The

Little Green Book of

BIG MARKETING

TIPS & TACTICS

for LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONALS

44 WWWWays toays toays toays to

win loyal clients &win loyal clients &win loyal clients &win loyal clients & crush your competitioncrush your competitioncrush your competitioncrush your competition

CHRIS HEILER

The Little Green Book of Big Marketing Tips & Tactics for

Landscape Professionals

Copyright © 2009 by Chris Heiler

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or

transmitted in any form or by any means without written

permission from the author.

ISBN 978-0-692-00651-1

Printed in USA by 48HrBooks (www.48HrBooks.com)

Acknowledgments

would like to thank my Landscape Industry colleagues and

friends who brought life to my ideas and made this book a

reality—your unique experiences and contribution take this book

to a level I could not have reached on my own. This book would

not have been possible without guidance from Anthony Daniels

who edited and critiqued my writing, as well as Amit Pant who

patiently organized my writing into book format. And a special

final thank you to my wife, Amy, and son, Charlie, who

supported me throughout the entire writing and publishing

process.

I

Contents

Foreword i Introduction v Chapter 1: Earn Your Clients Loyalty 1

#1: Behind the Curtain 2

#2: ‘Tis the Season 4

#3: “Don't You Forget About Me!” 6

#4: Let Your Clients do the Talking 8

#5: Giver's Gain 12

#6: Giver’s Get Rewarded 15

Chapter 2: Create Your Personal Brand 19 #7: Plan Your Way to Success 20

#8: Image is Everything 23

#9: Be Remarkable 26

#10: Your Branding Tool Box 29

#11: Home Field Advantage 32

#12: On Site and On the Road 35

#13: The Specialist 38

#14: “No, Thank You.” 41

Chapter 3: Become the Expert 45 #15: Back to School 46

#16: Expert in a Day 49

#17: Write Your Way to Success 52

#18: “I’m too Lazy to Blog” 54

#19: Advertising is Dead 56

Chapter 4: Build Relationships that Matter 61 #20: Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine 63

#21: Let’s Meet For Coffee 67

#22: Give, then Receive 71

#23: More than Just Business 74

#24: Join My Network On LinkedIn 76

Chapter 5: Sow Your Seeds in the Community 81 #25: What Goes Around, Comes Around 82

#26: A Win-Win-Win Proposition 84

#27: Stick Your Name on It 86

#28: Lead the Parade 88

#29: If You Build It…They will Come 90

Chapter 6: Develop Your Presence Online 93 #30: Maximize Your Exposure 94

#31: Your Marketing Hub 98

#32: Your Personal Platform 100

#33: The Real You in 140 Characters 105

#34: The Future is Now 108

Chapter 7: Leverage the New Rules of Advertising 113 #35: If You Must… 114

#36: Mail Your Message 117

#37: An Automated Lead Source 120

#38: There Goes the Neighborhood 123

#39: Deliver Your Message Monthly 125

#40: Just A Click Away 129

Chapter 8: Showcase Your Portfolio 133 #41: Take Your Work With You 134

#42: Share With The World 138

#43: Leave Your Work Behind 140

#44: Become Your Own Publisher 142

Final Thoughts 147 Contributors 149 Who is Chris Heiler? 153

Foreword

hris Heiler reminds me of me. I hope that doesn’t make him

cringe! Or make you toss this book directly into the trash!

What I mean is—he is a student of the art. He is always

looking for a better way. He’s also interested in helping the

industry as a whole. When I think back to an earlier time in my

career, I remember an industry that was behind the times in

many ways. When most small companies used answering

machines, many in this industry used answering services.

Younger readers of this will have no idea what I’m talking about.

Cell phones and faxes were just coming into mainstream usage.

The industry embraced those changes fairly quickly. But when

the Internet came along, it was a longer road. In fact, even today,

many landscape businesses have only a token web presence at

best.

We are still very much a grass roots, cottage industry and

many of us have not spent the time to learn how to use

technology to our advantage. There is a significant element

within our industry who are not comfortable with computers,

email, CAD, or any of the other things that have become integral

parts of business in the 21st century. That’s changing, of course,

but, as an industry, we are slow to embrace these changes.

For my part, I’ve always taken the same approach to my

business as I did to landscape design. Building a business is a

design process, and if something isn’t working the way it ought

to, then try something else. I never worked for the big firm until

later in my career, so, for the most part, I had to blaze my own

trail. Getting business in the door was a big part of that journey.

