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The Landscaper’s Guide to Modern Sales and Marketing Newsletter
JANUARY 2026
Dishwasher Disaster to Marketing Masterclass A FLOODED KITCHEN TAUGHT ME WHAT CLIENTS HATE
Two days before Christmas 2024, I walked into my kitchen and froze. Water was pooling across the floor. My first thought? “Which kid spilled something now?” My 10-year-old swore it wasn’t him. I got on my knees, peeked into the crawlspace, and realized the truth: the dishwasher had been leaking all night, and water had seeped under the “waterproof” flooring, soaking everything beneath. Cue the fans, ripped-up floors, and a week of chaos. (That’s also how I found myself making pancakes on Christmas morning outside in the cold on a Coleman propane camp stove, as seen in the image above ...) Finally, by the time we uncovered asbestos, scheduled abatement, and weathered a hailstorm, it wasn’t just a repair; we were staring at a full kitchen remodel. My wife, naturally, had a vision. She described a completely new layout, picked the appliances she wanted, and traced it all out. Then, it was my job to bring her design dreams to life. Normally, I’d dive into Google, search for contractors, and start calling. But this time, I hit record on ChatGPT. We walked through every detail throughout the kitchen, hallway, and bathrooms (because we decided to update even more of the house), and ChatGPT turned it into a clear, organized summary. Then, I asked for remodelers in Boulder County. The AI’s suggestions mirrored Google almost perfectly. I had a list of local pros, and suddenly, the research part of the headache was gone. Then reality set in. We contacted over 20 companies. More than half never replied. One proposal was $100,000 higher than another, and it didn’t even show up on time. Another contractor shared a bizarre TMI anecdote that made us instantly question their professionalism. The lesson hit me hard: Poor communication sets the bar low, and companies that respond promptly, clearly, and professionally immediately stand out.
We finally hired a contractor who delivered exactly what they promised. A year later, we have a kitchen and bathrooms we love. And for me, I got a marketing lesson that hit like a hammer: customers are always watching, and the companies that communicate best, win. For landscape business owners (or anyone in a service industry), this is critical. If you want ChatGPT to find you in the first place, then on-page SEO is your foundation. Online reviews are the second most important factor, and recency matters. Aim for a new Google review every three weeks, and use tools like our very own Ramblin Reviews to capture first-party reviews directly on your website. Not only does this help AI, it signals to your customers that you’re reliable. The remodel also reinforced another truth: Showing up is only half the battle. The real advantage comes from follow-up. You can rank on Google or appear in AI suggestions, but if you ignore inquiries, miss deadlines, or fumble communication, competitors will scoop your clients in a heartbeat. Responsiveness, clarity, and trustworthiness are the low-hanging fruit that separates good companies from great ones. So, if a dishwasher flood can teach a CEO how to navigate contractors, vet options, and understand the power of timely communication, imagine what it can teach your customers about your business. Your clients notice every missed call, slow email, and late proposal. Make it easy for them to say yes, and your competition is suddenly irrelevant.
JACK JOSTES, CEO RAMBLIN JACKSON
RamblinJackson.com • 1
Read It in Your Truck on a Rainy Day
RING THE BELL SPOTLIGHT
Green Jay’s Path to Next-Level Clients
When we first met Jay and Lora Archer of Green Jay Landscape Design, they were already known for creating award-winning ecological landscapes throughout New York: private nature preserves built without pesticides, blending deep horticultural knowledge with craftsmanship. But their website and SEO weren’t supporting the level of impact, visibility, or premium positioning their work deserved. Jay and Lora had invested in several websites over the years. The look and feel represented their brand well, but major technical flaws in SEO and backend organization were holding them back. “We realized people had to be a Jedi master of Google to even find us,” Jay joked. That’s when they discovered Ramblin Jackson. ‘We wanted a premium provider — because we are a premium provider.’ From the first audit, Jay and Lora appreciated that the process went deeper than design. “We wanted to know what was really happening behind the scenes. The audit confirmed our content was strong,
but technically, there were major issues we never could have identified on our own.”
For a highly specialized business serving a tiny niche, that clarity mattered. It became the spark that led them to rebuild their website, improve their SEO foundation, and strengthen their entire sales and recruiting process along the way. ‘Structure is everything.’ Like many small but mighty companies, Green Jay has high standards. They expect excellence from themselves and from the partners they choose. “We recognize top- shelf work when we see it,” Jay said. “And structure is the thing we value most about Ramblin Jackson. Everyone we’ve worked with has been consistently high-quality. That’s rare.” That structure is now helping them connect their narrative, multimedia assets, and SEO into one cohesive strategy aimed at attracting exactly the type of client who values ecological design.
