
Apr 2020 Preparing Your Business For a Robust Winter/Spring 2020
Talking to landscapers around the country recently, they are reporting that enquiries from potential clients have started again. Which is great news!
The Government has recently mentioned that Australia is on its way back from the Virus, which is also great news, and the COVID-19 Restrictions will be slowly eased during May and June.
We have all been challenged by COVID-19 (personally and professionally), but it’s now time to plan for a more robust Winter/Spring. Here are some key strategies.
Know your current financial situation and stable future income
I know I harp on about this, but it’s very important. In summary, know where you stand financially, by doing the following:
- Look at your current and future work and plan future income.
- Create a Cash Flow Forecast so you know the projected bank balance each month. Hey, ask your bookkeeper to do one.
- Understand how the government can assist your business and register for any potential schemes. Examples are: Cash flow support (PAYGW refund), Apprentice wage subsidy, Job keeper scheme etc.
Speak with Alliances and Peers
Keep in touch with all your alliances regarding work and/or suggest other services you can offer their clients. Do the same with your peers in the same industry or complimentary industries that may have projects you and your team can assist on.
Create a more robust Marketing Plan
Create a Marketing Plan that addresses Instagram, Facebook, Website, Alliances, Professional Photography of projects, Magazine articles, Videos posts, Informative blogs and IMPLEMENT. Be more active with your marketing and post quality pics and videos that reflect your business and culture.
Quoting
You may not have to quote projects more competitively if your schedule is full for months, but if you feel the need to be a little more competitive due to some gaps in the schedule or some jobs on hold, do so carefully. You don’t want to be so competitive you lose money. Rather, work with a client to meet their budget by suggesting alternative materials, designs and possibly staging work. Perhaps you may need to look at smaller projects that you would normally dismiss with an open mind.
Improve your Systems and Processes
Now is the perfect time to improve processes and systems so your business will be more effective and efficient by Spring/Summer. Clean out clutter, work on quoting, sales, team building, marketing, administration, project planning and project management or anything that you wanted to improve but didn’t have time. Use the challenge of Covid as a catalyst to improve what you currently do.
Continue Meetings with Key Team Members
Meet with key team members regularly and make them accountable. Encourage and be supportive, so all team members do the same with their crew. This is a time to uplift, not retreat.
Inspiring Employees
To help them stay uplifted, let your entire team know, they are part of your long-term vision for your business. Remind them that there is a strong future for your business by showing them some of the projects that are booked and some the marketing activities you will implement.
In summary, plan and manage your finances, utilise government assistance, work with clients to win work, be proactive with your marketing, look for opportunities and make improvements to current systems.