lawn technician

inside sales representative

inside sales manager

maintenance mechanic

lawn care specialist

Ziehler Lawn Care

I have seen quite a few ads for Ziehler saying they were hiring so I thought I would check out their reviews since I worked there. I noticed quite a few new positive reviews all posted within 1-2 days of each other only a week or so after a negative review of the company was posted. It's almost like management told everyone to go on and write positive reviews to push down the negative one. In fact, I know this is what happened because I worked there and experienced it. I worked in multiple departments during my time there. I met a lot of really good people that I enjoyed working with and I enjoyed the work most of the time. A general overview and review of the company is hard to give because each department is so different and the expectations vary from owner to manager to employee. I will write this up as objectively as possible. 

As a lawn care technician your day will start at around 7 am. You will arrive at your assigned service center and will prep for your day. You will have a small and mostly meaningless meeting where your service managers parrot back to you what they were told to tell you by their boss, who most likely is at the headquarters office. You will do this job with little to no chance of career advancement. Your only pay increase will come from getting more certifications which quite honestly you should be getting to make you better at your job. They will promise a chance to advance to a higher roll for getting those certifications but that position will almost always be filled with an outside hire with much less experience. You will work Saturdays when the company is behind on production, which is quite often. You most likely will do this until you quit or get laid off in the winter and find a better job. Most lawn technicians don't come back after the winter lay off. 

At headquarters it's a different environment. You will arrive at work between 7-9 am and work until your shift is over. For customer service that will be between 5-6 pm and sales between 5 and 7ish pm, depending on the time of year. The customer service staff's work is general office work. Answering the phones, making collection calls, sending emails to customers. It can get stressful in the spring when things are busy or when  customers are angry. The turnover in this department is actually some of the best in the company while receiving the worst pay. They are the only department that doesn't get laid off though, so that's a pro. They get treated poorly by management and are blamed for things they have no control over. 

In the sale's department you have an opportunity to make more money then anywhere else. I made close to 70k a year my last two years working in that department. You will be micromanaged. Every sale, every number and every call is analyzed. If the potential customer does not choose to purchase lawn care you need to be ready to answer what you could have done to potentially make that sale even if the service was simply just not in their budget. Many of the people you talk to will be buying this service based solely on price, of which you will not be close to other companies. You will have weekly one on ones with your manager going over phone calls. I have seen sales reps break down in tears, get in screaming matches with each other and their managers. It can be stressful. You will be expected to play office politics and not ask any questions that can be construed as negative. Their prices have raised every year for every service. While this is expected due to the increase in product cost, other companies have been able to keep costs lower. The company prides itself on being a luxury lawn care service, but with some of their recent actions it seems to no longer be interested in actually providing that service to customers while still expecting the sales reps to pitch the company that way. The moto when I started was to under promise and over deliver on our services. It has seemed to switch to over promise and under deliver. Sales reps will work Saturdays in the spring. 

Management spends their time in meetings and analyzing numbers and listening to sales and customer service calls. Everything is framed by management to be going great while they're weeks behind on production, haven't met employee hiring quotas, are nowhere close to projected sales numbers and canceled customer numbers are much higher then projected. Other then a few employees its a rotating door of new faces. Employee retention is low. You never feel comfortable with management or ownership because things are constantly changing. 

There are good technicians, managers and office employees that work there. I can honestly say that for some of the time I worked there I enjoyed large portions of my job and the people I worked with. I was let go over the phone during our winter lay off because my manager thought that I would not go along with changes that the company was instituting after being told that my position in the company was secure. I have held off on writing this review for some time because I did not want it to be blinded by emotions or anger because I was angry that I was lied to after working there and thought that I had a better relationship with ownership/management then that. When I saw 5 new reviews all pop up around the same time I thought it would be a good time to share my experience.  I'm confident that the company will ask employees to write more reviews so that this one as well as others will be pushed down and wont affect their overall rating. If you don't mind any of what I said above and are looking to make some decent money, the sales department can be lucrative. I would not recommend any other positions. Like I said, there are good employees and managers that work there. Your experience may vary. 