C

ii | The Little Green Book

Many of us were attracted to the landscape business because

we like the outdoors, nature, plants, and helping people solve

problems. Many of us don’t really do well on the business side

of things, and we don’t know how to market what we do.

In fact, most of us don’t really understand what marketing is,

let alone how to do it! First of all, marketing is not selling. And

marketing is not advertising. Marketing, to me anyway, is

creating a situation where people want to buy from you. That

means becoming visible and becoming desirable.

Do you need to spend a lot of money to get noticed? Nope.

But you may need to spend some. If you want to be perceived as

a professional, then you should do all you can to portray yourself

as one. If writing is not your strength, then find someone to help

you write your letters, web site copy, contracts and anything else

you put in front of a potential client. Dress professionally, and

answer the phone professionally. Return phone calls promptly. In

this industry, these simple things will differentiate you from

much of the competition. Also, use technology as much as you

can.

This book is a great way to jump start your marketing

efforts. Chris has assembled ideas from many experienced

leaders in the industry. You can’t live long enough to make all

the mistakes yourself, so you may as well learn from others!

Chris Heiler has made it incredibly easy for you to gain many

years of experience in one easy read! You cannot afford NOT to

read this book cover to cover.

Congratulations for buying this book. The fact that you took

that step shows you are interested in getting better. In this book

you will undoubtedly read things you already know. But chances

Foreword | iii

are you will find at least a few nuggets that make it worthwhile.

Keep looking for a better way.

Tim Thoelecke, FAPLD

June, 2009

Introduction

“If you have no successful example to follow in whatever

endeavor you choose, you may simply look at what everyone else

around you is doing and do the opposite, because—THE

MAJORITY IS ALWAYS WRONG.”

arl Nightingale, a pioneer of the personal development

industry, spoke these words over 50 years ago. More

recently, author and marketing guru Dan S. Kennedy coined the

term Mediocre Majority succinctly describing the vast

undistinguished middle of any industry or profession. In my

estimation, this mediocre majority can make up as much as 75%

of any industry, including the landscape industry.

If you were to put 100 landscape professionals in a room

together, you are likely to find three general groups of

individuals and companies. Remove the 75% Mediocre Majority,

and you will be left with the bottom 20% and the top 5%, who I

refer to as the Remarkables. In this room of 100 companies, only

4 or 5 will stand out among the crowd and be considered

remarkable. Why is this? These industry superstars understand

that the majority is always wrong! They look at what the

majority of companies are doing and instead of following along,

they blaze new and unique trails for themselves.

Throughout The Little Green Book, you will meet industry

superstars like Jason Cupp, President and CEO of Highland

Outdoor in Kansas City, who continues to blaze a trail for other

landscape design/build companies to follow. From large

companies like Highland Outdoor, to small design boutiques like

Susan Cohan Gardens in Chatham New Jersey, you will learn the

E

vi | The Little Green Book

exact marketing strategies that have helped these companies

build their brands. My hope is that after reading this book you

will be on your path to joining the ranks of the Remarkables.

The Time is Always Now

“It is in times of security that the spirit should be preparing

itself to deal with difficult times; while fortune is bestowing

favours on it then is the time for it to be strengthened against her

rebuffs.”

These words were written by Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a

Roman stoic philosopher, early in the first century AD. His

words are strikingly relevant to our economy and industry today.

Marketing yourself and your business takes constant effort. You

cannot kick your marketing efforts into high gear only during a

tough economy and expect a handsome payoff. You must be

consistent, good times and bad.

A Mediocre Majority also exists with regards to marketing in

that most landscape professionals understand its importance,

however, don't put forth the continual effort required. Only a tiny

percentage of landscape industry professionals are truly

passionate about marketing themselves and their businesses. The

primary goal in writing this book was to bring together some of

these remarkable individuals in order to learn from them directly

and incorporate their real world marketing strategies and

experiences into our own businesses.

You Can Be Different

To be successful, you need to stand out in the overly

crowded marketplace we call the Green Industry. The marketing

Introduction | vii

strategies and case studies put forth in this book will enable you

to do exactly that. This book was written for all professionals

within our great industry. That said, each and every tactic will

not be relevant to everyone. For example, Chapter 8: Showcase

Your Portfolio, will be more relevant to landscape designers than

lawn maintenance contractors. Ultimately, you will decide which

marketing tactics are relevant to your company and current

situation.

