Article provided in collaboration with White Rabbit Group
There is plenty of noise in the tree care industry — a chain saw cutting through a limb, a brush chipper running at high speed, a stump cutter working away in a backyard. And then there is the noise that company owners have to rise above to be heard in the marketplace.
“You may be the best at what you do,” says business consultant Mike Wagner, “but you absolutely need some way to present your value to those who buy your tree services. That’s why hiring a professional who can help you put together a marketing plan can be a significant factor in building a successful tree care company.”
Wagner, owner of White Rabbit Group, a consulting firm located in Des Moines, Iowa, notes that while many firms provide quality service and manage the financial side of the business well, marketing is often overlooked.
“I am very sympathetic to the owner who is all about what happens on the job, but more and more customers are assuming a certain level of professionalism when they hire a tree-service contractor,” says Wagner. “That’s the norm; they expect quality and safety. Taking the business to the next level, and helping ensure that it’s going to be around for a long time, requires a marketing focus.“
Finding a fit
When selecting a marketing professional, you need to ask a couple of key questions, says Wagner:
- Have you worked with companies the size of mine?
- Will I get your full attention?
- Will my firm and yours be a good fit?
Investing in the business
Marketing expenses can vary greatly, depending on time and materials. “It’s important to hire someone who will help you make a business case for investing money rather than spending money,” says Wagner.
Ask yourself: How many new customers would you have to add or how many new projects would you have to do in order to make it worthwhile to spend, say, $10,000?
“In making a decision to allocate funds for marketing, the owner needs to show a relationship between new customers, revenue generated and marketing dollars spent. If you cannot connect those dots, it will be difficult to make a business decision in favor of marketing.”
What’s the goal?
Another factor to consider in deciding whether to develop a marketing plan is the status of your tree care business.
“If you don’t want to hire more people, build a larger organization or have a growth mindset,” says Wagner, “your goals will be different from a company that is trying to expand and grow. In some cases, too much success in the marketplace could bring about operational problems.”