A stronger message and deeper functionality allows you, our friends and partners, to stay updated on industry news and engaged with the Bruce Wilson & Co. suite of services.

Like our consulting relationships, we hope the new Bruce Wilson & Company website will stand the test of time. We welcome you to the site and look forward to hearing your comments and feedback.

Welcome!

The post A New Website to Tell the Story of Bruce Wilson & Company appeared first on Bruce Wilson & Company.

Because good information gets lost in the execution. It’s easy to gather information to get physically healthy but executing on that data is difficult. Unfortunately, the same struggle applies to making our businesses healthy. We know we should leverage useful data and the latest technology to drive the future of work, but doing so requires us to stop gathering information and actually get an execution mindset. What’s your mindset? Take this quiz.

Just do it.

Do you pursue growth as a list of action items? If so, your DIY approach means you may be aware of a need, like energy efficient technologies for example, but you may not have a detailed working plan for digital leadership that can be easily implemented or a way to measure its impact on your future work. That’s a just-do-it mindset. You don’t have a fully executable plan that empowers your team to create the desired results.

Just buy it.

Do you get caught up in the hype and buy expensive software expecting magic to happen? This approach, “the more expensive the product, the more silver the bullet,” is doomed without a clearly defined digital strategy, process and a willing workforce to support it. The just-buy-it mindset tries to buy its way to future work, but money alone won’t solve the problem. A leadership team with an executable digital plan will.

Just freeze.

Are you taking a wait-and-see approach or think embracing the digital renaissance is too expensive? If so, you’re robbing your business of its full potential and allowing your competition to outrun you while you remain frozen.

Which one are you? If you want to have an execution mindset organization, do this.

Get humble.

As a former Silicon Valley executive, I know there are a lot of “next big things” out there. It’s not easy to digest all the sales pitches, testimonials and sometimes nonsense. So, it may be time to humble yourself and realize that although you may be tech savvy, you may not have the experience or capacity to drive the digital transformation for the company on your own.

Get a plan.

There is a shift in how teams work and collaborate and in how empowered and informed customers research and buy. Execution-mindset organizations develop a strategic plan and a technological strategy that is in sync with the company’s goals and objectives, as well as in line with the demands of the marketplace.

Get it right.

You must take an honest assessment of your business to see if you have the tools in place to become a mindset-powered organization.

1. Does your software and technological infrastructure include the following tools?

• Organizational and project management
• Data storage
• Social media and online marketing
• Financial and integrated back end support
• Artificial intelligence that drives, enhances and scales your customer’s experience

If you want to successfully drive the future of work for your organization, get humble and seek professional help where needed, then get a digital plan and overall strategy that you can execute, and finally, get it right by empowering your business and teams to become an execution-mindset organization that leads the market toward future work.

Republished with permission GIE Media. Go to: https://www.lawnandlandscape.com/article/all-about-execution/

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Reflect.

Ask tough questions in a “lessons learned” review with your team. How well did you meet key business objectives, handle the spring rush? Did you hit your enhancement goals, and if not, why not? Did you have enough labor? Did you experience high or unexpected turn over? What’s your functioning speed? If you get more customers because you open a new branch or roll out a new service, for example, can you keep up? Can your business handle the stress of change without compromising output? Do a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis and run scenarios to measure your organizations’ fitness and performance capacity.

Organizational discipline.

Evaluate your financial foundation and executable systems. If you don’t have a knowledgeable and experienced controller or CFO, get one. Make sure you have organizational discipline and systems and processes in place to track hours, overtime, payables, receivables and budgeting process. Good job costing is also crucial since you need to be able to identify profitable business types, customers and job sizes.

Cohesive and replicable culture.

Make sure the behaviors in your company are integrated across your organization and consistent with what customers expect when they work with you. A breakdown in credibility and delivery will have an impact on performance when your new branch or satellite yard operates differently than the home office. This misalignment will affect employee morale and customer experiences. Moving key employees (ones grounded in your culture) into leadership positions at your new branch is a successful practice that can assure a smooth transition and a successful outcome.

Deep bench.

A strong bench, a promote-from-within policy and a strategy for building, training and retaining people will make it easier to populate and support your expanded service footprint. Hire ahead of need, encourage employees to train their replacements as part of their own upward mobility, and focus on hiring people that have high functional and leadership potential and who can be deployed strategically as you grow.

Customer focus.

