I know nothing about vehicles but, over the years, I learned just how important it is to have someone who does be responsible for ongoing care.  Poor tire pressure, missed oil changes, and poor wheel alignment can suck $$ in higher gas use.  Same goes for vehicle appearance.  Dirty vehicles whether yours or your techs give your company a terrible image. 

Appoint someone to be in charge and put everything on a schedule whether it is maintenance or washing.  I suggest cutting a deal with a local repair/maintenance shop to get discounts.  This can be argued as "given business" so a discount is to their advantage.  Also ask that they notify you of Specials, Tire Sales, and the like so you can save even more.  Do this for the company gas card as well.  It may be that you can let them have your vehicles for service on "off" times.  Another way for a Win/Win situation.  Then, relook at this arrangement every year or so.

And, while we are talking about vehicles, look at the graphics on vehicles.  Is your web site prominently displayed?  800 or  regular phone number?  On the other hand, unless you are a retail location, you do not need to take up space listing your address.  Instead, a line stating your geographic area would be more to the point.

Lastly, check out insurance coverage and consider bidding it out every few years as well.  Now, go get ‘em, Nascar drivers.

Has there ever been so much weather related upheaval as we’ve seen recently?  Here in the US it has been called Snowmaggedon as record breaking anounts of the white stuff has covered the East Coast and Midwest not just once or twice, but,  several times.  In California it has been rain and wind and mudslides.  So far here in Las Vegas, we have already received the amount of rain we normakly see all year!

For ’scapers,taking care and transporting live plants is one hassle, but what about schools called off, roads blocked and power outages?  What about techs who cannot get to work or, if they do, cannot reach accounts?  Sure, it could be much worse, just look at the earthquake damage that struck Haiti and Chile.  Trouble is that it could happen hear in the US as well. 

So, once again I urge you to put a Disaster Plan in place.  What if, what if  and what if.  Think the worse case scenario and hope you never have to use it. 

Every so often it is important that you review your vehicle and other insurance packages.  Times are tough and it just might be that you can get the same or better coverage from another company hungry for your business.  Or, maybe you have better driving records in place.  Get competitive quotes.  It is worth the time and effort.  Time we were on the other end of that stick, huh??

Hmmm.  Wrote the above blog some weeks ago.  Then I had dinner with several interior scape buddies who were in town for a meeting.  Dinner talk came around to the topic of insurance and several recounted tales of discounts on vehicle and other business insurance as well as reduced lease prices for their facility.  Yes, in the latter case they had to extend the length of the lease, but, their attitude was it was a win/win situation.

So, get on the phone, schedule that meeting with landlord or agent and get some savings!!  The worse thing that can happen is that they say, "No".  Then you can either stay or get other quotes.  What’s good for the goose, etc.

Here is what Jeffrey Gitomer says about Customer Reality

• I don’t want to wait on the phone
• I especially don’t want to listen to your self-serving messages as I wait.
• I don’t want to wait on line.
• I don’t want to be told no.
• I don’t want your excuses about why you can’t.
• I don’t want to hear about your policy….

I suggest that after reading the above, have a friend call your office or number posing as a client (not you, your voice will be recognized), pretend to have a problem and see how it is handled.  Is the person answering friendly?  Helpful?  Reassuring?  Did they get the right person to return a call?  And so on and so on.  Any glitches?  Time for a meeting with office and management staff.  Time to FIXIT!

Jeffrey Gitomer is my idol.  The author of all the "Little Books" for Business and Sales, he has a web site, (gitomer.com), is on Face Book, a blog, and all the other of today’s ways to communicate.  Plus, after seeing him for a day of his seminar i person, I can report he is the real deal.  In his most recent Ezine called Sales Caffeine, he talks about Service.  Quote, "Service leads to Sales if you know how to act and how to ask". 

"Every time a customer calls it’s an oppurtunity.  The only question is, ‘How are you taking advantage of it?’  Answer HELLO!   Not a thank you for the call, telling me how important it is while you put me on hold for the next available agent, or to "serve me better" ask me to select from the next eight options.  Here’s how to serve. 

1.  Start Friendly NO MATTER HOW THEY ACT OT TALK.
2. Get off your high(pc) horse.
3. Don’t worry about how you feel-worry about how they feel.
4. Ask them how you can help them the most.
5. Help them with whatever they need.
6. Don’t tell them what you can’t do, tell what you can do.
7. Get them to agree that the solution you offer, or answer they need, is the one they are expecting and the one they are pleased with (not "satisfied" with).
8. Engage them personally during the conversation.
9. Make CERTAIN clients are happy as a result of the call.
10. Follow through on your promises with action and communication.

Bottom line?  Keep it short but get the info you need to help them.  Email thanks.  Tell them how much you appreciated talking to them and how much you appreciate their business.   Email them back your solution, or promise to repair.  Follow up after resoultion to see if they are happy.  If they are ask for a testimonial.  Might as well "get it in writing".

Now go out there Tigers! 

Go to any sales gurus web site and you will find a wealth of how-to-get-sales info.  And as for books on the subject?  Zillions.  So what advice do you follow?  How long do you pursue what has worked for others in other types of businesses before you realize these tactics are not for you?

Ah, there’s the rub.  What works for a retailer( say coupons for dollars off) absolutely will not work for an interioplantscaper.  Advertising in local papers works for the Tire discount store, but for you?  Nada. 

