In this excerpt from our Virtual Sales Bootcamp, Marty Grunder is joined by Chris Psencik to discuss qualities that successful salespeople have, and how you can work to develop these qualities and the skills they lead to yourself. Happening today, May 8-9 2024: Recharge Your Selling Approach from the Ease of Your Office or Home Join us online to dive even deeper into sales best practices for landscaping teams. During this event, Grunder Landscaping Co. President & CEO Marty Grunder will shar...
May 08, 2024•21 min
Get to know JT Price, the CEO of Landscape Workshop. In this interview, JT shares stories with Marty from the early days of taking over the company, talks about what he's learned from acquisitions he's done, shares mistakes he's made along the way, and talks about why the company culture at Landscape Workshop is what it is. The conversation explores JT's path to scaling the business, the importance of internal culture shifts, and how to effectively track customer focus. JT also discusses valuabl...
May 01, 2024•43 min
Running effective sales meetings helps your entire team maximize their day and their time together, and is one of the hallmarks of a well-run sales team. In this episode, Marty Grunder speaks with Grunder’s Director of Sales Operations Chris Maloney, on how he approaches sales. Chris also shares details about a typical day on his sales team, including the Tuesday sales meeting structure, fun team activities, and sales techniques for different customer types. In This Episode: Chris’ career path b...
Apr 24, 2024•24 min
As schedules get busier, it's easy to get frustrated. With your team, with your clients, or just with the general public. In a continuation of "Nice People Don't Finish Last", Marty Grunder shares how leaders at every level of the organization can be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Marty urges people to stay calm and collected under pressure, especially leaders. The challenges of managing stress and avoiding outbursts, using techniques like "Notice, pause, allow" are explored t...
Apr 17, 2024•17 min
Marty Grunder kicked off GROW! 2024 in Des Moines, IA with a talk entitled "Nice People Don't Finish Last: How Kindness Fuels Success," This week's episode is a replay of that session. It's April and as we're in the thick of busy season kick-off, let's remember the little things we do make an impact on the people around us. In This Episode: Kicking it off with a little AC/DC “Grunder Struck” Des Moines vs. Dayton, dining out, and touring RJ Lawn & Landscaping An unusual experience with Unite...
Apr 10, 2024•26 min
Do you know where you should be in your annual planning right now? Spring is in full force, and there are things that every landscape pro should be doing and have in place at this time of the year. Tune in to hear Marty Grunder share three things he does to keep control of his life and his roles at The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping Co. even when it gets a little hectic. From staying on track with your annual plan and prioritizing ruthlessly Marty highlights the importance of weekly calendar...
Apr 03, 2024•15 min
Fellow Daytonian, family man and podcaster Ryan Hawk, host of The Learning Leader Show, joins Marty to talk about the interviews he's done on his podcast and what he's learned from talking with some of the brightest business minds. Ryan muses on the value of capturing your parents’ life stories and wisdom, dives into leadership advice, and lets us in on how he was inspired to write his first book, "Welcome to Management". You’ll hear practical tips for immediate improvement and long-term strateg...
Mar 27, 2024•39 min
In 2023, the Dayton community said goodbye to a business legend and selfless leader. Clay Mathile is best known as the businessman who took over running The Iams Company and then sold the business to P&G in 1999 for $2.3B. In the years since that sale, Clay invested his time and money in other entrepreneurs, and Marty counts himself fortunate to have been the beneficiary of so much of Clay's advice and guidance. In this episode, Marty shares what he learned from Clay and the impact it had on...
Mar 20, 2024•20 min
Do you take time to notice and compliment your team members when they are doing great things? Is your business mission and vision clear and communicated often to all? As we kick off another spring season full of opportunities for landscape pros, Marty Grunder shares some thoughts for landscape pros and entrepreneurs, to help motivate you to hit the ground running and make hay while the sun shines. Discussion Points: Do you have clarity of purpose in your business? Accountability - do your action...
Mar 13, 2024•16 min
GROW! 2024 in Des Moines was a smashing success, and we’re excited to see you next year in Columbus OH. The weather outside may still be cold, but it's go time for landscaping sales! Are you ready to hit the ground running this spring so that you can crush your sales goals? In this episode, Marty shares the three things sales pros can do now to make sure they have a successful year ahead. Discussion Points: Recapping some GROW highlights, Columbus OH next year Non-negotiables for Grunder employe...
