Listen Up! Because today I’m going to share with you
what just might be your most powerful landscaping
or Lawn Care Business marketing tip

What I want to share with you a little marketing “gem”
that is extremely important. When put into action, this
strategy alone could as much as double your sales and
profits. It doesn’t matter if you are marketing landscaping,
lawn care, irrigation, tree care, tree removal….

The strategy I’m speaking of is called “proof”.

Each week I critique postcards, flyers, sales letters,
websites and other marketing pieces for my clients and
members.  And although “proof” is one of the most
effective and powerful tools that we can employ in our
marketing – it is THE MOST under-used.

Remember, buyers are more skeptical today than ever
before.

So – you really need to “back up” everything you say
in your marketing and advertising with “proof”.

Want to find out for yourself? 

I challenge you to take your best landscaping postcard
or lawn care flyer and simply add a few testimonials from
some of your happy clients. 

Then put out 200 fliers (or postcards) with testimonials
and another 200 without.

Measure the results of each and see which one works
best. In order to track your response remember to code
the flyers so that you can determine which flier each
call is coming from. This is called a “split-test”.

Just by adding “proof” with the use of testimonials,
you WILL improve your response rates.

Marketing guru Dan Kennedy often says, “you need a
preponderance of proof in all your marketing”. This
basically means that you need overwhelming evidence
that what you say is true.

And don’t believe for one minute that this is not just
as important and effective in lawn care marketing,
or landscape business advertising of any kind.

And – what someone else says about you is TEN TIMES
more powerful (and believable) than anything you could
say about yourself or your company.

In landscaping and lawn care industries, the best form
of proof is in testimonials from satisfied clients. And the
more specific the testimonial the better.

A testimonial with the clients initials following it
is better than nothing – BUT a testimonial followed by
a full name and address along with a picture of the
client is far more powerful.

Details and specifics separate “good” testimonials
from “great” ones.

Also – the more proof the better. If you only have a
few testimonials, don’t spread them out on a page where
there is white space left over. Place them on a small
piece of paper so it looks like you really had to cram
them in.

Your testimonials shoud be a third-party answer to the
most pressing objections and questions that your
prospects typically have.

So how do you get your clients to give you great
testimonials?

Well, the short answer is YOU ASK THEM.  In fact, in
many cases you can even tell them exactly what to say.

Often times, you can get the specific testimonials that
you want just by asking the right questions.

Questions like: What specifically do you like best about
our services? What problems were you experiencing before
you hired us? What were your doubts and fears about hiring
a new landscaper or lawn care company?

It’s a fact:  The more proof you have, the easier all of
your marketing and selling will be and the more money you
will put in your bank account.

In my next message, I’m going to give you a simple and
proven campaign that you can put to work in your company
right away to start getting some high-quality testimonials
to use as “proof”.
To your success,

Larry
**********************************************

Business Building Resources Located At:

http://www.GreenIndustrySuccess.com

httP://www.GreenIndustryNewsletter.com
*********************************************

===================================
The Outdoor Lighting Lab is now LIVE
=====================================

Attention: Landscape Contractors, Lawn Care Operators,
Landscape Lighting Contractors, Outdoor Lighting Business
Owners, Christmas Lighting Business, Holiday Lighting and
Decorating Businesses!
Just a quick message to let you know
that the brand new outdoor lighting and
holiday lighting membership opporunity
is now LIVE.

You can view all the details here:

http://www.OutDoorLightingLab.com

They tell me there are only 50 memberships
available and 9 are already accounted for.

I’ve made a fortune in Outdoor Lighting
and Holiday Lighting and highly recommend
that ANY landscape business or lawn care
business seriously consider adding these
additonal services to their current service
offerings.

===

SIDE NOTE: You might not realize this, but
it’s a fact that landscape businesses and
lawn care business over the last two years
is DOWN on average about 26% accross the
board over the last two years (granted,
there plenty of contractors who really
understand positioning, marketing and
relationship building that continue to
grow their companies by double-digits
even in this economy.

However, the numbers in outdoor lighting
have CONTINUED to Increase DESPITE the
economy!

===

The profits are just TOO GOOD to pass-up,
and the dollar per man hour you can charge
are at least double what you get in your
landscaping services.

This opportunity is being sponsored by
the leading manufacturers in the industry,
and the speaker line-up for the initial
4 day event (there are actually 3 live
events over the course of one year),is
stellar.

(they have even asked me to give a short
presentation on day 2, but even if they
hadn’t, believe me when I tell you that
I would be attending anyway and vigorously
taking notes in order to help my peronal
clients).

Whether you aleady offer lighting services,
or if you are looking to add another great
profit center, or even IF you are interested
in starting a new service business from
scratch…this membership program has been
desinged for you.

Check it out now — and even if you decide
not to join, at least get the f-r-e-e info
that Chuck is offering at the site.

The all new ‘monthly newsletter’ that he
is launching in a couple months, is SURE
to be THE MOST valuable tool you can have
as a lighting contractor.

