That being said, one good but seldom used marketing tool is a short note or letter telling your customers any new service you are going to begin offering.

Did you just buy a leaf vacuum?  Tell them all about the benefits of removing the leaves from their lawns this fall.  And create an offer to entice them.

What about that new aerator you saw at the turf grass trade show?  Tell your customers about the benefits of aerating their lawns and how you have just such a service.

Do you have winter services that your customers don’t know about?  They may be using another company for such services simply because you haven’t told them that you offer it.  What about gutter cleaning?  Christmas lights and decorations?  Fall/Thanksgiving themed yard displays?  Snow removal?  Irrigation system flush?  What about Spring plantings of annuals?

Not only will you get more sales, you’ll build a better bond with your customer as you educate them and keep in touch with them.

Now, your marketing calendar should have those weeks marked which cover seasonal and time-sensitive services. This way you’ll know when to begin marketing those services.

If we’re coming up on time to apply pre-emergent weed control, send a short note or postcard about 2 weeks before that “window” of service opens. And let your customer (or potential customer) know why it is important to do this service inside this small “window of opportunity.” Then follow up with another note or phone call in a week.

If they have already signed an agreement that includes this service, then send a postcard explaining why its important and announce when you intend to provide the service. This kind of communication goes a long way toward building customer loyalty.

And get this…time-sensitive services have a built-in psychological trigger (aiding the sales process.) That trigger is called “scarcity.” In this case, time scarcity. By letting potential customers know that to be effective, these services must be completed by a certain date, you give your marketing a certain urgency.

Customers will respond much more quickly and definitely to a time-sensitive notice than to open ended marketing. So use these services to your marketing advantage.

Need some examples of time-sensitive issues? Here are a few, depending on what your company does (or is licensed to do.)

• -pre-emergent weed control
• -aeration
• -overseeding/slitseeding
• -annual flower beds (2 opportunities here)
• -pruning/shrub trimming
• -irrigation winterizing
• -gutter cleaning
• -bulb plantings
• -various fertilization programs
• -fall decorations/Christmas decorations

Look over your list of accounts and write a list of every service you have performed. Place a check mark beside any service that may be considered time-sensitive. These are the services you should market to all your customers in this way.

Don’t pass up this “built-in” sales opportunity.