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The Landscaper's Guide To Modern Sales and Marketing Newsletter
JANUARY 2022
How to Weed Out Bad-Fit Clients Get Better Clients by Saying ‘No’
It’s happened to the best of us: Right from the first call with a prospective landscaping client, you know it won’t work out, yet you still meet with them to discuss their goals and develop a plan. It doesn’t go well, but you send them an estimate anyway. Even with the “extra” margin you added into the estimate, they approve it. They’ve reeled you in and you’re hooked with your best crew working on a tiny project — and to make matters worse, you find yourself having to turn away a Hell Yes Customer , all because you couldn’t say no to a Bad-Fit Client . In the back of your mind, you know that you shouldn’t have taken on the Bad-Fit Client to begin with, but, how do you say “no” without being a jerk? 1) Clarify your Hell Yes Customers. The only time you should be saying “no” is if you have a solid “yes” at the focus of your sales and marketing. In my book, “The Tree of Good Fortune,” I call them a Hell Yes Customer because, when you get this kind of lead with the proper criteria (services, service area, and budget range) in your pipeline, it should feel like a “hell yes!”
be better served if they said, “No, we actually don’t serve Lyons, Colorado, but we do recommend XYZ Company for your needs.”
Do right by ALL clients and be upfront, honest, and polite. It’s possible to be all three at once.
3) Train yourself AND staff to put “no” on the table early in every sales conversation. If, early on in the conversation, you or your staff discover that your company is unable to assist the client as well as you would like, offer to recommend some other resources that may be able to better assist them. And your staff should make the client aware of this at the beginning of each call. This saves everyone time and energy and weeds out the Hell No Customers. 4) Generate enough Hell Yes Customers to allow yourself to be picky! When you’ve built your business from the ground up, you surely remember when you had to take on every client to make ends meet. However, now that you’re established, that’s no way to lead a team. It’s your job to be continuously generating enough demand so you can say “no thanks” with confidence to make room for the Hell Yes Customers you want.
> To determine which clients are Hell Yes Customers, download the “Hell Yes Customer” worksheet at RamblinJackson.com/HellYes.
JACK JOSTES, CEO RAMBLIN JACKSON
2) Clarify your Hell NO Customers. Hear me out for a moment: A while back, I scheduled an HVAC company to come out to my house that’s about 30 minutes outside of Boulder. I was given a large expected arrival time window and 10 minutes later, they called back and canceled the appointment, stating that they don’t have a license. Suspecting that something was up, I dug a little deeper and found that they did, indeed, have an active license in Boulder County, but because of the distance, they didn’t want to come out to my home.
P.S. Join me for the “How to Say No to Bad-Fit Landscape Clients (Without Being a Jerk)” workshop on Jan. 27. Here, I’ll be sharing script templates, resources, and actionable examples of how you can finally start saying “no.” Register for this free webinar at RamblinJackson.com/Events
But why couldn’t they just tell me that? If they had a clear Hell Yes and Hell No Customer list, they would’ve known that we’d both
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Read It in Your Truck on a Rainy Day
IS NEUROPLASTICITY THE SECRET TO SUCCESS? Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change and adapt throughout your life, forming new connections that can have a direct impact on your energy, productivity, focus, creativity, motivation, and much more. Your brain can expand and grow even after an injury. by the journal PLOS One discovered that getting six or fewer hours of sleep was associated with memory and executive function problems, i.e. problem-solving, planning, and execution. So, make sure you get enough sleep before tackling your day. 6 Scientifically Proven Ways to Boost Your Brain Power
That’s why many entrepreneurs are saying the same thing: One of the smartest ways to invest in your business is to devote resources to your most important asset — your brain. But how do you keep your brain active, healthy, and functioning at a high level? Param Dedhia, MD, says six key areas are involved: sleep, exercise, joy, nutrition, internal medicine, and inflammation. All of these factors work independently, but together, they can promote neuroplasticity, which is why they all require equal attention. Everyone wants to stay engaged with the world around them, but you can’t do that without sleep. In fact, research published
Exercise is crucial because, according to brain plasticity researchers at IOS Press, exercise “alters the synaptic structure and function in various brain regions,” promoting brain growth and even delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Promoting growth can also be as simple (or as difficult) as focusing our attention on thoughts that bring us joy. Gratitude promotes very different brain activity than negativity, anger, or bitterness, and studies on gratitude show that the positive effects can be lifelong. Nutrition can’t be understated either, since it can assist your body in maintaining health and fighting inflammation. The brain uses about 20% of the body’s
calories, and eating plenty of omega-3 fatty acids can strengthen brain cells, while antioxidants reduce cellular stress and inflammation, which are linked to brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. With the right habits, you can keep your brain healthy for many decades to come. You might even grow in entirely new and unexpected ways.
