Ohio LCO Sees Positive Results with Defendor
Something went wrong. Please try again later...
“I fell in love with making lawns beautiful,”
—Josh Anderson, owner of Team Green Lawn in Xenia, Ohio.
Anderson started his lawn care business in 2002 right after graduating from high school. He worked the business alone for the first six years.
“I made a lot of mistakes, but I learned a tremendous amount,” he says.
In 2008, Anderson hired his first employee. Now, seven years later, he oversees 40 to 60 employees, depending on the season, and services more than 12,000 accounts in and around Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus.
“I was able to build a business based on great results and keeping customers happy,” he says. One key to accomplishing that is ensuring Anderson uses the best products in his program.
“We never had a product that was foolproof before,” he says. “When Defendor herbicide came out, it allowed our company to grow.”
Defendor® specialty herbicide is a postemergence herbicide that can be applied at preemergence timing to treat common early season broadleaf weeds, such as dandelion, clover and chickweed.
He started by trialing Defendor in spring 2014 after his Dow AgroSciences sales representative taught a class on the new product to the employees at Team Green Lawn. Anderson views these opportunities as a way to build and maintain his business’s culture.
“It’s important to talk to your employees about the products they’re using. They are the face of your business,” he explains. “Our sales force isn’t selling weed control; they are selling a beautiful lawn. They need to feel confident that our applicators can deliver that.”
Since the company started using Defendor, Anderson not only saw an increase in customer satisfaction, “but we’ve also boosted employee morale, because they are proud of the lawns they are servicing.”
Cutting complaints
After the first year with Defendor, Anderson says, their service calls decreased dramatically. This year, he decided that all of the residential customers’ properties should be treated with Defendor. On average, they’d receive about 1,500 service calls each year. After using Defendor® specialty herbicide, they cut that number in half.
Most customers are on a six-application program, and Defendor is applied in the first round. This year, they started applications March 17 and continued through April.
Not only has Defendor increased customer satisfaction but it has also impacted the retention rate at Team Green Lawn. Since they started using Defendor, customer retention has gone up 15 percent.
Anderson says the past two years have been the most fun.
“I have an advantage now,” he says. “Defendor has helped us build value and allowed us to invest in growth. This product has changed my business.”
Defendor® specialty herbicide is currently sold in a “Value Pak” with Dimension® 2EW specialty herbicide.
State restrictions on the sale and use of Defendor and Dimension 2EW apply. Consult the label before purchase or use for full details. Always read and follow label directions.
Panorama™ Blog
When it comes to the challenges you face, you’re the expert. We’re here to help you tackle those challenges and bolster your business.
Effective weed control starts with identification. Learn to identify 90+ grassy and broadleaf weeds.