Frankie Ippolito, Owner of Ippolito Snow Services. Photo Credit Go Plow.com

7 Tips to Clairfy, Communicate & Sell with Snow Service Diagrams from a Snow Pro

Frankie Ippolito, Owner of Ippolito Snow Services. Photo Credit Go Plow.com

Frankie Ippolito, Owner of Ippolito Snow Services. Photo Credit Go Plow.com

Every once in a while we get a nice email from someone about how Go iLawn has helped their business, which completely amps us up. Last week we received an email from Frankie Ippolito, owner of Ippolito Snow Services in Boston, MA. Frankie and his team started using Go iLawn this summer to measure parking lots and sidewalks for snow removal estimates.

He explained to us that he loved the simplicity of the software and that his team is way ahead of last year as a result of using Go iLawn and other tools like Salesforce.com during the proposal process. In fact, he says they’ve reduced the time it takes to prepare a bid by 60%. I mean, this is what we live for!

Integrating Go iLawn into All Aspects of the Business

So in a few emails back and forth with Frankie, he was generous enough to share some specifies with me about how his snow and ice management company prepares proposals, and how mapping out services on property photos helps through the life cycle of the deal, or as Frankie explains it “from bid to bill”:

  • First they use Go iLawn as a pre-meeting tool when they’re talking on the phone with the client or emailing back and forth to confirm scope of work and measure the property. In fact, his team can measure a property before they finish a lead call with a customer.
  • Then they visit the site, property photos in hand, and edit them live during the walk through with their team.
  • When their snow services proposal is ready to go, they use the photos to help present their bid to their prospects.
  • Post-season they plan to use Go iLawn to document any damages and close out work.

In two short months of using the program Frankie and his team have already integrated Go iLawn into all aspects of their business; estimating, sales and marketing, operations and administration, and their other software programs. Did I mention that this is what we live for?!

7 Important Items to Include in Snow Service Diagrams

Frankie’s testimonial and proven process not only pumped me up (thanks Frankie!) but it also serves as a prime example that using property photos to map out services benefits contractors in many ways.

Here are seven ideas of what you can include in your snow removal service diagrams to communicate, clarify and sell your services- and keep in mind you can make several versions of your site diagrams so everyone has the information they need, and nothing they don’t.

  1. Color-code sidewalks, parking lots, entrances etc.– Differentiate sidewalks from parking lots with color-coding. You can also color-code the property for order of service, equipment to be used, areas that aren’t to be serviced etc. This can be easily done with our grouping feature, which by default will make asphalt measurements a different color than sidewalk measurements.
  2. Denote areas of interest and special instructions– If a parking lot or driveway needs plowed by a certain time to accommodate the property owner or tenants, include that information right in the photo. It’s crystal clear to the driver, leaving nothing to question.
  3. Label snow storage areas– Piling snow in the ‘wrong’ place is a definite way to get a call back from your customer. Label snow storage areas in your Go iLawn property diagram and present them to the customer in your pre-season meetings. This will drastically reduce the chance of  having to revisit properties and move snow from one place to another after dealing with a cranky customer.
  4. Include contact information for property management, crew, and office number- Make it easy for everyone involved to find the right person to talk to about the job at hand. You can make several copies of property photos for subs, office staff, operators, clients etc. that provides the specific information that person needs to see- no more, no less.
  5. List recommended equipment- Some commercial properties only allow for certain plows and sidewalk clearing equipment, so be sure to label that right in your photo to minimize the risk of not being able to perform the work or damaging something when you show up to service the property.
  6. Indicate direction to push snow- Many companies make routing maps to show their operators the most efficient route to push the snow.
  7. Highlight property obstacles and safety hazards- Speed bumps, drains, lamp posts, property boundaries, fire hydrants, handicap stalls, anything the driver needs to be aware of can be called out in a property photo with a simple label.
Go iLawn Snow Services Diagram

Snow Services Diagrams can help you communicate with customers, crews and office staff. Click to Enlarge the Photo.

Don’t leave anything open to interpretation when proposing services. Mapping out services and communicating clearly with photos will expedite the proposal process and hopefully make it easier for your prospects to become clients.


What do you like to include in your snow service diagrams?

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