Use customer data to better understand your customer and more effectively communicate with them. Actionable information can also be gleaned from surveys and feedback. Make sure you are keeping track of customer buying patterns and your customers’ industries trends, have a policy in place for service recovery, angry customers, jobs in jeopardy, new job start up, changes in client contacts, change in property management or ownership or handoff from sales to operations.

Operational excellence.

Integrate the way you manage and align your organization around the needs of your people. Be deliberate about best practices, technology, procedures and process-based decision making. Make sure you are proficient in your core competencies, whether it be maintenance, design/build, snow, tree, etc.

Safety.

Make safety a strategic imperative and improve the quality and effectiveness of your existing efforts. When integrated into everything your business does, safety can be the foundation for greater growth, higher profits and better talent retention. Unfortunately, safety is only discussed in terms of incidents. But an active emphasis on safety places your company above the competition and is something you carry with you into new markets as a success factor.

Expanding your business is a natural next step for successful companies, but going forward without a strategic plan and a parallel commitment to manage disruption is filled with risk. The more you prepare, the better you will be able to redirect your company resources to a new goal.

Republished with permission GIE Media. Go to: https://www.lawnandlandscape.com/article/head-in-the-game/

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Exceptional communication.

Like any relationship, communication is the key to success. Being open and honest with your property manager will make you feel more like a partner and less like a vendor. Ask great questions about your client’s needs and goals, learn as much as you can about the commercial real estate business, and build a service delivery model to wow your clients and boost your reputation as a strong and enduring partner. This is an important consideration for contract renewal.

Get to know the property management business.

Do your research on your client’s property portfolio, their management and front line teams, their capital improvement strategies, and their goals. Learn to speak your client’s language, including industry jargon. Are they working toward green build or LEED certification? Seeking sustainability upgrades for improved asset valuation? Struggling with weather events, water restrictions or other critical issues that impact your ability to deliver an enhanced return on their investment? Plan on attending BOMA, IREM and IFMA conferences and trade shows to engage with the property management industry.

Set clear expectations for team performance and delivery.

When bidding for a landscape contractor, many factors weigh into the decision-making. Mostly, however, it’s who’s going to be the easiest to work with, who’s the most reliable and who has the greatest reputation for going above and beyond in a manner all property managers appreciate. The most valuable considerations are:

1. An account manager that is responsive and dedicated to the project, has a sense of pride and ownership in the property and listens to the property manager’s requests and suggestions.
2. A team that can deliver on the vision and engage with the client effectively and openly.
3. A landscape service company that exhibits passion and a willingness to take on new challenges.
4. A process that includes frequent site walks with a focus on quality and detail, ensuring everyone is satisfied with the work being performed.
5. An approach grounded in flexibility and proactivity, with recommendations for unforeseen items, in order to avoid unnecessary change orders and minimal additional costs.
6. A landscape business that can be trusted, has a good reputation, and has good word of mouth. The best property managers want to work with the best services companies and often turn to other property managers for referrals. Having a solid referral network and positive reviews goes a long way to establish credibility.

Create accountability

There are some red flags a property manager is going to consider:

1. High turnover. This is a property manager’s number one pet peeve. When the baton is passed to a series of account people or crew leaders, it can compromise continuity, derail a budding relationship and result in missed opportunities and dropped balls.
2. Overpromising. Having someone who says “yes” to every suggestion is an area for concern. Property managers would rather have contractors challenge their assumptions than agree to everything and disappoint on delivery.
3. Language barrier. Not being able to communicate with crew members can be frustrating for a property manager, when site walks are being performed and the account manager is not present to address areas of concern.

As a property manager, the way my property’s landscape looked and performed was something I took personally. Not because it was my job to oversee it, but because it was an extension of our building’s image and asset. A well-maintained and healthy landscape generated great pride when we drove into work every day.

As Albert Einstein once said, “the most beautiful gift of nature is that it gives one pleasure to look around and try to comprehend what we see.”

Republished with permission GIE Media. Go to: http://magazine.lawnandlandscape.com/article/august-2019/seal-the-deal-august-2019.aspx

The post Seal the Deal appeared first on Bruce Wilson & Company.

The partnership combines Williams’ expertise in sales leadership with the need to optimize results in today’s hyper-competitive and performance-oriented marketplace. Together, Williams and the Wilson team aim to help landscape companies maximize revenue, drive brand affinity and better enable and prepare account management and business development teams.

