Uplevel Your Sales Game: A Guide for Landscape and Pool Contractors
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The Content Team,
HALSTEAD.
Originally published on August 28, 2015. Updated on June 15, 2022.
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Do you want to know the secret to being 60% more profitable than your competitors? It’s being strategic about the initial customer sales experience—and overall customer experience—that your lawn, landscape, and/or outdoor living business provides both online and offline. According to HubSpot, customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable than companies that do not put a prime focus on customers, and that’s an impressive stat.
There’s a new sales process in town, and it starts online. In fact, 93% of consumers read online reviews before they buy a product or service, according to Qualtrics. This means that your company’s digital strategy must be top-notch if you want to remain competitive in today’s market, but you can’t forget about the foundational building blocks of master sales closers either. Leveraging a multichannel, digital-meets-foundational sales approach, is sure to set your sales team up for success— in person at the kitchen table or when zapping in on Zoom.
Online Content a Landscape and Pool Contractor’s Front-Line Sales Team
Why do leading landscape and outdoor living companies invest in content? Because they likely understand that online content functions as their front-line sales team in today’s digital world. Digital content, whether on your website, social media accounts, can drive home company positioning, provide pricing pre-qualifiers, showcase your impressive design/build portfolio, and serve as a means to nurture and retarget your audience through the sales journey. Similarly, so can more “physical” content, such as that found in a point-of-sale sales brochure. When you think about it, a physical brochure isn’t really all that different from a social media retargeting campaign, is it? They are both designed to continue “selling” after the meeting is finished.
Website Content is an Essential Positioning Strategy
Is the content on your website a reflection of the quality of the services you provide? Top firms have a clearly defined niche, which is key to attracting those high-quality leads that will convert. If a company focuses primarily on landscape maintenance services for commercial properties, for instance, then the website content should reflect that.
On the same note, the content—both written and visual—should show the size and scope of the projects and/or accounts that your company will even consider taking on. If you are only interested in taking on large, full-scale landscape installations, then you shouldn’t list solo services such as building paver walkways. While your company may build walkways as part of a larger project, highlighting these features on a prominent spot on your site may attract leads you would consider “unqualified” because they simply want a front walkway rather than a complete outdoor living space. Whenever a large percentage of inbound leads are a poor match to the company’s desired scope of work, it’s time to look under the content hood.
Why Upfront Pricing Matters in Landscape Sales
Setting expectations early will reduce disappointment for both the consumer and the company, which is why each year, more landscape firms are bringing clearer pricing to their websites. We are seeing fairly specific pricing in the case of lawn care companies, or at least, price ranges in the case of design/build firms. Either way, the prospect is finally getting some upfront clarity on what services/projects cost. Offering budget ranges for various services or design/build packages helps consumers decide whether a company is a right fit for them.
Online and offline sales content should demonstrate quality and worth. A landscape contractor that features photos of beautiful outdoor living spaces that have all of the luxuries will establish their leading place in the industry and so their pricing will come as no surprise because the value of their product matches the pricing.
This strategy benefits both parties because it prequalifies leads as neither wastes time or money only to find out they’re not a good fit. Plus, you both get to avoid the awkward budget conversation when you discover that the prospect was hoping to get a $100k project for $30k, which is likely why consumers begin their search online rather than contacting a business directly in the first place!
Providing a Clear Outline of Your Process
Consumers want to know what they can expect and when, and providing this information on your website helps meet that need. For example, a lead may be interested in getting a landscape design for their backyard space. Your process could indicate that they must first fill out a contact form with relevant information and attach photos of their current outdoor space. Once you have reviewed their information, you will contact them within a certain timeframe to schedule an on-site meeting. Better yet, you will send them a link to your online appointment system so they can book that consultation on their own time. If they want to move forward in the design process, they will need to pay your fee, and then you will get started on the design, and so on.
Providing potential customers with the information they are looking for will help keep them engaged. It’s essential to look ahead and anticipate the needs of prospects and meet those needs before they even have a chance to ask.
Dedicated Website Landing Pages for Each Service Offered
Setting up dedicated website landing pages for each of the services that your company offers helps prevent information overload when a prospect visits your website. If the prospect does a Google search for “lawn fertilization company near me,” you want them to land on a page within your website that is dedicated to the lawn fertilization services that you offer, not a page that lists every single service you offer, most of which they’re not currently interested in.
A well-designed website will have an intuitive navigation structure that makes it easy for prospects to find the information they seek. They can always click through to different sections of your website to discover more information about your company and its services. Not only is this siloed architecture effective for user experience, it’s also essential for the conversion performance of Google Ads or Facebook Ads campaigns.
