If you asked your crews how much profit your company makes, what would they say?

Our research shows they’d guess a lot more than you actually do.

Most leaders are surprised when they hear their troops give the common answer of 50% net profit. That’s clever in a way — because it’s close to your gross margin — but it reveals a major disconnect.

Your team understands the cost of materials and labor in the field. But they don’t see the other costs that eat away at profits.

You and I know the truth: landscaping runs on high volatility and thin margins. Until your people understand that, you’ll never get them fully protecting the bottom line.

1. Why Technical Training Isn’t Enough

You probably invest heavily in technical skills, workflow processes, and even leadership training. But not enough companies teach employees how to win the game of business.

That’s a missed opportunity.

If your crews don’t know how money is made (and lost), they’ll never understand why every minute, every yard of mulch, and every job cost matters.

2. Break Down the Dollar

Try this simple exercise:

Take one hour of sold labor — say $75/hour — and show where the money really goes:

• $__ to direct labor
• $__ to labor burden
• $__ to fuel
• $__ to equipment and repairs
• $__ to selling expenses
• $__ to rent, facility, and insurance
• $__ to uniforms, tools, and training
• $__ to management overhead

What’s left is profit — which funds new equipment, hiring, growth, and cash flow.

Then you can show how quickly that profit disappears:

Waste 15 minutes at the shop, 20 minutes on the road, and 25 minutes on the jobsite — and poof, your profit is gone.

Do your own math to double check this.

Then share with your team.

It’s an effective way to drive home why efficiency, time management, and cost control matter.

3. The Penny Game

Another tool is the “penny game.”

This exercise is good for leaders and people who have a better chance to understand your budget.

Break one dollar of company revenue into 100 pennies. Then, in teams, allocate those pennies across your 8–12 budget categories — field staff, materials, equipment, overhead, etc.

Turn it into a fun contest among small groups. It can build trust, understanding, and ownership — of just how slim margins really are.

Your Challenge: Teach your team the game, then set the game in motion.

Once your team understands how difficult it is to make money, they are ready to play the game of business.

To play:

• Pick a few Key Performance Indicators that matter most for each department.
• Show the score on a public scoreboard.
• Use forced ranking to recognize the top performer each week.
• Celebrate wins!

Do this repeatedly and you’ll develop a culture of winning.

It works for sales teams, field crews, account managers, and project managers alike.

With some of your teams, be willing to mix up the game periodically to keep it fun and engaging.

Work is hard, but it can have its fun and satisfying moments as well. Show your team how to win, and get everyone engaged in winning!

Want to learn more about gamification? Join us at our virtual Financial MasterClass, where we will cover Gamification in depth with an expert who has implemented it successfully throughout his business.

— Jeffrey Scott!

P.S. The Early Bird discount for the Financial MasterClass ends soon, Nov 21, so register now.