Marketing | The Lawn Blog - Green Industry Information Resource, Landscaping, Lawn Care Richard Murphy

How your truck can be your salesman…www.mytakeacard.com

July 28th, 2009
Filed under Business, General, Marketing

Increase your sales with this addition to your marketing campaign

I have found a fantastic new product that I have to share with the green industry. Pictured to above is a clear plastic business card holder that affixes to your vehicle, store front, signs…you name it.

I received mine a week ago and installed it right away. It went on very easy using adhesive strips. I would recommend that you measure and level where you want it on your vehicle to avoid crooked placement. It also comes with a handy “Take A Card” vinyl graphic to go above or below your holder…I put mine above the holder.

The holders are made from durable plastic and are virtually water proof. They have a strong spring snap down lid that won’t let water in. Trust me we have had sever thunderstorms here in Central Ontario for the past week and my business cards are still bone dry. I would recommend that you take out the cards if you pressure wash your vehicle as the extreme water pressure will cause the flap to lift if you are not careful.

I’ll post a photo to show it on my work truck. I placed the holder on my rear door window for maximum visibility.

takemycard

The card holder works for you when you are not around. At the jobsite, hardware store, buying groceries, the mall…it will hand out your business card for you 24/7, just as long as you keep it stocked up. I put 10 business cards in mine eight days ago now and refilled it up today…seven were missing, I am very pleased.

These card holders also come in different styles. One with different color lids to stand out. And if you really want an impact the round holder jumps off the page making sure potential clients take your card.

To learn more about these great products and to see what else they offer visit www.mytakeacard.com

Just to let everyone know that this is not a sales pitch and I am not collecting any profits from sales here. This is just my honest opinion about a great product. It still amazes me that the simplest of products are usually the best ideas.

EDIT: About 15 minutes after I posted this I received my first phone call from a woman that took my card while I was shopping yesterday evening. I now think I need another one for the passenger side. Everyone that owns a business needs one of these. If you have any direct questions or comments please post them here or email us at office@thelawnblog.com

The Lawn Blog rates this product a 5 out of 5.

5star

Richard Murphy
11 Comments »

10 Rules for Lawn Care or Landscaping Sales Success

March 9th, 2009
Filed under Marketing

Chestin Salisbury Headshot

Looking to bump up your closing ratio when doing sales presentations for your lawn care or landscaping business?

Give these 10 suggestions a try and see if they don’t help increase your closing rate:

1. Be enthusiastic. Nothing has more power to sell than enthusiasm, especially if you’re enthusiastic because you truly believe your products and services are THE BEST.

2. Set goals, make a plan, make it happen. Start by defining EXACTLY what you want to achieve, both short and long term, create a road map for making it happen, and then get to work.

3. Sell to help your customer first. Yes, you got into sales so you could make a living for you and your family, but if that’s your primary concern you’ll never achieve the results you could IF you focused first on solving your customers problems or satisfying their needs. Remember, you’ll get everything you’ve ever wanted if you first help others get what they want!

4. Believe in your company and its services. If you don’t believe that you and your company can indeed provide THE BEST products and/or lawn care and landscaping services available it’ll be hard to be truly enthusiastic. If needed, spend some time figuring out what needs to change so you CAN believe in your company.

5. Establish long term relationships. Remember, your customers are your MOST valuable asset. Focus the necessary time, money, and energy required to establish long term relationship and your business will flourish for years to come.

6. Qualify the buyer. Never waste time with someone that really isn’t qualified or interested in what you’re offering. If you do your marketing correctly, it should do most of this qualification for you so you can spend your time CLOSING these qualified prospects.

7. Be on time and look professional. People want to work with the best and if you can’t be on time or look professional it screams of a lack of professionalism. Lateness says, “I don’t respect your time” and looking unprofessional says, “I don’t truly believe in the value of my company or the services we offer.”

8. Sell benefits, not features. The customer doesn’t care about how you do what you do, all they care about is how what you do will make their life easier.

9. Anticipate and overcome objections. You know there will be questions or concerns about the service proposal you’re presenting so be prepared for them. Understand your products and services well enough and have the answers prepared so when your prospects voice their objections you know how to handle them effortlessly.

10. Have fun! Going back to rule #1, enthusiasm can overcome a lot, but you’ve got to have fun if you want to be enthusiastic. You’ll have a great deal more success if you enjoy what you’re doing because you’ll work harder and you’ll convey your enjoyment of your work to others.

So, as you’re looking for ways to grow your lawn care business, keep these 10 principles in mind the next time you do a sales presentation and watch your closing ratio improve dramatically.

For more information about how to effectively market your lawn care business, visit www.FREELawnCareMarketingSecrets.com.