Garden Spirit Strategy Business Development Work Shop

PRESS THE FLESH STRATEGIES (gives you business sooner than later.  These below are when you are in the same physical space with a prospect or referral partner)

• Networking (www.biasandiego.org/)
• Making an offer at open houses for high end homes for sale
• Going to open houses of high end homes
• Meeting with realtors who sell high end homes
• Meeting with Chris Heller, Steve Landis
• Planned referral meetings with your INDUSTRY referral partners like the maintenance guy you sold your maintenance projects to, any architects that you have worked with in the past, building contractors, etc.
• Create your own (or I will create it for you) INDUSTRY networking group with prepalnned scheduled meetings
• Making an offer at real estate carvans meetings
• Sponsoring weekly realtor meetings (those that are currently meeting versus creating your own)  be a sponsor by bringing the morning meeting snack as in bagels, cream cheese, coffee with business cards, brochures, and an offer)
• Making an offer at past client’s homes to make something grow better, replace something
• Go to existing/past client’s homes with an offer
• Make an offer at those you are quoting of a plant (that will stay) to show them the level of care
• Speaking
  • at industry group meetings with an offer
• Business exposition
  • golf with INDUSTRY persons who can lead you to business (I will share with you the detailed strategy around this)
  • golf with clients who can lead you to business (I will share with you the detailed strategy around this)
  • garden and home shows (what you already do. Maybe add another each year making it two per year.)
• Group activity (formal networking group industry specific)
  • building (see above)
  • Architecture (architecture.meetup.com/cities/us/ca/san_diego/)
  • General contractor (general contractor groups in san diego county, I did a Google search on this and found a boat load of networking/connection opportunities here!)

Anticipate in advance all outcomes for the above considering time investment, return on time investment monetarily)

 

COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES (These are delivered in a form that requires the receiver to take action)

• Advocate offer (as in Purposeful Networking Groups)
• Article (be come the expert.  The more you rewrite the more people will see you as an expert)
• Website (create an offer on your website that can be used to drive  business to you)
• email (buy a list of prospects. Include prospects you have had in the past.  Send an offer with an anticipated reply.)
• Yelp (continue using this strategy)
• Billboards and signs (be sure that ALL trucks have your signage.  Create an offer that can be put on each truck.  Fresh signs with an offer at each project.  As example:  Call 858-335-1361 and receive…)
• displays at:
  • country clubs with signage (area with exotic foliage that will WOW the viewer, with a sign, and an offer.  The offer can be something like this: Report seeing this sign to this telephone number 858-335-1361 and you will win a 10 gallon plant of your choice with 30 days of maintenance.))
  • new home building projects (see above for similar idea for each new home.)
  • Cedros location with similar offer as above
  • Find other high traffic locations with similar maintenance needs and an offer for signage and maintenance.
  • 1. The marketing program that you develop may include activities with which you’d be both comfortable and uncomfortable in delivering personally.  Certainly I’d suggest snatching the low-lying fruit and executing the approaches that are easiest, and the ones that you’re most likely to complete enthusiastically and on a long-term basis.  Consistency is key in successful marketing.  Activities that you just don’t want to undertake (if any) are probably best left to someone that you hire.
    2. The holiday season presents you with an excellent excuse (opportunity) to personally visit customers with whom you’ve done business this year (and previous years as well) to say thanks and to offer the gift of a plant from a selection in the bed of your truck.  Of course, you’d plant it for the client in a prominent spot on their property using your soil amendment.  You might also ask to do a 2nd planting at the same time but without using the special mix for comparison purposes.  This gives you an excuse to come back and inspect the result.
    3. I presume that late Fall and Winter represents your slowest season of the year.  As such, I’d recommend offering a 5% discount off all quotes given in the past 30 days where the client has yet to move forward with your proposal.  Extend perhaps 10 days as the time frame for making a decision with work to begin before January 15 (or you name the date).  I’d also take a small deposit to lock in the discount and the commitment.  Note that many construction companys and contractors provide quotes with the expectation that the initial response will be no (cost too high or maybe later).  You want the customer to take action, so sales reps often have discounts up their sleeve waiting as an incentive in exchange for taking immediate action.
    4. Don’t forget to write articles applicable to the season and send these out to everyone on your e-mail list.  Also, have these included in realtor newsletters at no cost to you.  For e-mails, I like the concept of including one or more before and after pictures in the body of the e-mail.  Many e-mail messages contain dull black and white text.  Colorful images will be memorable.

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