Treecologist in Training - our 18 month Journey to Sales!

Do you want to meet with clients and educate them about the importance of trees, soil, fungi, insects, birds, and more? Do you want to help them care for their trees and build healthier ecology? Do you want to solve problems and promote practices that help heal our Planet - all while earning sales commissions?

Consider becoming a Treecologist at Leaf & Limb! This role is primarily a blend of being an educator, consultant, and salesperson. Our Treecologists meet with clients to assess their trees and learn about their issues. Our Treecologists use their knowledge of trees, soil, and ecology to provide clients with education, free solutions, and paid services that help folks solve problems and attempt to provide positive, healing benefits to our planet.

This position does require a high degree of knowledge of tree biology, species identification, soil microbiology, ecosystems, tree planting and maintenance practices, environmental issues, native flowers, and more. If you have this knowledge as well as industry experience, you may be immediately eligible to join our team of Treecologists.

This said, no experience is necessary. If you do not have the necessary knowledge, we provide an 2-year fast track towards joining the team. We call this our Treecologist in Training Program. Should you be accepted into the program, you will be paid a flat salary of $45,000 plus benefits. Through the course of this program you will receive intensive training on all necessary topics. This will require a great deal of time and effort on your part. Assuming you pass all of the training objectives and join the team, your journey of soaking up and sharing knowledge will have only just begun.

Here is what Treecologists who are currently on the team have to say about their role:

• I love working with trees and helping care for our planet!
• Every day is a bit different. I get to meet a variety of people, see many different trees, and solve new problems each day.
• I really appreciate the flexible scheduling and unlimited time off. It enables me to pursue travel and adventures outside of work.
• I like being able to work remotely when I’m not meeting with my clients.
• The work is challenging and meaningful.
• I love being on the front lines of our purpose by being an educator and brand ambassador for Leaf & Limb. Changing hearts and minds for something good is so meaningful.
• We are the team who care for trees from the tip of the canopy to the roots in the ground. And we do not cut them down!
• People answer questions freely and are open to teaching you without making you feel dumb.
• I love educating, advising, and solving problems for clients and communities.
• There are so many opportunities for professional and personal growth.
• The opportunity to be trained without any prior experience is a big reason I love it here at L&L.
• This role has helped me improve my public speaking, task management, and conflict resolution skills. These helped me level up in life.
• Support is everywhere in all the ways. Sometimes you have to reach for it and sometimes it's given but there is a lot of support.
• We care about each other, we have a considerate work environment, and an inclusive culture. And we have fun!
• I’m able to innovate and experiment.
• This is a place that invests in its people and prefers to promote from within.
• I like the benefits.
• The skills I have learned in this role as a Treecologist have helped me in so many other areas of my life. They have also helped me develop my career.
• I'm outside!
• Leaf & Limb is evolving and changing, which means new opportunities.
• This is an intellectually stimulating environment.
• We are tree friendly in all the ways. We care about the ecosystems we work within.

If you like what our current Treecologists said above, apply to join our team! Even if you know nothing about trees, that is A-OK. We will teach you everything you need to know through our 18 month Treecologist in Training Program, should you be accepted.

Here is some important information about this position:

