My friends, it's March.

As we begin the third month of the year, we celebrate that although spring doesn't technically begin for a few more weeks, we're already into our spring season of work. And, perhaps more importantly, our clients are in their spring mindset. 

NOW is the time to be rallying your sales team and hitting the ground running, hard. As we get those first few warm days, your clients will get a taste of the warmer weather ahead. It's the perfect time to put your "Order Maker" skills to use. Here are two things to try this week:

Look Through Old Proposals
If you proposed design-build work last year, but the sale didn't close, revisit it! Proactively reach back out to that client to see if they're interested in moving forward with the project this year. 

Prepare Unsolicited Quotes
This is something we train our sales team at Grunder Landscaping Co. to do, especially with our maintenance clients. Walk properties and look for ways you could make the property look better, improve the functionality, or fix a safety issue. Here are some ideas of things to look for:

• Damage from the winter months

• Safety issues like low-hanging branches or trip hazards

• Standing water, erosion, and other drainage issues

• Bare spots in beds

This works, folks! Being an order maker is about finding work to be done, and when you bring ideas like these to your clients (both residential and commercial), they often appreciate you being proactive. 

I'll be joined by Chris Psencik this week for our Virtual Sales Bootcamp, where we'll cover all kinds of ways that salespeople can be order makers instead of just order takers. To succeed in the landscaping industry this year, sales is going to be critical. Join us this Wednesday and Thursday, we'll help you and your sales team start the year off with the skills you need to make sales happen rather than just sit and wait for the phone to ring. 

Virtual Sales Bootcamp on March 6-7

I'll talk to you next week!