That is why it is imperative that you look at each strategy, evaluate its appropriateness, and talk to industry experts.  Too many ’scapers waste valuable time going after dead ends.  Quality and Potential is what you want.  Plus, you need a Plan, a map of who to call, what to say and how to get an appointment.  For that info check the Sales Books.  I recommend Jeffrey Gitomer’s work.  Go to the book store and read the Table of Contents in his many works and choose what will help you NOW!

For us specifically, the first places I’d look are for "lists".  Every local Business Newspaper  or Chamber of Commerce has what is called Books of Lists.  A wealth of information IF you know what to look for.  Example:  Who are the TOP 50 companies that lease corporate space.  This is usually given in square footage.  The higher the number of square feet, the larger potential for you.  Just make sure you qualify the square footage.  Warehouse space doe not count.  Next, the TOP 25 Hotel Properties.  Again, qualify.  Forget the lower end, look for the 3-5 Stars.  And so on.

The above is where to start.  Now, get going Tigers.

What are we selling?  Plant care, of course.  However, it is how cleverly we perform this service that makes the difference between profit or loss, or bigger vs smaller profit.

Let’s look at Routing.  You may think that whomever is doing this is the best.  Think again.  Time and time again, I’ve found  that a second pair of eyes points out routes so much more efficient it would make Columbus weep with joy.  Plus, you may have great routing in place and then a couple of new accounts get added.  Time to review the situation.  In my experience, checking for input from techs often gives you important info.  Who knows better than the guys out there on the firing line??

Same for Maintnenance Frequency.  The most profitable companies I know have at least 40% of their accounts on every other week service.  Some companies have higher percentages.  Weekly service for all accounts are pretty much the dinosaurs of the industry.  And, even if the account is high profile like a Major Hotel or Public space, if you only water half the account each week, pull yellow etc for all, you can send fewer techs or spend less time.  Definitely a win/win.

Just make sure that your contracts do not specify weekly service but "horticultural service as needed".  For those plants that do require more often service, use Joeys and get on with your life.

Most interiorscapers know that we bill IN ADVANCE.  That means that for service for February, we send a bill on Jan.31st and so on and so on. 

That’s the primary way to help with cash flow.  Next, payment is due either net 15 or net 30, usually net 30.  It is important to track who owes you what and when.  Over 60 days?  Call.  Just say that you notice the bill is overdue and you want to make sure they received the invoice, etc.  Blame it on the mailman so it doesn’t appear you are dunning them.  After that, get more aggressive.  Once they are in serious arrears, 90-120 days, stop by and speak in person, warn them that if not paid in the next 10-15 days, service will be stopped etc.  Yes, drastic measures but you do not want to be lloking at a bill that is seriously overdue.  Major signal that you may never be paid.  And, if it all goes to heck and they have discontinued service and still owe you big time, consider having an attorney send a strong letter and if this doesn’t work, think small claims court.  Just the reality of doing business today.

Many companies bill by email.  Ask if your client will do this.  Saves lots.  And, some clients will let you automaticaly debit a company credit card.

For expensive plants and containers, consider asking for a deposit, say 50% prior to install.  This is common in the furnishing world, so why not try it?  Same for short term rentals and, even, Holiday particularly if extensive and custom work, large props etc.  Usually, the 50% equals your costs for materials.  Not a bad way to handle CASH FLOW.  No go get ‘em. 

Bottom Line?  Protect your Bottom Line!

Holiday is over for another 10 months and the good news is that you survived.  Congratulations.  Thinking back to Holidays Past, I recall several that were, shall we say, learning instances.  The truck on Thanksgiving weekend that drove the 100 miles to the large install and the large wreath was back at the warehouse.  Result?  A second trip the following day, a perturbed client, a second truck rental, and two installers time driving and installing.  OOOPS!

The next year we fixed that problem but on another installation, my key designer showed up 2 hours late keeping four other techs waiting.  4 techs X 2 hours = 8 hours paid out not originally budgeted.  I could see the $$ flying out into the snow.

The moral of stories like these?  Plan ahead.  Have lists of materials to be loaded on trucks, check the lists more than once, and allow extra time in your price quotes.  Extra or delayed trips mean dollars lost.  And not just for Holiday.  The second trip for the plant left behind, the containers that didn’t arrive in time-all cost you.  DIRTFT is important in businesses like ours.  Extra time spent in advance is going to save you on the tail end.  DIRTFT should be a motto instilled throughout your company.  Now get out there…..

Long ago I fell in love with tall office buildings.  All those floors of potential and that was what I targeted for my Sales.  My competitors didn’t seem to differentiate between small jobs vs large buidings.  They grew, I grew, but I grew FASTER!  In addition, travel times riding elevators is significantly faster than walking or driving between accounts.  Plus, offices like this usually have 8 foot ceilings.  What does that mean to us?  No plants over 7 feet.  Easier to maintain, cheaper to replace. My kind of job.

Sales takes time and effort and you want to maximize both.  Prioritize your efforts by the potential results.  Go for the floor after floor, large company.  You can always hit the smaller ones later.  And, remember, after you have been around for awhile, history shows that around 15% of your Sales in any given year come from your existing customers.  15% of larger is better than 15% of small.  Bottom line?  I’d rather have $5,000/month in one large account over 14 floors than 14 accounts I have to walk/drive for the same monthly income.  Now get out there and get em, Tiger.