Did you know that you can save money by retaining your current clients compared to gaining brand new customers? Studies have shown that it’s easier and less expensive to keep customers versus having to lead a new customer through the sales process.

You don’t want to spend a fortune advertising your lawn care, landscape, or pest control business. Instead, you can save money and have higher profits by retaining your present clients and bringing back lapsed customers to your business.

The Leaky Bucket

The leaky bucket refers to a company who is focused on getting new clients “into their bucket” while their existing clients “leak” out. You may not know the reason why your clients have stopped using your services—but, it’s more cost efficient to get that client back into the fold than invest time and money into gaining brand new clients. Why?

There are many reasons why you should work to keep your existing client base active, but here’s what the statistics say: a 2% increase in customer retention equals the same as it would to cut company costs by 10%. Your existing customers—whether active or inactive with your services—are a gold mine compared to having to garner new ones.

Here are some reasons why:

1. Your past clients already have an established relationship with you. It’s easier to connect with them compared to a cold call.
2. As these relationships get stronger, your chances of getting a better referral increases from your happy clients.
3. It’s easier to up sell your lawn care and landscape design/build services for clients who already have hired you and like your work.

Keeping Your Current Clients Engaged with Your Company

Not only should your lawn and landscaping work be the best that it can be, but you also need to stay up-to-date with your current clients.

Here are 5 ideas to get you started:

1. Make sure you send a monthly newsletter to your customers. A regular newsletter with helpful hints and tips sent through email on a monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly basis is a great way to keep your company in front of your customers.
2. Remember a newsletter is not the same as a blog. Your newsletter should be directed to your customers—personalizing the experience and making them feel a part of your company.
3. Offer a limited time special or coupon in your newsletter. It could be a lifecycle coupon such as “Get Your Lawn Mowed in Time for Mother’s Day” or “4th of July Grub Control Special.” You can also offer discounts for customers who see you announce this special on your social media pages.
4. Engagement with your followers. Use social media to stay connected with your customers. Share valuable tips, encourage your followers to share your content, and engage with them when they interact with your page.
5. Be approachable and helpful. Remind your clients that all of your products and services are guaranteed or have a warranty on them. Also, let your clients know how you handle services that don’t work out well or what to do if a homeowner discovers a problem.

Reactivating Plan: How to Get Those Lapsed Clients Back

As you look at your customer records, you notice good clients’ who haven’t used your services in some time. You can do a lot to reactivate these clients. Your first step is to determine how far back you want to go to find those inactive customers—one, two, or up to three to five seasons ago?

Once you’ve identified your lapsed clients, consider the following to get them to come back to your landscaping company:

Send a direct letter welcoming them back to your services. Offer a generous coupon.

In a direct letter, encourage your readers to subscribe to your monthly newsletter and to connect with you on social media for great deals and helpful tips.

On your social media networks and in your newsletter, share valuable lawn care and landscaping tips. For example, encourage your customers to water their lawns only in the early morning hours between 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. or mow their lawns at a height of 2 ½”.

Here are more great marketing ideas to increase your landscaping profits.

Spring-Green offers franchise owners industry leading marketing and technology support to grow their green industry business. Call 1-800-777-8608 or visit us at www.growmygreenindustrybusiness.com to learn how Spring-Green Lawn Care can help you create a sustainable revenue for you and your family.