Late fall is here, and it’s the best time to plant trees and shrubs in your customers’ yards. This is a good time to upsell lawn care like tree and shrub planting services.
For example, suppose you talk to Mrs. Smith about her landscaping goals in the New Year, and she mentions that she wants to create privacy in her backyard by adding more trees.
Why wait until next spring when these woody plants won’t have enough time to get established before the summer heat and dry conditions? You can offer to plant those trees now because it increases the specimens’ ability to develop a robust root system.
What Is Upselling?
Upselling is selling other landscaping services and products that aren’t a part of your landscaping programs. When you sell and install trees and shrubs, you’re cross-selling since tree, and shrub planting services are a regular landscaping company service. This is a good opportunity to upsell your lawn care.
Learn more: Back Office Tips to Keep You Focused on Growing Your Landscaping Business
One selling point you should emphasize is that it would be better to send two landscaping crew members to the client’s house to install the trees and shrubs. As you know, trees need the correct hole size to develop their root systems.
Also, you can remind your customers that trees and shrubs must be planted correctly to take hold in the ground and grow aboveground.
Plus, it takes two people to plant trees—one holds the tree in the hole while the other stands a few feet away, ensuring that the tree is centered correctly.
As part of your upselling, remind your customers that you have relationships with nurseries selling healthy tree and shrub specimens that may come with plant warranties.
How Much Should You Charge for Tree and Shrub Planting Services?
Since trees cost more than shrubs, the focus will be on your tree planting services. Davey.com emphasizes that many factors go into the cost of planting trees and shrubs.
The three conditions that play into tree and shrub planting services include:
- The location where your customer wants the trees and shrubs placed – For example, planting trees on a hillside is more challenging than planting trees on flat ground.
- The tree’s size – If you’re installing large trees on a property, you’ll need more crews because a 12’ tree is more complicated to plant than a sapling.
- How many people to plant the tree correctly – As mentioned above, you need at least two crew members to plant a tree to ensure it’s straight in the planting site. Plus, the larger the trees, the more people you need to install them.
Where you’re installing trees and shrubs determines the final cost of the tree and shrub installation. You also want to include the cost of sending out crews, your work as the boss, and other installation costs.
According to HomeAdvisor.com, tree and shrub planting services break down into the following costs:
- Shrubs: $25 – $50 per shrub
- Privacy hedge (less expensive than fence installation): $1,700 – $2,400
- Trees: $100-$400, with the average cost at $200 per tree
- Planting a large tree (over 15’ tall): $1,500 – $3,000 per tree.
Marketing Your Tree and Shrub Planting Services
Why market your tree and shrub planting services? So that your sales prospects find you. Knowing your sales base allows for an easier upsell of lawn care.
You want to use regular marketing practices to bring people to your website. Here are some ways to find those ideal customers:
- Know who your customers will be and why they would want your tree and shrub planting services
- Don’t forget to include “tree and shrub planting services near me” in your call to action
- Write blogs and social media posts that address your customer’s tree and shrub planting pain points
- Write blogs that show customers how to water their trees and shrubs, the best location spots for young trees and shrubs, and the purpose of regularly pruning trees and shrubs
- Share your blog, videos, and photos on social media channels so that your sales prospects will see your work.
- Consider using video as part of your digital marketing plan. For example, you can upload videos on tree and shrub plant care.
Are You Prepared for Snow & Ice Management This Year?
The snow is already swirling, so it’s time to prepare your snow and ice management equipment.
At Spyker Spreaders, our 50-lb capacity Spyker ERGO-PRO™ Walk-Behind Salt Spreader handles the most challenging winter jobs. It spreads ice melt and rock salt. And the reflective frame adds visibility in poor weather conditions.
The innovative hopper design eliminates bridging, allowing the material to flow to empty without shaking or bouncing. Plus, the ergonomic, adjustable handle is designed to match the operator, reducing user fatigue and allowing you to get the job done efficiently.
You can find our Spyker 50-lb capacity ERGO-PRO™ and other landscaping products at your local dealer, online at these retailers, or the Spyker store.
Spyker Customer Service: For warranty, service parts, or help at any time, reach out to our team by calling our toll-free number (800-972-6130) or emailing customerservice@brinly.com. Replacement parts can also be ordered online at Spyker’s website.
Sources:
Blog.Davey.com, How Much Do Landscapers Charge to Plant a Tree?
HomeAdvisor.com, How Much Does Landscape Installation Cost?
SalesForce.com, What is Upselling?