Mar 05, 2024•13 min
Battery-powered equipment is a fan favorite for clients because of the reduced noise, but many pros struggle with how to switch their crews over. In this episode, Marty Grunder is joined by a panel of experts who share their advice on setting crews up for success with battery-powered equipment and share best practices if you're interested in trying it out yourself. Marty discusses the transition to battery-powered landscaping equipment with Clint Deboer from Pro Tool Reviews, Brandon Haley from ...
Feb 28, 2024•43 min
This episode is a rerun because we think the message is just so important to teams as we get ready to ramp up for Spring. Having a growth mindset is a key determiner of success that we see in the leaders that we work with at The Grow Group. In this episode Marty Grunder and Vince Torchia share how leaders can embrace a growth mindset and accept accountability for the role they play in their team's success and failure. When they do this, their companies GROW. Have you ever heard someone say, “I f...
Feb 21, 2024•25 min
Complete Landsculpture is an incredible landscaping business in Dallas that has grown tremendously over the years. Much like Marty and the team at GLC, Founders Gene Freeman and Chris Strempek have had wonderful success and they've also had mistakes in their years in business. In this episode, Gene shares what he's learned in his years in the landscaping industry, the best investments you can make, and why it's so important to be involved in your community. Discussion Points: Intro and backgroun...
Feb 14, 2024•44 min
If you do nothing, guess what happens? Nothing. Don’t just learn something new and inspiring and do nothing with it, put it to work in your business or personal life! In this episode, Marty shares four basic pillars that support every successful landscaping company, and what companies need to know to build these strong pillars in 2024. Discussion Points: Why aren’t you at GROW! 2024? Doing nothing can sneak up on you Platform, people, process, profits Platform - your vision People - your team Pr...
Feb 07, 2024•11 min
What do you wish people would say about you in your eulogy? Taking a genuine interest in others is one of the best ways to “win friends and influence people” as Dale Carnegie said. In this episode, Marty Grunder shares ways that you can be a better teammate by taking an interest in the people you work with. People always work better together when they actually like each other. Discussion Points: Speaking in Atlantic City for Site One Dale Carnegie’s book Marty’s Mom and her winning attitude Joe ...
Jan 31, 2024•21 min
From Covid credits and cash incentives to sky-high demand over the last few years, we’ve gotten into some habits that may be hard to break in our industry. Grow Group VP Vince Torchia talks about the three big challenges he saw companies face in 2023 and what companies should focus on to improve their chances for success in 2024. His three areas of focus are cash management, sales and revenue generation, and workforce development. Discussion Points: 2023 - Cash, Sales, and Workforce Development ...
Jan 24, 2024•14 min
You’ll never have dinner alone, or sit at presentations for more than 45 minutes at the GROW! Conference 2024, happening February 6-8 in Des Moines, IA. In this episode, we discuss the conference in depth. Vince Torchia turns the tables and interviews our host, Marty Grunder, on why he started The Grow Group and created the GROW! Annual Conference. He shares what he's learned along the way, the funny mistakes, and what our team considers when we build the agenda each year. Discussion Points: Wha...
Jan 17, 2024•23 min
Joe Chiellini has been a friend and colleague for nearly 20 years. His landscaping business started as a side hustle when he was a 19-year-old firefighter. Today, his company, ASI Landscape Management, is budgeting to hit $14M in 2024. You may recall that back in 2019, ASI hosted the GROW! Conference in Tampa. Joe shares his career journey with all its ups and downs, and talks scaling down to refocus, lessons learned, books recommended, and more. Joe Chiellini is the founder and CEO of ASI Lands...
Jan 10, 2024•46 min
As the year ends, we're looking for enhancement work that we can propose to our maintenance clients at Grunder Landscaping Co. now so that they can include it in their budgets for 2024 and we can build a backlog for next year. For commercial clients, we're collaborating with them as they finalize their budgets. For residential clients, we're reminding them that landscaping projects make great gifts for family members and investments. Discussion Points: What do enhancements mean to your company? ...
Jan 03, 2024•12 min
Annette and Ryan McCarthy, owners of RJ Lawn and Landscape, are a dynamic husband-wife duo who will also be our hosts for the GROW! 2024 conference in Des Moines February 6-8, 2024. In this interview, we hear the story of their company and how it has grown, what it's like to work with family, how they manage and motivate their team, and plans for the future. Please note: Early-bird pricing for the GROW! 2024 Conference ends November 1, register now to lock in our best rate! (Click the register l...
