Industry experts share ways to help your team prepare for fall cleanups

How do you prepare for fall cleanups?

Landscape Professionals

Troy Clogg
Troy Clogg Landscape Associates
Wixom, Mich.

“Planning, planning, planning. Plan the hours of work you’ll have. Plan the equipment needs and plan your people needs … Go have fun beating your goals. Then, celebrate.”

Paul Fraynd
Sun Valley Landscaping
Omaha, Neb.

“Examine each job site to determine the right size crew setup, frequency of service, scope of work and debris handling. No two jobs are alike, and taking the time to examine each one with the goal to maximize quality with the least amount of hours possible will set up your crews for success.”

Bryan Stolz
Winterberry Landscape & Garden Center
Southington, Conn.
“Don’t assume your teams remember what they did last year. Refresh even experienced crews with processes and expectations. Better yet, let those experienced crews lead the training and then reward them for it.”

Greg Winchel
Winchel Irrigation
Grandville, Mich.
“We do annual maintenance on our air compressors and make sure each truck has the equipment to winterize systems. We also send reminders to our customers for this service. Usually, before our service department starts the winterization process, we have a schedule for each service tech set for three to four weeks in advance.”

Industry Consultants

Neal Glatt
GrowTheBench
Boston, Mass.
“Reach out early to every client to discuss expectations. Have all the work contracted early so you can set schedules and have difficult conversations in advance of problems. Is there a certain date they want their cleanup done? How will we address leaves that fall after the cleanup? More communication will lead to more sales and more satisfied clients.”

Marty Grunder
The Grow Group
Dayton, Ohio
“We make sure all our equipment is working — our blowers, truck vacuums and specialized equipment. Then, we look at our work tickets in Aspire and make sure notes, instructions and maps are clear and our clients know what to expect. All planning is good.”

Jeffrey Scott
Jeffrey Scott Consulting
New Orleans, La.
“Make sure you coordinate your labor between install and maintenance for best company-wide results.”