The Holganix Blog

Just because the lawn and landscape world tends to slow down in the summer doesn’t mean your business should. Use the upcoming summer slow season to sell your services to prospects or to upsell current customers. Below is a video note from Barrett on upsell strategies, then check out the 3.5 tools to help you push lawn and landscape sales during the slow summer months.

A note From Holganix CEO & Founder, Barrett Ersek On Upselling Strategies For The Summer

Barrett's video below dives into strategies that he incorporated in his previous lawn care business during the summer months to meet demands and generate revenue. If you are reading this blog via email, click here for Barrett’s video.

1. How to Grow Your Tree and Shrub Business eBook

Did you know that you can expect 10-to-30% of your current customers to sign up for tree and shrub applications? For those offering or thinking of offering tree and shrub services, this is the eBook for you. In the eBook you’ll learn:

1. How to market your tree and shrub business to current customers… including access to several marketing tools we have developed to help you get started

2. How to price out tree and shrub applications

3. What materials you will need to get started

>>Download Your eBook Here

Marketing your current flower care program (or adding one if it is not a current service) can serve as an excellent source of high margin, additional revenue from current customers. Early summer is a great time to offer any type of plant health care services (whether they be tree and shrub or flower focused) because the rising temperatures combined with rain provides a breeding ground for insects and disease. Download your Flower Marketing Box and rip off an duplicate the following from us: 

1. Content - Steal our flower information copy to include on letters to current customers, your email newsletter and/or blog.

2. Social Media - Grab our visual social media posts to help advertise your flower program to fans and followers on social media networks.

3. Video - Include our video on your website, blog, email newsletter and social media efforts, explaining why flower applications are important to the overall look of a yard.

>>Download Your Marketing Box Here

If your region tends to conduct aeration and overseeding services in the fall, begin marketing that service to current customers and prospects in the late summer. In the Aeration Marketing Box, you will find several tools to help market your aeration program to current homeowners. Plus, aeration is not only a high margin revenue stream for your business, but also by aerating the turf, you provide a better soil ecosystem for the lawn and that means your homeowners will see better results. What’s in the box?

1. Two aeration postcards

2. Letter to send to current customers touting the benefits of including an aeration service

3. Video to upload onto your website and share in your social media efforts discussing aeration applications

4. Education materials on aeration and Holganix products

>>Download Your Aeration Marketing Box Here

3.5 Summer Weather Marketing Box

We made this tool number 3.5 because it’s not a sales tool, rather it’s a customer service tool. That’s because getting your homeowners prepared for summer weather can be tough, especially since homeowners have high expectations for their landscapes and little knowledge on how to properly care for them. Utilize our Summer Weather Marketing Box to help educate summer weather landscape care to your homeowners. What’s in the box?

1. Copy to use in a blog post, email newsletter, website or as a mailer to customers

2. Social Media posts to help spread the word about your summer weather education

>>Download Your Summer Weather Marketing Box

Want to learn more about summer and turf?

Watch our webinar on the 5 Ways To Prepare Turf For Summer Heat. One of the most challenging times to maintain a healthy lawn is during the hot summer months. A combination of scorching heat and lack of rainfall coupled with the need to apply product without potentially burning turf generates a tasty headache for all lawn and landscape contractors. Watch our webinar to learn 5 tips to help you prepare for the fight against summer!

Today's blog written by Holganix CEO and Founder, Barrett Ersek.

It was April 2000 - the busiest time in the lawn care season for the Philadelphia area and I was sitting in a classroom instead of running my then $1 million dollar lawn care business. After building the business for the last 10 years, I had reached a point where I felt both stuck and frustrated with the business. In my eyes, I had reached a plateau in our growth potential due to the high cost per sale needed to acquire a customer. I knew that to solve the problem, I needed to learn to work on my business as opposed to working in the business. That is why I decided to attend a program called Birthing of Giants which is a three-day retreat for 40 entrepreneurs to build their business acumen.

Birthing of Giants not only led to the inspiration behind my solution for our high cost per sale - using satellite software to measure properties, a practice not done by our industry at the time - but it also allowed me to build the business practices and mindset I needed to build my second lawn care company - HappyLawn - to reach $11 million dollars in 5 years.

At the end of the day, owning and running a business - even when successful - can be a painful endeavor. It often takes stepping outside of your business and attending a program like Birthing of Giants, to gain the perspective needed to leverage your business for your next leap of growth.

