How To Hire A-Players for Your Landscaping Business

MATTHEW THIBEAU • October 10, 2025

Getting more leads and sales is great. But if you don’t have the right team to handle the work, growth stalls fast.

At Savant Marketing, we help lawn, landscaping, and outdoor-living contractors generate leads and fill their pipeline. Yet as our clients scale, one common challenge always comes up—hiring.

You can’t take on more jobs or deliver five-star service without solid people behind you. That’s why helping landscapers grow isn’t just about marketing and sales. It’s also about building teams that can handle the demand that great marketing brings…

So, while we’re known for aggressive sales and online marketing expansion, we also coach our clients on the process of hiring A-players—the kind of employees who show up, care, and take pride in their work.

Over the years, we’ve refined a simple seven-step system that helps landscapers hire the right people consistently. Follow these steps, and you’ll attract better candidates, save time, and build a crew you can rely on year after year.

1. Create a Job Posting That Sells the Opportunity

Most landscapers post a job ad that says: “Looking for general labourers. Must have experience. $25/hr.”

That’s not a job ad, it’s a checklist.

A real job posting should read like an advertisement. You’re not just listing responsibilities—you’re selling an opportunity. Start by introducing your company, what you do, and where you’re headed…

Example: “We’re a fast-growing landscaping company serving Tampa, FL. Our mission is to become the go-to name for high-quality outdoor projects. We’re looking for motivated team members who take pride in their work and want to grow with us.”

Then, balance honesty with excitement. Sell the vision but be upfront about expectations. If the work is physical, say so. If punctuality and personal transportation are non-negotiable, make that clear.

List the benefits too. Offering two weeks of paid vacation, benefits, bonuses, and other perks can separate you from competitors who don’t. These small details show you run a professional operation—not just a hustle.

Lastly, include language that filters out poor fits. For example: “If you’re looking for an easy paycheck, or you’re not a self-motivated individual who wants to be rewarded for hard work, this isn’t for you.”

This honesty attracts the right kind of people and repels the wrong ones. Post your ad on Indeed to start. You can expand to Facebook ads later, but the goal here is volume—you want to get as many qualified applicants as possible.

2. Qualify Applicants Through Text

Once your job posting is live, you’ll start getting applications. Most landscapers either ignore them for days or call everyone who applies—Both are a waste of your time.

Instead, we recommend using text messages to pre-qualify…

When someone applies, and they look like a good fit, grab their number off their resume and send them a quick text: “Hey [name], this is [your name] from [your company]. I saw your application for the landscaping position. What made you interested in the role?”

You’ll learn a lot from how they respond. People who reply fast and answer thoughtfully are usually serious and worth pursuing. People who ignore you or send short, lazy or strange replies rarely work out.

Keep this step light. Ask them two or three additional questions for mandatory qualifications, such as:

• “Do you have your own transportation?”

• “How many years of experience do you have in landscaping or construction?”

• “Do you have your own tools?”

If they respond well, move them to the next step. If they don’t, do yourself a favour and stop there. You’re looking for good initiative and responsive communication skills, and texting is the first test.

3. Conduct a Skills Interview

Next, run a short 10–15-minute video or phone interview to assess their skills. I recommend video call if possible since you want to get a read on their demeanor, presentation, and overall body language.

The purpose of the skills interview is to assess if they are competent from a skills perspective to actually perform the tasks you need them to do. To assess this, you’re going to ask a series of open-ended questions.

For example:

• “Walk me through how you’d install pavers for a small patio.”

• “If you found an issue on-site and your foreman wasn’t there, what would you do?”

Let them talk. This interview should be 80% of them talking, 20% of you asking questions. Don’t give hints or feedback to their answers during this call either—just listen. You’ll know quickly if they’ve done real work and have experience, or if they’re just bluffing.

For sales or estimator roles, adjust the questions. Ask how they’d handle objections or explain a project to a client.

The goal isn’t perfection in their answers. You’re just confirming that they actually know what they’re talking about and can perform in the field without needing constant supervision or handholding.

4. Send the Details Test

If they pass the skills interview, you’re going to send them a “details test” via email. This step separates the detail-oriented candidates who care about your company, from the ones who are just looking to get a quick job and don’t care about the details.

The email should ask the candidate to complete two tasks:

Take a personality test at 16personalities.com and send a screenshot of the results.
Review a four- to five-page document that outlines your company’s values, culture, and expectations and confirm with you they’ve done so.

Here’s the trick: halfway through that document, include a secret line that says something like, “If you’re actually reading this, reply to this email with the word ‘unicorn so we know you’re paying attention."

