This is Rodney with zebras case podcast.

Again, I have Carrie with us. Hello. She's been on our team

for a while in the sales department, and I'm so excited

to have you.

Thank you. Thank you. It's been, it's been a really

fun journey, and wow, you have some amazing people that work

here.

Yeah, we're very blessed. People from every

department is doing extremely great things.

Yes, they are very professional, but also very

personable, yeah, very good at their jobs.

Thank you. Yeah, Paula is the the lead, and

she gets everybody in place and a lot of team building. You

know, when she came on board, she goes, I don't know nothing

about landscaping. I said, I know everything about landscape.

I know I can't work with people. And so she is

the people person, yeah, and she really can. She's been

phenomenal help as I've been joining the team. Yeah, I've

learned an enormous amount from her, yeah, and I know that I'm

going to have so much more it learned from her, but she didn't

know landscaping she does now

she does. Now you're right, yeah, and that's a

great part of here. We moving people around. She first came on

as a bookkeeper, and now she's the general manager over father

daughter and zebra scapes, and she moved up with great people

underneath her, yeah, and so. And we're continuing to grow and

not so much size wise. But our number one thing is we talk

about Paul and I do in a whole team is making the customer feel

very valued and not rushed seriously.

And they do feel very valued. I just, I just popped

in, as you know, from being out with a couple different

customers and the relationship that's being built, or that has

been built, yeah, they are so they feel like it's home. Yeah,

it's really, it's, it's really remarkable. And of course, that

becomes something that you get because of the team that you

have, yeah,

that you're going to work and interact with

them and and they're confident. And we bought a vehicle many

years ago, and the experience of buying that vehicle, it gave me,

I didn't even like the vehicle, just a whole sales thing, how

they got my wife on the deal and and I look at that like I don't

want any customer to go through a landscaping job, a process to

save the best money, but look at it and be like the process was

capable. Yeah. I mean, you want them to look back and say the

process is great and enjoy their yard more. And so that's a big

reason why we added people to the sales team was that every

client can have the time they need to get what they want and

be, to understand and not be. Here's a paper. Sign it. We're

going to do it, check the drawing, drop it and go,

yeah, it's a very thorough process that that week

on the screen from the initial visit, and you really working

and brainstorming together with the customers, so that they get

their vision across to us, and then taking that and turning

that into something that becomes a 3d drawing, and then, you

know, applying all of that into the job where they feel faith in

us. Yep. And again, I have to keep coming back to the fact

that it's, it's the coordination of the office, because we get so

much good support that

you're right, you're right, yeah, that you'll

be able to spend time with them. So like the job you're at right

now. I mean, I was there. I went, there. It was a train

wreck of a feature. I looked at that like just put a dynamite in

the hole. But we were able to agree on a price. We tore it all

apart, not what I wanted, but you just be in there. And now

we're able to make this look they're confident, like you

said, What?

What we discovered, yeah, which we didn't know until

we started to dig in a little bit, right? What we discovered

and the results that they would have had versus what we're going

to give them, yeah, is going to be night and day. They were

thrilled when they got to see that rock. Yeah. They were

thrilled. It was adorable. It's like they saw gems, yeah? So,

yeah, it's a fun job. I have a lot of fun jobs out there right

now, and real neat relationships. You know,

there's, there's a great community of people in this

Prescott, Prescott Valley area, chill Valley area. And it's,

it's a small world, you know, a lot of people do that and don't

realize that, you know. So with that said, it's, it's just been

a wonderfully personable experience so far with this

company. And so

being part of a small world, and I look at

that all the time, when I go, we go to places we don't ever want

to be like, Oh no, there's so and so, like, we. Do. It's a

small world. People are connected. Our reputation is

highest priority, and so we want to make sure that every client

is getting what they when we come to the agreement, what's in

writing and what's laid out. And you know, I had one client tell

me, so after we're getting ready to sign the paper, he goes. So I

know what I think I bought, so tell me what I purchased. Yeah,

and because the client thinks one thing, you think another,

right, right? And so he I said that was very interesting. He

worded that because we don't want a customer to think they're

getting something. And a bunch of words, and it's not clear on

the dimension, so let's walk you through it. I mean, we right, so

Well, we have to, you know what? We have to go at the

customer's pace, so that they really do understand that

they're getting what they want. That's right. And that takes a

little bit of time, because each customer, with regards to

communication, is different. Um, the relationship that you build

with them is different. But we go back and we go back and we go

back and we show up, yeah, you know, yeah, I have to say that

that's a big thing, because I I hear that a lot be like, Oh,

you're here, like, You're here again. You know, this is great

that they're very excited about that. Yeah. Know that we

care. Yeah. I was like, the guy to David got

there and he's like, two times in a row, you showed up on time.

