By Neal Glatt

Every team needs an MVP (most valuable player) to help set the pace for production and encourage others to win.  For landscaping businesses, there is one position that should always be the MVP and it definitely isn't in the office.  Companies that are looking to their management team, salespeople, or office staff to be an all-star are missing a major opportunity to unlock higher profits and customer satisfaction.  Here’s where that effort needs to be spent…

The most valuable position in any landscaping company is, without a doubt the crew leader.  Believing otherwise is an act of self-delusion that stops companies from hitting their goals before they even have a chance.  Here are three reasons why the crew leader needs to be the most valuable player on every landscaping team.

Profit through Production
Nobody in the company can influence the profitability of a given job like the crew leader can.  When they are great in their role, they lead a motivated team to exceed production goals and consistently outperform profit expectations.  When the biggest cost for a job is labor, the leader of the labor team is the one on whom everything rises and falls.

Great crew leaders understand exactly what is expected on each and every job so they beat their production goals.  Weak crew leaders waste time trying to figure out the goal and doing tasks that never move the needle.  Which category do your crew leaders fit into?

Energy through Engagement
Crew leaders are also the ones who most impact employee retention because they interact with frontline employees more than anyone else in the company.  When people leave an organization, most often they are doing it because their manager hasn’t created a close enough relationship and worked on helping them grow in their role.  When turnover is high, profits are low and frustration is felt daily.Great crew leaders know how to generate great team energy by engaging their teams both as employees who need development professionally and as people who need to be cared about personally.  Weak crew leaders don’t bother to do either and have endlessly revolving team members so they can never get ahead.  Do all your crew leaders excel as leaders?

Sales through Satisfaction
When our clients interact at the front line, they’re going to be interacting with the crew leader first.  As a result, crew leaders will make or break customer satisfaction scores.  A crew leader who understands what a customer wants, and delivers it regularly, will find themselves in conversations about enhancements that often can uncover opportunities for sales that even salespeople may not know about.

Great crew leaders know how to professionally and proactively work with clients at the front line, even knowing what to suggest to start the sales conversation.  Weak crew leaders ignore or forget customer requests, leading to lost sales and eventually lost customers.  Are your crew leaders good enough that they fuel sales efforts?

If you haven’t been considering your crew leaders as your most valuable players, it’s time to start thinking differently to achieve your company goals in 2021.  As the landscaping season starts up, we, at GrowTheBench, want to help by inviting you to our Crew Leader Bootcamp from April 19 - April 29.  Completed virtually, with a combination of live and on-demand education, you and your crew leaders will learn the skills they need to be Great Crew Leaders.  Plus, you’ll receive the Great Crew Leader scoring guide which serves as a measurement and development tool for each and every crew leader.  Space is limited, so click here to sign up today and be ready to make 2021 your best year ever!