The landscaping industry is going through a renaissance, isn’t it? We’ve got autonomous mowers. We’ve got IoT devices in the field that help you measure your productivity and track your jobs. And we’ve got never-seen-before mapping tech being developed and deployed by yours truly ;)
So many people are talking about using tech to make landscaping easier and profitable.
Here’s something that doesn’t get talked about that often though - how to use tech the right way.
Having worked closely with hundreds of landscaping companies, I had a few observations that I thought I should share with you.
All users are not created equal
Fancy line, eh? But what does it mean?
It means that just purchasing software that was able to help your competitors or friends isn’t guaranteeing success anymore.
A couple of years ago, you would’ve stood out in sales negotiations if you had automated takeoffs. It was innovative at that time and very few people were using takeoffs in sales conversations so it was a great USP (Unique Selling Point).
Now, so many guys do takeoffs before they submit their bid. Simply put, the playing field has been, sort of, leveled there. If you want to succeed, you’ve got to think beyond takeoffs.
If you’re using a software that has a hundred features and you’re only using, say, 5 or 10, then you’re not going to stand a chance against a guy who is using, say, 60.
You can start by familiarizing yourself with a handful of features, but as time goes on, you must dive deeper and see how you can make the most out of your investment in that tech. If not, you’ll eventually lose the competitive edge and be run over by guys who are finding more value by mastering that tech.
Let me give you an example here.
SiteRecon has customers like Rockaway Inc., Mulhall’s, Level Green Landscaping and Greenscape who have grown tremendously in the past couple of years. They’re beating competition 50X their size, closing 2X more and making hefty margins on the jobs they win.
Unfortunately, not all users are achieving this level of success.
The reason why some companies find crazy success with a software and others see only slight benefits is how they’re using the software. Guys at companies like Level Green, Rockaway and Greenscape are leveraging all the capabilities of the platform to their advantage.
They aren’t just satisfied with doing takeoffs.
They’re building inventory maps.
They’re creating site inspection reports.
They’re doing motion planning on the map.
We call these guys the power users.
Try to become a power user and see how things change. And I’m not just saying this for SiteRecon. You should do it for all the tech that you use.
How to become a power user?
Here are a few tips that will help you.
Explore with a childlike curiosity
Spend some time on the software and just play around. If you’re worried about messing things up, create a trial account. Click on buttons. Try out different things. You may find things you didn’t even know existed.
Did you know that you can measure parking lots and turf areas in 30 seconds for properties up to 5 acres?
Get educated
The software you’re using must have a help center or a guide. Study that thoroughly. If you see features that your company isn’t leveraging, but could be useful for your work, write those down.
If you’re a SiteRecon user, you can visit https://help.siterecon.ai/
You’ll find tutorials and use cases for all the features that we have on the platform. You can also schedule a training call at your convenience with our Customer Success Team and they’ll help you out (help is available 24/7).
Show and Tell
Just like your school days, sometimes it can be fun to show off something that you’re knowledgeable about and get others excited and curious about it too.
Encourage others on your team to do the same or gently point out some ways they could be (or rather should be) using it if they aren’t already.
If someone finds something you've shared with them particularly useful, make a note of it to add to a user guide or even offer to hold a little workshop that you can record.
Collaborate with your vendor
Once you’ve grasped all the features available on the software you’re using, you can collaborate with your vendor to build new features to suit your needs.
At SiteRecon, we build what our users ask us to build. We have a Core Development Group where we sit with our power users, hear their requirements and build features accordingly.
You can join our group by registering at this link: CLICK HERE
All these things that we talked about apply to other software as well besides SiteRecon. So you can apply these tips to whatever systems you’re using for takeoffs, estimation, job ticketing, site inspections, etc.
Side note, on SiteRecon, you get all of the above in one software.
If you’re new to SiteRecon, I highly recommend checking out the platform with a trial account. I’m sure you’ll find something useful there. If you want a more personalized tour, feel free to book a demo call with us
Here’s the link to our calendar: CLICK HERE
In a meme
When you become a power user and your teammates ask you for help with the software.