That is why we have teamed up with Business Finishing School (BFS) - one of the world’s leading business-growth, education companies, to provide a Birthing of Giants-like experience for our Holganix Community. On February 23, BFS is hosting a 3-day bootcamp in Dallas, Texas for entrepreneurs on how to grow their businesses.

And, because I believe in this program and the power it can provide to Holganix Community lawn care company owners, I’m helping any Holganix user cover the cost of the event. In fact, Holganix will be covering $200 of your ticket price, using the code “Holganix” at registration.

Why attend the BFS Bootcamp?

There are many reasons why you should attend the BFS Bootcamp, here are my top three reasons.

1. Learn to work on your business as opposed to working in your business. Develop the business acumen needed to take your business to the next level.

2. Hear from several world-class speakers including myself - Barrett Ersek.

3. Network with other entrepreneurs including other Holganix community lawn care company owners.

Register to save your spot

I only have 30 spots set aside for Holganix lawn care company owners and we are inviting Holganix blog readers first, register to save your spot. Remember, I’m helping any Holganix user cover the cost of the event. Just use the promo code “Holganix” when registering to receive $200 off your ticket cost.

When John F. Kennedy became the U.S. President in 1961, he inherited a purpose - to beat the Soviets in the space race. At the time, Soviet’s Sputnik had beat U.S. satellite Explorer to space by a full year and the American people were eager to win the space race. However, JFK knew it wasn’t enough to simply have a purpose, he needed to make a statement so powerful it would inspire massive action. And so, on May 25, 1961, JFK stated (we are paraphrasing), “we will send a man to the moon and bring him home safely by the end of the 60’s.” To watch JFK's speech, click here.

JFK had created what entrepreneur, Rick Sapio identifies as a catalyzing statement - a meme that is willfully created to connect with your stakeholders so they help you achieve your desired outcome. Catalyzing statements are agents of change and they spread virally.

For example, Bill Gates' catalyzing statement was that he saw a computer on every desktop in America and the U.S. Founder Fathers created the catalyzing statement that all men are created equally.

Creating a catalyzing statement for your business or team will inspire your team and community to take action in your desired direction. What is your business' or team’s catalyzing statement?

Watch Rick’s TEDx Talk on Catalyzing Statements

If you are reading this blog via email, click here to watch Rick's TEDx Talk.  

Attend Rick’s Bootcamp To Learn More

Holganix has teamed up with Rick Sapio’s Business Finishing School - one of the world’s leading business-growth, education companies, to provide education for entrepreneurs on how to grow their businesses. On February 23, BFS is hosting a 3-day bootcamp in Dallas, Texas and because we believe in Rick’s program and the power it can provide to Holganix Community lawn care company owners, we are helping any Holganix user cover the cost of the event. In fact, Holganix will be covering $200 of your ticket price, using the code “Holganix” at registration.

The Story of BFS

In the 41 years since he started his first business, Rick has learned that business growth and success are accelerated when a few key principles are applied. When Rick realized that less than 1% of companies implement these skills, he decided to create Business Finishing School (“BFS”). The BFS Program is designed to teach "The 12 Foundational Principles of Business,” which form the foundation of the program. He believes that virtually any individual or company can be put on the path to prosperity and exponential growth by learning to implement the BFS Program in their business or personal life.

It seems like only yesterday we were excitedly preparing for the impending spring craze. Even though it may feel like we are in the midst of summer, fall is coming sooner than you think. Now is the time to start discussing your fall marketing plan in order to capitalize on growth opportunities for the end of 2017. What can you do to get your marketing plan in shape?

Watch our webinar below featuring Marketing Consultant, Nicole Wise and Holganix CEO, Barrett Ersek as they walk you through your marketing plan, marketing tactics to secure growth, and build measurable marketing campaigns. 

What can you expect to learn from the webinar recording?

         1. Set a revenue growth goal

         2. Access free tools to market your company

         3. Build a marketing plan

Watch the webinar recording! 

If you are reading this blog via email, click here to access the webinar recording.

Webinar Resources

Download some of the resources mentioned during the webinar including the marketing plan excel template.

         1. Download the PowerPoint Slides

         2. Download the Marketing Plan Excel Template

         3. Download the Holganix Launch Marketing Box