So how can you get the most from this book? First, don't

worry about trying to implement each of the 44 marketing

tactics. This would certainly lead to serious overload.

Implementing just one or two of these tactics could lead to huge

gains for your company, so look for the few nuggets you can

quickly implement and master, and then build on those moving

forward. Second, I wrote this book to be treated as a “stepping

stone” in your marketing journey. This book will lead you to

other complimentary support materials, such as video and other

downloads, that expand on specific tactics enabling you to

implement these strategies more easily and successfully. Take

advantage of these additional support materials and resources.

Shortened URL’s have been included throughout the book so

you can easily access these valuable resources.

I wish you much success in your marketing journey. Be

different!

Chris Heiler

July 2009

CHAPTER THREE

Become the Expert

he words “marketing” and “advertising” are often times

used interchangeably. Advertising is only one form of

marketing; whether it is print, on radio or television. Let’s face

it: advertising is expensive—especially to execute a long-term

strategy that exposes your message to prospects multiple times.

Most companies in the landscape industry don’t have the

resources to fund this type of initiative. Fortunately, there is a

less expensive, and more effective, marketing strategy.

You have probably heard the saying, what someone else says

about you is 100 times more credible than what you say about

yourself. This is why a steady blend of good public relations and

publicity is much more effective than using advertising to drive

home your message. Mixing a bit of publicity with a heavy dose

of speaking, teaching and writing can position yourself as an

expert in your community. This is a long-term strategy requiring

hard work; the rewards you reap will be well worth the

investment.

T

46 | The Little Green Book

#15: Back to School

No, I’m not asking you to go back to school as a student. I’m

asking you to become the teacher! Numerous opportunities exist

for you to teach, speak and share your expertise with those most

interested in your subject. This is a terrific way to establish your

credibility and expertise within your community. If someone

hired you to speak on a certain topic you must really know your

stuff, right? That is exactly what your audience will think.

To find opportunities to share your knowledge you will need

to go where your audience is. Two of the best venues are local

garden clubs and botanical gardens. Both are filled with garden

enthusiasts who may be in need of your services or who are in a

strong referral position. Most garden clubs bring in speakers

each month. Most botanical gardens offer classes for both adults

and children. Both are always on the lookout for new presenters.

Putting on workshops at nurseries and garden centers is

another way to get in front of the right people (see tactic #11:

Home Field Advantage). This is a win-win for both you and the

host. There are even opportunities to teach with community adult

and continuing education programs (see the case study that

follows).

“What can people possibly learn from me?”

The truth is that you probably have more experience and

expertise to share with others than you give yourself credit for.

This is especially true if you have a specialty or niche (see tactic

#13: The Specialist).

The more frequently you can speak on a very specific topic,

the more you will be recognized as an authority figure on that

Become the Expert | 47

topic. For instance, when I speak to garden clubs I always

present the same topic: How to reflect the architecture and

period of your home into your garden. I recommend this

approach versus speaking on numerous subjects which leads to

being an expert on nothing.

Speaking at any of these venues is a wonderful opportunity

to market your talents and your business. But, the marketing

doesn’t stop when the event ends. A majority of people who

listen to you speak are not currently in the market for your

services. Because of this, you need a way to get your marketing

message to them in the future. I suggest bringing a newsletter

sign-up sheet to each event so you can collect contact

information from these potential prospects. This allows you to

immediately thank them for attending the event and provides the

opportunity for long term communication via a company

newsletter.

AuthAuthAuthAuthor’s Resourceor’s Resourceor’s Resourceor’s Resource ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To locate garden clubs in your area, start with National

Garden Clubs, Inc. here: http://bit.ly/bp045

For an extensive state by state list of botanical gardens, visit

here: http://bit.ly/14yW1a

48 | The Little Green Book

Case StudyCase StudyCase StudyCase Study ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deborah Roberts—Roberts & Roberts

Stamford, CT

When I was brainstorming low-cost ways to market my

business and get my name out in the community, I remembered

several classes I had taken at a local adult and continuing

education (ACE) program. The ACE program offers a variety of

quality classes and has a devoted following of students who live

in many surrounding communities. I also knew the ACE catalog,

complete with instructor bios, is mailed to over 15,000 homes

and is available both online and at local businesses. As an ACE

instructor, my company’s information would be in front of

thousands of potential clients.

