Landscaping With Empathy: How Todd Brown Builds Trust, Family, and Long-Term Clients

Ramblin Jackson Mobile Video Shoot in Savannah, GA

Jack Jostes:
All right, folks, we are in Savannah, Georgia right now. I'm in a VRBO. I just finished a video shoot with my client, Todd Brown from Southern Classic Landscape Management out of the North Atlanta area. Todd, thanks for coming on the podcast. Tell us a little bit about your background. What do you do? Where are you from?

Todd Brown:
Well, I'm from metro Atlanta. Born in metro Atlanta. Not a lot of us native guys that stay there, but that's where I'm from. And our business is in Buford, Georgia and we're a full-service landscape contractor. Everything from design, build, you know, patios, walls, drainage, planting, and we're a full-service maintenance contractor.

Jack Jostes:
Well, Todd, what are we doing right now? What did we just finish doing?

Todd Brown:
Well, we just finished these video shoots, several videos for the website and one that we will email to clients before our design meeting. And that's been a super easy process.

The Power of Milestone Videos in Landscaping Company Sales Process

Jack Jostes:
So we call that a milestone video—the one that you email your client because you got the milestones of your sales process from people contacting you, call them, then you have this design meeting at their house. What are you hoping the video will do for you?

Todd Brown:
Hopefully it's just going to make that meeting more straightforward. People will understand exactly what we're trying to accomplish. I mean, we have those conversations on the phone in advance, but I think if we can get them to watch this video and then really understand it, where we give all the details and they can just hear our words, then it’ll make those meetings smoother, faster, simpler, and hopefully more productive.

Jack Jostes:
I think it will. And you know, the chance of your competitor—if they're getting a second or third bid—having a video and having this thorough process that you're guiding them through is low. So I think it's going to increase your close rate from that design meeting to construction.

Todd Brown:
Well, that's what we're hoping for.

On-Camera Experience

Jack Jostes:
So, anyways, I'm impressed that you did it. You slayed it. We used a teleprompter today, and you just breezed through it. You did a great job. For real.

Todd Brown:
Well, not my specialty, but I'm usually pretty good with people. But being in front of the camera has been a little different. But you made it as smooth and simple as possible.

Jack Jostes:
Well, it was fun. And we prepared, we had scripts, we reviewed the scripts. And you did a good job of practicing them. I mean, I can't—that’s the main thing I did.

Todd Brown:
I practiced online with Rebecca as we tweaked the scripts, and then I practiced some on my own just so I wanted to be ready. I didn't want to waste your time or mine.

How Todd Approaches Customer Conflict Resolution

Jack Jostes:
So, Todd, we've been working together for nearly five years, and today I learned some fun stories from you. This just happens when you get together in person. I wanted you to tell me some stories. You had a job in Texas. Was it at a landscape company?

Todd Brown:
Back in the early 2000s, I took a job in Dallas, Texas. I had been in Atlanta my whole career. Took this job in Dallas, Texas. So I'm moving halfway across the country, and I get this job, and I'm going to be running the landscape installation division. And so when I get there, one of the first things they say is, okay, we got some unhappy situations, some customers that maybe aren't completely satisfied, and we need you to deal with those as they come up. So I’m there a week or so, and I get this first call. They said, okay, here's the guy. He's unhappy, got some problems on his job, and here you go. Pick up the phone.

So I pick up the phone, and the guy's telling me this whole list of problems he's got. He’s unhappy, and he's just kind of ranting at me for a few minutes. And I thought, I’ve never really dealt with a lot of unhappy customers in my career before this. But I thought, okay, how am I going to do this?

So when he finished talking, I said, you know what? I can't believe that you're only that angry. I said, if I were you, and I was in the same situation with those problems, I'd be twice as angry as you are. And he instantly just was, like, stumbling and stuttering. Oh, well, you know, he didn't know what to say. Like, he thought that I was going to start being defensive and coming up with excuses, but I didn't. I just said, you know, what is it? Tell me what it is that I can do to make you happy and make you a fan of our company. How can I solve this?

And he gave me two or three things, and I said, you know what? I can make those happen for you this week. And he's like, okay, that's amazing. And, you know, the funny thing is I would have given him twice as much as he asked for to make him happy.

The Infamous Georgia Landscape Client Who Stole a Magnolia Tree

Jack Jostes:
So the other story that—while we were taking a break—you told me was somebody took a tree from you. So tell me about this.

Todd Brown:
So we had a customer and our head designer/sales guy sold this job. It wasn't my job. So we got started on the project. It was about a $30,000 job. Originally it started out with about a $40,000 proposal. The guy's like, I can't spend that much. So we had to tweak some things out of the job to get it down to his budget.

So we start the job. We've done the tear outs. It's mostly a planting job. I stop by and meet the customer. He's nice with me, but my sales guy said he's challenging.

Later, the customer says, you guys are supposed to tear out this tree. My sales guy said no, that was taken out of the project. Then he goes, where’s my little flowering magnolia? Same thing—it had been removed to meet his budget.

At the end of the job, the guy stiffs us for 50 bucks on our final payment. Then he asks our sales guy where he could buy a magnolia. The guy goes to our supplier, asks for our sales rep, and they think he’s buying on our behalf. He just takes off with the magnolia. The rep calls our guy like, are you paying for this? So we did. But the guy stole the tree.

Jack Jostes:
He stole the tree and $50.

Todd Brown:
Yep. I was waiting for the guy to call in about a warranty issue just so I could ask for my $50 and mention the stolen tree.

Todd’s Sales Philosophy

Jack Jostes:
What’s one thing that you do really well in sales?

Todd Brown:
I don’t even like to think of myself as a sales guy. I just try to be polite, give good advice, and treat people like family. If people want to do something that’s a bad idea, I’ll tell them, even if it costs me the sale.

My grandmother told me, when I started in this business 39 years ago: “Landscaping is as opinionated as religion and politics.” So just listen to what people want, don’t force your opinion on them, and give them what they like.

Why Common Courtesy Still Works

Jack Jostes:
Why is it so hard for people in this industry to follow up or even show up?

Todd Brown:
I can’t answer that. I just know that we were raised to be nice. We call people back. We show up. And we hear the same stories all the time—people not showing up or never sending a proposal.

Background and Career Origins

Jack Jostes:
Did your family work in landscaping?

Todd Brown:
No. My dad was president and CEO of Rollins Truck Leasing. My uncle was a CFO.

Jack Jostes:
What led you to start your landscape company?

Todd Brown:
In 1985, I was starting at Georgia State and needed a summer job. My girlfriend’s brother worked for a landscaping company, so I thought I’d try it. I liked being outside, getting a tan, staying in shape. That’s how it started.

What Todd Enjoys Today

Jack Jostes:
What’s your favorite part about running the business now?

Todd Brown:
Working with people, designing beautiful spaces—and working with my kids. My son and daughter both work with me. I get to see them every day. I could never have planned that, but I love it.