“There’s a need for sales content that adds value,” Bruce Wilson said. “Brian knows how to engage today’s sophisticated and empowered buyers, and his impressive track record of results, award-winning platform, and training based on learning science will help customer-facing service teams gain more confidence and improve deal outcomes.”

Williams joins Wilson & Co. with substantial experience in the tech sector, having worked in Silicon Valley as director of global business strategy and technical sales for several tech companies, including Ericsson in San Jose, California, before forming Perspectivity International in Dallas in 2012.

“Emerging technologies are changing the way we measure competitive advantage,” Williams said. “Data-driven approaches that identify customer trends and sales strategies based on buyer criteria are transforming sales execution. We’re looking forward to helping Wilson clients build more strategic pipelines and grow their business.”

Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and business administration from Texas A&M and made the semifinals in Toastmasters International’s world championship. He is also the author of The Ultimate Sales Messaging System. A native of San Antonio, Williams resides in Dallas with his wife and four children.

Republished with permission GIE Media. Go to: https://www.lawnandlandscape.com/article/brian-williams-joins-bruce-wilson-company/

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Engage all stakeholders

This step is critical. These include children working in the business (regardless of role), children not in the business and even their spouses. Grandchildren and other close relatives may also be considered depending on their age and career goals.

As one of the primary stakeholders, you will want to address all concerns, regardless of whether or not you agree with them. Be prepared to deal with issues including equal versus fair, egos, money, family dynamics and timing, among others.

Many owners have the bulk of their wealth tied up in the business and everyone will have a different view on what they think is fair. You will need to reconcile how the owner gets paid for the business so that they can afford retirement, how wealth is transferred from the company to their estate to be shared by all the children, and how to not hamstring the next generation by removing all of the cash from the business so it can keep going strong.

Be Flexible and Define Roles.

The transition plan should include a timeline with room for flexibility. Many owners have been known to agree to a deadline only to find out they are not ready to let go when the time comes. While the final decision on timing comes down to the current owner, they must recognize the impact a delay has on the business and the family.

Buyers must realize they can’t force an unprepared seller; buyers get to decide if it is worth the wait. It is best to define clear roles and responsibilities for both generations. These definitions should evolve over time, giving increased responsibility and authority to the next generation. It helps prepare them for leadership by giving them training, tools and skills needed to be successful, and it allows the exit generation an opportunity to build trust in the new team while gradually reducing their daily responsibilities.

Constantly communicate.

Throughout the process, communication is critical between generations and stakeholders. It can also be helpful to find a trusted friend or colleague to review ideas or concerns. Several of my peer groups have multiple family businesses in the same group going through the transition simultaneously. A very healthy dialog happens between the owners in sharing their challenges of the transition and of the next generation sharing their frustrations transitioning into leadership.

Transition meetings scheduled away from the office with an outside facilitator or continuity consultant can be a great way to minimize frustrations by identifying and resolving conflicts and issues, tracking progress and adjusting the plan as necessary.

Family-owned businesses are the backbone of the landscape industry. Transitioning from one generation to the next presents even more challenges than a typical ownership change. Following these guidelines won’t eliminate all problems and hurt feelings, but it should help minimize them.

Republished with permission GIE Media. Go to: http://magazine.lawnandlandscape.com/article/july-2019/successful-succession.aspx

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Commercial real estate managers and homeowners are both taking their cues from “uberization,” a rapid response mindset and economic shift that is transforming expectations and fundamentally altering the way customers buy services.

How do we make this a win-win?

In data we’ve collected from surveys, one of the top reasons customers leave landscape services companies is because of slow service. While quality is a given, it’s meaningless without speed. Customers want better than best and they want us to see what’s important to them from their point of view. For service companies unable to keep up, customers will go somewhere else.

For truly great customer relationships, it’s important to know the deal-breakers: lack of communication, inadequate and reactive problem solving, and an inability to scale services to meet customer needs. The good news is that we’re making headway to resolve many of them.

Technology is ensuring that we stay on top of our customer engagement and communications game. Online platforms drive and map marketing content and sales data in real time, while CXM apps track the customer experience. Artificial intelligence makes it easier to forecast customer buying patterns and online portals manage customer inquiries, job contracts and billings, and the flow of service touchpoints.

Thanks to a leaner and digital mindset, the time we saved by pushing paper can now be better spent creating a culture of service excellence.

Ask, don’t tell.