My offer to teach a class was well received so I decided to

start with a class called ‘Before You Begin…Tips from A

Professional Landscape Designer’. You should know, at the

time, I had never taught a class before. I had a fear of public

speaking and I honestly had no idea if I had enough tips to fill an

entire class. The ACE program offered to pay me a nominal fee

to teach the class but I decided, in the interest of good karma, I

would donate the fee back to the program and hope for the best.

My involvement in the ACE program paid benefits even

before I taught my first class. A woman contacted me who had

seen my bio in the catalog (which included my website address

and contact information). She couldn’t attend my class and

wondered if she could pay me to come to her home for a private

consultation! And I picked up two more hourly design consulting

jobs from students who took the class. So while the jobs aren’t

big, they are on-going. I’d like to think the good karma of

donating my fee back to the ACE program definitely worked

since I have been re-paid many times over with my new clients.

Become the Expert | 49

#16: Expert in a Day

If waiting for someone to invite you to speak doesn’t appeal

to you, then take it upon yourself to organize and host your own

seminar. This gives you total control of how you market and

structure the event, as well as whom you target for your

audience. Compare this to speaking to a garden club where you

may be one of many speakers for the year with a topic that may

only appeal to a small number of the club members. By hosting

your own event, you will be speaking directly to qualified

prospects. This is a highly effective way to build your expertise

very quickly.

Selecting your topic of presentation will be your most

important decision. You will need to select a topic that appeals to

your target market. The narrower your focus the better—do not

be a generalist and try to appeal to everyone! Pick hot topics that

appeal to people’s current situations. For instance, How to Add

Value to Your Home Prior to Selling. Talk to your existing

clientele to gauge which topics potential attendees would be

interested in.

You don’t have to do all the work

Does hosting your own event sound like a lot of work? It

certainly can be, but you don’t necessarily need to go it alone.

Consider teaming with other professionals to host the event or

simply invite other professionals to speak to your audience.

What is most important is that your audience recognizes you as

the host.

There are numerous ways to structure an event such as this.

First, consider whether this will be an annual event or a seminar

50 | The Little Green Book

which you present multiple times throughout the year in various

targeted locations. If an annual event, the seminar could be three

to four hours in duration, if not all day. Bartlett Tree Experts in

Grand Rapids Michigan has hosted an all day event in past years

for landscape contractors, designers and nurserymen. The

company provides valuable, updated information that is relevant

to the attendees. Because of this, they are considered by many to

be the expert authority on tree care in our area.

Options are many when it comes to choosing a location for

your event. You can rent space at a local botanical garden or go

the more traditional route and rent space at a local hotel. There

will be costs involved so you will need to decide if you want to

offer the seminar for free or charge a small fee to attend.

Case StudyCase StudyCase StudyCase Study ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tim Thoelecke, FAPLD—American Academy of Landscape Design

Glenview, IL

In March, 2003, Smart Money Magazine published a Special

Report entitled Fertile Ground: Add 15% To Your Home’s Value.

What a gold mine for the landscape industry! My first impression

when reading the article was, Hey, why didn’t they interview me?

A number of industry friends were interviewed for the article and

I felt a little left out. But, I thought, perhaps I can use that to my

benefit!

So here is what I did. I crafted a presentation on the topic

and offered it to the public for free! Now, I’m not going to claim to

be a first class orator, but I am an experienced industry speaker,

and I really enjoy getting up in front of people, so that part of this

was not uncharted territory. Also, I own a projector and have a

lot of good photos to use, so I had a head start.

Become the Expert | 51

We sent a press release ahead of time to local papers

before sending post cards to a targeted demographic of

prospects. We bought some mailing lists for our post cards. In all

it cost a few thousand dollars with the biggest expense being

printing and mailing of the post cards. But, if you think about it,

one client, and it’s paid for. If you have an email list, this would

be a good way to market your free seminar. A follow up press

release was also sent after the event describing the success we

had. Even better would be to invite a member of the press to

attend the seminar!

We rented rooms for the numerous seminars in zip codes

where we like to work. We also provided soft drinks, coffee and

snacks for each seminar. The presentation was the easiest part.

I simply showed slides of our work as examples of how people

could increase the value of their homes and tied it into the Smart

Money Magazine article. Each presentation was one hour in

length and typically attracted 15 to 30 people.