Dec 29, 2023•39 min
Ask any organization what their number one issue is, and most companies will say, “communication.” Sharing information with the entire team at Grunder Landscaping Co. has always been a recipe for success. The entire team must be engaged with big growth goals, sales and revenue numbers, open positions, and where the company is headed. In this episode, Seth Pflum previews what he'll share at GROW! 2024 on how they share information with the broader team. Discussion Points: No matter the size of yo...
Dec 20, 2023•18 min
Marty checks in with our GROW! 2023 tour hosts Jonathan and Josiah Peterson of Summit Landscape & Design near San Antonio, Texas to hear what has changed at their business since we toured their operation in February as part of GROW! 2023. Discussion Points: Update since GROW! 2023 Business in the San Antonio TX area The focus for 2024 Looking at your finances for the coming year How things have changed since GROW! 2023 at Summit Landscape Design Why should you attend the GROW! 2024 Conferenc...
Dec 13, 2023•19 min
In this episode, Marty Grunder shares the six things teams should be doing now to finish the year on a good note. Consider this your end-of-year checklist for the next few weeks! Discussion Points: End of Year ideas to thank clients, staff, and your community December is 8% of your year- don’t take time off A plan has to include execution , not just planning Where do you want to be next year at this time? Start planning now Plan and block out your calendar - all planning is good! Read 2 books be...
Dec 06, 2023•12 min
One of our favorite books to recommend to landscapers and their teams is “Winning with Accountability” by Henry Evans. In this episode, Grow Group VP Vince Torchia will break down how our company utilizes this book and how we think companies can implement the takeaways from it to set better expectations and create a stronger, more positive company culture. Discussion Points: The book - Winning with Accountability Defining accountability “Frontloading” accountability for success Personal responsi...
Nov 22, 2023•13 min
Dr. Condeluci was the commencement speaker at Marty's daughter's spring graduation, where he shared the steps people can take to improve their longevity. The research and insight he shared was so insightful, that we felt like we needed to bring it to our listeners here. Dr. Al Condeluci initiated his career in human services in 1970. He served as CEO of Community Living and Support Services (CLASS) for almost 30 years. He still teaches at the University of Pittsburgh, writes, speaks, and consult...
Nov 15, 2023•29 min
The ‘law’ can sometimes be a little boring. But in this episode, Vince Torchia, VP at The Grow Group, discusses a variety of common legal situations that landscaping companies should consider. Vince recently graduated from Syracuse Law School - so you’ll hear legitimate legal insights that are invaluable for protecting yourself. Tune in to hear how keeping these strategies top of mind will protect your company, your families, and your teams. Discussion Points: Contracts - legality, specificity a...
Nov 08, 2023•21 min
In this episode, we continue with Part II of our series on equipment with returning guest Seth Pflum, President of Grunder Landscaping. While we love seeing fleet pictures, we also believe that trucks and equipment are investments for the success of our company. By investing smartly in these tools, we can have the greatest returns. Tune in to hear Marty and Seth share how the team at Grunder Landscaping evaluates if a new, or additional, piece of equipment is needed and how its purchase could im...
Nov 01, 2023•17 min
Are you afraid to share company data with all your employees? Many companies debate how much information is too much information for their team, and how much information can help motivate or inform decisions better. In this episode, Vince Torchia of The Grow Group shares the data he recommends companies share with their teams, and how he recommends they do it. Discussion Points: Lots of people ask how much they should share in “open book management” Grunder’s turnaround in sharing info Increased...
Oct 18, 2023•14 min
Finding the trucks and equipment your team needs can be a challenge in itself, but once you've found it, how do you finance it to make sure you have the capital to continue growing? In this episode, Marty is joined by Grunder President & COO Seth Pflum to discuss Grunder Landscaping’s philosophies on buying vs. leasing and how Grunder handles the management of its trucks and equipment. Keep an eye out for Part II of this informative series. Discussion Points: The Grunder philosophy on equipm...
Oct 11, 2023•13 min
A company culture where people want to work is critical to recruiting and retaining high quality team members, but how do you create that culture? Start by asking yourself, "Would you want to work for you?" Tune in to hear Marty share some of the ways he has improved his own leadership style, and how we can all be better leaders, no matter our position within the company. Discussion Points: The young Marty Grunder as a leader There will be great leadership sessions at the Des Moines show Letting...
Oct 04, 2023•19 min
