Now or later

They were in the process of acquiring a landscape maintenance company, which would’ve added somewhere between 100 and 200 more clients and a new account manager to Maple Hill Lawn & Garden’s staff. But ultimately, negotiations just stalled a little too long and both parties agreed to table the conversation until January. The last thing they wanted was a messy transition.

Instead, the Whites opted to focus on their own company and hire a new account manager they knew from years of working in the same industry. He has 20 years of experience and one day, after meeting over lunch with the Whites, decided he was open to jumping over to Maple Hill. He’s already proven helpful, though it’s not quite what the Whites had in mind: He’s jumped onto undermanned crews and served as quality control when needed.

“The plan was not to do too much labor-intensive stuff,” Bobby says. “The hardest part for me right now is that I want to get him out of the role he’s in right now, but I can’t tell you the benefits of having someone who’s versatile like that to be able to place him where he’s needed.”

The new guy’s been tasked with other responsibilities largely because Maple Hill lost some valuable employees before the season started for varying reasons, like finding a slightly higher-paying job or wanting to switch industries.

The Whites have also dealt with an unexpected rash of disciplinary issues they’ve never had like this before, like someone on their crews placing business cards – but not Maple Hill’s business cards – in clients’ mailboxes. Lauren also recalled an incident where Bobby pulled one of his employees randomly for a field job he jumped in on, but Bobby noticed the employee – who had been at Maple Hill for several months – simply didn’t know how to do their job.

In searching for new talent, the Whites agreed to pay more for less people, but those new hires will be held to a higher standard than before. In particular, they’re looking for two new drivers. Lauren admits the search isn’t going well yet, but the opportunity to start fresh and trust their crews with more responsibilities is exciting.

“We’re cleaning house, which is a good thing,” Lauren says. “Sometimes it’s good to get rid of old blood because they learn bad habits and tricks. To really get some really good crew leaders and drivers, pay them well but expect the world of them. He’s been able to rethink what we need out of those drivers.”

One thing the Harvesters have tasked Bobby with is devising a list of 200 possible clients they’d like to have someday. This campaign, which the Harvesters call “2@200,” involves an effort to become somebody’s second choice for their landscaping business.

“To me, it honestly makes sense. When your guy sucks, call us,” Lauren says. “It’s okay to be No. 2, but you’re the first person they think of when they’ve had it with their current person.”

Bobby says just about every landscaper thinks about their ideal clients. Maybe it’s a lot of retail stores or a cluster of apartments or homes they pass every day. Either way, marketing plans like the 2@200 promote taking a stab at clients who would be a good match for your landscaping company.

Bobby says he’ll reach out to these clients with branded, practical gifts like a notepad, as well as a bid packet and a list of the pain points Bobby identified on their properties that Maple Hill could help improve.

“We’re looking for some of the game-changers, as Ed calls it, some of the locations that you’d think would be outside of your realm and still go after them,” Bobby says. “You’d be surprised at how many people follow up. It’s to be on the mindset of those decision-makers so that when bid time comes around, they remember that stack of sticky notes on their desk that has the company logo on it.”