We, of course, collected lots of information from people, and

contacted them later. But, as you can imagine, people who

attend these things may not have an immediate need. Many are

planning for a project down the road. So if you plan to do this,

collect email addresses and add them to your regular email

newsletter list. We also raffled off a book at the end, which is

how we collected the “please contact me” info.

You can view the original post card used to promote these

free seminars here: http://bit.ly/1FCrZF

52 | The Little Green Book

#17: Write Your Way to Success

While speaking is a terrific way to communicate your

expertise to a small targeted audience, writing can connect you

with a much broader audience. A combination of the two will

ensure that you gain expert status in your community. As with

speaking, your specialized knowledge and expertise is in demand

more than you think which means ample opportunity exists for

you to share this knowledge.

The benefits of writing about your craft are many. First,

writing for various publications and other media earns you

instant credibility in the eyes of readers—all for free. Second,

having an article published presents an opportunity for “piggy-

back” marketing. Here’s an example to illustrate this idea: upon

writing an article for a landscape industry magazine, I submitted

the same article to online article directories and shared it with

multiple people in my online social networks as well as linked

back to it in my monthly newsletter. I also added it to my Press

Page on my company website. Sharing the article across multiple

platforms, especially online, ensures for maximum exposure.

Beyond earning more clients, writing can also lead to other

opportunities such as speaking engagements and future

collaborations. Being presented with a writing opportunity is a

fantastic way to meet influential people in the community who

you would like to build a relationship with (see the case study

from tactic #21: Let’s Meet For Coffee).

Become the Expert | 53

So many options…

Writing opportunities exist now more than ever. Because of

this, editors are constantly on the lookout for writers and quality

content that will appeal to their readership. Print media such as

community newspapers and glossy lifestyle magazines offer

obvious writing opportunities. That said, many of these

publishers are also moving online where they need a steady

stream of unique content aside from their printed publications.

You can also contribute to newsletters published by local garden

centers and other landscape industry professionals. This way you

earn credibility by aligning yourself with an already strong

brand.

Do not overlook opportunities to write for other

professionals within the landscape industry as well. These

readers may not be your clientele, but you can earn a great deal

of credibility and trust from potential clients when they see that

you have written for landscape industry publications. You must

be an industry expert if you are writing for its trade publication,

right?

So, what to write about? If you have a specialty, or niche, I

suggest writing about this consistently to hammer home the point

that you are an expert on this topic. Other topics can include

valuable “How To” oriented information as well as topics that

are focused on current hot button issues such as the economy or

sustainability.

54 | The Little Green Book

#18: “I’m too Lazy to Blog”

This tactic ties in nicely with the previous marketing strategy

in that it is another example of how you can use your writing

skills to build credibility and establish your expertise. I can hear

your thoughts now: Chris, my time is already stretched too thin

and you want me in front of a computer blogging? Well, not

exactly. While I will be covering the benefits of blogging in

tactic #32: Your Personal Platform, this strategy is as much for

non-bloggers as it is for current bloggers. I’m referring to writing

“Guest Posts” for other bloggers.

Much like contributing an article to a printed magazine, a

guest post is similar in that you are contributing to someone

else’s blog. Let’s look at some of the benefits of being a guest

blogger. First, by aligning yourself with a prominent and

influential blogger you earn credibility by association. Second,

you put yourself in front of an audience who otherwise may not

know you even exist which can lead to cross-traffic back to your

company website or blog. Next, guest blogging costs absolutely

nothing and can be less time consuming than operating your own

blog. The previously mentioned piggy-back marketing principle

also applies to guest blogging in that you can share your guest

posts across various online social networks, such as Twitter, as

well as pitch your post to magazines and newspapers in hopes of

being printed as an article. And just like you would with a

printed article, you can add your guest posts to your Press Page

or portfolio on your company website.

Become the Expert | 55

Location, location, location…

The key to guest blogging is to write for bloggers who have

a large readership which consists of the exact type of people you

want to be in front of. It doesn’t do much good to spend time

writing a blog post that very few people will read. Most likely

you will want to write for a local blogger with a local readership.

The blog does not necessarily need to focus on landscaping or

gardening; your unique knowledge and expertise just needs to

appeal to the blog’s readers. For example, as a landscape

designer, I may pitch a local chef and influential blogger the idea

of a guest post about outdoor kitchen design. This would put me

in front of his readers and also helps him by providing his

readership with expert advice. This would be a win-win.

