Have you noticed a spike in customers asking your lawn care or landscape business about green options? If not, there’s a good chance you soon will. Going green is already a huge trend. And as environmental friendliness and sustainability topics get more media coverage, more and more people will be looking into greener options for taking care of their yards.
If you’ve been thinking about taking your business green, now’s the time to do it. You can set yourself apart from the competition, make lawn care safer for your workers, and offer customers something they really want.
1) Do Your Research
Research is the first step for anyone who wants to get involved in green lawn care. You need to find out which environmentally friendly products are on the market, what works best, and where to source it. You’ll also want to find out what sort of expectations go along with being a “green business” and how best you can fill them. And don’t forget to research environmentally friendly equipment options.
You’ll also need to do market research. Find out how many, if any, green competitors are in your area. Ask your customers if they’re interested in green lawn care options. You can also ask what types of sustainable options they’re most interested in.
2) Decide How You’ll Go Green
Switching an existing lawn care business over to using environmentally friendly equipment and products can take time. It can also be expensive. You’ll probably want to switch-over in stages so the initial expense isn’t so high. Here are a few of the steps you can take:
- Use battery-powered, hybrid, or low-emissions gasoline-powered equipment.
- Offer water-efficient irrigation options and drought-tolerant landscaping services.
- Source environmentally-friendly, sustainable, and/or renewable materials and products to use in your business.
- Cut-back on paper use by moving your administrative process online.
- Compost and mulch (including using a mulching lawn mower) to return organic matter to the soil.
3) Get Certified
Show customers you’re serious about your commitment to green lawn care and landscaping with third-party certification. The Green Business Bureau and Green America both offer evaluation and certification to prove your business meets green business standards.
Once you have the certification, take it seriously. Be very clear and upfront about exactly what being a green business means to you, what you’re promising, and how you’re going to deliver on those promises. Few things will sink a green business faster than customers thinking you’re not delivering on the type of sustainable lawn care they expected.
4) Market Yourself
Make sure you let your existing customers know your timetable for going green and exactly how that will (and won’t) impact their lawn care. Be detailed and clear about what’s going to change and when.
Be sure to explain the benefits your customers will get from making the switch to green lawn care. It’s a good idea to present your green lawn care products as a solution to customer problems rather than just an alternative to what they had before. For more tips on marketing your green business, click here to check out the Sustainable Business Toolkit.
5) Get Involved Locally
Getting involved with green initiatives in your community is another way to spread the word about your green business. Something like volunteering to help create green spaces in a low-income neighborhood is great publicity for your business. Plus, you’ll be having a positive impact on your community.
Buying local is another good way to honor your commitment to green business. For one thing, it reduces the use of fossil fuels associated with shipping products. Another benefit is that you’re supporting the economy where you do business. And if you get your equipment from a dealer like Richardson Saw & Lawnmower, we can help you find the most eco-friendly equipment on the market. We also service everything we sell, so if something goes wrong with your equipment you can get that taken care of right here.
