SYLACAUGA, Ala. — Industry consultant and landscaper Marty Grunder recently gave a sneak peek into his new book titled “Outdone: How to Out Service, Out Sell & Out Do the Competition.”
His 11 simple tips for beating the competition can help pest management professionals prepare for the upcoming service season.
1. Offer great customer service. “The competition can’t copy how you treat your clients,” says Grunder, owner of Grunder Landscaping and Marty Grunder! Inc., both based in Miamisburg, Ohio. “You should go see your customers personally and thank them for their business. This, in and of itself, is a simple thing that impresses clients.”
2. Be different. Dippin’ Dots is a multi-million-dollar establishment for one reason – the owner, a man who holds a PhD in molecular biology, had an idea. He took a popular common thing like ice cream and presented it in a different way, Grunder says. “Midwest Airlines is the same way,” Grunder added, pointing to their practice of offering warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies to passengers on every flight. “I will pay extra to fly that airline because of that experience.”
3. Make work fun. Southwest Airlines is a classic example of this, Grunder says – they don’t take their jobs too seriously and they offer not only a quality experience, but a fun one, too. “External customer service will never exceed internal customers service,” Grunder shares.
4. Have a team atmosphere. “Pull the people on your team to follow your lead… don’t push people into things,” Grunder advises.
5. Survey clients and team members. At Grunder Landscaping, he has a team member call clients to see if they are happy after a landscape design/build job is complete. If the job is more than $3,000, a team member walks the site with them to review whether or not they are pleased with the job. If the job is less than $3,000, they receive a phone call. “Nine out of 10 people do not call us back, but this call helps reaffirm their choice to use Grunder Landscaping and makes them feel good about it,” Grunder explains.
6. Be clean and organized. “What do sloppy uniforms and dirty trucks say about your service?” Grunder inquires. “Think about these details – they say a lot about your company.”
7. Set objectives that are easy to follow.
8. Constantly communicate your vision and mission – to your employees and to your customers.
9. Be committed to learning and bettering yourself and your business.
10. Have your antennae up. Pay attention to what the competition is doing and read books to keep yourself in the know on the market and business in your area.
11. Have a plan. “In business, an unfair advantage is gained by doing everything just a little bit better than the competition. In every marketplace, there is a leader, a good No. 2, and then everyone else. Don’t be an everyone else.”
The author is editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine, a sister publication of PCT.