No matter the topic you choose to write about, be sure to

provide valuable and substantive information that will appeal to

the blog’s readers. This is not a time to share your opinions.

Remember, the blogger is giving you this opportunity, so don’t

make him or her regret inviting you to post. Spend ample time

writing the post and write about something unique that readers

haven’t been exposed to hundreds of times already. Write

something that makes readers say, I really want to read more

from this person. If you do this, you will be invited back to post

again.

56 | The Little Green Book

#19: Advertising is Dead

Nothing establishes you as an authority and as someone who

can be trusted like good PR (public relations) can; not even

writing and speaking. Good PR enhances your credibility like

advertising cannot because the coverage is coming from a

trusted, unbiased source other than from yourself. This coverage

can come from many types of media such as local newspapers

and magazines, local radio and television stations, online media

such as bloggers and not to be underestimated, landscape

industry trade publications.

Types of coverage can come in the form of short “News

Briefs”, calendar listings and personal and business features.

Good PR also comes from being quoted as an expert source in

stories and articles. Your PR goal should be to generate a steady

mix of each.

The positive effects of consistent PR are many. Not only is

publicity free, unlike advertising, it also reaches a wide audience

which increases public awareness of who you are and what you

do. You become visible in your community which establishes

you as an expert. Using PR strategies is also a good way to

create awareness of special events like seminars, charity events

and open houses.

Tell the world

The most effective way to generate PR is by reaching out to

journalists, editors, freelance writers and bloggers via press

releases. The key is to cultivate mutually beneficial relationships

with these folks by getting to know them and their needs. Keep

in mind; by supplying them with good material for a short story,

Become the Expert | 57

you are solving one of their problems—finding quality content

and stories for their audience.

So, what constitutes good story material? For short news

briefs, submit information about awards earned, company

milestones, new business initiatives and events. Unique projects

you have designed and/or built make for terrific feature articles.

Don’t underestimate how unique your work really is. Chances

are it would appeal to a large group of readers, listeners and

viewers.

To get started down the PR path, first identify the various

media outlets you would like to be featured in. From this you can

develop a contact list or database of editors, journalists and

freelance writers. The next step is to create a “Press Kit” to send

to each contact which consists of a cover letter introducing

yourself, a personal bio, business card, brochure and your initial

press release. Let them know that you are a knowledgeable and

quotable source for future articles they write within your area of

expertise. This is also a good opportunity to direct them to your

company website’s Press Page to see other media you have been

featured in for credibility sake. This initial contact will not

always lead to immediate results so be sure to follow up with a

phone call or personal note once each year or every six months

to let them know you are still available for quotes (beyond

sending a press release).

To maximize the exposure good PR can bring, you need to

send press releases on a consistent basis, perhaps once each

month. It is absolutely critical that you submit press releases in

the proper format or they will not get read (see the Author’s

Resources below for a template). The same goes for how you

send a press release. Fax is the preferred method, although email

58 | The Little Green Book

is acceptable if you have permission. To reach an even broader

audience, consider using an online press release distribution

service such as PRWeb.com or PitchEngine.com. For a small fee,

these services automatically feed your release to media outlets

throughout the world. Once your press release is online, you can

then share it across your various online social networks for even

more exposure.

Author’s ResouAuthor’s ResouAuthor’s ResouAuthor’s Resourcercercerce ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Press Release Template: http://bit.ly/vaKXE

If you are serious about being quoted and featured in the

media, you can sign up to receive free media requests from a

service called Help A Reporter Out. I’ve been featured in multiple

stories throughout the country, as have other landscape

professionals, simply by subscribing to this free service. You can

sign up here: http://bit.ly/3nWANI

What You Can Do Right Now:

� (1-2 hours) Spend some time thinking about places where you can speak. Use the resources listed in tactic #15: Back to School to locate garden clubs and botanical gardens in your area. These are good places to start. Do you have a relationship with a local garden center or nursery? Contact them to brainstorm the idea of hosting a workshop where you can present your knowledge and expertise.

� (2-3 hours) Think about who you could do some writing for. Could you write a weekly or monthly column for your community newspaper, or possibly their online version? Contact your local landscape industry trade association and let them know you are interested in writing an article for their

Become the Expert | 59

publication. Research prominent garden centers to see if they send a newsletter to their customers and volunteer to write a column for each.

