$1148 in One Day with Plants? You Bet!

This article outlines a simple yet effective marketing plan, demonstrating how a landscaping business can thrive, even during slow seasons, by targeting the right market. Here’s a breakdown of the process shared:

 

  1. Target Market Selection: Instead of competing in the highly competitive new home landscaping market, the author targeted a different group—homeowners in a neighborhood who could afford landscaping but weren’t extremely wealthy. This group was more likely to make impulsive decisions about gardening.
  2. Direct Mail Strategy: The author sent a letter to 350 homeowners, offering discounted landscaping services because of the slow season. Only 3 responded, but two jobs were immediately secured, generating a net profit of $1,050 ($350 for one job and $700 for the other).
  3. Unexpected Opportunity: One of the responses came from an apartment building owner needing shrubs for a parking lot. The landscaping requirements involved 106 plants, with a typical quote of $44 per plant. The author managed to source the plants at a lower cost ($10 each) from a friend, making the total project cost much more affordable for the client.
  4. Profit Generation: The landscaping job, which involved planting and labor, was completed in a single day, earning a net profit of $1,148 after expenses for plants and labor. The happy client also requested additional work the following week, generating further revenue.
  5. Cost vs. Return: After the $175 spent on the direct mail campaign, the net profit from just this mailing amounted to nearly $3,000. Additionally, the author’s friend Franky earned $1,060 from selling the plants.
  6. Conclusion: This story highlights how with a thoughtful marketing plan and tapping into the right market, anyone can generate significant income through simple business strategies. The approach not only emphasizes the importance of creative problem-solving (like finding more affordable plant sources) but also demonstrates how networking and utilizing connections can lead to more business.