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- [00:01]
A
Hey payjack, what's the best way to market my lawn care business? Yes. No, I'm not being a smart alec. I'm serious. Use Google, use Facebook, use postcards, door hangers, yard signs, use all of it. Because your problem isn't that you're using the wrong type of marketing, your problem is that your marketing sucks. And that's what we're going to talk about today.
- [00:22]
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Today's episode is brought to you by Yardbook, the all in one CRM for your lawn care business. And as an exclusive partner of this podcast, you can get started today and begin simplify diversifying your business and maximizing your profits. Sign up now@yardbook.com the link is in the show notes. Time now for Profits with Paycheck, any central podcast for you in the green industry who are looking to unlock the full potential of your business. Hosted by John Pajak, your certified financial coach, the show features in depth discussions with successful entrepreneurs, thought leaders and industry experts. Providing practical advice and proven strategies on financial planning, operations, marketing and sales, Profits with Paycheck has valuable insights and action steps that you can implement today for creating long term success. Now here's John Pak.
- [01:25]
A
Welcome to Profits with Paycheck, the podcast re dive into business strategies and financial insights for the green industry. I'm your host, John Pajek. And today what we're going to be talking about is something that affects every single business owner. Whether you're a one man operation with a pickup truck and a push mower, or you have multiple crews, dozens of trucks and a million dollar company, you need customers. And to get customers, you need marketing. And the problem is most of us have never really been taught how to market. We're technicians, we're operators. We're really good at making lawns look great and installing beautiful landscapes and fixing irrigation systems or removing snow. But when it comes time to tell the customer why they should choose us, we fall back on the same tired phrase that everyone else uses. We're licensed and insured free estimates. We're family owned. We have been serving the community for 20 years. Now. Before anybody gets upset, there's nothing wrong with those things. Those are trust builders. But they're not a reason for someone to stop scrolling. They're not a reason for someone to pick up the phone. There's not a, those are not a reason for someone to say, I need these people in my life. So let's do a little exercise. You know, imagine you open your mailbox and you see a postcard that says, you know, ABC Landscaping and It's just a bullet list of things like mowing, mulching, bush trimming, fertilization, fully licensed and insured and free estimates. And then phone number, maybe a website. Right, okay, what am I supposed to do with that? You know, you just described what you do. You didn't tell me what I should. Why I should care. You just told me. These are things that we do. There's no incentive. There's no urgency. It's just like, oh, okay, great. You know what I do every single time I. I get one of those, I mean, I look at it just because it's my industry, and I go, man, this is a really good, sucky piece of marketing. And then I toss it. I probably should keep a catalog of these things of what not to do, because honestly, even if they got a cool picture, it's not enough for me to go, oh, yeah, well, maybe I should give these guys a call. But imagine this. You see, every weekend, your lawn steals another Saturday from your family. Let us give your weekends back. Now, that's a completely different message. Or maybe embarrassed by the weeds taking over your lawn while your neighbor's lawn looks perfect. We have a plan to get your lawn back under control. See, words like that. Now, you've identified a pain point. You've shown that you understand the customer's frustration, and you've positioned yourself as a solution. Customers don't buy fertilizer. They buy the feeling of pulling into their driveway and being proud of their home. They don't buy mosquito treatments. They don't care about the chemicals that we use. They buy the ability to sit outside with their kids without getting eaten alive. They don't buy snow removal. They just buy the peace of mind knowing that they could get into and out of their driveway at 6:00am now that's marketing. Back when I was getting my lawn care business off the ground, I was juggling routes, invoices, and customer notes with paper and prayers. It was chaos. Until I found Yardbook. Yardbook gave me the structure. It helped me track chemicals, route efficiently, invoice faster, and most importantly, it helped me grow a profitable business. If you're tired of duct taping your systems Together, go to yardbook.com and sign up for free. And if you're ready to go premium, use promo code payjack to get your first 30 days on me.
- [05:00]
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Are you mowing lawns, running crews, and still wondering where all the money went? You're not alone. Naylor Taliaferro of LCR Media has been there. And that's exactly why he created Profit Accelerator Live. Join Naylor and expert speakers John Pajak and Eric Triplett for two powerful days of hands on workshops designed specifically for lawn care and landscaping business owners in Richmond, Virginia, June 26 and 27. This isn't a conference where you'll sit in the back and take notes. You'll leave with an actual business plan in hand, knowing exactly what to charge, how to manage your time, and how to attract better customers. Tickets are just $299, but right now you can bring a partner or fellow business owner free with our two for one special. Tickets are just $299, but right now you can bring a partner or fellow business owner free with our 2 for 1 special. Only 75 spots are available and they will fill up fast. Use the link in the show description or go to profitacceleratorlive.com to secure your spot today. Put more money in the bank and more time in your schedule with Profit Accelerator Live.
