CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Price is always a factor when selling landscape services, but it’s not the only one. Quality of work, marketing techniques and customer communication can also play a role.
Representatives from about a dozen landscape companies touched on this topic during day two of the Associated Landscape Contractors of America’s Breakfast With Champions roundtable session at the Green Industry Expo in Charlotte on Nov. 5. They gathered around one of 85 tables in a ballroom at the Westin Charlotte hotel where contractors discussed a variety of topics.
When first selling to a potential customer, sales representatives need to be careful in their approach, Jay Witte, account manager, GroundMasters, Hebron, Ky., told the group.
“You need to build confidence in the relationship, which starts with the salesperson,” Witt says. “You don’t want the customer to come in and feel like they’re being sold a new car.”
In addition to avoiding high-pressure sales tactics, sales associates should make sure the customer is immediately familiarized with the company’s account representative, Witte says.
“If it’s a large property, a lot of times I’ll go with the salesperson and do a takeoff,” Witte says. “We want them to see when he’s done selling the job, you’ve got me. They get to feel it – that you’re going to be my person for the next three years. If it’s a $70,000 contract, I want to be involved because I’m responsible for anything he sells.”
Jan Cunningham, chief financial officer of Phoenix-based Coy Landscaping, also says there needs to be a seamless transition between the sales representative and the account manager.
“Most salespeople know there’s an accountability factor if you’re selling relationships,” Cunningham explained to the participants. “It’s one representation of the company. Don’t let them think they have to go into a job without having an account manager with them. Account managers are an extremely important part of the company.”
Witte says just because he’s overseeing an account doesn’t mean the sales representative is no longer involved.
“I don’t have a problem with having a dual relationship,” he says. “Once I build a good relationship with a customer and they say I’ve got these other properties, then I’ll hand it off to the salesperson,” Witte says.
After account managers establish relationships with their clients, they should ensure open lines of communication to help prevent losing accounts when their contracts expire, several participants explained. Jay Ketcham, sales manager for Olathe, Kan.-based Signature Landscape, says he meets with customers before their contracts end to find out how the company can retain their business. This way, Ketcham says he can take steps to either renew the clients’ contracts or to begin seeking other accounts to replace them if their demands are unreasonable.
“If I go to a customer and he wants me to cut 20 percent, tell me now so I can get another account,” says Ketcham, describing what he seeks during these meetings. “You know us and our services and our quality. If you’re going to do something because of price, I need to know today.”
Participants also noted that they’ve been more successful selling based on image and quality rather than trying to outbid their competitors. Contractors first need to define what quality is because it’s difficult to show to potential customers in the green industry, Witte says.
“Quality service, to me, is to get them to buy into what you’re all about,” says Witte. “You have to paint a picture for them.”
Sales representatives should also explain to clients exactly what type of services they provide, including the products they use and how many times the contractor will be cutting their lawns, says Robert Maffei, president, Robert Maffei Landscape Contractors, Marstons Mills, Mass.