Landscape Startup » Communicating

Getting Too Early Start on Overseeding Lawns Is Criminal

Yaacov — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:29:52 +0000

March is when we get started with spring cleanups in my area and with temperatures up in the 60′s and 70′s this week many companies are out in full force. I’ve been having fun cleaning out beds, removing fallen branches and doing some dormant pruning along with scouting for bugs. It’s always great when I can point out a little problem to the clients and tack on a quick spray.
Unfortunately, some companies are getting a little over eager and have started over/reseeding lawns in this second week of March. Why am I up in arms over this? Because we’re going to have a little snow storm this weekend. Several days of freezing temps followed by another week of nights below 40 aren’t going to do any good for growing grass seed. Are these guys really charging for March seed work? I should be marking down the addresses and following up in 4-6 weeks with a letter about optimal seeding times and how to tell if your grass seed is growing correctly. If these guys are charging without getting results my letters will be worth hundreds of dollars each!

Be ethical in your work, keep your customers informed about seasonal practices and they’ll cut you some slack when you really need. Some guys like to mow in the rain. My customers know that it’s the best way to get fungal diseases and they still pay my whole monthly fee when I get rained out. I make it up by mowing a little slower and double cutting if the grass is too long so that it looks perfect.

What do you do when you see unethical practices happening?

Surprised By Constant Contact

Yaacov — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 19:44:38 +0000

I just signed up for a free trial with email newsletter manager Constant Contact. I’m using them to create a gardening newsletter for my existing clients and as a leave behind for prospective clients. Their easy to create template make it a cinch to design attractive email newsletters within minutes. The hard part for me will be writing the actual content.

So what was the surprise? I created an account yesterday afternoon and this morning I received a call from them offering help getting started and answering any questions I have about their service. It’s rare to have an online company actually call and offer to help get you started. So far so good. All that’s left is getting my customers to sign up and tell their friends about it. Try their FREE Trial Email Marketing offer.

3 Messages to Include in Every Email Newsletter

Yaacov — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 00:59:58 +0000

I’m emailing my customers this week introducing them to my new email newsletter. Because this is the first email I am sending them there are several messages I must include for them to want to subscribe and eagerly anticipate the next newsletter.

An update on what I’ve done during the month in their gardens such as pruning certain shrubs, observing and treating insect and disease problems and summary of the month’s weather and its effects on their garden’s condition.
What to expect in the coming month. If I’m going to be spraying weeds during a certain week I’ll give them a heads to keep kids and pets off the grass.
Seasonal planting specials only for people on my email list. This is a great way to get people to sign up and tell their friends about it. They may not have known bulbs can still be planted in November, but as long as the ground is not frozen now is the time. Plus, my wholesaler may be having a great sale and I can pass the savings along for an added incentive.

After much research, I decided to use Constant Contact to manage my list as they take care of all the CANSPAM laws and have easy to design templates to make the newsletters look great. They even offer a free trial. Permission Based Email Marketing – 60 Day Free Trial

Soil Tests Should Determine Lawn Treatments, Not Marketing

Yaacov — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 12:08:38 +0000

Lawns require many macro and micro nutrients to stay healthy. They also grow best at a certain ph (soil acidicy) level. When a lawn service business markets a six step application program for a green lawn how does the customer know if that is really what they should be getting? More applications is always better, right? That’s why they cost more. Or is it just to boost the company’s profitability?

By taking a soil sample and getting it tested by the state cooperative extension (NJ link) you will know exactly what should be done that year to make the lawn it’s healthiest. It is possible to overfertilize. That’s where the term fertilizer burn comes from. Too much fertilizer at once and it will kill the grass. That’s one reason frequent applications are preferred. They also prevent the grass from growing too quickly. Imagine a three year old kid on Halloween with a huge bag of candy. Binge feeding is never healthy. Plus frequent visits allow more inspections for weeds, damaging insects, and diseases.

Soil tests also provide accountability. If there are nutritional problems that show up, a follow up test the next year will determine whether or not the lawn company properly addressed those issues. Think of a well fed person with high colesteral. They never know they have a problem until they take a test or have a heart attack. If the average customer is already spending hundreds of dollars on lawn applications, a yearly soil test may be their best purchase.

How can being accountable not help build loyalty?