Showcasing your Landscape Portfolio
For design/build firms, a great portfolio helps to sell great jobs—plain and simple. Containing sample 3D renderings, professional project photography, and a few detailed video case studies, this portfolio should provide homeowners with a sense of your firm’s style and capabilities. Most importantly, it allows the landscape or pool contractor to show relevant work and establish credibility. This also increases the chance of selling additional work on the project.
Professional landscape portfolios should be part of your business website, but most leading companies also have a physical portfolio they bring to meetings. Oftentimes, contractors rely solely on the product catalogs of the manufacturers they specify in projects at the point-of-sale—but that leaves a lot on the table. The sale is most often won long after the initial appointment, when the family is discussing the positives and negatives regarding the different contractors they met with. Your leave behind brochure is a leave behind salesperson.
Prioritizing professional copywriting and consistent content creation is an essential content-driven marketing strategy because it’s a way to appeal to the consumer’s emotions. Consumers who are in the market for a new pool look to be able to see and feel what it would be like to have a luxurious inground pool in their own backyard, and the content in a project portfolio can do just that.
Content Should Always Add Value
The most successful companies establish themselves as experts in the industry by creating content that adds value. Focus on solving people’s landscape or pool problems and needs, or share the complete story of how you moved a project along from design to completion—including the products and materials used, the design concept, and the members of your crew who did the work.
Display Education and Certifications
Not all industry pros have the same level of expertise, but many homeowners don’t understand the differences between an amateur and a true professional. Be sure to display documentation that speaks to your relevant education, awards, certifications, and years of experience. These extra steps prove very important in closing sales and commanding higher prices.
Here are some examples of certifications that you may want to list on your website:
National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) certification
Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) certification
Using Technology as a Tool to Prequalify Leads
You may be focused on prequalifying your leads—but it’s essential to realize that this process goes both ways. Your customers need to be able to access information online that will help them prequalify you as well.
If you want to scale your business, investing in sales automation tools is key. These tools need to be integrated with your company’s website, which is likely one of the places online where your prospects will be found during the research phase of the customer journey.
Retargeting to Keep the Customer Engaged
Even the best websites in the industry have to plan for what happens after consumers leave the site. How will you encourage them along the customer journey?
The secret is in using technology to retarget these consumers. When users view your website and then click off, the process of retargeting will display your company’s ads when they are later scrolling through their social news feeds. In an article written by Corey Halstead for the National Association of Landscape Professionals, he shared how this strategy is known to increase conversion rates by a whopping 150%, which has the power to magnify marketingROI in a hurry.
Retargeting helps keep your company top of mind and will inspire consumers to return to your website and perhaps go a step further into your sales funnel by filling out a form to connect with you or interacting with other calls to action on your website.
CRM Software: An Invaluable Tool
CRM stands for customer relationship management, and software that helps with CRM can be incredibly effective. This software can help with contact management, sales management, feature an email system, and should sync with your website.
Here’s a condensed version of how a CRM system works: Members of your sales and customer service teams will be added to the software as users, and a system will be set up where contacts are uploaded into the system. Every communication with a prospect or customer is synced with the CRM and all calls, emails, and notes with prospects and customers are documented. All of this data is stored in one easily accessible location.
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BENEFITS OF CRM SOFTWARE:
Leading companies use CRM systems for good reason—there are numerous benefits.
1. A Better Customer Experience
Remembering the little things can make a big difference when it comes to customer relations. A CRM system allows employees to make notes within a customer’s file, and then others can view the file and quickly become familiar with this customer.
In addition, some CRM software provides analytics, such as which emails a prospect opened, which links they clicked on, and more. Knowing that prospects clicked on a link to view your company’s snow removal services is a key indicator that they are already interested in this service, which means you can then retarget them.
2. Better Organization
There’s nothing worse than sorting through unending spreadsheets, sticky notes with scribbled notes, or other random record-keeping methods. You and your sales team will be able to quickly find customer information and have records of any email offers that have been sent. This helps avoid conflicting communications and prevent missed opportunities.
3. Streamlined Operations
Perhaps one of the best benefits of a CRM system is the automation capabilities. It is an excellent way to ensure your leads receive emails with the right information at the right time.
When a contact fills out a form on your website, they will automatically receive an email informing them of the next steps and perhaps any other relevant information that would be helpful. This same concept can be applied throughout your business—including automated follow-ups, keeping track of your sales pipeline, and even receiving payments.
4. Increased Profits
Streamlining your sales process results in increased sales and profits, not to mention increased productivity. According to a HubSpot study, companies that implemented a CRM system increased their sales by 29% and their sales team productivity by 34%. CRM software offers the best of both worlds: improved relationships and increased profits.
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CRM SOFTWARE OPTIONS:
So many CRM software options are out there that it can be challenging to choose which one to use. Perhaps one aspect to consider is your budget. There are CRM software options that range from being free to use to various price points.