- [06:15]
A
I want you to take a minute and take a look at your own marketing. Pull up your website, look at your last five Facebook posts, grab one of your old postcards and just ask yourself a simple question. Would I stop and pay attention to this if I wasn't the owner? Or is this just another business card preventing pretending to be an advertisement? You know, that's right there that could tell you. And if you don't have those things, if you don't have a website, you don't have a Google business listing. If you don't post on Facebook, if you don't have postcards or door hangers or other physical, tangible literature that you pass out. Well, I'll tell you what, that's, that's a problem that you have. I could not have grown my business to where we're at now without doing a combination of all those things. Now here's another mistake that I see. You know, a company tries one thing. You know, they send out 500 postcards and nothing happens. And then they say, they just literally are like, ah, postcards don't work. No, your, your postcard didn't work and there's a difference. And you know, another company spends a hundred dollars on boosting a Facebook post and says, oh yeah, Facebook ads are a waste of money. Maybe. Or maybe your ad was a picture of a truck in the words now accepting new customers. The truth is marketing works through repetition. Your customer might see your truck in the neighborhood, then they see your ad, or maybe they see one of your yard signs and then they see your Facebook ad or you know, a postcard shows up in their mailbox, or they search Google and they see your company again. At some point, people think, man, I keep seeing these guys everywhere. And that's exactly what you want. You know, the company that gets remembered is usually the company that gets called. And almost every great advertisement contains five things. And I'm gonna. I'm gonna give you that ingredient list right now. First, you have a hook. It's something that makes the customer stop. Could be a picture, could be a piece of copy. It's just something that gets them to hang on for just a little bit longer. Second is a problem. You show them that you understand their frustration. You understand that they have an issue, and you're frustrated, and you can solve that. And that's where the third thing is, is the solution. You could explain how your company can make their life better. The fourth thing is a reason to act. Maybe your sch. Your. Maybe your schedule's filling up. Maybe there's a seasonal deadline. Maybe prices change after a certain date. All these things, they give that customer reason to act. And the fifth ingredient is a clear call to action. Don't say, contact us more for information. Tell them exactly what to do. It's called today. Or claim your spot or schedule your free estimate or reserve your fall aeration appointment before July 30th. Just whatever you do, just make it easy. Make it one thing that they have to do, just. And make sure that it is dead simple. Something that a child can understand. So let's get back to the original question. Hey, Jack, what was the best way to market for my lawn care business? Yes. Use Google, use Facebook. Use cards, the door hangers, yard signs, truck wraps. Use your websites, use referrals. Use every tool available to you. But understand this. The platform is not the magic. The message is a bad message on every platform is still a bad message. But a great message repeated consistently in the right places can really transform your business. So this week, I want you to really take a look at what you've been doing. Take one piece of your marketing and rewrite it. Stop listing what you do. Start explaining how you can make your customers life better. Because nobody wakes up in the morning thinking, oh, I could really hope I could find a company that's licensed, insured, and offers free estimates. Nobody who does. Nobody does that, right? They wake up thinking, I hate these weeds. My lawn looks terrible. You know, my back, my backyard is just. It can't even walk back there. It's just so full of mosquitoes. The thing is, solve that problem, speak to that frustration, whatever it might be, and watch how your marketing starts to change. So I hope this this is a very we're just skimming the very surface of this. But at the same time, I hope that this has been punch poignant enough poignant to make you think a little bit differently about what your marketing looks like. And eventually those marketing dollars that you're spending are going to become really effective. You just have to have those the five ingredients in all of these your your ads. So I want to thank you for listening. I hope this is helpful. God bless. Keep pushing through and we'll catch you on the next one. Thank you once again for listening. If you've enjoyed the show, please leave a review and share it with fellow business owners. Your support means the world to me and helps keep the show going strong. I want to give a special shout out to our friends at Yardbook. Their continued support has been instrumental in bringing this podcast to you week after week. If you haven't checked them out yet, visit yardbook.com and see how they can give you the tools to streamline and manage your lawn care business. Also, don't forget to explore the resources and upcoming events that I've collected just for you in the show Notes. These are curated to help you stay ahead in your business with the latest tips, tools and networking opportunities. Whether it's a new tool, an insightful article, or an event you don't want to miss, I've got you covered. Until next time, keep pushing through and God bless. Ra.