Around the Horn

Tweet at @lawnlandscape, visit us at our Linkedin page at linkd.in/lawnland or Facebook  at www.facebook.com/lawnandlandscape and give us your feedback!

Here’s this month’s question.
Do you offer customers a holiday (Thanksgiving/Christmas) discount? Why or why not?

From Facebook:

We send our top customers a “Happy Holidays” card and a note telling them they will receive 10 percent off their next invoice and thanking them for giving us the chance to do business with them. It may not seem like a lot but we find sometimes it’s the little things that can create strong and lasting business relationships. We try and take advantage of the holiday season to get a little more personal instead of it being strictly business. – Steve Rimkus, owner, Integrity Landscaping.

From Linkedin:

We send out Christmas cards with a 10 percent discount for either holiday (they must choose one or the other) or they can choose to use it come springtime. – Sam Samaniego, owner,  gmb Landscape

We offer 25 percent off on colorful annuals & top dressing during the holidays. Everyone wants their home looking great for the holidays. With relatives coming over, friends, neighbors, I have noticed that my customers want to make an impact (the talk of the neighborhood), so one customer of mine called me wanting to enhance their front yard for Thanksgiving. It gave me an idea to promote colorful annuals and mulching beds for the holidays. It went very well, so now I promote it every year since. For Halloween I recommend different plant materials that you can find interesting and fun. – Misael Rojas, horticulturist, Lawn & Garden SVC


We actually give our clients holiday gifts. The most successful one has been a one-year subscription to Better Homes and Gardens. It costs $11.98 a year (although they are now offering it for only $5.99). Our customers love it and have told us so. For less than a dollar a month (and now only 50 cents) we market directly to our existing clients and remind them of why they chose to work with us. BH&G handles all of the shipping and handling, includes a nice holiday card and features landscaping ideas for future projects. It’s a win-win-win. – Jody Shilan, editor, FromDesign2Build.com

 

 

Next month’s question:
What is an advantage/disadvantage to providing snow removal as a service?

Email Associate Editor Brian Horn at bhorn@gie.net.