One important thing to note is that whatever CRM software you go with, make sure it is open API, or public API as it is sometimes called. This simply means that the process of integrating other software programs with the one you choose is much easier—and these integrations will be key to reaching full optimization.
HubSpot offers free CRM tools that many lawn and landscape business owners use. It is highly customizable and offers the option to upgrade for access to additional tools. Business News Daily provides recommendations on CRM software based on a company’s needs. For example, the website recommends Salesforce for companies looking to grow, Monday for companies needing integrated project management features, and PipeDrive for companies that need visual sales pipelines.
Determining your company’s CRM needs is a good place to start. Identify what features you could benefit from and research which CRM software will meet those needs.
Offering Online Scheduling Capabilities
Another tool that makes the customer journey easier is the ability to schedule a prequalifying phone call or Zoom meeting with your company online. You are able to list a set of times on specific days when you will be available, which makes this process much simpler for everyone involved. Consumers are familiar with online booking systems and have come to expect this feature. It saves everyone time.
Conducting Meetings on Zoom
Landscape contractors have the best opportunity to connect with potential customers during the initial meeting, and many times that meeting to discuss that landscape project is done via Zoom.
Conducting meetings on Zoom can take a little while to get used to, but it isn’t a whole lot different than meeting in person, except that you can both be in your PJ pants and neither will know. It’s still important to be professional though!
Here are some tips and best practices that will help you prepare for your next Zoom meeting:
1. Get Your Lighting Right
No lighting works quite as wonderfully as natural light, when it is properly used that is. Facing a window can provide ideal lighting, but you can also purchase a ring light to place behind the camera. Whatever you choose, make sure that your location is well-lit so that your lead can see you clearly.
2. Camera Placement
Your camera should be placed just above your eye level, which may mean that you need to elevate your device. This can be done using a handy stand, or you can simply stack books and place your device on top of them. It’s also helpful to place your video screen directly below your camera so that it appears as if you are looking the other person in the eye.
3. Practice Makes Perfect (Usually)
It’s a good idea to test everything out to make sure it works as you hope it will. This includes practicing how to share your screen, having important documents ready to go on your device, testing your internet connection, and making sure your microphone and camera operate correctly.
While practice usually makes perfect, we all know that technology can be a little tricky sometimes so it’s good to be prepared. You could even set the expectation at the beginning of the meeting that if anyone gets disconnected, the other person should just click back on the link to rejoin the meeting.
4. Appearances Matter
As someone who works in the green industry, you know that appearances matter—which is a large part of why people hire you for lawn care services or landscape projects!
Choose a location with a tidy background that won’t be distracting for the other person. Some prefer to use a virtual background, but these can be a bit distracting as the other person tries to determine if your background is real or not rather than focusing on your presentation.
Take a few moments prior to the Zoom meeting to make sure you look presentable and professional. Choose a professional shirt and make an effort to look good. Zoom offers an automatic retouching option that can help touch up your appearance if you so need it. Just click on your video settings and check the box next to “touch up my appearance” to turn on this feature.
Foundational Sales Techniques that Still Matter in a Digital World
No matter how your sales prospect found you, Google search or truck-wrapped inspiration, there are some foundational sales techniques that every future closer should probably master. These include prequalifying, handling objections, and closing the sale.
Prequalifying
When consumers have a need or a problem, they will often begin online search for businesses that provide a solution. The prequalification process involves a company accurately showing how its services can help solve that customer’s problem. This strategy requires an intentional effort to identify common problems and then create content that will be useful to the consumer.
Another factor to prequalification is if your services can uniquely meet the consumer’s needs better than any other company. This often means having a specific niche, such as luxury outdoor living spaces. Not just any landscaping company can accomplish a project such as this.
In addition, budget is a factor. Consumers need to be able to confirm if the services you offer are within their budget.
Handling Objections
Once potential customers have been prequalified, and they are interested in your services, you are likely to hear objections along the sales journey. Being able to handle objections is an essential sales skill that stands in the way of increased closing rates and upsell opportunities. Most times, objections come down to four factors: budget, trust, need, and urgency.
Most importantly, you must listen closely to what the consumer is saying so that you can identify objections. If you hear an objection, repeat it back. This clarifies the point but lets the consumer know their concerns are heard and validated. This is an essential component of building trust.
At this point, you will want to prove that their objections are not a reason to be concerned or to show that a certain upgrade is a needed addition. You can leverage social proof by showing the consumer positive online reviews or by providing references.
Closing the Sale
While closing a sale on the spot is ideal, it doesn’t always happen that way. One of the most important actions of closing a sale is follow-up. Check-in with the prospect in a timely manner by making a phone call, sending a text, or even sending an email.
