Now is how

In August, our TV died.

Initially, we looked for a replacement. We went to Sears and picked out a new Sony that was on sale. But the store manager gave us a hard time about their sale applying to that particular television, so we walked away.

Instead, we took our itty bitty 19-inch, 20-year-old RCA from the basement and put it in the broken TV’s spot. Certainly not high-tech, but sufficient.

“I’m doing it, too,” Chris Senske, owner of Senske Lawn & Tree Care in Kennewick, WA, told me. “I have a TV that’s ready to be replaced and I’m just plain holding off because I don’t want to spend the money right now. I’ve also put more money in the bank in the last 18 months than ever before in my life.”

Call it uncertainty. Call it doubt. Call it a lack of faith. People today —  your customers, your employees and even your fellow business owners — are more hesitant to spend money.

But that doesn’t mean they don’t have money. In some cases, like with Senske, they do have cash, but they don’t want to spend it on a particular item or service.

This puts the emphasis in today’s economy on the HOWs. How you tell your story. How you sell. How you emphasize what customers need vs. want. Perceptive need combined with the right value has people spending. But like my experience at Sears, you disappoint a customer over a few dollars, and you’ve lost the bigger sale.

In our 2011 Business Planner, we bring you 50 ways to grow in honor of Landscape Management’s 50th year of publishing, which kicks off in 2011. And in the spirit of this new economic environment, we don’t just share expert advice on new growth strategies; we show you how 12 contractors achieved growth this year.

Now is the time to grow. How quickly you make a positive impact on your business all depends on HOW you do it.

Click here to get started.