Why Proposals, Not Just Estimates, Win Premium Work

Too often, landscape companies equate “proposal” with “estimate.” A simple spreadsheet with quantities and pricing may suffice for low-cost, commoditized work—but it falls short in today’s more sophisticated sales environment. Kyle Racki, Co-founder and CEO of Proposify, puts it succinctly: “A proposal is your chance to sell when you're not in the room.”

Especially for residential design-build projects or commercial bids with multiple stakeholders, proposals carry the burden of telling your story. They must communicate not just the scope, but the strategy, the professionalism, and the value behind your pricing.

In the competitive world of lawn, landscape, outdoor living, and commercial snow and ice management businesses, making informed marketing decisions is crucial for guiding potential customers through their journey and ensuring every marketing channel plays its role effectively. Every dollar spent should contribute to measurable growth, yet many companies struggle to determine which marketing efforts are driving conversions, nurturing leads, and supporting other key stages in the customer journey. Marketing attribution and analytics provide the key to understanding which channels contribute to conversions, how supporting channels assist in moving prospects through the funnel, and where to optimize for better results.

Despite the fears of spam and annoying ads, email marketing is alive and well. But how do marketers determine their email marketing strategies? One of the most important stats we look at is the “email open rate”. You may not know what this means, or worse, you may think you know what it means. Whatever the case, we’re going to let you in on all the knowledge to perfect your email marketing tactics and increase your open rates.

In the small world of home contracting and home services, strong businesses are still built on strong relationships. While a company's relationships with its clients, employees, and sub-contractors are all key, support and respect at the dealer/distributor level may just be the most important. This partnership can offer some hefty rewards if fostered properly—or some hard blows if not. 

Since the beginning of time, manufacturers in the hardscape and landscape industries have offered marketing support to their dealers and retailers via an advertising co-op program. Traditionally based on volume of sales, the hardscape dealer or product retailer receives funds—commonly around 50% of the cost—towards regionally-focused, co-branded advertising placements.