I was like, we only saw you twice. He's like, it's just so

unusual. I'm like, that's sad, but we do, we and like, with the

support in the office, we make sure. Obviously, everybody makes

mistakes, and we drop once in a while. But what we have right

away, Paul is, on top of it, we got us have a correction. How'd

that fall through the cracks. But we thrive to show up on

time, to communicate for running late. So if you're not getting

that service, we make sure we it's corrected and what fell

through the cracks right? So you meet a client, you go through

they walk through the process of what they're wanting and trying

to so many times you go to a client, this is a tough one.

They got dreams. And you're, they're speaking these dreams,

right? And they're like, it's a resort, it's and so it's a lot

of work putting design skills, a lot of work putting quotes

together. I mean, it takes hours and hours and hours.

It certainly is and certainly ends. And, you know,

there's there's dreams, and then there's a reality, and we have

to somehow match those two together, because sometimes

their dreams and their budget is a little bit more the reality.

But the neat thing is, so far, which with my situations, is we

really are able to merge at a perfect spot where they get what

they want and it's in, it's in an affordable

but how do you go about when you tell you

got these dreams, and the client like you want to because you

like the other sales that came in the day and said, look at

these plans. The client has a $15,000 budget, and I literally,

like, threw it on the ground. I mean, it's a $60,000 you know,

turf falling around the back. And he's like, I'm just wasting

my time. I go, we gotta tell the client like we're just planets

apart.

Well, you know, things can be done in phases too, yep,

um, and sometimes they have to be um, but it how do you get the

budget

out of the client? Do you get the budget

out of the client or you don't have that problem.

No, I I'm pretty direct, because we need to know you're

right. Stand because I can go live their dreams, and I can

start planning, you know, way off into the future, and if I

don't get a number from them to understand where they're at, I

can't take their dream and make that a reality, you know? So

it's, it's just direct communication.

I mean, a lot of times like, well, you're

trying to, I want to know what you're I'll tell you if in the

budget or not. I mean, I can get any backyard. You can be 10,000

as

high as 100,000 Oh, actually or 200

200,000 Yeah. So it's like, I just want to,

like, it just saves so much time. So, yeah, it's, I'm trying

to get to understand the client. Get the comfortable. Like, look,

I want to do the best interest. Just tell me your budget, and

I'll show you what I can do for that.

You just said the words best interest. And that's

really, that really applies. Because when you need to

understand their budget, you're, you're doing that so that you

are able to put a plan together for their best interest, um,

and, and that really is kind of an envelops pretty much

everything that we do, yeah, you know, yeah. Um, yeah. It's,

it's, it's a, it's a good process. I think that we spend,

we spend a lot of time in this company, needing to talk about

how to communicate,

early mornings, right? Early mornings,

five o'clock,

five o'clock, yeah, ladies are up at four, getting

their makeup on, and we meet at five, and we, you know, just,

just work out detail. Roles and and, and how to communicate with

the customers, so that we're, we're most effective, but also

we're learning, you know, we're being filled with knowledge,

yeah, because we do a lot you, as you mentioned, you know,

father daughter, yeah. And that's a, that's an other avenue

that you decided to take on, yeah? So we do the interior and

we do the exterior and the interior. We need cabinets,

yeah, and countertop, yes. I mean, you're very detail

oriented with that side, and there's a lot of specifics.

You've got a great team. Yeah? We do, yeah. Mask, enjoy sending

over there and listening to them talk, yeah and strong leaders,

yeah, for sure, team.

So Paul is heading that up. Also, she

actually king of the queen of that yes, she and then

that thing, and then you have Stacy, yep. And she's just

rock star salesman in that absolutely for

sure, Noah's going and Trinity is loving every bit

of it. Trinity is the lead. Yeah, she's amazing. And I

should have mentioned her first thinking, My gosh, she's she's

just got vision.

Yeah, she's excited. She loves to see what's

going. Yeah, about a year young, but she's dove into it, young

dude, you never know. Yeah, you would never know. So,

yeah, it's a good thing.

So a big thing for this whole thing that

we're talking about is just getting the customers to

understand that, you know, so many times you call a salesman,

I do and I'm dreading to meet them, you know, oh, I don't like

salesmen. Love meeting them, salesmen or customers, customers

and sales. Oh, I just like, well, you have to get me. You

know, you that? Were you gonna try to rip me? We're trying to

pull over my wall today. That's what goes to my mind when I call

a roofing salesman, or I call I got Hill damage, or I got a

problem I can't do myself. And you're listening to all these

slick Willie things, used carsman things kind of work

around them, though, yeah? You kind of weed them out. Have to

Yeah, yeah. See, they exist.

