What is a Landscaping Virtual Assistant?

I’m a virtual assistant for landscapers working out of my office instead of yours. I have my equipment (computer, software, desk, phone, files, etc.) and run a multi-client business supplying administrative tasks (i.e., helping with proposals, inputting into CRMs, special projects, preparing marketing materials, blogging, copywriting, advertising) and more.

My Niche: Landscape Contractors

My niche is working as a remote assistant for landscapers and those in the green industry. My love for gardening and beautiful landscapes got me interested in landscape design. I went back to school and got a Horticulture Certificate. While a local landscaper was installing one of my landscape designs, he liked my work and hired me. In addition to landscape design, I offered him administrative help. I jumped in and took on the task of helping him build his business with my background in customer service and administration.

Virtual Assistant Solutions for Landscape Contractors

What kind of jobs do I do? Admin tasks consist of such things as:

Landscape Installation Proposals

Adding dictated content for proposals into a CRM to facilitate faster turnaround. (i.e., Jobber, LMN, YourAspire, SingleOps, Arborgold, HubSpot)
Preparing presentation (i.e., Plant Master)
Update vendor pricing in CRMs
Follow up with a lead on proposals/close the sale/answer questions/schedule installation.

Customer Service

Contact leads to qualify, intake information, and schedule a consultation.
Calling clients for follow-up after the installation. Generating reviews.

Special Projects

Writing copy for new website pages highlighting services offered
Working with Home Service Networks profiles.
Preparing company manuals
Plant ID training presentation/sheets
SDS binders
Horticulture & Safety Training Materials

Marketing

Adding website updates (plug-ins, adding gallery photos, resizing photos, adding SEO keywords and ALT text)
Preparing marketing materials (i.e., yard signs, flyers, brochures, postcards, business cards, presentations)
Social media content generation and posting
Plan and layout blog post topics (to coordinate with the season), researching, write, editing, and posting.
Optimizing blog posts with SEO content on WordPress sites.
Planning topics, writing content, layout, editing, and launching a monthly digital newsletter.

Procurement

Ordering plants from a vendor at your local nursery for pick up later in the day.
Collecting a plant list of vendors and installing or updating into the CRM/QuickBooks

Since I have experience and background with landscape contractors and green industry professionals and currently work in the landscape design end, I understand your needs and can help.

Virtual Assistant Packages for the Landscape Contractor

Our virtual assistant packages are each customized to meet the needs of each green industry entrepreneur.

Germinator & Accelerator Packages

The Germinator Package focuses on helping with estimates and ensuring quicker turn-around time. Our landscape industry virtual assistant has a ‘secret sauce’ that assists the Project Manager. You will learn how to get the information for the estimate to your contractor’s virtual assistant before leaving the property! By the end of the day, the estimate will be sitting in the CRM! All you have to do is push send!

The Accelerator Package includes a marketing plan tailored to the client’s budget. This plan will highlight generating growth. We identify your target audience and their needs to tailor your marketing efforts. Your brand identity through a professional website, logo, and consistent messaging will draw leads. Optimizing SEO techniques and a Google My Business profile are inclusive. Informative content marketing, social media, and positive online reviews will gravitate leads. Grow your business by networking with other business partners. Direct mail campaigns, vehicle branding, and company uniforms will make your name public. We can simplify these parts for your business while scanning and examining results for steady improvement.

The Contractor & Propagator Package

The Contractor Package offers many services to stay in touch with clients throughout the project. The first step involves taking the lead call as soon as possible. Gathering all the necessary information and requirements will be a part of the call. This initial conversation helps set a strong basis for the project and ensures that both parties are on the same page.

After the installation, your landscaping assistant will keep in touch by getting feedback and reviewing. This step gauges the client’s satisfaction with the service and identifies areas for improvement. It allows the contractor to address concerns or issues and maintain a positive client relationship.

This package includes engaging monthly e-newsletter services. Each newsletter will deliver relevant and informative content to the client’s audience. These, in turn, establish the landscape contractor as an authority in their industry. This information will maintain a strong connection with their customer base long term.

In addition to newsletter creation, the package includes content-writing services. Seasonal well-researched content will be blog posts or website copy. Each piece of information will enhance the landscaper’s online presence. This informative monthly series engages readers and promotes your company’s services.

Lastly, the Contractor Package includes campaign reports. These reports inform the client how well their marketing campaigns are working. The virtual landscaping assistant collects and understands essential data. These suggestions will be helpful for what to do next to optimize their marketing strategies and achieve their goals.

Overall, the Contractor Package offers comprehensive services to support client communication. The package provides support from start to finish. The virtual assistant offers services like monthly e-newsletters, content writing, and reports. These help landscapers talk to their audience and reach marketing goals.

The Propagator Package offers a complete set of human resource systems. It includes making clear job descriptions so people know exactly what the job entails. Then, we carefully check the candidates to ensure they fit the job well. Finally, we help new employees start their job smoothly so they can feel comfortable and ready to work.

Your remote assistant for landscapers will craft job descriptions accurately. These descriptions will attract suitable candidates for the job. Evaluating applicants’ qualifications, skills, and experience for the organization will be inclusive.

Employee onboarding ensures a seamless transition for new hires. It includes finishing paperwork, having orientation sessions, and doing training. These help employees learn their roles and become good team members faster.

If you’re looking for something other than the existing packages, no worries! We’ve got you covered. Just let us know your specific needs, and we’ll happily create a custom package just for you. We want to ensure you meet your business goals, so feel free to reach out, and we’ll take care of the rest!