I worked as a Solutions Specialist (Inside Sales) The current position is listed for $50k-$70k. I made $40k last year. An average day consists of making over 200 outbound cold calls a day throughout the majority of the season. My phone  time was strictly monitored. All earned commission was paid out as sales were produced, and it was extremely conditional. In my personal experience, full commissions were not paid out for various reasons, and sales  representatives were usually terminated before their full earned commissions were paid out. The base rate was pathetically low, and this position was furloughed 3-4 months over the winter. They can terminate employment at any time over furlough as well. I felt a lot of instability and insecurity within this position during my time there.

Every single call that I made and every interaction with a customer I had  was audited and analyzed by management. I was subjected to weekly meetings with management , that criticized every single word, phrase, or sales tactic I used. Their process had to be followed exactly. I did not feel any sense of individuality as I tried to do my job. It was a very controlled and intense environment. I felt like I was being  micromanaged immensely. I received many passive aggressive emails, spreadsheets, and I felt like I had to constantly justify and defend myself to management. There were no clear cut expectations, and policies and procedures were constantly changing. Yet, I always felt like I was in hot seat for not meeting expectations.

There was no room for growth or advancements within the company. Most higher roles are always filled externally. I asked for a better role, and I was met with  some lukewarm excuse as to why I was not qualified for the position. And then in the same sentence, I was told to be reminded of how amazing the company culture was.

Turnover is extremely high. The majority of the office either resigned or was terminated in the last year and a half. They preach all these core values and making life more enjoyable. The vibe of the work environment, their blatant disloyalty and disrespect  to their employees, and the unethical behavior that I experienced from management, says otherwise. Avoid at costs.

I'm a current employee (just a tech) and have a hard time finding enough good words to describe the company ... honestly. Where do I even start? I guess it really comes down to the company culture which values people above every last penny of profit. It is a smaller family-owned company that are very in touch with their employees. They value giving their customers the best service while treating their employees great and give them all the support they need to succeed. This in turn creates high morale and encourages employees to go above and beyond for customers on a daily basis! It's a simple formula, but Ziehler believes and practices it like it's second nature.

The pay is generous, the vacation time is ample, the perks and parties are fun and joyful.  They never work on Sunday and try to limit Saturdays as much as possible. The equipment and tools provided are good quality, and are fixed quickly if they break down. Management always supports and challenges growth but doesn't micro-manage too much. It's just an all-around supportive and positive place to work! The hardest part for non-management is finding an adequate source of income in the winter months when you are temporarily laid off. But if you can figure that out you are golden! 

This place can be a career for anyone if they just determine to work hard and learn. When I first took the job I honestly thought it would be temporary. I quickly learned that there was no way I would want to leave unless management drastically changed for the worse (and it has only gone from good to better).  I have been a lot of places, and looked over at what appeared to be greener pastures. I really don't think the grass get's much greener than this (in more ways than one ha ha! ! Give it a try! 

Ziehler Lawn Care, as a company, is very passionate about what they do.

The culture is focused around being supportive and encouraging one another to do their best and continue developing.

Ziehler puts together team-building events fairly often and is always trying to show appreciation to the team.

As an Inside Sales Representative, my day is mostly focused around speaking to potential and existing customers about our services and providing solutions that will meet their lawn care needs.

Management will regularly provide training on the services available to make sure the team is kept up to date with what we can offer and how to best speak to customers about it.

There is also a lot of focus put on employee development. There are regular coachings around sales calls that are meant to highlight both strengths and opportunities for improvement.

One thing to be aware of for the sales role specifically is the seasonal nature of lawn care. It will be slower in Fall and Winter, but very busy in the Spring.

Being a relatively small company makes me feel much more appreciated as a member of the team and I feel like I'm making more of an impact on the company's growth.

The trade off is that there are not necessarily built-in career progression opportunities for the office staff like you see at larger companies with more roles to fill.

Overall, I would strongly recommend Ziehler as an employer. The culture and close-knit team makes for a positive work environment that motivates everyone.

I worked in sales. I did okay when I did things in a way that worked for me. But they forced me to follow their process, and that’s when things fell apart. Sales isn’t a uniform thing, but they don’t see it that way. They were so obsessed with following their process, that they wouldn’t acknowledge that it didn’t work for everyone. It seemed like they were more invested in their process, than actually making sales. It was weird. It was a complete helicoptering  management style, in a way I’ve never seen before at any other job I’ve worked at. They told me I couldn’t say basic words. And I had meetings criticizing my work almost daily. They had a way of over complicating everything, and just making it a miserable place to work. I worked through the busiest three months of the year, and they fired me as soon as it slowed down. They pocketed all the commission I would have made on my sales for the year. My co workers were cool, and they tried to help me. All though, they got fired or quit too. Overall, the company structure and management is pretty schiesty and deceiving. The job and the pay isn’t at all what I expected it to be. They also do lame cookouts, and then claim how great the culture is, when everything else sucks. There are much better opportunities out there, don’t waste your time on this. 

