Grow your garden or property business with more local leads

Good work can earn referrals and repeat customers, but growing a garden or property business also means making it easy for new customers to discover you.

Whether you maintain gardens, fell trees, install irrigation or lay paving, customers often want to see a few things before making contact: what you do, where you work, examples of previous jobs and signs that you're someone they can feel comfortable contacting.

Building that professional presence doesn't have to be complicated.

Make it easy for local customers to find you

Garden and property services are naturally local.

Someone looking for weekly garden maintenance in Stellenbosch probably isn't interested in a business that only works in Pretoria. The areas you serve should therefore be easy to understand wherever your business appears online.

Make sure customers can quickly see:

• the services you offer;
• the towns, suburbs or areas you cover;
• how to contact you;
• examples of your work; and
• useful customer reviews where available.

Your Know a Pro profile gives you another place to present this information to customers looking for Pros.

Don't rely on only one source of business either. Referrals, your Know a Pro profile, Google Business Profile, social media and your own website or WhatsApp presence can all form part of how customers discover and contact you.

Show the work, not just the business name

Garden and property work is highly visual.

A customer can understand the quality of a lawn installation, hedge trim, paving job or garden transformation much more easily from a genuine photo than from a long description.

Build a simple portfolio as you work.

Useful photos might include:

• before-and-after garden clean-ups;
• completed paving;
• newly installed lawns;
• irrigation installations;
• neatly maintained gardens;
• tree work where appropriate; and
• larger landscaping projects.

Use genuine photos of your own work rather than stock images.

You don't need professional photography for every job. Clear, well-lit photos that genuinely show what you completed can be far more useful to a potential customer.

Where a customer's home, registration number, address or other identifiable information is visible, make sure you have permission before using the image publicly.

Build trust before the customer contacts you

For many garden and property jobs, customers are inviting someone onto their property. That makes trust especially important.

South African Pros complete identity verification as part of the Know a Pro signup process before their profile can go live.

Once your identity has been verified, your profile can display the ID Verified badge.

But verification is only one part of building a strong profile.

Customers can also look at:

• reviews;
• previous work;
• the information you've provided about your services;
• your experience;
• relevant qualifications or credentials you've added where available; and
• how clearly and professionally you communicate.

If you carry appropriate insurance for higher-risk work, such as certain tree-removal jobs, you can also mention relevant business information on your profile where the platform supports it.

Ask happy customers for reviews

A finished job can help you win the next one.

When a customer is happy with your work, ask them to leave an honest review.

Don't tell customers what rating to give you or write the review for them. Instead, make it easy for them to share their genuine experience.

Over time, reviews can give future customers more information about things such as your reliability, communication and quality of work.

They can also show that your business has experience doing the type of job the next customer needs.

Turn enquiries into opportunities

Getting an enquiry is only the beginning.

Customers may contact more than one provider, so good communication matters.

When someone gets in touch:

1. Respond when you reasonably can. Don't leave genuine enquiries unanswered.
2. Ask enough questions. Understand what the customer actually needs before quoting.
3. Request photos where useful. They can help you assess some jobs before travelling to the property.
4. Be clear about pricing. Explain whether you're giving an estimate or a final quote.
5. Confirm what's included. Particularly materials, labour and waste removal.
6. Put larger jobs in writing. A clear written quote gives both sides something to refer back to.

You don't have to reply within seconds to win work. Aim instead to be responsive, clear and professional.

Make your profile work harder

A half-finished profile gives customers less information to work with.

Take a few minutes to make yours useful.

Profile checklist:

• Add a clear profile or business image.
• List the services you actually provide.
• Select the areas you genuinely serve.
• Add good-quality photos of real work.
• Add relevant trade qualifications or credentials where available.
• Keep your contact and business information current.
• Ask satisfied customers for genuine reviews.
• Update your portfolio as you complete new projects.

Think of your profile as a simple online introduction to your business. A customer should be able to understand what you do, where you work and why they might want to contact you without having to hunt for the information.

What it costs to list on Know a Pro

Know a Pro uses a monthly membership model.

Independent Pro — R300/month

For independent Pros and sole traders.

Registered Business — R500/month

For registered businesses.

Know a Pro does not take a percentage of the jobs you receive through the platform. Your applicable monthly membership fee still applies.

Prices shown are current at the time of publication and may change.

Ready to grow your local presence?

Create your Know a Pro profile, show customers what you do and make it easier for people in the areas you serve to discover your business.

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