IM Landscape Growth Podcast

Joe Salemi (Landscape Ontario) The Real Reason Landscaping Companies Struggle to Scale

Episode Summary

Joe Salemi, Executive Director of Landscape Ontario, breaks down the biggest challenges facing landscaping companies today, from racing to the bottom on pricing to poor sales follow-up and lack of training. He also shares why customer experience, communication, and investing in people are becoming the biggest competitive advantages in the industry.

Episode Notes

00:00 — Introduction to Joe Salemi

• Joe shares his 23+ year journey in the landscape industry
• Experience with CNLA, Dynascape, private equity acquisition, and Landscape Ontario
• Discussion around industry-wide perspective and patterns across businesses

03:06 — What’s Holding Landscape Companies Back

• Rising cost of living squeezing business owners and employees
• Small and mid-market companies competing on lowest price
• “Race to the bottom” pricing mentality hurting the industry
• Homeowners becoming conditioned to choose the cheapest quote

05:05 — The Pandemic Boom and Its Fallout

• Many contractors started businesses during the COVID boom
• Easy demand masked weak sales systems and business fundamentals
• Companies overbought trucks and equipment during peak demand
• Some businesses folded once demand slowed down

06:06 — Why Sales Follow-Up Is Still Broken

• Contractors failing to respond to inquiries quickly
• Joe shares firsthand experiences getting “crickets” from contact forms
• Fast response is often the difference-maker in winning jobs
• Automated booking and follow-up systems are a massive opportunity

10:29 — Landscape Ontario’s Sales & Business Training

• Landscape Ontario runs 160+ seminars annually
• Topics include sales, marketing, operations, and business systems
• Training available for both startups and established companies
• Key message: stop waiting and start improving systems now

13:27 — Why Cheap Pricing Is Dangerous

• Underpricing trains customers to shop only on price
• Many contractors don’t fully understand their break-even numbers
• Shift from “cheap” to “quality” positioning is essential
• Ontario homeowners are willing to pay more for quality work

16:07 — Communication as a Competitive Advantage

• Great communication builds trust before the quote stage
• Simple updates and managing expectations set companies apart
• Poor communication destroys deals before work even begins
• Customer experience is a massive differentiator

18:07 — Landscape Ontario’s Massive Training Expansion

• Landscape Ontario investing heavily in industry-wide training
• Building a large-scale training facility in Milton
• Goal: train up to 5,000 people annually
• Spring training-style programs planned for landscape crews

25:35 — Investing in People Builds Culture

• Training employees strengthens loyalty and company culture
• Joe explains why development is one of the strongest retention tools
• Businesses should view themselves as training organizations first

28:05 — The Biggest Opportunity in Landscaping: Stormwater Management

• Rain gardens and nature-based solutions becoming huge opportunities
• Municipal incentives and property tax programs emerging
• Sustainable landscaping creating meaningful, future-focused work

31:13 — Advocacy Work Most Contractors Never See

• Landscape Ontario influencing municipal policies and bylaws
• Examples include stormwater initiatives and two-stroke engine regulations
• Collaboration with government helps create practical solutions

35:54 — Industry Collaboration Across North America

• Great Lakes associations sharing challenges and best practices
• Landscape Ontario learning from peer associations across the region
• Focus on continuous improvement and shared innovation

37:41 — New Landscape Ontario Website & Resources

• New website launched with contractor search functionality
• Over 250,000 unique visitors in just a few months
• Lead generation and education opportunities for members

38:52 — Final Thoughts & Future Plans

• Joe encourages listeners to connect through LinkedIn or the website
• Discussion about future podcast studio plans at the new facility
• Closing thoughts on growth and industry development