Sales Tips: Introduction

Sales tips, is an article designed to help new landscape companies develop sales skills.

It will help you by converting more leads into getting landscaping jobs.

This is the first article in our series designed to help you improve your landscaping business.

At Dream-yard we love feedback, and we would love to hear from other professionals in the industry.

If you have some great tips to add to our site, please feel free to contact us so we can help others.

With fierce competition and an unstable economy from one year to the next, great sales skills are becoming more and more important. By combining your sales skills with, high quality work, and top notch customer service you will have your recipe for success.

If landscaping is seasonal in your region, the winter is a great time to brush up on some reading. You can develop sales skills that will give you an edge over your competition all summer. So put down that beer, turn off the hockey game, and use your time wisely developing sales skills.

I know what some of you are thinking. I HATE sales. I dread doing it, and get nervous when I have to make sales calls.

We know this is true for so many of us. That is why we won't try to implant a step by step sales process into your head. Instead we are going to simplify something that is often overcomplicated.

Over the years I have heard many different motivational speakers and sales trainers talk about the secret to being a successful salesperson. The secret is, there is no secret. What makes you a great salesperson is being “resourceful”. Essentially taking what you see, learn, read, and hear then putting it all together into a plan (sales process) that works best for you.

I have also seen corporate sales programs that have been pushed from coast to coast. I don't believe that this method always works either. Just like our preparation work can vary with the climate, so can our sales processes in different regions. Local economic conditions can sometimes impact our methods.

What may work for you “there”, may not work for me “here”. That doesn't mean to say that you can't change the methods used in your area to make things a little more profitable for your company either.

For example: You don't have to give free quotes if everyone else does. Sometimes trying different strategies can bring great success.

So our goal is to add some key points that may help you. YOU are going to take and work with the key points that you think may benefit you in your sales process. We are also going to give you a tip on how to bring comfort to your sales call right at the start. This will help set a friendly tone to it.

In most parts of the world, the landscaping industry has very few governing bodies to set standards and qualifications. What this means, is that there are many unqualified people out there doing poor quality work. Some are charging professional work prices for sub-standard work, while others are just undercutting prices severely.

On the positive side of this competition, it does keep prices somewhat in check. We have all seen greedy price gouging in boom times, leaving many companies scrambling during the next recession. Most of us just want to do the best work we can, for fair market prices.

Sure you can charge more for your work, but if you want to do it consistantly, you have to earn that right. There is always a market of people willing to pay a little more for good quality work and service.


A simple philosophy to follow is:

Show and sell on quality work, for the deposit check or contract. Back it up and prove it for final payment.

I have heard complaints while standing in line at suppliers, seminars or trade shows about some of the above statements. They will say things like, “We are losing work.” “We keep getting undercut.” “We just aren't getting the jobs.” “No one has any money.” Sometimes it's like they have this sense of entitlement that they should get every job from every lead.

Business just doesn't work like that.

Just because you have experience, qualifications, awards, years in the business, a good reputation and a good portfolio does not mean you will get the work.

However, if you can combine all these things with great sales skills, you will walk away with more signed contracts and deposit checks than you ever have before.

Why talk about improving sales skills?

Simple, it works. Developing effective sales skills will increase your conversion factor, turning more leads into jobs. Once you improve your sales skills, you can also work on other things that will greatly help your business. Improving morale, productivity, attitude, efficiency, customer service, and training of employees.

These are just a few of the things that we will deal with in other articles.

Marketing, building referrals, websites, and networking is another article also on the horizon.

By combining all of these components you will not only get more money for your services, you will have earned them.

So let's get started with Selling Yourself.


Table of Contents: Sales Tips

Introduction: Sales Tips

A. Selling Yourself

B. Landscaping Customers: What makes them buy from You?

C. Steps in the Sales Process

D. Asking for the Business

E. Follow Up


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