An effective strategy for closing a sale is simply asking for the sale in a direct, but not awkward, delivery. For example, at the end of your meeting, you could say something like, “Are you ready to turn your backyard into your own personal resort?” It is safe to say that the large majority of residential landscape design/build pros are not actually selling, but rather presenting information and hoping for the best outcome. Those specializing in commercial services tend to deliver a more complete sales experience.
General Tips for Nailing the Initial Meeting
Whether your initial meeting is face-to-face in person or via Zoom, there are some basic sales guidelines that you should follow to have a productive meeting.
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Propose an Agenda
Anytime you set up a meeting, make sure the other person knows what will be discussed during this meeting. Is there anything they need to do to prepare for the meeting? Should they gather any materials that will be beneficial? Communicate this information beforehand so that both parties are prepared; this will make your meeting much more productive and less awkward.
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Stick to a Schedule
Be punctual. Arrive on time, whether that’s on-site at a customer’s home or signing into the Zoom meeting at the scheduled time. Punctuality demonstrates trustworthiness and reliability, both things that you want your prospect to see. Arriving on time will set the tone for the rest of the meeting, you don’t want your customer to be frustrated with your tardiness before you even meet with them.
On the other hand, be respectful of the customer’s time. Chances are, they’ve set aside a specific amount of time to meet with you. Try not to go over that timeframe.
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Be Engaging—Ask Questions
No one likes to be a meeting participant where the host drones on and on through their presentation as if they’re reading from a script. Top landscape companies keep their lead engaged during this first meeting. Ask questions, actually listen to their answers, and develop rapport.
Talk to the prospect about what they hope to do with the outdoor space, what prompted them to consider making upgrades, how they envision the space, and who will be enjoying it with them. Ask them to detail the images they see in their minds. Sure, some professionals might say these questions are just probing—something you absolutely must do before making your pitch (or bid). But it’s more than just that. It’s the right questions—those that drive the budget ceiling higher. It’s really getting to know what your customer wants.
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Communicate the Benefits
When it’s time to put together a bid and presentation, show exactly how the homeowners will use the space—exactly how they said they wanted to. Just remember, when your customers decide on the materials for their new paver driveway—maybe it’s Unilock or Cambridge Pavers—they aren’t buying these products because they think the samples that you dragged over look amazing (although, yes, they might). They are spending money with you because of the experience they are going to have when driving their family up the new paver driveway after a trip. The experience of walking out to their car parked on the perfect pavers or perhaps the sound of their heels against the driveway. Their home is going to feel a little more like home, and that feeling is worth every penny of your fee.
All too often, industry contractors get hung up on selling the stone, paver, pool, or fence because the quality is so incredible, the color matches something else, or it’s available quicker than another product. Before you know it, the customer chooses a different builder (in many cases, the other bid could cost them tons more!). The secret to increasing your landscape project size and closing more landscape sales is understanding that they chose the company that was most capable of helping them envision their desired experience or feeling and showed them how to make it come to life.
So how does that happen? Simple, it starts with the way you communicate with your prospects. Are you asking potential customers to call you because you sell a specific paver or pool lining? Perhaps a special kind of pergola? If so, you’re missing out on helping homeowners understand how the outdoor living experience they dream of will be filled by a service your company provides. Help them see that connection—promote the experiences your services or products provide.
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Use High-Quality Content in Your Presentation
Just as it’s important to have high-quality content on your website, it’s important to have high-quality content as part of your presentation. The content on your website can actually come in handy, especially because you can share your screen to show your customer your professional portfolio that’s already posted on your website.
3D designs have become the standard for leading contractors because realistic renderings offer an impressive addition to your presentation—they will help your customers visualize what their outdoor space will look like. This can play upon their emotions as they imagine all of the moments they will spend with family and friends in this outdoor space.
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Go Above and Beyond Expectations
By the middle of your first in-person or Zoom meeting, the chances are good that you have emphasized your company’s ability to get the job done well. This is often not enough, however.
To help seal the deal and leave the homeowner with the warm and fuzzies, demonstrate that your company is a pleasure to work with. Share your company values or the high expectations you hold for your crew and any subcontractors you work with. Present references that will help confirm this and be sure to encourage homeowners to contact these satisfied previous customers of yours. Your prospective customers shouldn’t have to ask for this information; you should anticipate their needs and be one step ahead!
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Define Next Steps
Every meeting should end with an explanation of what the plan moving forward will look like. What’s the next step in the process? Communicate that thoroughly with your leads so that they are never left questioning what’s next.
A tactical example of this might be that after your prequalifying Zoom meeting, you set up an initial in-person meeting. You can schedule a meeting with the lead and communicate approximately how long the meeting will last, what they can expect, and inform them of anything they can do to make the meeting the most efficient. Additionally, once you have secured a deposit for a design, you could let them know that your talented designers will have the design completed within X amount of days and that you will then be in contact with them within a certain timeframe. The more detailed you are, the better—just make sure to follow through!