We’ve all heard the expression. We know exactly how many words a picture is supposed to be worth. But what if we converted it to dollars? How much is a picture worth then?
Visual aids can help our business succeed throughout the sales and planning process. They can help us stay organized in the office and impress customers in the field.
These days, with landscaping companies competing across every city in America, anything that helps us close deals and stay on track should be very seriously considered, whether we opt to use it or not.
Let’s explore some of the ways that visual aids are designed to help us out and whether they’re a worthwhile investment for your landscaping company.
Visuals for Internal Communication
Having a visual aid to track tasks internally can be very beneficial to companies. Visuals transmit tons of information fast and allow a top-down insight into what’s being done and what still needs to be done.
Sometimes, the only bit of tech you need for this is a whiteboard with sticky notes. If you’ve found that works for you, then, by all means, keep on keepin’ on.
If you’ve had trouble with internal communication/task management tools, we’d suggest trying something like Trello.
At its heart, Trello is not unlike a whiteboard covered in sticky notes, only these notes can be assigned to different employees, color-coded for priority or team assignment, and much more than that.
Having a Trello board (or other visual aid) for your company to use eliminates the ‘who’s job was that again?’ which can eat so much time in a landscaping business.
With aides, everyone is aware of what their responsibilities are and when they need to have them done. In a climate like ours where a nimble reaction time can mean the difference between getting the job and missing out on it, this is key.
Visuals for Customer Communication
Clear communication is always important in business, but never more so than when communicating with customers.
Without customers, we don’t have a business. And the best way to earn customers is to show them you understand and appreciate what they want.
Visual sales tools can help you do that. On a very basic level, you can sketch with paper and pencil and show customers pictures of similar jobs you’ve done using an iPad. Make sure you have a number of photos sorted by job type, so when a customer asks for a fire pit, you can show them fire pits on your tablet in the field.
Using landscape takeoff software, you’ll be able to present to customers using satellite images of their property, sketching directly onto the image itself.
Sketches like this ignite your customer’s imagination, while at the same time proving to them that your company is knowledgeable and capable enough to complete this job in exactly the way they want.
Visual Aids to Keep your Crew on Task
No landscaping project was finished alone. Strong, capable crews enable us to bring complicated projects to life. When your crew is operating as a unit, the results can be extraordinary. When something’s off- well. Not so much.
We’ve all had projects go awry because someone didn’t understand what they needed to be doing, and that’s where visual aids are key.
Different aspects of a plan might call for scale-drawings or a detailed plan built by takeoff software. Having the option to do both will ensure you are operating as efficiently and effectively as possible.
LandOne Takeoff Can Help Your Bottom Line
With LandOne Takeoff, our aim was to build the landscaping software we always wanted, during our landscaping careers.
We used Cloud storage, so anyone can see changes made in the project planning and takeoff from any device, anywhere.
We built a program that was perfect for bidding. It allows estimators to quickly measure from landscape plan PDFs or draw detailed project plans in front of customers using pictures of their house taken from satellites or a drone. You can even edit the plans and change them on the fly and provide accurate estimates from anywhere.
LandOne Takeoff allows you to visualize projects in three ways, making it easy to switch between simplified plans you’d show to customers and the detailed plans your team needs to succeed.
The fact is, clear communication can make or break landscaping companies. If you take the time to implement a clear organizational structure in the office, a visually appealing bidding process for customers, and an easy to understand project plan for your crew, you’re going to find success in the landscaping industry.
