By John Corban
Do you feel there is a part of your business that is not operating the way you would like it to? It might be your time management that continually puts pressure on you and limits your business growth and efficiency, or it might be your project management system that creates inconsistent results on projects.… Continue reading
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Should you plan your business growth and what are the benefits? Considering the challenges of the last twelve months (rain, COVID19, increased materials costs), some business owners could think it is hard to plan business growth. They might say “I am just trying to organise my business from week to week and maintain a reasonable productivity due to the unprecedented rainfall.”… Continue reading
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We discussed managing difficult customers in a design business last month, so this month we look at identifying clients that don’t suit your business and how to manage those that are difficult in a maintenance business.
If you were to describe the type of clients you would like more of, what would be their profile?… Continue reading
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They change their mind repeatedly, they remove parts of the quote, leaving the potential project fragmented, which you know will end in an average result. They show disappointment with work done, they question variations and refuse to pay invoices.… Continue reading
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By John Corban
The most significant and powerful change in small business marketing since 2010 has been the introduction of social media. Instagram and Facebook are the two most popular platforms used by businesses in the landscape/horticulture Industry, employees and clients for daily posting and viewing.… Continue reading
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By John Corban
You have undoubtedly experienced previous projects that did not work out the way you had anticipated. For example, construction mistakes that had to be rebuilt, certain parts of the scope that took longer to build than was quoted, increased material costs, and clients that ended up being difficult to work with.… Continue reading
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By John Corban
Fixed quote vs cost plus quote
Do you prepare your quotes on a fixed quote or on a cost-plus basis? If you run a maintenance business, the basis is generally cost plus, however, many clients want the service capped at a certain number of hours per visit or month.… Continue reading
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The landscape industry has benefited from increased enquiries since the pandemic started. However, we should never expect enquiries to remain strong without a proactive approach to our marketing. So, to assist you, I have highlighted some marketing trends that emerged during the pandemic and will remain strong this year and next. … Continue reading
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At the beginning of 2021, we were hoping for the worst of COVID to be behind us and some sort of normality could be experienced. But no, the Delta variant, prolonged lockdowns and imposed vaccinations dominated the year.… Continue reading
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By Daniel Fuller
Are you inclined to listen to the radio when on the job, either in the nursery, on a landscape job, or in the ute on the way to a job? I get that. It’s relaxing and you can just carry on with your work.… Continue reading
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Think about how often you have said yes to a request in the last couple of months but wish you hadn’t. You may have arrived at a job and realised it wasn’t the right project for you, but you agreed to quote it anyway.… Continue reading
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When it comes to growing a business and succeeding, billionaire Richard Branson is a guy we listen to. He founded the Virgin Group in the 1970’s, which today controls more than 400 companies in many diverse sectors, from travel to telecommunications, health to banking, and music to leisure.… Continue reading
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By John Corban
Since COVID19 began, I have taken a stronger interest in golf and am playing more regularly. I always found this game quite frustrating, but the more I play, the less frustrating it is. It’s funny how that works!… Continue reading
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Stephen Covey wrote a ground-breaking book (The 7 habits of highly effective people) years ago, that changed the way many leaders manage their business and life. In this article, I summarise the seven habits, so you can choose to apply some or all of them.… Continue reading
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The financial year finished recently, so now is the time to plan your profits for 2022. I strongly suggest that you don’t just hope that sales and profit are going to be good in 2022. Instead, create a plan to earn the sales and profit you really want.… Continue reading
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By John Corban –
We have come to the end of a busy financial year, so now is a good time to start planning your business for a successful new financial year. Start thinking about what worked well over the past 12 months and what could be improved.… Continue reading
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By John Corban –
If you think back over the last few years, you may have ‘clicked’ with some prospects from the first conversation, and trust probably developed very quickly. So, let’s break down what happens at the beginning of the sales process when the interaction is great and trust builds quickly, so you can replicate this process with every prospect whenever you choose.… Continue reading
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By John Corban –
2021 is here, and what a relief! 2020 was a tough and challenging year, beginning with the bushfires and then the most severe pandemic affecting everyone.
The pandemic that took off in March 2020, changed the way many businesses operated.… Continue reading
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Turning away work, not enough workers, time poor! How to deal with the post pandemic boom.
2021 started with a bang. Every landscaper, horticulturist and nursery owner around the country is experiencing a significant increase in sales and enquiries at the moment and that should be a great thing, right?… Continue reading
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