In a market where customers have more power over your company’s success or failure than ever before, excellence is a point of differentiation. It’s not enough to be technically proficient. Keeping up with the changes driving your customers’ experience requires learning how well you’re meeting their expectations. The best way to get that information is to ask.

Customer surveys return data that drives profitability. But beyond the ROI, when you give your customers a chance to voice their concerns, you’re demonstrating your value as a customer-centered organization willing to learn where your customers are coming from. The insight you get can help you make decisions that can lead to lasting and significant improvements in service and satisfaction, increase effectiveness, drive opportunity, improve retention, grow enhancement revenue, get new business through referrals and build a book of business that aligns with strategic growth.

Benchmarks for success.

Service strategy

• What’s your strategic intent for service? Are your employees aligned around your company mission? Is your company mission customer-centered?
• Is your service strategy formulated and aligned with your growth goals and market space?

Continuous Improvement

• Are you putting yourself in your customers’ place? Do you understand their problems and financial priorities?
• Do you used surveys to understand how you measure up to customer expectations?
• Are you investing in/budgeting for tools and technologies that make it easier to match your customers’ need for efficiencies, and better engage, deliver and interact?

Culture

• Do you have a road map for service excellence across all touch points of customer interface?
• Are your employees committed to making their customer-facing interactions positive?
• Is your sales team aligned with operations, marketing with sales?
• Is your customer-facing team empowered to take action necessary to make decisions that strengthen relationships in real time?
• Are you continuously learning from your competitors?
• Do you acknowledge customer-facing issues/mistakes and work with your team to correct?
• Do you celebrate your service success behaviors that earn and drive customer loyalty?

Republished with permission GIE Media. Go to: http://magazine.lawnandlandscape.com/article/june-2019/on-the-clock.aspx

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Bruce Wilson & Co., a landscape and green industry management consulting and peer group firm, has announced that Joseph Kujawa has joined the company as senior facilitator and practice leader.

Kujawa, a certified landscape professional and active member of the board of directors of the National Association of Landscape Professionals, was most recently an owner and executive vice president of Kujawa Enterprises, a legacy landscaping and winter services firm in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

Kujawa will serve as a member of Wilson’s senior team and will be responsible for helping Bruce Wilson & Co. bring to life the goals outlined for strategic growth across all its service offerings. Kujawa will also provide executive leadership in implementing a growth vision for peer group education events and industry relations, and will consult with snow market leaders on winter services strategies and companies facing the unique challenges of a family-owned business.

“We are all delighted to welcome Joe to our team as we work together to bolster our expertise and strengthen our position as one of the top-ranked growth consultants in the green industry,” said Bruce Wilson, the company’s lead growth strategist. “Joe’s own experience in CEO peer groups, his formidable industry relationships, and his depth of expertise will help us serve our clients in whatever capacity we can be most useful – whether as a trusted advisor to CEOs and leadership teams or as a hands-on coach.”

“Making this career move aligns my personal beliefs with an organization that values and facilitates learning, and the transformational power continuous improvement has on the business environment,” Kujawa said. “I’m excited to be using my experience to help other snow and landscape companies inspire their teams, achieve their goals, and connect people, processes and technology to improve their financial performance.”

Kujawa graduated with a degree from Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning and received a Master’s degree from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. He served as manager of business development for HOK architectural and engineering design firm in Washington D.C. and did operational consulting for Fortune 500 clients during his tenure with the Keane Consulting Group in Chicago, Illinois.  He helped run the family-owned Kujawa Enterprises until it sold to Sperber Landscape Companies in April 2019. He remains a strategic adviser to KEI.

In addition to Kujawa’s extensive contributions to the landscape and snow industries, he serves as Planning Commissioner for the Village of Elm Grove, Wisconsin, and is a former member of the board of directors for the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield, Wisconsin. In addition, he served as a member of the Alumni Board of Directors for Cornell Alpha Delta Phi and was a national director for the American Institute of Architecture Students.

Republished with permission GIE Media. Go to: https://www.lawnandlandscape.com/article/ll-052019-joseph-kujawa-hired-bruce-wilson-senior-facilitator/

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A general flood of information can take months to understand before new employees begin to feel productive. Without reinforcement and a framework for continuous learning, new hires are likely to become stuck on square one.

How many times have you started a new job and were told, “There’s a desk, your computer is on order, and here’s a stack of projects”?

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