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FEBRUARY 2026 The Landscaper’s Guide to Modern Sales and Marketing Newsletter Signal Scarcity With One Simple Email The Follow-Up That Feels Human and Sells Hard
The Capacity Email flips that script.
You don’t have a lead problem. You have a follow-up problem.
It said: “Jack, I’m planning my capacity for the next few months. Does it make sense for us to talk?” That was it. Short. Personal. Expecting a reply. And it worked. Immediately. That email reactivated me. Not because it begged for my attention, but because it signaled something powerful: scarcity. This guy wasn’t chasing me. He was planning his workload. He didn’t need me … but there might be room if I moved. We booked the call, the project moved forward, and I walked away with a crystal- clear reminder of how effective this style of email really is. At Ramblin Jackson, we call this a SPEAR email: Short, Personal, Expecting A Reply. I’ve started calling this specific version the “Capacity Email,” and it’s one of the most effective tools landscapers can use to wake up dormant leads right now. You already have them. The estimates you sent last fall. The homeowners who said, “Check back with me.” The commercial prospects who’ve gone quiet. Remember, they’re not dead leads. These people are just busy and distracted. And here’s the mistake I see landscape business owners make every single year: They wait to market until spring is breathing down their neck. By then, you’re scrambling. You’re reacting. You’re busy and stressed instead of booked and confident.
When you send an email that says, in plain language, “I’m planning my availability for February and March, does it make sense to talk?” you do two things at once. You reengage serious buyers, and you position yourself as in-demand. That’s not manipulation. That’s reality. You only have so much capacity, especially in landscaping. This works even better before the rush. When everyone else is waiting for snow to melt or weather to warm up, you’re quietly filling your pipeline with people who are ready to move. That’s exactly why email marketing has now become a core service for us at Ramblin Jackson. Our Landscape Marketing Guides help clients examine their actual pipeline (not vanity metrics) and utilize proven emails, such as the Capacity Email, to convert old conversations into new revenue. If you’re new to Ramblin Jackson and want help dialing this in, book a call at LandscapersGuide.com/brainstorm. If you’re already a client, reach out to your Landscape Marketing Guide and ask about deploying a Capacity Email now.
Your email inbox is full of money you never collected. Old estimates. Half-finished conversations. “Circle back later” prospects that quietly went cold. And while most landscapers wait for spring to magically fix that, the smartest ones are taking aggressive action right now. They’re waking those leads up with one short, strategic email that creates urgency, signals demand, and pulls buyers back into motion. Before I show you exactly how it works, let me tell you the email that stopped me in my tracks and cost absolutely nothing to send. In 2025, one of my business coaches encouraged me to do something I’d been avoiding for years: hiring a developer to build custom software for Ramblin Jackson. In my head, that meant tens of thousands of dollars, endless delays, and a project that would drag on forever. That used to be true. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), it’s not anymore. He introduced me to a developer he personally trusted. We exchanged a few emails. The project made sense. I was interested. And then, even though all my pain points were understood and doubts were cleared, I did what busy CEOs do ... I dropped the ball. No reply. No decision. Radio silence. Weeks went by. Then, one morning, a simple email landed in my inbox, and surprisingly, it was without a pitch, fluff, or a nagging stack of follow-ups.
Because the guys who win spring don’t wait for it. They plan for it.
JACK JOSTES, CEO RAMBLIN JACKSON
RamblinJackson.com • 1
Read It in Your Truck on a Rainy Day
Ring The Bell Spotlight
Because 300 Episodes Isn’t an Accident
Normally, we ring the bell for our clients. This time, we’re ringing it for ourselves. Ramblin Jackson just hit a milestone we’re proud of: 300 podcast episodes. And while that number looks impressive on paper, the real story isn’t the episode count. It’s what the past five years taught us about how digital growth actually works, especially for landscape business owners. Here’s what most people don’t want to hear: Building a real digital presence takes time. Not weeks. Not months. Years. When our CEO, Jack, first started the podcast, there was no studio, no fancy lighting, and no polished production. It was recorded in a shed with an iPhone and a $20
microphone from Amazon. In the summer, it was hot. In the winter, it was freezing. And yes, there’s photo proof of Jack wearing a sport coat to make it look more legit than it was. But we hit record anyway. Fast-forward five years. That same podcast has now passed 75,000 downloads , is one of the top 25% of all Buzzsprout podcasts, and has opened doors we never imagined back then! In January, we spoke at a landscape event in Cancun. Cape Cod followed. Next up: Amelia Island, Florida. None of that was even on the radar when episode one went live. And that’s the point. Contractors often underestimate the time it takes for digital momentum to build, assuming everything is “online.” They assume it should happen overnight. Reviews. Social media. Email lists. Authority. Reputation. It doesn’t work like that. Digital doesn’t mean instant, but it means scalable over time.
kept showing up. We got better. The gear improved. The message sharpened. The audience grew. And eventually, the results showed up in ways that compounded. This is the same lesson we preach to landscape business owners every day. You don’t need a studio. You don’t need perfect branding. You don’t need to wait until things feel “ready.” You need to start. Here’s our challenge to you: one social media video per week for one year. That’s it. No overthinking. No perfection. Just consistency. Do that, and you won’t recognize yourself or your confidence 12 months from now.
