It Can Be a Great Time to be in Business

This is the time when great companies are made.

This was the message from Jim McCutcheon, president of Austell, Texas-based landscape company HighGrove Partners, during the Webinar titled “It’s a Great Time to Be in Business,” hosted by JP Horizons.

“If everyone runs their business exactly as they did in 2007 and 2008, unfortunately there will be a number of folks that won’t be here next year,” he said.

With the country officially in a recession, many companies won’t be able to operate as if it’s business as usual. With this in mind, McCutcheon shared what he believes are practices to help businesses to not only survive the uncertain times but possibly even benefit from them.

Take the opportunity to rise above the competition, McCutcheon said.

“Great companies have to take the lead,” he said. “It’s not the time to be a middle-of-the-road company.”

Everyone in the company needs to provide leadership, he said.

Don’t Be a ‘Contractor’

Differentiating your company from others has become even more important in these times, said Blake Smith, president of Christmas Décor, Lubbock, Texas based operator of home and business Christmas decorating franchises. He told Webinar attendees not to be “contractors” – contractors are looked at as being always late, rough in appearance and rarely follow through with appointments.

“There are going to be fewer clients with more choices,” Smith said. “Evaluate your organization and your service. Get your team together and figure out what you’re doing that’s remarkable and memorable.”

Smith realizes it’s not possible to please all customers all of the time. Be proactive to settle clients’ problems so they don’t have a chance to stew on it, he suggested.

Some problems can be prevented by avoiding assumptions.

“We think we know what the customer wants, but that might not be high on the customer’s priority list,” he said.

Smith used a short survey to find out what was on his customers’ priority lists. Five questions helped him learn which key service items were most important to them.

“Focus on getting that customer that will appreciate the finer points of your service,” he said.

Smith suggested spending more time on fewer clients and finding openings for other offerings for those clients.

“At the end of the day, relationships solidify customer renewals,” he said.

Sink More Into People, Less Into Operating Costs

Take advantage of the fact that fewer companies are likely to be hiring now, said Mark Hjelle, president of Gaithersburg, Md.-based landscape and maintenance company The Brickman Group.

“There’s a lot of talent out in the marketplace when people aren’t hiring,” he said.

Once you have that talent, be sure to keep the employees engaged.

“It takes a lot of communication,” Hjelle said. “Teach your guys to be smart business people. Think about how to invest in yourselves to be great going forward.”

In terms of finances, now’s the time to take a hard look at your business and make strategic changes, Hjelle said.

“Reduce operating costs – use a scalpel, not a hatchet,” he said. “Take five minutes out of your daily routine to look for ways to make process improvements. Five minutes a day at one branch can be a significant savings.”