07:40h in Blog, Money, Sales

Every landscape contractor would love to charge more for their service but feel that they must deliver a competitive quote because price is the major determining factor a potential client uses to decide which company they use. Price is important but not as important as you may think. Here are some points to help you think differently about selling a construction project or maintenance contract and how to charge more. 1. Don’t sell to your potential client Go to your next sales meeting with the intention of just

Jun 2015

Posted at 11:29h in Blog, Marketing, Quoting + Tracking, Sales

When was the last time you looked objectively at your business to see where you could make some simple changes to be more competitive. Truth is; most guys are so busy working in their business they forget to look where they can simply improve, so they stop struggling to be competitive. Let’s have a look at a few areas: Your Website: Your potential clients will always look at your website to develop an impression of your business. They form an impression of your business within in the

Apr 2015

Posted at 08:25h in Blog, Leadership

I was speaking with a landscaper yesterday and he said one of the reasons his business hadn’t grown is that he finds it so hard to let go and trust his leading hand to totally look after a job. I told him that it a major challenge that many business owners go through. I found the same thing in my previous business. When it was starting to grow, I found that it was often easier and a lot faster to just do the work than explain exactly

Apr 2015

Posted at 08:03h in Blog, Project Management, Systems

I often hear landscapers tell me that they should plan their jobs better but they just don’t have enough time, because one job finishes late and the other is late starting. Ironically, the investment in planning your jobs better will save you much time throughout the week in phone calls and extended site visits or having to pick up tools and materials you have forgotten to plan, not to mention saving money and increasing profit because your jobs run smoother and with less mistakes. But every

Apr 2015

Posted at 07:55h in Administration, Blog, Quoting + Tracking, Systems

When I met Steve, a landscape contractor, he said he felt that there was never enough time in the day to do everything. Work on site and instruct the guys, buy materials, see new potential clients, draw up designs, work out estimates, do invoicing and basic bookwork and then have some time with his family at night and on weekends. He needed a better way of managing his time. He said, "John, I need your help, my business is taking all my time and thoughts". So I

Aug 2014

Posted at 01:22h in Blog, Money, Sales

How long does it take to really improve a business? Much less time than you think. I have seen many businesses improve quickly by focusing on 2 fundamental questions to begin with. These 2 questions are fundamental to a landscape business. So here are 2 questions that help you improve yours. Question 1 Where do my leads come from and is that source still working? Most Landscapers don’t give this fundamental question anywhere near enough time each week. They know they should be doing more but choose to get involved

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