Twenty-five years ago, when Walker Mowers were first introduced to the marketplace, small computers and user-friendly applications software were just in their infancy. Only the most astute businesspeople were finding ways to incorporate this new technology into their operations. A quarter of a century later, small, powerful computers and ingenious software have impacted nearly every square inch of the business landscape. Slide rules are obsolete and ledger paper is nearly passé. Land-based phones are being replaced by small cell phones that talk, take digital photos and double as computers. They can even be used to keep their owners from getting lost.

“Last year, I got the bug,” says Rick Hooper, owner of Upstate Lawn Services in Greenville, South Carolina. “My wife works for an auto glass company that purchased an infolike commercial from our local cable company. After I saw the finished product, I called the cable company to inquire about it.”

Do you know how much it costs you to operate your business? If so, what is the relationship between how much you charge for your services and the cost associated with providing them? If your pricing doesn’t cover all costs of doing business, including those directly and indirectly related to performing a service, a lawn maintenance company, any lawn maintenance company, will eventually face adverse financial consequences.

One of my enjoyments is music and songs. I find that great music and words go deep inside me and send profound messages and pleasures that go beyond mere communication and the mechanics of sound and rhythm. I enjoy the great classics (not too much long-hair), country, gospel, hymns, Dixieland, German-Swiss folk music, Hawaiian to name a few styles and sounds. Although maybe not the perfect analogy, I believe we have been singing a “song” with the publication of 25 issues of Walker Talk.

When it comes to selling your wares, you don’t need a degree in marketing from a top 10 university, nor do you need an extravagant marketing plan. Oh, sure, degrees and plans are nice, but they don’t necessarily generate business. What does increase sales is a good dose of common sense. Walker users have pointed that out in issues of Walker Talk over the years, in many different ways.

When asked about mowing in tough conditions, Kim Kellogg, co-owner with wife Char of Grasshopper Property Maintenance in Millersburg, Ohio, gives this reply: “There are no rainy days, there are no sunny days. There are only mowing days.” Rain or shine, the crews and their mowers have to get the job done, he adds. “It’s all about the equipment and the motivation of your crew. Whether catching or sidedischarging the grass, the Walkers do a great job when the lawns are wet, high and hilly.”