Shaunna Stellinga

The competitive nature of the landscaping industry can often feel discouraging when it seems like clients are basing their hiring decisions solely on who has the lowest price. With multiple landscaping companies jockeying for each job, it can feel like a race to offer the best discount or smallest margins to close the project. As women, we already tend to undercharge for our work after generations of being underpaid compared to our male counterparts. When you combine our ingrained habit of undervaluing our work with the industry’s pervasive “race to the bottom” mentality, it becomes a recipe for earning less than we deserve. 

The reality

There will always be a competitor who can offer a lower price than you, so it’s time to start shifting our attention to how we can instead provide more value.

Today’s homeowners are savvy enough to know that getting three quotes is best practice for choosing a contractor, so finding ways to add more value can help you stand out among the crowd. Most of our focus naturally goes toward delivering quality workmanship and fine-tuning the final results of our work, but value can come in many forms beyond just the final product.

Put yourself in their shoes

One of the best ways to add more value is to enhance the customer experience, and often times, this can be done without adding a single expense. Start by thinking about all the ways you interact with your customer before you begin a project. Look at the process from the customer’s point of view, from the initial outreach to the quoting and booking process. How easy is it for them to communicate with you, and what do your responses look like? 

Ideally, you want your communication to flow easily and help your customer by anticipating their questions. Before investing their money in a landscape project, clients want to know what to expect. Whether it’s what your estimated project timeline is or what your warranty policies are, providing those answers ahead of time for them can positively affect their buying decision. Having professional-looking resources readily available, such as an introductory video, FAQs or before and after pictures, creates a great first impression. These showcase the quality of your work and instill confidence in your customers that they’re choosing to work with a reputable company. 

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Which experience is more appealing — a quick email with an estimate typed out and marked “sent from my iPhone,” or a professional-looking PDF that includes their estimate, testimonials from recent customers and beautiful photos of similar projects? Both ways of sending an estimate deliver the same information, but the way it’s presented can help underline your professionalism and start your relationship off on the right foot. 

By taking the time to walk through the customer experience step by step, you can find small ways to set your company apart. Adding professional touches at every step of the way helps you solidify your reputation as a company that goes above and beyond. Whether it’s upgrading your website, enhancing your estimating or customizing your communication, taking the time to build a better rapport with your clients will make working with your company a more valuable choice overall. 

Final thoughts

There are hundreds of landscaping companies that have the expertise to deliver beautiful results, but elevating the entire customer experience can help you truly excel. Doing the bare minimum while offering the lowest prices may be a model that works for some, but let’s make 2025 the year of charging what we’re worth — and that’s done by offering our clients an unparalleled customer experience. 

Women in Landscaping is a column brought to you in partnership with the National Association of Landscape Professionals. Shaunna Stellinga is an active member of the National Association of Landscape Professionals Women in Landscape Network (powered by Stanley Black and Decker) which provides a forum for industry professionals to support each other’s professional growth. The Network is free to all industry professionals.