For landscaping companies and contractors, first impressions are important. If they’re going to ask a potential client to entrust them with a big project that’s going to take some time, they need to establish trust.
One way to establish and retain trust is to quickly deliver estimates, invoices and, for vendors, payments, Armand Luisi, president of Scenic Isle Landscape Design, told PYMNTS.
“I have a really high close rate because I send my stuff out fast,” Luisi said. “People realize a guy that’s going to delay two weeks to send them an invoice whereas another guy sends it in 10 minutes — the guy that sends it in 10 minutes gets the job most of the time.”
Delivering Quick Estimates to Win Clients
Luisi has been working with clients on Long Island, New York, for 40 years. The company he founded offers a variety of services for commercial accounts including parking lot maintenance, building maintenance, tree services, building custom gazebos, plowing, paving and lawn mowing. Today, the company earns $2.5 million in revenue.
From day one, Luisi has deployed technology. In the 1980s, before accounting platforms were available, he had someone develop a program for him for writing invoices. Even then, he was unhappy with hand-writing invoices.
Over the years, he used the different platforms that became available, and today he uses the all-in-one tool from Invoice2go, a Bill.com company. When switching from the previous platform he had used, Luisi looked for one that allows him to text cost estimates while on the go, have all his invoices in one place and enable mobile payments.
“I’m doing a lot of estimates and I’m doing a lot of picture-taking and I felt this was so suitable for me because I could snap a picture, pop it on the invoice and send it to the client — all before they can finish their coffee,” Luisi said.
Sending Crisp, Clear Invoices to Maintain Trust
During the job, keeping track of receipts for products purchased for each project is also important. With the app he uses, Luisi can take pictures of each receipt and organize them by project so that he can keep track of sales tax, see how much the company made on the project and have backup copies of the receipts.
Invoices too are sent out quickly. Too many contractors are still using handwritten invoices and getting behind on sending them out because they’re busy working out in the field, Luisi said. With the mobile app, it’s easier to keep up because he can send invoices while on the road; he doesn’t have to be in front of a desktop.
It’s also important that the invoices be crisp clear, Luisi said, because that’s another way for a company to maintain a professional appearance and document what it’s done for the customer.
“I’ll do the job, snap a picture of it, put it right into the invoice, send the invoice by text or email — boom! — you’re done,” Luisi said. “They can pay you, too, right online.”
Enabling Digital Payments to Speed Transactions
About 30% of the company’s customers pay with automated clearing house (ACH) transfers while the other 70% pay by paper check. One client sends 40 checks a month.
Luisi assumes his business-to-business (B2B) customers use checks because they’re used to doing that way — the same reason some contactors still send handwritten invoices — or that they do it for accounting reasons.
“People are starting to use ACH; I wish I could get more of them to use it,” Luisi said. “That’s really, I think, the way of the future.”
When paying vendors, Scenic Isle Landscape Design pays direct from the bank and in some cases is starting to use Zelle. The company uses checks only once or twice a month.
As a longtime user of technology in his business, Luisi also spreads the word to other contractors who are still using pen and paper or spreadsheets.
“I just think it’s a life changer for a small business,” Luisi said. “I couldn’t imagine living without a handheld app where I can just work with such ease.”
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