� (8-12 hours) Research and collect all local media you would like to be featured in. This can include print, radio, television and online. Begin to develop a database of the contacts from each media source. Put together your press kit and send it to your contacts along with your first press release. You can use the press release supplied in the resources following tactic #19: Advertising is Dead as a template.

Contributors

Award winning, Susan Cohan, APLD,

(www.twitter.com/susancohan) is often featured in traditional

and digital media. Via her blog Miss Rumphius’ Rules

(www.susancohan.com/blog) she regularly shares her thoughts

on design. Susan was recognized in 2009 New Jersey Life

‘Editor’s Choice’ for exterior design. (see page 90, 117, and 140)

Jason Cupp, a Certified Landscape Professional and Kolbe

Certified Consultant, is a Green Industry business owner,

designer, consultant, speaker and leader. He recently served the

industry as President of PLANET, the Professional Landcare

Network, in 2008 and 2009. Learn more about Jason at

www.vg33.com or contact him at jason@vg33.com. (see page 94,

123, 129, and 131)

Larry Ditkoff operates Larry’s Lawn Service and Snowplowing,

Ltd (www.larryslawnservice.com) servicing the southeast side of

Grand Rapids for lawns and snowplowing, and all of West

Michigan for stump grinding and tree work. (see page 37)

Steve Griggs of Land Design Studio Inc. is a renowned

landscape designer with decades of experience creating unique

outdoor spaces for a high-end clientele. Steve’s business also

encompasses development of properties in the Catskill

Mountains, and redevelopment of apartment buildings in

Brooklyn (www.stevegriggsdesign.com). (see page 27)

150 | The Little Green Book

Jeff Korhan is a new media marketer who works with

entrepreneurs and small business owners to strategically use

social media and Internet marketing for maximizing Web

visibility, reputation, and referrals. Jeff blogs at

www.jeffkorhan.com and resides in Naperville, IL. (see page 76,

103, and 105)

Jessie Newburn is the PR Gal at Nemetschek North America,

the makers of Vectorworks® Landmark design software. She

blends PR, communications, community engagement and brand

awareness in her work; tweets as @vectorworks; and encourages

landscape professionals to check out the Vectorworks

Landmark-US Facebook fan page. (see page 96)

Deborah Roberts, owner of Roberts & Roberts Landscape and

Garden Design (www.robertslandscapes.com) in Stamford, CT,

is a professional landscape designer, freelance writer and

lecturer. Her blog can be found at

www.gardenofpossibilities.com. Deborah can be contacted at

droberts@robertslandscapes.com. (see page 48)

Genevieve Schmidt is a tech-savvy landscaper in the redwoods

of Northern California. She writes for

www.NorthCoastGardening.com, and you can reach her at

www.GenevieveSchmidtDesign.com or follow her on Twitter

@NCoastGardening. (see page 110)

Contributors | 151

Jody Shilan, MLA is a former design/build contractor, now

Green Industry consultant. His website, FromDesign2Build.com,

is the perfect resource for landscape contractors who want to

take their business to the next level. He can be reached at 201-

425-1869 or jody.shilan@FromDesign2Build.com. (see page 65)

Tim Thoelecke, FAPLD, is a past president and Fellow of the

Association of Professional Landscape Designers. Tim’s award-

winning design-build work has appeared in over 70 publications.

Tim’s current venture is the American Academy of Landscape

Design (www.aaldweb.com), a professional development

program that improves the confidence and skills of landscape

designers and landscape architects. (see page i, 50, and 136)

Who is Chris Heiler?Who is Chris Heiler?Who is Chris Heiler?Who is Chris Heiler?

At times a landscape designer, always a dreamer; Chris is

also an author, editor, and blogger. Self-proclaimed lazy, he

takes great pride in the fact that he has no employees, works less

than 30 hours per week and manages to sneak in an afternoon

nap each day. He is addicted to coffee, travel, 1980’s music and

is a rabid Notre Dame Football fan with a son appropriately

named Rockne.

Chris is editor of LandscapeLeadership.com, cofounder of

FromDesign2Build.com and President of Fountainhead

Gardens, LLC.

Connect with Chris:

LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/X0uGL

Twitter: http://bit.ly/uI5vV

Facebook: http://bit.ly/v6iu2

Chris' Lifestream: http://bit.ly/f9vJK

Hire Chris for your event:

Chris is available to speak throughout the country at

Landscape Industry events. For speaking topics and more

information visit:

www.VisualCV.com/ChrisHeiler