3500 + Lawn Care Customer Base
You've reached the point where the lawn care business is running well. You have a management team in place and they can handle most situations. You make the big decisions, but you have good people in management and in the field to take care of the day-to-day issues. Perhaps you've been looking at franchising the entire operation or even selling the business and have already begun to look at the legal aspects. Maybe you are committed to keeping the company in the “family” (no franchising, no gearing up to sell the company). You just want to keep growing it at a steady growth rate.
You're already using about all of the lawn care marketing tools available but have yet to try consumer Home & Garden Shows. These are a major commitment of time and resources for your team, but because of your broad market share, it may be worth testing.
What to do?
Besides all of the options mentioned in the 2000 - 3000 Lawn Customer Base Guide, you may want to consider having a booth at a Home & Garden Show. These trade shows (also home improvement and remodeling shows) have a high potential for prospective lawn care customers. Before committing your company to the project, assess your lawn care sales team and who would best be able to staff the booth. It requires at least two people or more depending on show hours to man the booth. It requires people that like talking to strangers. If you have the man-power and the resources, a Home & Garden Show may pay off. It will generate leads, but the leads will be over a wide geographic area. Other media that may warrant testing include radio, billboards, co-op mailings and space advertising. Be careful though; it’s easy to waste money on advertising that just doesn’t work for the green industry. Test small and roll out what you can prove works.
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Web Site - The foundation of your marketing strategy
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Business Cards - An inexpensive
way to make a big impact (less than $0.07 + postage)
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Door Hanging - Neighbors of Current Customers ($0.20 each + labor costs)
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Post Cards - For new sales or selling additional services to Current Customers ($0.10 + postage) Focus on specific neighborhoods.
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Pre-Pay Letters to Cutomers, Cancels, and Prior Year Rejects - Send a Pre-Pay Letter to customers and customers that cancelled during the previous two years. Offer them a substantial discount of 10-20% if they prepay for the entire full season. Filter your Cancel file to remove movers and bad debt/problem customers. You can also find success mailing the same or a similar offer to leads that did not close from previous years.
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Direct Sales - Knock on a few doors while you’re out treating lawns, especially if you work on Saturdays or evenings when people are home. You may come home with three new customers to add to the route you just treated.
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Telemarketing - In-house Cancel/Reject File - the gold mine of any business
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Telemarketing - To prospects to generate new leads is still a good way to increase density. Closing rate is typically lower than direct mail leads; list selection can be targeted.
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Advertising Specialties - Build your brand with useful giveaways - free rain gauges/note pads/pens etc.
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Fall Direct Mail Campaign - Targeted list; especially successful with poor weather conditions leading up to 1st week of September
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Spring Direct Mail Campaigns - The best time to generate quality leads and long-term customers is in the spring in most markets. Direct Mail, when accurately targeted with a highly selective list, can generate lots of new leads and sales profitably.
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Second Spring Mailer - Mail the best prospects on your list more than once. Response rates are slightly lower on 2nd and 3rd mailings to the same name, but remailings can work when targeted.
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Truck Decaling - Truck sales account for between 2 - 4 % of new sales each year and make a lasting impression with quality truck signage. Investment depends on size and quantity of graphics; include web site on truck as well as all literature used by your company.
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Television Advertising - Can be targeted by cable system and programming to hit your demographic target prospects.
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Home & Garden Shows - Have a plan and work the plan; show costs vary depending on location.
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Other Media: Radio, Billboards, Co-op Mailings, Space Advertising - Test small (but with a significant sample size) and roll out what works.
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Invest in continued training by joining your state lawn care association; check out our DVD training program "Anyone Can Sell". Learn how others have become successful and put yourself in a good position for solid future growth.
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Be active in your local business community.
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