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In the green industry, it's common to see talented professionals wearing many hats. However, when it comes to sales, juggling too many responsibilities can lead to lost opportunities.
Landscape Leadership®'s Chris Heiler and Chad Diller dive deep into this issue, sharing their experiences and insights into why landscaping and lawn care companies may be leaving money on the table due to inefficiencies in the sales process.
Audio Podcast
The Problem with Wearing Too Many Hats
As Chris and Chad discuss, many companies in the lawn and landscape industry ask their staff to manage multiple responsibilities beyond their primary roles. This is particularly problematic when it comes to sales.
Chris shares an example from his experience: a landscape designer he knows is not only responsible for creating designs but is also tasked with estimating, selling, project management, and customer service. This overload of duties often pulls people away from what they are best at, leading to inefficiencies in sales.
As Chris aptly points out, “One can only serve one king.” When someone’s time is divided between too many responsibilities, sales tend to take a back seat. And this is a costly mistake.
The designer might be brilliant at crafting beautiful landscapes, but if she’s also responsible for sales, her creative energy is diverted, and the company could lose business simply because she isn’t following up with leads promptly.
Sales Delays: The Maple Tree Example
Chad shares a personal experience that perfectly illustrates this issue. He contacted two tree service companies to get an estimate for trimming a maple tree in his yard.
Company #1, with whom he already had a relationship, took weeks to respond.
In the meantime, Company #2 quickly provided a quote and completed the job.
By the time Company #1 got back to him, the work was already done. This delay cost the first company the job—and money.
Image Source: Limbwalker Tree Service (who does an amazing job at following up on leads)
Chad's example isn’t just about poor follow-up; it’s a systemic issue in the industry. Chris mentions that this salesperson was likely not lazy but had too many other priorities. In many cases, sales simply aren’t treated as the primary responsibility, even for the person officially tasked with it.
[RELATED READING: Let's Talk About Who Should Be Selling at Your Lawn Care or Landcaping Business]
The Semi-Fictional Salespeople: A Cautionary Tale
Chad introduces four semi-fictional characters, each embodying different common sales challenges in the green industry.
Kate the Designer
Kate is an expert in plants and design, but she’s notorious for not calling leads back. She’s so absorbed in her creative work that follow-up takes a back seat. As a result, new opportunities sit on her desk for days—or weeks—before she responds, if at all.
Companies with a "Kate" on their team are missing easy wins because there’s no follow-up.
Jeremy the Perfectionist
A former crew leader, Jeremy is obsessed with making sure every job is executed perfectly. He spends so much time on-site managing the work he’s already sold that he can’t keep up with his sales quota.
The problem? Jeremy doesn’t trust anyone else to handle the details, and it costs him.
Jody the Overburdened Administrator
Jody is tasked with answering phones, scheduling, handling customer service, and now—selling lawn care services. The sheer volume of tasks coming her way makes it impossible for her to focus on closing sales.
She ends up being an “order taker,” merely sending out proposals and hoping someone bites.
Image Source: Oasis Turf & Tree (who does an amazing job at creating specialized, focused roles for their team members)
Tim the Networker
Tim is a fantastic networker who knows everyone in town, but his love for socializing gets in the way of the nitty-gritty of sales. He rushes through estimates, sometimes fudging the numbers, which leads to problems down the line with operations.
Tim’s laid-back approach might seem charming, but it creates headaches for his company.
Each of these personas is highly relatable to companies in the lawn care and landscaping industry. The core issue with each of these examples is that their sales roles are secondary to their other duties—or at least treated that way. This is a systemic problem in the industry and one that’s costing companies significant revenue.
Reimagining the Sales Process
Chris argues that the green industry needs to rethink how sales are handled. In many other industries, the creative or technical professionals aren’t responsible for selling the work.
Software engineers don’t sell the software they build—experienced salespeople do. Yet, in the green industry, sales are often seen as just another task on an already bloated job description.
Image Source: Level Green Landscaping (who does a great job at creating optimized roles from account managers, landscape designers, to business developers)
For companies to stop leaving money on the table, sales need to be treated as a specialized role. This means having dedicated, trained salespeople who focus solely on building relationships, following up on leads, and closing deals.
When designers, account managers, or administrators are expected to sell in addition to their primary duties, sales suffer.
Filling the Gaps with People, Processes, and Technology
Even the best salespeople have weaknesses. Maybe they’re great at closing lawn care and landscaping deals but struggle with organization or follow-up. Chad emphasizes the importance of leveraging people, processes, and technology to fill these gaps.
For example, if you have a "Kate" on your team who struggles with follow-up, perhaps another team member can handle that aspect for her. Alternatively, technology solutions like CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems can automate reminders and ensure that no leads slip through the cracks.
Chad talks about how he uses technology to keep track of follow-ups. He uses tools to remind him to reach out to leads, even months later, and to ensure that nothing is forgotten.
By taking advantage of these tools, companies can ensure that they’re not leaving money on the table because of missed follow-ups or disorganization.
The Importance of Follow-Up: Bonus Interview with Sean from SingleOps
Sean Adams, an industry expert from SingleOps, emphasizes the importance of follow-up in the sales process. He notes that many companies don’t have a structured follow-up process, and this leads to missed opportunities.
Often, the biggest competition isn’t another company but the customer’s indecision. When potential clients feel overwhelmed by decisions, they tend to put off making a choice. A well-timed follow-up can make all the difference.
According to Sean, it’s not just about timeliness but about sending the right message at the right time.
Instead of saying, “You were on my list to call today,” salespeople should provide value in their follow-ups, addressing common questions and showing that they care about the client’s needs.
Prioritize Sales to Stop Leaving Money on the Table
In the lawn care and landscaping industry, too many companies are losing business simply because they haven’t prioritized sales as a dedicated role.
Talented designers, account managers, and administrators are often asked to take on sales duties, but their strengths lie elsewhere, and the company’s bottom line suffers.
Image Source: Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape (who also has done a great job structuring their roles and process for maximum results)
To stop leaving money on the table, companies should consider restructuring their sales process. By designating trained sales professionals, leveraging technology, and building a solid follow-up process, lawn and landscaping companies can significantly increase their revenue and improve their client relationships. It’s time to stop letting sales fall through the cracks.
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