Chuck is not committed to any one product
line, but keeps up with all of the new
innovations and breakthroughs in the
industry, and his new publicaion is all
about introducing and revewing the latest
and greatest stragegies and products in
this industry and sharing with yoy exactly
when and how to use this stuff.

Like I said, he is offering a complimentary
membership to this as well as instant access
to one of the best ‘A-Z’ training manuals
available in the industry just for checking
out his new membership program.

You need to get this before it’s too late!

Again, the website they have put up with
all the details is at:

http://www.OutDoorLightingLab.com

OR – if you want to get the complimentary
newsletter subscription and instnat access
to the business manuals, you can qucikly and
easily grab those at:

http://www.OutDoorLightingLab.com/welcome.html

Yours For Green Industry Profits,

Larry

PS: It’s no joke..this is very time sensitive
as only about 40 membership spots are left and
it’s only been ‘online’ for a few hours.

SO – even if you don’t register, get over
their ASAP and AT LEAST grab the no-cost
stuff…it will be worth a minute of your
time!!

http://www.OutDoorLightingLab.com/welcome.html

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
www.GreenIndustrySuccess.com
www.GreenIndustryNewsletter.com
www.LandscapeBusiness.org
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Many of my subscribers, both landscapers, and lawn care business owners that have caught on to my way of building a successful landscape business (mainly through the loads of free content I offer at my my main site: http://www.greenindustrysuccess.com have been asking me lately what type of information you can use to educate potential landscaping clients or potential lawn care companies, etc..

Now of course everyone who has purchased my Platinum Marketing and Landscaping business building system has tons of this type information, sales letter, post cards, ads, landscaping reports, lawncare reports all done for them in the toolkits they recieve along with my system.  If you haven’t taken a look at it I recommend you do.  Over 700 landscape contractors and lawn maintenance businesses, even tree care businesses and landscape lighting businesses are using my system with huge success.  You can check it out right here (in fact we have a Fall sale going on right now!).

Anyway, as always I firmly believe in sharing information for free even if you are not a current client or subscriber.  So, today I decided to give you some tid-bit articles that you can use right now to educate your landscaping or lawncare prospects and clients.   So, enjoy the next three posts and use them information in your own marketing. A little bit of free info goes along wayin gaining trust and selling landscaping jobs and adding new lawncare clients as well.

Best,

Larry Brown, CLP

www.greenindustrysuccess.com

=====

Creating Constant Curb Appeal With Your Landscaping

An important aspect of any property is its curb appeal or rather, how it looks as a whole. Color, symmetry and texture all play important roles in creating positive curb appeal and with just a little planning, you can enjoy constant curb appeal all year round. Here’s some things to consider when designing your landscape.

 Color

Color is an essential piece to the curb appeal puzzle. Different colors elicit different emotional responses so it makes sense to group your colors accordingly.

 Warm colors such as red, yellow and orange, generally attract attention and excite the senses, making them ideal for drawing your visitors to a certain area or focal point. Warm colors also tend to feel “cozier” than their cool counterparts so if you want to create an intimate setting, warm colored accents are your best bet.

 Cooler colors – blue, green and purple – create the opposite effect, providing a relaxing and soothing atmosphere. And where warmer colors give space a more intimate feel, cool colors can make a space seem bigger than it is.

 Hardscape

While your plantings may change from season to season, year after year, hardscape fixtures provide continuity to your landscape. Fountains, decks, walkways and other permanent fixtures remain constant focal points regardless of climate or season and create strategic focal points that can tie the rest of your landscape together. When planning your landscape, consider adding a few stone or wooden elements to round out flower beds and foliage.

 Texture

In the case of landscaping, “texture” actually covers two different aspects: the first refers to the texture of the plants and hardscape itself. Is it flat and smooth? Flowing? Prickly? Different textures can be combined to give your landscape depth and definition or use similar textures to create continuity around a specific focal point, such as a walkway or flower bed.

 The second way texture is used in landscaping is in the form of the fixture or planting. Tall versus short, square versus round… the shape of your landscaping element can either tie two focal points together or create a point of interest all its own. Shrubs and trees for example, tend to be used as a backdrop for smaller plantings while stones and bricks can create a pathway from one area to another.

 Line

As your landscape begins to take shape, you’ll notice distinctive lines or paths from one area to another. If you’ve planned well, these lines will form a flowing path throughout your lawn or garden, allowing the viewer to move from one area to another without obstruction. These lines also direct and guide the viewer’s gaze so if they don’t flow, your landscaping could end up feeling chaotic and overwhelming. To avoid this, use texture, color and hardscaping elements wisely to create a natural flow throughout your landscape.

 Balance

Just as your landscape needs lines and texture, it must also have balance. Too many contrasting colors or large hardscaping elements grouped closely together can produce a cluttered effect, leaving the viewer feeling claustrophobic. Your landscape should maintain a balance of strong focal points – beds, seating and fountains – rounded out by softer, flowing elements such as pathways and groundcovers. Proper balance gives the viewer the chance to enjoy each element individually without being inundated by too much color and texture all at once.

Want to talk about your landscaping issues? Give us a call – we’d love to help you find the perfect landscaping theme for your property.