In our Virtual Sales Bootcamp earlier this month, I commented that my favorite topics to teach are Ideal Clients and Unique Value Propositions. Having those two things clearly defined will help you set the course for your business and be successful. This week, let's cover the ideal client.
Who is your ideal client?
We define ideal clients as clients who are profitable, enjoyable, and sustainable for you to work with. Profitable and enjoyable are pretty clear; by sustainable, I mean that it's enough work for you to build a business around doing that type of work. For example, it would not be sustainable for me to say that our ideal client was someone who had a budget of $350,000 or more for their landscaping project. There aren't enough clients like that in my market for us to build a business around that. But it would be sustainable in our market to look for commercial properties that invest over $10,000 per month in their landscape and grounds.
How does this impact everything else?
When you have a well-defined ideal client, everything else will naturally fall into place.
For Landscape Workshop's ideal client, for example, cost-effective care is more important than the absolute best quality. Quality landscaping matters to the extent your clients value it and will pay for it, and smart owners know there is a sweet spot between quality and value. Their crews are trained to follow this standard and be efficient with their time so that they can win bids, be profitable, and keep their clients happy.
For years, my team and I did too many things for the sake of quality that didn't add value for our clients and drove our prices up to the point we lost work. I've learned from Landscape Workshop and companies like them how to find this sweet spot. Don't confuse my point: you must still be good at landscaping to win in this industry, but different clients have different expectations.
At Sebert Landscape, they've built a business model around ecological sustainability that has differentiated them in a crowded market. Their ideal client wants to see their property cared for in a way that supports and complements their natural environment and so their maintenance crews are equipped with lower-emission equipment, and their enhancements prioritize native plant options.
While both Landscape Workshop and Sebert Landscape are different than Grunder Landscaping Co. (GLC), and most likely your business too, that's the beauty of having a well-defined ideal client. When you do this well, you can be successful no matter who you're targeting.
I'm looking forward to learning a lot from these two companies when we tour them in June (Landscape Workshop) and September (Sebert Landscape), and I know I'll find ways to make GLC better from what we see. I can tell you with 100% certainty that while different isn't always better, better is always different.
Happy St. Patrick's Day friends, I'll talk to you next week!
Marty Grunder
Founder & CEO
The Grow Group & Grunder Landscaping Co.