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Ready Referrals

This Houston company’s most effective advertising is referrals

Would you rather spend money on advertising and other marketing efforts, or simply have your customers do the selling for you? That’s an easy question to answer for Brad Cox, CLP, CLT. “Eighty-six percent of our new business comes from referrals,” says the general manager for Lawn Management Co., Inc., (LMC) in Houston. “When you take care of your customers, you retain them, and they become your most effective advertising.”

Cox joined the family-owned business four years ago after graduating with a marketing degree from Texas A&M and spending six years working in the corporate world. His father, Bill Cox, CCLP, started Lawn Management Co. 26 years ago and built it from the ground up, one customer at a time.

Today, the full-service landscape management company has 475 commercial clients throughout the greater Houston area. During peak season, it employs more than 100 people and sends out 21 maintenance crews. This year, the company expects to break the $5 million barrier, providing landscape maintenance, irrigation maintenance/repair, installation, lawn care, and other exterior maintenance services to property management companies, industrial sites, business parks, churches, and schools.

“My dad told me and my brother Kyle that we needed five years of experience outside the company before coming to work here,” says Cox. “What I learned outside LMC, working in sales and later in financial management, has been invaluable for managing our company. Kyle joined us three months ago, and currently spends time gaining experience in our operations  division.”

Keeping it simple
When asked what his family attributes the company’s longevity and success to, Cox emphasizes customer service. “To be in any business for 26 years says a lot about the person who owns it,” he relates. “Bill started the company while working for a janitorial service. A customer who liked his work asked him to maintain the exterior landscape. He went the extra mile for that customer, helped start up a new exterior service for the janitorial company, and later purchased that service from his employer.

“I know that almost every owner talks about delivering great service, but we truly do go above and beyond. For us, it all starts by having a single point of contact for customers. No matter what service they want or what questions they want answered, it all goes through the account manager. Our account managers can bid jobs, work with customers on their budgets, create take-offs (quick drawings), up sell, and answer just about any question customers may have.”

Cox continues, “Customers today want more than account managers who call or visit to inquire about how things are going. They want someone who is an expert, someone who is knowledgeable about all aspects of exterior maintenance, and someone who makes their jobs easier. Customers want solutions, and with our approach, customers have their own personal expert on their side.”

Lawn Management, he adds, encourages employees to continue their education and seek certification. The company has several CLPs, CLTs, and licensed applicators on board, and Cox soon will add Certified Turfgrass Professional (CTP) to his credentials.

Labor and rising costs
Like most landscape management companies, Lawn Management’s biggest challenges are labor and rising costs. Cox doesn’t have the perfect solution for either, but the company continually works toward finding one.

“With labor, I think the industry has to be more forward thinking,” he relates. “Finding and retaining employees has to be part of a long-range strategy. We strive to have a backup for every position within our company — someone who can step right in and get the job done if need be. Cross-training is vital today.”

Cox notes that nearly all green industry companies struggle with economic forces. “We recently asked our customers for a 3 to 5 percent price increase to accommodate rising fuel costs. Ninety percent agreed to the bump, in large part because we have a good relationship with them. In this business, though, I think owners and managers need to re-evaluate their pricing every year, both for current customers and bidding new business. In addition, we all need to find innovative ways to cut costs and become more efficient operators.”

In the name of efficiency and reducing waste, Lawn Management installed a GPS system two years ago. The technology produces a real-time readout of crew location and generates data on driving speed, time on the job, and so forth. Within two months after purchasing the system, Cox identified 20 properties on which crews were spending too much time.

“The system has saved us money, but it’s not for everyone,” he explains. “It generates a ton of information that needs to be downloaded to a spreadsheet and then compiled into a report. To be cost-effective, you really need to dedicate an individual to manage the system.” His advice to anyone considering a GPS is to try it out for three months before purchasing.

Technology, people, and systems — it all still comes down to the customer, Cox re-emphasizes. “The company’s mission is to make the world a more beautiful place to live, work, and play. For us, that translates into putting ourselves in the customer’s place, continually improving our service delivery, and providing solutions to their problems.”