Contractor Mark Bradley of The Beach Gardener discusses how a plan to turn his foremen into “mini owners” has helped his residential design/build company go from $3.5 million in sales to more than $7 million. And they’ve done it without adding a single employee! Bradley spoke to a crowd of contractors attending the JP Horizons “A Better Way” Reunion Jam in New Orleans March 5-6.
Once you’ve figured out what your man-hour rate actually is, it’s crucial to understand how that rate will constantly change and evolve—which directly impacts your estimating process. Tommy Ganz and Rick Beaver of the American Landscape Maintenance Association are back to explain how understanding your “true costs” will put you well on your way to winning more bids.
In this first installment of “Bob’s Business Tips,” business trainer Bob Clements talks about what dealers need to be doing in order to maintain their customer service edge once things heat up this spring. Once you’ve finished listening to this podcast, visit Learn on my PC for an exclusive opportunity to work through Bob’s online training modules for “dealing with difficult customers” and “the power of attitude and choice.” User name is yandg. Password is podcast.
In this installment of “The Bottom Line with Tony Bass,” Tony and Doug Robbins of Robbins Landscaping, a 2008 Pros in Excellence award winner, talk about what Doug is doing to improve his company’s online marketing efforts this year through an enhanced website, search engine optimization, and the use of social media such as Facebook.
Consultant Jeffrey Scott discusses three of the biggest mistakes contractors can make that will prevent their company’s growth: trying to be all things to all people, not delegating certain business development activities, and not measuring the effectiveness of those business development activities.
This Florida install/maintenance/irrigation contractor actually grew his sales by more than $100,000 last year—and he did it by relying primarily on an Internet marketing strategy. In this installment of “The Bottom Line with Tony Bass,” Tony presses Chris Risalvato of C&A Landscape Maintenance on what his secret to effective Internet marketing really is.
Bill Hildebolt, president of the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), and Terrill Collier, chair of the board for the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA), discuss how the two organizations have been on the path to possible unification for several years. As the prospect of unifying the two associations becomes much closer to reality, the two leaders describe what a possible joining of forces would mean for their landscape contractor and tree service company members.
Jim Paluch, a longtime consultant to the Green Industry, describes how asking a handful of critical questions about your business can help you clear just about any hurdle. Those questions revolve around three primary components: your employees, your customers and your financials. Listen in to hear Jim explain what those specific questions are, along with how the answers can help you find your better way of doing business.
If you want to sustain your company over the next 36 months, you’ll need to get your prices in line with not only what the market will bear, but also what your company can endure. Step 1 is figuring out what your man-hour rate really should be. Tommy Ganz and Rick Beaver of the American Landscape Maintenance Association (ALMA) are here to help us break it all down.
Landon Wise, a young Florida contractor in business for four years, has never had a budget for his business. But as his company has grown, Landon knew that had to change. So he sat down with consultant Tony Bass, and eight hours later he had a budget in place that will allow him to grow revenue, cut costs, and plan for his financial well-being well into the future. Listen in to hear Landon and Tony describe how they did it.
