Don't be afraid to ask

Meeting sales goals is challenging enough in a tough year – but selling above and beyond the basics? Add-on services sometimes lose sales priority in times when companies are focused on getting clients to renew or simply sign on for a regular lawn care program.

But don’t discount the revenues add-on services can deliver. Aeration, grub control, lime application, organic topdressing, perimeter pest control – these extras appeal to existing customers and give companies a way to dig deeper to an existing client base.

Top dressing
Jeff Kollenkark, owner of Weed Man Fresno, Calif., made about $40,000 this summer selling organic topdressing at $100 to $200 per application, depending on property size. “We’ll probably do more this fall, and the service is fairly significant to our bottom line in a year where we’re looking for anything we can grab on to,” he says. “It’s a good thing.”

Kollenkark is actually a little surprised that the topdressing service has gone over so well. “To me, this is a little more discretionary than feeding the lawn and keeping out crabgrass, but we’re still selling quite a bit,” he says.

Marketing strategy has a lot to do with why Kollenkark is ringing up sales on topdressing and aeration, which will net the company about $50,000 this year. Every add-on sale is approached with an authentic, soft pitch and real concern for what’s best for customers’ lawns.

“We really stress education, building a relationship with the customer and not selling them something they don’t need,” Kollenkark says. “We treat their lawns as if they were our own. If the service is a good fit, we offer it.”

Specifically, Kollenkark contacts customers three ways – a newsletter that provides tips on watering along with information about pests and disease pressure; a technician recommending the service on site; and e-mails.

Pest control
Meanwhile, in Main Line, Pa., John Sanders’ Weed Man location is finding success with a new perimeter pest control service thanks to his multi-pronged marketing approach. To start, he launched the service because of customer demand, which meant a ready audience for buying the add-on. “More people are creating outdoor living spaces that include cooking, so nuisance ants become a problem,” Sanders says.

As with other add-ons Sanders offers – grub control, aeration, liming, flea and tick control – he is careful not to bombard customers with too many extras. Otherwise, they’ll choose to buy nothing. Sanders markets perimeter pest control to customers who already chose other add-ons, such as grub control or lime application. Since he’s not marketing grub control to this population, he’s free to sell perimeter pest control without bugging them.

“If you push too hard on one service, the concern is that you could cannibalize other sales,” Sanders says, not wanting perimeter pest control to take precedence over standard add-ons like grub control.

So, rather than sending out a blanket marketing piece, Sanders selectively introduced the new service through the company’s e-mail messages.

The key to selling add-ons is to layer messages, Sanders says, avoid overwhelming customers and explain the real value of each service.

The author is a frequent contributor to Lawn & Landscape.