From my very first phone interview to now, I've such great experiences with this team - and it's really their strengths in communication and planning to ensure of the best customer service to customers - both outside and internally with each other. There's no sign of cutting corners here and I just love it. I love being apart of like-minded, passionate people who really are driven to achieve. It's been a great home for me! My direct leadership is helpful, supportive, trusting and really cares. I feel blessed for that. We work hard, we play hard. Our Leaders take us to lunch, invest in trainings regularly, host comradery events. This is a team of planners and doers - we're goal driven - and data is big here, because that's how you measure the goals and see where we can continue to improve.  I really love knowing the plan! New ideas are warmly welcomed and appreciated. It's a small company - so keep that in mind. We're not numbers - we know one another and help. Small company requires servant leaders, all hands on deck attitudes and  true team players. I'm very thankful to drive in here every day to have that. We're gearing up for another great season and I'm excited to continue growing our team with great people!

I have worked for Ziehler Lawn and Tree Care for 4 years in the administrative department.  I enjoy coming to work every day and especially enjoy the people that I work with.  Ziehler is a family owned and operated business that has a great workplace culture.   Employees are recognized for their hard work and incentives are put in place to reward the employees.  There are monthly events, such as team breakfast and cook outs, holiday parties and quarterly theme goal prizes.  Benefits provided to employees are paid holidays, PTO days, health care, and retirement plan.  I started with the company in the administrative  department and have worked my way up to management.  Ziehler is a company that is growing quickly and the owners like to promote from within the company.  The best part of my day is interacting with customers and employees.  I have the opportunity to build great business relationships and enjoy the conversations that I have each day.  I have learned that I enjoy working for a family owned business that has such a strong culture.  The company's core purpose and values are exemplified daily by the entire team.  Great place to work!

I love Ziehler! I have worked here a year now and could not imagine myself anywhere else. Ziehler is family owned and the owners are actually at the office almost daily. The purpose here is to make life more enjoyable not just for employees but also families and customers. I really enjoy hearing the stories of people we have helped just by making a tulip tree bloom for the first time or giving them a yard their neighbor is jealous of. Every month we have a team breakfast so everyone can socialize and we even have off site parties too. The people that work here are not just team members, they become family. You are pushed to become your best self personally and professionally. With Ziehler you don’t just build a resume you build a career surrounded by kind and compassionate people who truly care for you.

There is a reason they are constantly hiring. Spoiler alert, it’s not because they are growing. There is no monthly breakfast. Well, maybe the office people get it but the technicians don’t. The office atmosphere maybe family oriented but the technicians don’t get treated like family. Nor do they care about your family or your health and well being. Office staff is incompetent. They constantly lie to customers and technicians have to deal with the aftermath and give customers the correct information. Not one person in the office knows how to run a business. Benefits are the worst. Medical insurance is a waste of money. No dental. No vision. No room for advancement. They take 30 mins out of your time everyday for lunch even if you don’t take a lunch. Unreasonable expectations unless you halfass the job. 

I ranked #1 employee in my department during  production, except for the month I tied for first.  I earned the monthly service trophy 2 months in a row.   In the almost 7 months I was there...poor training, customers complain not being able to get thru on the phones,  system always "froze", dont live up to their values,  people come and go quickly thus the reason they are always keeping the sign outside that says they are hiring.   I only know the names of 6 people that came and went during my time there.  The others were technicians I didnt have a chance to meet.  I have worked for a much larger employer and almost 50 years old,  in my opinion, I would never suggest this as a good place to work.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Lawn technician 5 salaries reported	$47,600 per year
Inside sales representative 1 salary reported	$63,500 per year
Inside sales manager 26 salaries reported	$72,500 per year
Maintenance mechanic 12 salaries reported	$60,000 per year
Lawn care specialist 1 salary reported	$62,500 per year

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