But that's why I love meeting them, because I love to

hear what they're gonna say, yeah. And if they're slick,

yeah, if they're filming me full hot, yeah, you know, or if

they're being forthright, yep, um, and, yeah, there's a lot of,

there's a lot of slick salesmen out there,

yeah. And we don't allow that here, because

we don't want our reputation to be I was pressured into it, or

it was deceitful, or it was bait and switch. Yeah, all those

things are we want to we want the customer to know. When they

call us, they get exactly what they're hoping for, and more. I

mean, a relationship, a community we're trying to build.

You know, I tell people, if you want to knock this job out and

just in and out and get it over with the cheapest one, go on. I

mean, we're not for you, because that's not what we're looking

for, right? Well. And the thing is, is, is Derek is

always going to be a cheaper one, always, yeah, always going

to be a cheaper one, but they are going to come in fast, hard

and sloppy, yep, and that's just the trip. And we've seen a

number of jobs so far where they came in sloppy, and they are

redoing their work a year, year and a half billion or six months

or six months later, and it is costing them. I mean, we

calculate it out it's costing them, you know? I mean,

sometimes there's workarounds, yeah, but most of the time

you're having to redo the whole job.

money, don't get me wrong, but it's that gut instinct that I

got, and I didn't read it, didn't follow it, but just

understanding the relationship, if you're not, if anybody's not

comfortable writing that first check out, or writing that

saying that sign that paper, it's not going to be good at the

end, right? You know, if they're excited to make the first

agreement is good, but if they're hesitant and it's hard

to make a sale, I look at it this way, if it's hard to make a

sale and you're really like pushing them, it's going to be

way harder to collect that, to be to satisfy them.

Yes, I do agree with that. I think that there that

that comes from, you know, them nervousness before you even got

there, though, okay, that could be okay. So I think that you

know when you're talking to the customer. For me, for instance,

I'm looking for all of those signs to see where they're at,

because if they want a project done, they really do want it

done. Yeah, they might be nervous about it, so we have to

kind of sift through that gotcha and get over that. So by the

time it's time to ask for them to give us a check, they're

ready, yeah. I mean, of course, nobody wants to pennies, make

dollars, nobody wants to break away from their money. Yeah,

right, yeah. But they understand that they have to, yeah, if they

want to. We spend the time getting the customer to that

point, yep, to be

confident that it's money well invested,

and they'll enjoy it when it's done, or it's a must needed with

drainage or whatever that has to get done, that has to get done,

yeah, and you're done professionally with a lot of

knowledge and skill. And so we have a, you know, we we have

you. Our project manager, everyone, performance are

amazing, then we have a quality control person, just to make

sure the progress is great, and with all this overhead as me, as

an owner, it's well worth it, because the redo and the

complaints are so minimal, right than it was seven years ago.

That would be very true. I had, I had heard very little

with regards to our quality is outstanding. Yeah, it's

outstanding. So good job. Thank you. We have

a great team, and we're continuing to grow,

and our overhead is high, but overall, we're building a

legacy. We're building a relationship and a community

that I'm 100% okay with it, you know, I we don't need to have

make tons of money. We got to make money. Got to have a

business. You got to provide and pay your bills. But on the other

hand, we want every customer to feel very valued, and every

employee to feel more valued and more appreciative as be a part

of this team. Yes, is, I mean, it's very critical what we have

going here. And we, Paula is the queen at that glue. She is the

glue to when it comes to that, yeah,

you know, we started, we started taking on pool, Yep,

yeah. And that's been exciting. That's been a lovely she has

been a plethora of information to guide us, yeah, as we've been

taking this on, and it's going quite well,

yeah, that's exciting. We have James on that

side of the team, and the knowledge he brings, he's, he's

really with it, yeah, he's with it. And that's gonna be, that's

going to be, that's going to be another thing. We'll be coming

on a podcast, bring James in and talk about pools. We're super

excited about the pool side. This guy's 25 years experience

with pools out of California, and he is very knowledgeable. I

was looking for someone with high quality, someone with

detailed, someone with not to cut corners, and we got all of

that and

vision, yeah, yeah. So that's the exciting thing. Is,

when he looks at something, he he really just, she ignites. Oh,

yeah. Customer got such fantastic idea, I know, yeah,

and it's all top quality. I mean, he ain't

cutting any corners, which is some so thankful for that. We're

not getting anybody. Hey, let's dig a pole, you know as

Yeah, dig a hole and see how we can fill it. Yeah. So

thanks for joining

us. This is Kerry, and we're looking forward

to your comments below. Stay tuned for the next one. Thank

you. You.