How To Run Your Landscape Business Remotely

Stay organized, be a strong coach and use your time wisely are some of the top takeaways shared by LMN’s leading landscape business owners.

If you’re a landscape contractor looking to succeed in 2020, then you need to prepare to run your business remotely. Landscape businesses with a remote infrastructure can be more productive and more profitable if they’re set up with the right technology, training and work processes.

As the world adapts to living with coronavirus, working from home will become the new norm for many. According to Gallup, 59% of Americans would prefer to work remotely as much as possible — even after business and economic closures lift. That’s a good thing for employers! A typical employer can save about $11,000 per year for each employee who works remotely half of the time, according to Global Workplace Analytics.

Wondering how your business could possibly operate remotely?

What if you or your office administrator could handle all of your bookkeeping from a home office? What if your foreman or lead hand knew exactly what was expected of their crew at each job site, just by taking a quick glance at their phone? What if you could close more sales, schedule your crews and keep your finger on the pulse of every project on the go — all from the cab of your truck or your back deck?

From coaching your foreman and crews, to handling all the administrative tasks that keep the lights on and food on the table, and to keep winning and holding onto your best clients — we have to adapt to survive and succeed in this business. The crew at LMN is here to support you, every step of the way on your journey.

Tips to help run your landscape business remote

Some of the most important keys to a successful landscaping business are communication, organization, goal-setting and accountability. Those skills are even more vital in this chaotic time. We caught up with some of LMN’s VIPs to get their tips for how they’re making their businesses successful during this adjustment period.

Josh Jones of Mass Hardscapes says, it’s absolutely essential to stay organized and be in regular contact with your crews and customers.

“At the beginning of the day, I set goals for what each crew should have completed by the end of the day,” Jones said. “At the end of the day, my foreman checks in with me with progress so I can devise a plan for the next day, as well as send me some photos of the job progress.”

An easy way to build a system like Jones’ and start incorporating new technology is to download the free 4 O’Clock 4 app. When used properly, the app will create a daily communication loop between you and your crews. You’ll know every day if your crews finished the work they were supposed to, their goals for the next day and about the small problems that affect productivity — and your bottom line.

You can take advantage of LMN’s other resources as well. They offer a free version of the software for you to get your feet wet and start transitioning to the system.

One part of the software package is the CRM program for customer communication tools. Jones said the best thing about the program is being organized and having all of his clients information in one spot.

“It also helps being able to label each job in terms of where we are in the process whether it be in the estimate stage, in progress, or completed, ” he said. “Having my to-do list in the program and app helps me stay organized and make sure everything I need gets done on time.”

Stanley Genadek of Dirt Monkey says it’s crucial to be a coach to your employees, not only in how to do the work, but even more important: you need to teach them how to keep their morale high. By creating a strong team, Genadek is able to get the best work from his crews through trust and accountability standards.

Genadek has been in the business for 30 years, but even a veteran like him admits he needs help sometimes staying on budget and tightening his schedule.

Shawn and Savannah Spencer from Spencer Lawn Care are a husband and wife team, so it’s easy for them to communicate with one another to ensure things get done right. Shawn said to save time they plan estimates they get while they’re out during the work day. That way they never have to double back to an area they know they’ll be working in.

LMN’s software gives you the tools to make those processes easy and efficient. In addition to the CRM, it offers tools to budget, estimate, schedule and more.

You can learn how to best utilize all the tools LMN has to offer through free webinars and virtual workshops. For a more intensive training, LMN has moved its Academy online, where it’s now available for all users. If you have specific questions you need answered, the LMN crew is always available for one-on-one support.

In the wake of the largest pandemic in a century, many businesses will struggle to adapt to the new normal. LMN is here to make this trying transition period smoother and simpler for any and all landscape contractors. Utilizing business management software resources will allow you to use this time to establish the right systems and processes for you and your team, which will enable your business to become more efficient, profitable and successful for years to come.