Many of my clients have asked me recently what my recommendations are for posting on social media this week and in the coming days. 

• What are some topics we can post about? 
• Is it appropriate to ask clients for sales still? 
• Should we jump on the Coronavirus bandwagon and tell everyone what we’re up to? 
• Should we continue to spend money on social media promotions? 

According to Deloitte, studies show that we primarily rate brands based on personal feelings and experiences—not information. And when a positive emotional connection is created with a company, 92% of us are more likely to stay loyal, 88% are more likely to spend more, and 91% are willing to advocate on behalf of the brand.

Not only that, people are spending a significant more amount of time on social media as they’re quarantined to the house and working from home. 

My good friend Jason Cupp noted that many employees are laid off or furloughed and they may not...

As of writing this, the Mexican consulate announced they will be closing on March 18th with no reopening date in sight. I’ve heard mixed information from people who are boots on the ground with other reputable sources that say they may still process after that or up until the 25th, however no one is certain. 

Even companies who received an A or B position in the H-2B lottery, may be back on the same level playing field as the companies who weren’t so lucky or didn’t apply at all.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and the one that I see for this is that the unemployment rate in the United States is going up. Restaurants and bars are closing in several states and these bartenders and servers will be seeking new employment. Actors and people in the entertainment business are also looking for work. And students that may be off school and doing online classes are wanting to fill their "time off" making money.

I think the lesson here is keep some marketing money...

 Startup is Easy, Growing is Hard 

Chances are, when you first started your landscaping company, you knew everybody’s name. 

The team was small and tight-knit. You knew each person’s life story, their likes and dislikes, maybe even the names of all their kids. You’d shake hands with everyone on a regular basis, and the overall vibe of the company was more like a family than like a corporation.

If your company has grown rapidly, though, you may be experiencing some challenges.

You might not get to see everyone every day any more. You may no longer be the one in charge of hiring or onboarding new team members. And the warm, authentic personal connections—the human element that made your company such a great place to work in the beginning—may be starting to fade.

Don’t Let Growth Challenges Sink Your Company…  

If you let yourself get complacent about your employees’ morale, you’ll find it’s...

^{This blog post written by Kelly was originally published as a guest post on Landscape Management Magazine's website. http://landscapemanagement.net/guest-post-recruit-high-level-candidates-on-linkedin-through-your-personal-brand/} 

LinkedIn is the world's largest professional networking site with over 530 million users, making it the go-to social media for job seekers and job recruiters.

If you’re looking for management candidates to help you grow your landscaping business, LinkedIn a great place to create new relationships.  Here’s a hint - it’s not just about posting jobs. These candidates probably aren’t actively seeking a new job because they’re already employed.  Use these tips to stand out and get their attention. 

Your Public Profile Essentials

No matter how long you’ve been using LinkedIn, take a good look at your public profile. This is the first thing potential recruits...

The primary goal of marketing is to generate and nurture high-quality leads. You want to attract the right potential customers to your business and to set expectations in their minds about the experience they will have with your company. It is the role of sales to convert these leads into customers.

For almost all businesses, the right marketing strategy enables the company to grow faster and provide customers with a more satisfying experience.

It may seem as though your business is getting along just fine without investing in marketing, but you will likely reach a tipping point where it starts to make sense to invest in marketing, including  a marketing consultant. I go into more detail here on when creating a budget is worth your time, so if you are unsure if your business is at the right stage for this, start with that post and circle back. (After all, if you are not yet ready for a budget, you are likely not ready for a marketing budget either.)

Last week I flew up to Cape Cod to visit an old friend, Bob Maffei and his company Maffei Landscape Contractors. 

I met Bob “growing up” in the industry, probably at a JP Horizons event and he’s about as good of a guy as you can get.

After reminiscing (and sharing hilarious stories I didn’t know about my parents), we talked shop and he offered some pointers about running a $10m landscaping business.  

Trying to be clever, I created a little equation from my takeaways.

Personal Accountability + Team Accountability + Enthusiasm = Success

Personal Accountability 

One thing that Bob kept repeating was the 5 stages of employee accountability.  

The lowest form of accountability - scratch that - the polar opposite of accountability is denial....  “The work I did at the client’s house was fine.”

Once they’re able to acknowledge (verbally or not)...

“There’s two types of people in this world.” my friend Jane explained, “Clickers and non-clickers”.

She was describing the way that administrative employees tend to work.  They either click buttons on the computer to figure out a way to make progress, or they don’t - they sit back and ask for help.
 

 
I believe the right person could be coached to take more initiative. Here’s how:

1. Give Them Permission 

A friend of mine is in the fitness industry and recently he hired a sales coach to help develop processes for new salespeople.

Being the nosey girl that I am, I asked to see some of their notes, hoping to find a nugget that I could apply to the green industry.

One video I stumbled across was about how to increase call volume.  The coach suggested sitting next to a new salesperson for one hour of the day with a list of names and phone numbers.  Then just listen to their calls, offer zero feedback, and make a tally every time they complete a call.

The idea here is that since the boss is right there and there are no distractions, they are going to be focused really hard in making calls.  

Once the hour is up, the next step is to use this as a benchmark.

Say, “Okay Brad, you made 50 calls in one hour and scheduled 16 appointments. That means hypothetically you could be scheduling 100 appointments in an 8 hour day.  I know...

Grab your coffee & sit back to enjoy this month's top picks from yours truly! 

Technology 

Everything You Need to Know About the New Gmail

Summary:  New in May, Gmail gives us features we've needed but perhaps didn't know we needed, all in one update - including snoozing, self-destructing emails and Google tasks in your inbox. 

My take: At first, I couldn't wait to turn on my new Gmail interface. But after using it for 2 days, I turned it back off. The new features are appealing, but I'm not comfortable yet with the new look.  Anyone else having more success? 

Digital Marketing 

Need to Spring Clean Your Marketing? These 10 Ideas Will Help.

Summary:  Every once in a while, you’ve got to clean up the parts of your marketing program that don’t regularly get your attention. In the everyday hustle, this stuff can easily get neglected.

Why I picked...