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The Revenue Growth Pyramid

Harper Hawkins

Building Smarter: The Revenue Growth Pyramid for Landscape & Snow Businesses

As a landscape or snow removal business owner, chances are you're always thinking about growth. But growth isn’t just about getting more customers—it’s about growing smarter and more sustainably.

That's where the Revenue Growth Pyramid comes in. Developed by IssueID founder and The Beer Garden host; Jason Hoke, this simple framework helps you prioritize your growth strategies by focusing on the areas with the biggest impact first.

Let’s take a look at how the pyramid works, and how you can apply it to your business.

The 3 Levels of the Revenue Growth Pyramid

Think of your business like a pyramid: You need a strong foundation before you start stacking new layers on top. The three levels are:

Customer Retention
Revenue Per Customer
New Customer Acquisition

And yes, they go in that order.

Level 1: Customer Retention – Don’t Let the Bucket Leak

Before you worry about bringing in new customers, make sure you’re not losing the ones you already have. Retaining a customer is way cheaper (and easier) than acquiring a new one.

Key Tactics to Boost Retention:

Turn one-time jobs into recurring relationships. Even if your services aren’t inherently recurring, stay top of mind so they call you again.
Make your business personal. A face-to-face meeting, a phone call from a manager, or a follow-up text can go a long way.
Demonstrate expertise. Customers stick with professionals who show up on time, do excellent work, and communicate clearly.
Measure and reward retention. Make retention a team KPI. Reward your crews for repeat business and happy customers.

If you're churning through customers, any new growth effort is just patchwork. Fix the leak first.

Level 2: Revenue Per Customer – Make the Most of Every Relationship

Once you've got a stable customer base, it's time to focus on increasing the value of each client.

Ways to Increase Revenue Per Customer:

Upsell and cross-sell. Add-ons like enhancements, seasonal cleanups, lighting, or irrigation (IssueID was built to streamline this process for you!).
Raise your prices (strategically). If your value has gone up, your price should too.
Expand your service offerings. Be careful here—this can be operationally intense. Only add services you can deliver profitably.
Standardize packages. Bundle services to encourage larger jobs and make selling easier.

Improving RPC funds your growth. You’re not just making more money—you’re building healthier margins that support better equipment, more staff, and better service.

Level 3: New Customer Acquisition – Now It’s Time to Scale

With strong retention and good per-customer revenue, you're finally ready to go after new business.

Smart Acquisition Strategies:

Referrals and reviews. Happy customers are your best marketing tool.
Targeted paid ads. Don’t just throw money at Facebook—target your ideal customer.
Local partnerships. Think property managers, HOAs, or builders.
Direct outreach. Email campaigns, door hangers, and Lunch & Learn events still work when done well.
Lead trading. Work with complementary contractors to share warm leads.

Just make sure you’re acquiring the right customers—the kind that match your offerings and want long-term relationships.

Real-World Results

Jason shared results from applying this method:

93% retention rate
250% increase in revenue per customer
Steady, profitable new customer growth

This strategy works. You just have to stick to the pyramid. Don’t skip steps.

Final Thoughts: Grow From the Bottom Up

Everyone wants to grow. But trying to grow from the top of the pyramid down is like building a house by starting with the roof.

If you focus on:

Keeping your current customers happy,
Maximizing their value, and
THEN going after more business...

you'll build a company that's not just bigger, but better.

Want to hear more? Check out the full episode of The Beer Garden where we break down each level and share actionable tips you can implement today.

Need Help?

If you need help implementing these strategies or have questions about growing your landscape or snow removal business, feel free to reach out. We're here to support your journey toward a successful and stress-free future, don’t hesitate to contact us here. We’re here to help you every step of the way.

IssueID was built specifically to help you nail this growth strategy! Try it out for free today!