Rise to Meet Growing Demand for Your Services
COVID-19 shutdowns have driven fantastic demand for landscaping services. Expect the trend to continue through this fall (strong demand for landscape lighting) and into the holidays (yard cleanups).
 
Consumers aren't likely to go back to old habits quickly. Many believe the strong activity in landscape upgrades will continue into the 2021 season.     
 
Additionally, the residential housing market is red hot, fueled by low supply and low mortgage rates. Expect even stronger home construction and home remodeling numbers in the first half of 2021.
 
How can your company be ready for increased demand? 
 
Train your team. Participate in training programs. There's a wealth of new videos and webinars that you can use to educate both new and veteran team members. Ask us for suggestions.
 
Diversify to capture more potential. Offer a larger menu of products and services to your clients. Get on board with new services to smooth out weather and economic dips.
 
Adopt labor-saving practices. Find new ways to get more work done with the same 
number of people. Make investments in productivity enhancers will streamline your operation and 
cut out unnecessary and redundant steps. Focus team members on billable work, not busy-work.

The Team at Aqua-Flo Supply
How to Interest Customers in Landscape Lighting
Today’s homeowners see their landscapes as a source of pride,a refuge for relaxation and a place to enjoy good times with family and friends.


BEAUTIFICATION: Focal points stand out and become more beautiful. Textures not seen in daylight become eye-catching detail. Architectural features can be accented, which brings the building and
the landscape together for a resort-like feel.

USABILITY: Landscape lighting enjoyably extends the time spent outdoors. Now patios, pools and children’s play areas become entertainment venues, or just relaxing places to unwind.

SAFE PASSAGE: Hazards such as steps, low-hanging or thorny vegetation, abrupt changes in elevation or debris in a walkway can all be avoided with properly placed landscape lighting. Guests can be
safely guided away from hazards.

SECURITY: It’s a proven fact that a well-lit landscape will deter potential intruders by eliminating dark areas and shadows that would conceal movement around the property.

VALUE: Landscape lighting not only brings a property to life, it also provides excellent return on investment by creating a stunning first impression when viewed by visitors.
Corona Pruning Tools Tips
To bring you durable, professional-grade equipment that will stand-up to your daily workload, we are proud to stock Corona pruning tools in our stores.

Corona tools were born in the orange groves of California in the 1920s. Since then, generations of gardeners, landscapers, and arborists have turned to Corona for high-quality, premium pruning tools that work as hard as they do.

With decades of tool design and innovation, Corona tools are the preferred choice for skilled professionals. Learn how to select pruning tools here. 

We have smart new options for you. Stop by to learn more.    
Live Earth: Impact to Your Business
Why amend a landscape with these organic acids? The construction and landscaping process disturbs the topsoil to the extent that much of the carbon that was stored in the topsoil is no longer where it should be.

Amending soils with humic acid Humic acids are the remnants of living organisms that have fully decomposed. Think really old compost. Humic acids are a component of soil organic matter and for the most part fully digested by soil microbes. The sequestered or geologic carbon that has built up in the topsoil over the centuries is mostly humic acids. They are typically  described by their molecular weight and can be separated into three subroups: fulvic, humic, and ulmic. So why amend a landscape with these organic acids? The construction and landscaping process disturbs the topsoil to the extent that much of the carbon that 
was stored in the topsoil is no longer where it should be. Often the approach is to add some compost or wood shavings to replace the lost soil organic matter. The major problem with that approach is these amendments are actively digested by the soil microbes. As much as  60–80% of a compost or manure is lost in the first year from the soil back into the air as carbon dioxide. Humic acids are quite stable and will persist in the soil for decades after application. Humic acids in a granular form are called humates. Commercially available humates are derived from mined ore deposits which are an accumulation of ancient plant material. Humates spread like a fertilizer and  work well as a soil amendment. Broadcast applications of humate on established plants and turf work well but more
soil incorporation is encouraged on new installations. Humates have a long list of benefits because they contribute to passive soil organic matter. Typically, humates are acidic and contain micronutrients and trace minerals. Plant nutrients locked up in the soil can be released with an application of humate. Because humates can release and store nutrients manufacturers will often blend humates with fertilizers.  When purchasing humates, make sure to look at the label for additional ingredients that may have been added. Humates are used for the following purposes: adding stable organic matter, making a more efficient use of applied fertilizer and water,  conditioning clay and sandy soils, and mitigate the effects of salts. Landscape professionals should consider adding humates during 
installation to enhance current soil amending practices. The long-term effects of humates complement the goals of conservation making  them a wise choice for the property owner. Many cities are now including humates in their installations for improved resource utilization.
Getting the Most from Your Outside Salesperson / Project Estimator
To rapidly grow a landscape company, you need a disciplined, motivated salesperson / estimator.

Use these tips to grow the capabilities and success of your estimator(s):

Salespeople are motivated by incentives. Adopt creative incentive programs that encourage them to drive both revenue and profitability. A "piece of the action" on the profits they book keep your goals and their goals in alignment.

Build a production plan. Build a sales plan that matches your production capacity. Tie incentives to booking the capacity, and encourage your operations and sales team to team up to maximize what's booked.

Provide support for sales staff. Salespeople like to focus on customer meetings and winning projects, not on paperwork tasks. Free them from minutiae so they can focus on closing work.

Measure, measure, measure. Implement solid sales metrics that tie directly to your revenue goals and marketing costs. For example, you should track cost-per-sales lead, close rates, average margins and more.
A Customer Just Asked Your Crew Leader About Some New Services
What Happens Next?
Customers talk to your technicians, crew leaders and field workers all of the time. They ask them for additional services that can add to your bottom line.... but your team members forget to turn in these leads!

Don't lose the opportunity to sell another service (whether it's landscape lighting, overseeding, new plantings, etc.) to another contractor!

The customer will hire someone to do the work. Make sure it is YOU!

1) Write up your process for capturing and reporting customer requests back to your office.
2) Offer an incentive for every sales lead that turns into a successful sale. This will get your technicians' attention!
3) Roll out your process in your weekly meeting. Test your process and verify that technicians are using it. (If you're not getting forms, it's not working!)

Not following up on requests is costing you business and profits. These are the easiest leads to capture and close. Develop a process and follow-up.