Now is a good time to look into upgrading your equipment. Contact your local Exmark dealer to learn more about your options.
For many landscaping companies, winter is often the time when everything gets packed up and closed for the season. Instead of trimming lawns and seeding fields, you may be looking at months of slow traffic and low income.
While there are ways to diversify your business (especially when it comes to snow and ice removal), you can also use this time to grow your business for the coming year. Plan ahead for the spring mowing season so that you’re ready to hit the ground running—or mowing—as soon as the first thaw arrives.
- Research the Competition: Any good business will have an idea of what services area competitors offer and how much they charge for them. Now is a good time to explore what other people are saying about your competitors—and to look into what they’re doing in terms of promotions and expansions. This doesn’t always have to be a negative thing. Many landscaping companies band together to provide more comprehensive services or to center on specific geographical areas. By getting to know the other landscapers operating nearby and putting out feelers, you can start building a stronger business.
- Make a Social Media Strategy: For good or for bad, social media is here to stay. You might not think tending lawns and posting on Twitter go hand-in-hand, but they do. Since you’ll have more time during the winter, start building up profiles on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, or any other sites you deem relevant. You might be surprised how quickly a few informative YouTube videos on lawn care can boost your visibility and expertise.
- Teach Classes: Most landscapers have a lot more knowledge at their fingertips than they realize. Put that knowledge to good use by teaching others what you know. This can be done via YouTube videos (as mentioned above), by finding a local urban gardening or lawn care group that might want to hire speakers, or even by keeping your own team up-to-date on the latest techniques. Now is also a good time to take classes, if you need them. Learning more about the production cycle can help you become a better landscaper.
- Find New Suppliers: Are you getting the best deal on your seed and sod? Does your lawn mower dealer provide year-round customer service that puts you at the center? A winter lull in business means you have more time to network and build the kind of relationships that could lead to discounted supplies and deals on equipment.
- Scheduling/Staffing: There are lots of great tools and software out there for streamlining the way you schedule and staff your team. Look into your options and test a few of them out. Anything you can do to cut overhead and make it easier on your team will be a windfall come spring.
- Work on Your Brand: How well is your business branded? Does your team have matching uniforms and shirts? If someone sees one of your trucks, do they immediately recognize your company name and tagline? These questions are important—as are ones related to marketing. The business side of running a business isn’t always fun, but it is vital to attracting new clients. Work on things like company image and advertisements so you can run a strong campaign as soon as the spring mowing season starts.
Another great option is to look into upgrading your equipment. You’ve probably already made plans for winter maintenance and repairs to your lawn care equipment, but have you also considered upgrades? If you’re on the fence about upgrading to a new fleet of propane mowers, or if you’d like to expand to include seeding and spraying services, now is a good time to think about it. Contact your local Exmark dealer to learn more about your options and how upgraded equipment can take your lawn care business to the next level.
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