The podcast didn’t pay off in its first year. Or year two. Or even year three. But we
Five years from now? You’ll be ringing your own bell and glad that you got started today.
At Ramblin Jackson, we don’t just talk about core values; we reward them. That’s exactly why the Beef Jerky Club exists. It’s our way of recognizing the people who show up, do the right thing, and make this company better every single week. Here’s how it works. Ramblers can nominate a teammate for living out one of our core values. Every month, one of those nominations turns into a real reward, not a pizza party or a pat on the back, but legitimate prizes. We’re talking AirPods, Visa gift cards, and a prize board you actually want to win. But the real prize comes at the end of the year. The team member with the most nominations earns a $1,000 cash bonus, no strings attached. On top of that, the top nominator gets to direct a donation to the nonprofit of their choice, because doing good should ripple outward. We’re excited to announce the 2025 Beef Jerky Club winner: Client Fulfillment Lead Rebecca Lorenzen! This award represents consistency, integrity, and leadership earned the hard way, through daily actions, not empty words. Why We Pay People to Live Our Values
CASH, RESPECT, AND ACCOUNTABILITY ALL IN ONE AWARD
This is how we build culture that lasts. We notice effort. We reward values. And we celebrate wins loudly.
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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
Bach Business Partners (BBP) Sales & Leadership Event Feb. 16–20 • Amelia Island, FL How to Dominate Your Competition With Online Reviews This Spring Feb. 26, 10–11 a.m. MT Virtual Event
TAKE A BREAK
LandscapersGuide.com/events
RamblinJackson.com • 3
uck on a Rainy Day
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1 The Email That Made Me Reply Instantly 2 Ring the Bell Spotlight: It’s Our Turn Today 2 The Beef Jerky Club Is How We Separate Talk From Action 3 Upcoming Events 4 The Review System That Gets Landscapers Picked First by Google INSIDE PO Box 1429 • Lyons, CO 80540 (303) 544-2125 • RamblinJackson.com
If Your Last Review Is Old, Google Already Moved On THE SMART WAY TO STACK REVIEWS BEFORE THE SPRING RUSH
THE 3-STEP REVIEW SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY WORKS Getting reviews doesn’t have to feel
Step 3: Automate the Follow-Up This is where our Ramblin Reviews service shines. Customers are automatically enrolled in a short email and SMS reminder sequence, ensuring reviews are written without your team having to chase them down. GET READY BEFORE THE SEARCH SURGE HITS We launched Ramblin Reviews because landscapers told us the same thing over and over: “I ask for reviews, but it’s unpredictable.” Well, automation fixes that. You can see the proof at RamblinJackson. com/reviews, where this exact system has helped generate 145 Google reviews, and nearly 400 first-party reviews, many carrying the valuable “new” tag Google loves. Spring searches are coming whether you prepare or not. Ramblin Reviews helps you build review momentum before the rush, not scramble during it.
March 20 is the spring equinox, and if you’re a landscape business owner, you already know what that means: phones start ringing and search traffic spikes. The question is whether Google puts your business in front of them, or buries you under competitors who prepared better.
awkward or inconsistent. The landscapers who win use a repeatable system, not hope. Follow our three-step system: Step 1: Ask in Person (Timing Is Everything) The best moment to ask for a review is during the final walkthrough. The job’s done, the customer’s happy, and the experience is fresh. Be direct. Be human. You can even mention that your team is holding a contest on who can get the most reviews, and ask if they can help you win by submitting their own. Trust us, it works. Step 2: Leave a QR Card Behind Good intentions fade fast. A physical QR card puts the reminder in their hand and removes friction. One scan takes them straight to your review options: Google, Facebook, or a first-party review page.
One of the biggest levers right now? Review recency.
WHY REVIEW RECENCY MATTERS MORE THAN EVER Google doesn’t just care how many reviews you have. It cares how recently you earned them. A Google review less than 30 days old gets tagged as “new,” and according to local search ranking surveys, that freshness plays a major role in who shows up at the top. So, you’ve got a new goal. Bring in at least one new Google review every month. More is better, but consistency is what keeps you competitive.
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Get a Free, Personal Video Review of Your Website! • RamblinJackson.com
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