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Meet Your Client, Before You Meet Your Client Dave Freeman, DC Freeman, Featured Writer Believe it or not, I get 80% of the estimates I go out on. Not the easy referral calls, but the hated cold calls. How do I do this? I start selling before I start selling, and meet my clients . . . keep reading
How to Sell Curb Appeal - Literally Jody Shilan, Editor You often hear the term "curb appeal" used when people are talking about selling their homes. But what does curb appeal really mean and why is it so important to landscape designers and design/build contractors? Furthermore, why is it the focus of this . . . keep reading
What's in a Name? Absolutely Everything! Jody Shilan, Editor I have a riddle for you. Which costs more, a yard of soil or a yard of dirt? Ha, it's a trick question. They both cost the same. The important question and the focus of this week's Trade Secret is . . . keep reading
There's an App for That Jody Shilan, Editor Like many of you my Smartphone (iPhone 4S) has become an indispensable part of my business and my life. One needs only to experience a dead battery with no power supply to begin to feel the withdrawal symptoms usually associated with drug addiction. Like . . . keep reading
Respect the Meeting Jody Shilan, Editor One of the most important, yet most hated aspects of the landscape business is attending sales and production "meetings". We all know why: They are a complete waste of time, nobody cares or even listens, nothing is ever accomplished. While this may be your . . . keep reading
There's More Than One Way to Skin a Cat Jody Shilan, Editor Although I have never been a big fan of cats (the animal or the Broadway Show), I've never really understood where the derivation of this expression comes from and I'm not sure that I want to know. . . . keep reading
He Said, She Said Jody Shilan, Editor One of the most difficult things to do in landscape design/build is to successfully transfer a project from design/sales to production. Unfortunately, if you don't have a well defined process to properly "hand off' the project, your installation, your . . . keep reading
Do You Have Micro-Managerialitis? Jody Shilan, Editor Many of us are micro managers and don't even know it. Micro-Managerialitis or MMI afflicts millions of people every year. From business owners to designers to production managers, and there is no end in sight. It has grown to epidemic proportions worldwide and is . . . keep reading
The Un-Biddable Master Plan Jody Shilan, Editor One of the big ideas I discussed during my webinar last week was the concept of the un-biddable master plan and why you should create them. What possible reason could there be for creating a landscape master plan and then not being able to put a price to it? . . . keep reading
Extreme Makeover Suburban Edition Jody Shilan, Editor With spring right around the corner everybody is scrambling to figure out new ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors and capitalize on the impending spring rush. Spring is our season and is not the time to just sit back and wait for the . . . keep reading
It's a Win-Win-Win Jody Shilan, Editor If you've read enough of my Trade Secrets (and I hope you have), you have seen that I like to use the term win-win-win. I personally believe that I created the term but that's for the courts to decide. . . . keep reading
Do You Charge Your Clients Nuisance Fees? Jody Shilan, Editor I ask this question because I believe many of you do. Now I know that there are various theories about how to properly screen clients so that you are focusing on solid leads and not wasting your time with "tire kickers". BTW, I hate the term "tire kicker" but . . . keep reading
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