Most people will miss it. That means they’ve failed the details test and cannot continue through the process. The ones who find it and follow instructions are detail-oriented and will proceed. That’s who you want on your team.

This step also helps you match personality types to roles. For example:

• Extroverted personalities fit well in client-facing or leadership positions.

• Introverted, detail-driven types often do best in technician or crew lead roles.

Personality information will be important if your stuck between a handful of candidates. You want to ensure the person who’s filling the role has an alignment in their personality which makes them naturally excel at it.

5. Conduct an Alignment Interview

Now it’s time to talk about fit, vision, and the future of what working together could look like. The alignment interview digs into who they are, what they want, and whether their goals align with your company.

Ask questions like:

• “What kind of work environment brings out your best?”

• “Where do you see yourself in five years?”

• “What would make this job one you’d never want to leave?”

You’re not just hiring for skills—you’re hiring for attitude, values, and life direction. Look for red flags like:

• Entrepreneurial tendencies.

• Big gaps in employment.

• Ideological mismatches.

• Mental health issues/drug addiction/erratic behavior

• Plans to move cities.

• Misalignment in compensation.

Also apply the “barbecue test.” Ask yourself, Would I enjoy having this person over for a barbecue and genuinely have a good time?”

If the answer is no, don’t hire them. Skills can be taught; personality and values can’t, and it’s important that you enjoy the company of who you’ll be working with every day and most likely encounter difficult or emotional situations with.

6. Present a 90-Day Offer

You should not be sending offers until you’ve done at least 8-10 alignment interviews. But once you think you’ve found the right person, it’s time to make them a formal offer.

Your offer should be based on a 90-day probation period. This gives both sides time to confirm things are a right fit. The offer should clearly outline:

• Responsibilities

• Pay structure

• Schedule

• Expectations for performance and communication

There are two ways to structure the probation period:

Part-time at full pay, so they can prove themselves while you minimize risk.
Full-time at reduced pay, with a clear compensation raise after the 90 days if they meet expectations.

Explain that benefits and vacation start only after probation. This again will protect you from people just looking to take advantage of you and get a free ride. Serious candidates shouldn’t mind this and will be understanding of the fact you want to assess their abilities during a fair trial period to earn trust.

If they hesitate or demand full pay/benefits/vacation time right away, they’re not confident in their performance and will likely not be a good fit.

7. Onboard Like a Pro

This is where most landscapers drop the ball. They do all the work to find a good employee—and then throw them straight into the field without properly onboarding them.

Your onboarding process sets the tone for how employees view your company and will be a key element in retaining employees long-term. Here’s what to include:

• Onboarding form: Collect their personal details, banking info, emergency contacts, and date of birth (so you can celebrate it later).

• Welcome gift: Send a small edible arrangement, company swag, or a branded T-shirt and hat. It’s a $50 gesture that builds massive goodwill.

• Team introduction: Introduce them to the crew on their first day, either on-site or in a quick meeting. Make it feel like an event.

• Job Shadowing: Have them work alongside a trusted team member for their first few days.

• Check-ins every two weeks: Sit down for a quick 10-minute conversation to ask how they’re adjusting and where they might need help.

These steps prevent turnover and show you actually care. It will also avoid any surprises for either party at the end of the 90-day trail period if things aren’t a right fit. It’s your responsibility to give each new hire the best shot at success, and you need to communicate with them regularly if they’re underperforming, and how to perform at the standard you require for them to pass the 90-day probation period.

Final Thoughts

Good employees aren’t luck. They’re the result of structure, clarity, and consistency.

This 7-step landscaping hiring process works because it filters out the wrong people before they ever set foot on your job site. It rewards detail-oriented, reliable, and motivated workers—the kind who make your company stronger.

Yes, this process will take time on your part. But a bad hire will cost you more money and time in the long run if you don’t follow this system. When you take hiring seriously, everything else in your business gets easier. Jobs run smoother. Clients stay happier. And you finally have the freedom to grow without constantly putting out fires.

Happy hiring!

Ready To Take Your Business To The Next Level?

If you’re struggling to DIY your marketing, or you're tired of working with agencies that don’t really understand your business—or worse, don’t seem to care—then maybe it’s time for something different.

Book a quick call with our team. We’ll take the time to understand your unique goals, challenges, and market… and give you a clear, customized strategy to help you grow faster and more efficiently.

No pressure. No sales pitch. Just real insights you can use—whether we work together or not.

Book your free strategy call now.

BOOK FREE STRATEGY CALL