Note: All pre-paid packages are calculated in an estimated monthly time allowance and can be customized to meet your unique needs!

Case Studies Using a Virtual Assistant

Have you had negative feedback on customer service? Can’t get someone to answer the phone with a cheerful, upbeat tone?

Debbie headed the Customer Service team at an up-and-coming online houseplant and garden products company. A customer had written in requesting help before she wrote a bad review on her undersized plant. After Debbie took care of the issue and gave her horticultural expert advice on how to nurse her plant, she wrote,

“Holy cow, this was probably the best response from a company I have ever received. Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I am going to use those funds to buy more plants from Lively Root! I’m going to trim [my plant] today and see what I can do to help it feel a little bit better. Thank you! ~ Erika”

Another customer had a plant arrive dead, and Debbie elected to send a refund for the plant (credits were not available for this affiliate company). The customer was relieved and thrilled and wrote,

“Thank you soooooooo much. Wow! I am most impressed with your company. I truly appreciate your kindness and professionalism. I will keep checking your website to see if that plant comes up again. Thanks so much for caring. Wow! What a company!”

Do you need help getting your proposals out promptly? So did this landscape contractor!

A landscape contractor needed help getting his proposals out on time and running 4-6 weeks late, losing a lot of sales. Debbie developed a “secret sauce” to facilitate the process while on the lead’s property. He would relay the information to her, and by the time he returned to the office, the proposal was waiting in the client portal to review and sent. This process took the time from 4-6 weeks to 1-2 days turn-around time. His business grew 250% in four years. He wrote in a review,

“Debbie has been a tremendous asset since day one. Her pair of knowledge of customer relations, landscape design, advertising, and just plain business class has proven to be a real game changer to our business. She has continually opened doors for us to better ourselves and to grow in more ways than I can name. To find someone who genuinely wants the best for someone else and proves it daily by being always honest, classy, punctual, insightful, creative, and skilled in all that she does is just a blessing. We have grown in reputation, quality, and economically as a direct result of Debbie’s involvement with our company. We have increased our gross business sales 250% since she came aboard, and we are growing in leaps and bounds.”

Lights, Cameras, Action!

This online houseplant and gardening store needed a plant expert to host their webinars and teach public relations professionals about their new plants to get media attention nationwide. Debbie did her first webinar with high-end media editors nationwide and became the new ambassador, “Miss Debbie Plant Expert.” This company continued using her in LIVE webinars and for their YouTube videos on plant care.

In a recent review, the Senior Marketing Manager wrote,

“Debbie is nothing short of a dream to work with. She always goes above and beyond in everything she does. She has extensive knowledge of plants, landscaping, gardening, and horticulture. I felt like there was nothing she didn’t know.”

The Brand and Marketing Manager wrote,

“We love working with Debbie as our plant expert…she is a wealth of knowledge and incredibly responsive. We used her for plant care tips, copywriting, blog care guides, quotes for media, and design advice. After working with her for over two years, she has made our brand a big part of what it is today!”

Do you need more resources or time to train your crews consistently and adequately? Did you know training can reduce your workman’s compensation insurance? Here is one way Debbie helped this landscape contractor.

This landscape company was frustrated with the costly time and lack of resources to take his crews to horticulture and safety training events. Instead, Debbie put together a series of video instructions on horticulture best practices and safety training. This training is all teamed with listening guides. Debbie included eight weeks of Plant ID presentation modules covering over 120 plants, weeds, and diseases. The investment in this resource is timeless and is currently the resource for ongoing training for all employees.

The owner responded to the materials:

“Offshoot Virtual Landscape Services has made a valuable contribution to our company by creating training material for plant identification and horticultural practices for our employees.”

Are your owners or managers aging out and ready for retirement? How do you capture their knowledge and day-to-day processes? Learn how Debbie facilitated the transition!

In one landscape company, the owner was retiring and played a vital role in operations. Debbie put together an Operations Systems manual to transition him for retirement by interviewing the owner in every aspect of his daily job. The existing partner/owner wrote,

“Offshoot also provided valuable support in the transition of an owner into retirement and the hiring of our first GM.”

How to Communicate with a Virtual Assistant

We can work together if you use a computer, have email, a smartphone, and a calendar, and know how to use DropBox, Google, or OneDrive. If texting is the most accessible, I can communicate with you that way. I’m always at my desk or near my phone, so communicating with me is easy.

How to Get Started and Enjoy the Benefits of Remote Support

If you haven’t yet decided on whether a landscaping virtual assistant is worth it, ponder these ideas:

Hiring landscape industry virtual assistants (VAs) can free up employees’ time and creative energy, alleviating burnout and promoting work-life balance.
Hiring VAs can be a cost-effective solution for basic administrative tasks, allowing companies to allocate employees’ time more efficiently.
VAs can be used as a recruiting tool to attract and retain employees, offering them additional support and assistance.
VAs can contribute to mental health and wellness by allowing employees to take time away from work and ensuring tasks are covered.
VAs can assist with various tasks such as communication management, horticulture and safety training presentations, social media administration, and research.
The return on investment of hiring a remote assistant for landscapers can include increased productivity, new ideas, and company growth.
Integrating VAs into a team may require software, hardware, and communication flow adjustments, but the obstacles are worth it.

Schedule a call or send an email about what you might be interested in for your business needs. Prepaid packages start at ten hours a month. It’s never too late to get organized and start delegating more tasks to a virtual landscaping assistant so you can get more business done in your day.

What Is A Virtual Assistant for Landscapers?