“I started cutting lawns when I was 15 years old,” says Andrew Gabries of Go Green Lawn Service. “At first, I just wanted a couple extra bucks but it soon turned into a full fledged business. By 2010, we added lawn fertilization to our list of services.”
While at first, fertilization wasn’t a service Andrew focused on, in 2011 he added Holganix and started pushing the program. From 2012 to 2013, Andrew achieved a 200% increase in growth and his customers were extremely happy with the results.
Like many lawn care companies, Go Green suffers from four main barriers to growth:
- Employees: “Finding reliable people is difficult,” says Andrew. “It’s one of the limiting factors to our growth.”
- Marketing: “Getting your name out there can be a hurdle,” says Chris Stout, Customer Service Manger for Go Green. To boost their brand awareness, Go Green uses 18 different lead generation tools, including: bright, colorful vinyl wrapped trucks, large lawn signs, Angie’s List, Clipper, Valpak and Every Door Direct Mail. “One of the big tools we have in our arsenal is the fact that we are using organics. This is huge when you are being compared to the TruGreens and Scotts,” says Chris. Holganix has also helped GoGreen shape their marketing plan and develop marketing pieces. Click here to access Holganix University and steal marketing pieces developed for lawn care companies.
- Results: Finding the right products can be a pain. However, Chris states, “I can see the difference between a Holganix and synthetic program. You can see the results.”
- Money to invest in all the above: “We are always spending a lot of money,” says Andrew. “Especially on marketing.” According to Andrew, about 20% of their gross margin goes towards the marketing budget. “But at the end of the day,” says Andrew. “If you aren’t doing a good job, marketing isn’t gong to help. You need to support customers and supply great service to succeed in the lawn care industry.”
For additional information on how GoGreen has grown so fast and the techniques they used, watch the webinar below.