‘If you’re committed to growth, you have to reinvest.’ Jay and Lora flew from New York to Colorado to film their video content, committing time, money, energy, and vulnerability. Video wasn’t exactly comfortable at first, but they leaned in. ‘If you want to reach the next level, this is the place to be.’ Jay put it simply, “If you’re in the landscape field and want to go to the next level, I absolutely recommend Ramblin Jackson. If you want to market yourself to the exact type of client you hope for, this is the place to be.” See how we’re helping companies like Green Jay strengthen their brand, systems, and results. Visit RamblinJackson.com/ services to learn how your marketing can grow right alongside you.
“Hours.” That’s how much time an audience member said our CEO Jack’s ChatGPT prompt would save them each day. Too many landscapers are losing hours every single day on repetitive sales tasks. Manual follow-ups, writing proposals, tracking leads. At NALP ELEVATE, Jack showed the audience exactly how to fix that with ChatGPT. His five-minute training video breaks down simple, actionable strategies to save hours on sales (without cutting corners). You learn how to respond faster than your competitors, send professional recap emails in minutes (not hours), and look like the most organized, trustworthy contractor your prospect has ever talked to, even if you’re not a tech person.
STEAL THIS 5-MINUTE CHATGPT SHORTCUT The Secret Jack Dropped at ELEVATE That Every Contractor Needs
You’ll get instant access to:
• A 5-minute training video to speed up your follow-up and close more sales • Copy-and-paste ChatGPT prompts for lead follow-up and post-call recap emails • Example subject lines and email templates you can plug directly into your CRM
Don’t let inefficient sales processes slow you down. Watch Jack’s five-minute video and start transforming your workflow today at LandscapersGuide.com/chat .
2 • (303) 544-2125
Read It in Your Tru
Schedule a 15-minute Marketing Brainstorm with one of our Landscape Marketing Assistants. In just 15 minutes, they will: • Offer game-changing feedback on your marketing ideas. • Find gaps in your existing campaigns. • Discuss your best marketing strategy. • Share next steps for success! This is a quick, easy, no-pressure call — and we’ll even send you beef jerky or candied almonds for your time. Visit LandscapersGuide.com/brainstorm to schedule your Marketing Brainstorm today. Ready to Level Up Your Marketing and Get More Hell Yes Customers?
UPCOMING EVENTS
LandsCape Cod Conference Jan. 13–14, 2026 Hyannis, MA
Bach Business Partners (BBP) Sales and Leadership Event
Feb. 16–20, 2026 Amelia Island, FL
TAKE A BREAK
LandscapersGuide.com/events
RamblinJackson.com • 3
uck on a Rainy Day
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
1 The Low Bar Your Clients Expect and How to Clear It 2 Ring the Bell Spotlight: How Green Jay Transformed Their Digital Presence 2 The 5-Minute ChatGPT Training Saving Contractors Hours a Day 3 Upcoming Events 4 The 5-Minute Rule Wins You More Jobs INSIDE PO Box 1429 • Lyons, CO 80540 (303) 544-2125 • RamblinJackson.com
DOMINATE YOUR MARKET WITH THE 5-MINUTE CALLBACK STRATEGY Fast Callbacks = Fast Cash
If you want to dominate your market in 2025, there’s one metric you need to treat like gospel: Speed to Lead. And most landscape companies are blowing it. The first company to respond wins. Not the cheapest, not the flashiest, the fastest. And the data backs it up. According to Chili Piper’s analysis of thousands of sales interactions, when you respond to a lead within five minutes, you’re 21 times more likely to close the deal compared to waiting even 30 minutes. It’s time to take advantage of that edge. Work in the ‘5-Minute Golden Window.’ We call this the “5-Minute Golden Window,” and if your team isn’t aggressively protecting it, money is leaking out of your business every day. A prospect fills out your website form. Your phone rings with
no voicemail left. Someone messages your business online. Your clock starts ticking.
window. To make a behavior a habit, you must incentivize it.
If you respond within five minutes, you immediately separate yourself from 90% of the contractors in your market. If you respond the same day, congratulations, you’ve already beaten half your competitors who never call back at all. Yes, really. Remember Jack’s kitchen remodel from our cover story? Over half the contractors he contacted for a high-dollar job never responded. Not once. This is why the bar is so low (ridiculously low) and why you can clear it with almost no extra effort. Pay for the behavior you want. If you’ve got an office admin or salesperson handling calls, don’t just hope they’re fast. Reward speed. Create a bonus for every lead they respond to within the five-minute
You do this, and your company jumps into the top tier of sales organizations. Be the top 1% who call back immediately, while everyone else is still “getting around to it.” Keep an eye out for more marketing power moves. This Speed to Lead concept is just one of the strategies featured in Jack’s upcoming book, “The Tree of Good Fortune: The Landscaper’s Guide to Direct Response Sales and Marketing.” It’s coming soon, and trust us, you’ll want to be first in line. Because in this industry, speed isn’t just an advantage. It’s the difference between winning the job ... and handing it to your competitor.
4 • (303) 544-2125
Get a Free, Personal Video Review of Your Website! • RamblinJackson.com
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