COMPANY GROWTH AND EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION CULTURE COINS MORE THAN A GAME
I was inspired by a recent conversation with Wade Martin of Martin Landscapes, as he shared with me how dramatically his business improved when he invested in his culture, core values, vision, and mission. He and his human resources director even created a fun game using something called Culture Coins that has been a hit with his team. He said one of the things he’s done that has had a huge impact on company growth was hiring a full-time HR director who is dedicated to working on labor and retention. Celebrating milestones goes
values of the company written on them and a dollar value of $5, $10, or $20. Employees earn them for safety, production, or just being a good person and doing good for someone else. At the end of the month, the employees turn them in, and they can see on the TVs in the office who’s leading in Culture Coins. They can use their Culture Coins to buy company swag, a paid day off, a day of fishing with Wade, or lunch for their team. It has become a huge hit for the company, and you can also learn a lot about a person. For example, when a team leader takes those chips they’ve earned and buys lunch
hand in hand with retention, and they celebrate birthdays with a gift bag. For anniversaries, Wade makes a point to call employees or go see them on the job site to congratulate and thank them. While those may seem like small actions, they go a long way in letting team members know they are appreciated. Wade and his HR director also introduced Culture Coins, which are poker chips that have the core
for their team, it demonstrates just how much they care about others.
More often than not, we see the people we work with more than our own families, and it brings a lot of joy to see the team cheering one another on, high-fiving, and building morale. For more HR tips and culture- building strategies, check out our blog post at RamblinJackson.com/ water-your-roots-with-culture-coins.
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Read It in Your Tru
TAKE A BREAK
Get your copy of “The Tree of Good Fortune: The Landscaper’s Guide to Modern Sales and Marketing” at TreeOfGoodFortune.com! Webinar: How To Say No to Clients (Without Being a Jerk) Jan. 27, 2022, 9–10 a.m. MDT Location: Virtual UPCOMING EVENTS
BLANKET CARNATION COLD EMMYS
FOOTBALL GARNET JANUS MITTENS
PARADE RESOLUTION SNOW WORKOUT
Jack Jostes at iLandscape 2022 Feb. 3, 2022, 8:00–9:15 a.m. CDT Location: Utopia CD Room, Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center, Schaumburg, IL RamblinJackson.com/events
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uck on a Rainy Day
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PO Box 1429 • Lyons, CO 80540 (303) 544-2125 • ramblinjackson.com
1 Saying No to Bad-Fit Clients 2 Make Neuroplasticity Your Secret to Success 2 Company Growth and Employee Appreciation 3 Upcoming Events 4 What Makes a Successful Landscape Leader? INSIDE
The 3 Habits They Have in Common As we ring in the new year, we may find ourselves reflecting on the past and looking to the future, making our resolutions for an even better year to come — this could mean big things for our businesses, families, personal health, or all of the above. I’ve recently met with several successful business owners in the Green Industry and was intrigued to find three habits that they all have in common and how they really resonate with the new year. 1. They Wake Up Early: Kelly from Pleasant Landscapes gets up very early, as does Scott Callenius from Forever Green Landscape Services. The quiet moments in the morning allow them to take on the day with clarity, and it results in a much better day and week. 2. They Exercise: In a recent mastermind, we had a discussion about avoiding burnout. This group of landscape business owners all agreed that in order to take care of yourself, exercising daily is essential. Most people who wake up early choose that time to implement their exercise routine. WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL LANDSCAPE LEADER?
3. They Read: Leaders are readers, and I personally find this to be the most important of the three habits listed here. Interestingly, many of the folks I’ve talked to are listening to audiobooks (and those who enjoy multitasking say they do so while working out). Scott from Kasel Rocks Landscape Company shared that he strives to grow through reading and takes action from those books to help succeed and grow his company. I am a huge advocate for audiobooks and videobooks because as business owners and leaders, you are constantly on the go, whether you’re out driving, doing snow removal, whatever it may be, you can use that time to listen to an audiobook while getting things done. As you reflect on the new year, I encourage you to adopt as many of these habits as you can, and you’ll be setting yourself up for a successful 2022.
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Get a Free, Personal Video Review Of Your Website! • ramblinjackson.com/webreview
Attention Midwest Landscapers! Stop Losing on Price and Start Winning Your Hell Yes Customers!
See “Tree of Good Fortune” author and “Landscaper’s Guide to Sales & Marketing” podcast host Jack Jostes present The Tree of Good Fortune Feb. 3, 2022, 8:00–9:15 a.m. CDT
Utopia CD Room, iLandscape Show, Schaumburg, IL
Download a free chapter of “The Tree of Good Fortune” and see an Illinois Landscape Contractor’s case study video at RamblinJackson.com/iLandscape
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