• To be on the team, you need a working knowledge of tree science, soil science, pruning practices (including advanced topics like structural and retrenchment pruning), climbing with tree canopies, native flowers & grasses, tree care maintenance practices and operations (e.g., root collar excavations), insects & common pests, biotic and abiotic disorders that affect tree, composting operations, planting practices, tree identification, and major environmental issues. In short, you should be well-versed in the information we discuss throughout the many pages on our website.
• You must also have three years of prior arboricultural related experience, ISA Certified Arborist credential, Tree Risk Assessment qualification, and proficiency working with computers, SalesForce, time/task management, and client dispute resolution. Previous experience being a consultant, educator, and/or sales person are all helpful as well.
• Whether you have all of this knowledge and skills or none of it, we have a path for you.
• If you are a veteran of the tree care industry or tangential industries, you may have much of this knowledge and experience already. In this case, you may only need a few months to acclimate to our culture.
• If you have none of this knowledge, you will need to work hard to attain it through our 18-month Treecologist in Training program.
• Especially if you are an industry veteran, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you find at Leaf & Limb. We are a true oddity in the tree service industry. For starters, we do not cut down live trees, generally speaking.
• No matter your level of knowledge, you can always expect a great deal of training and learning during your time at Leaf & Limb. On the Treecologist team, you will continuously be learning new things related to trees and ecology, as well as to your role as professional. The latter includes vital career development skills like task management, sales, marketing, public speaking, event planning, research, synthesizing knowledge into a way that people can easily understand, asking great questions, writing, reading, being a great listener, and personal development. We also have opportunities for those interested to learn leadership and take on greater roles within the company.
• Whether you join the Treecologist in Training program or you join the Treecologist team directly, you will begin with a salary of $50,000 per year plus benefits. You may stay on this salary for as long as you please.
• Eventually you will want to transition to our commission program. Everyone eventually makes the switch because too much money is being missed to justify staying on base salary. We offer three commission rates that correspond to three different types of services.
• When you complete your training and transition to commissions, we offer a one-time signing bonus of $3,000.
• New Treecologist should expect to be able to comfortably close around $700,000 in sales during their first year. Many have achieved over $1,000,000 during their first years.
• Based on historical trends, $700K will yield around $80K in commissions and $1,000K will yield around$120K in commissions. Both of these figures are on the conservative side so as to avoid over-selling this position.
• In addition to commissions, you will receive the following benefits: health insurance, dental insurance, life insurance, retirement, and a vehicle, gas, phone, and laptop all paid for by Leaf & Limb.
• You will not received paid time off of any kind while on commissions (though you will receive it while on salary). But keep in mind that commissions are paid out whether you are working or not. So as you develop a strong portfolio, money will automatically flow in even when you are not working. This is the same as paid time off.
• There is a lot of revenue to be gained each year from repeat clients and renewable services. Between these and new sales, half of our team has achieved recurring sales of over $1,000,000 per year. The other half are around $800,000 in annual sales.
• On this note, you are expected to build relationships with your clients. In this position will be working primarily with residential clients. You are expected to get to know them over your years together.
• We do have a B2B sales team, but typically these folks first join our residential team. If you have the necessary knowledge and are more interested in joining our B2B team, please send us an email and continue with the application process as outlined below.
• On the residential team, you will typically schedule between 20 and 25 appointments per week. We provide most leads throughout the year due to our strong reputation and word of mouth.
• This said, there are slow times due to seasons (e.g., winter tends to be slow) and issues outside of our control (e.g., economic down turn) where you will be expected to generate leads. We have many tried and true plans and support materials for these times that we will give to you to help.
• Much of the appointment scheduling process is handled by automated software, freeing up time for you to focus on learning, helping educate folks, and completing other tasks.
• Here is the complete task list for what a Treecologist on the residential team is expected to finish each week, in addition to the meetings.
• We begin each day at 6:45am. For most Treecologists, their day ends around 5pm. Some work later but not many. Expect to work at least 50 hours per week, though sometimes 55-60 in a week
• We expect all Treecologists to participate in company training sessions, volunteer work with Project Pando, and other company events. Most Treecologists love these times together with the rest of the company since much of the role is solitary or working with other folks on the Treecologist team.
• We also expect you to become an ISA Certified Arborist and early your Tree Risk Assessment Credential as soon as you qualify. We will provide you with all necessary preparation and we will cover all fees/memberships.
• Similarly, we pay for any fees/costs related to joining industry organizations, professional development, attending conferences, industry training, books, and so forth. We are oriented heavily towards a growth mindset and encourage this by covering all costs.

In this role, you will either be or become a subject matter expert when it comes to trees, soil, planting, and the various topics listed above. But there are other aspects to this role beyond a knowledge of trees.

This is a professional position that is, at its core, an educator, problem-solving consultant, and sales person. Here are the top traits needed to succeed in this role. Some of these are prerequisites for the role. Some can be taught if you do not already possess them.

• Passionate and knowledgeable about trees, flowers, ecology, non-human life, and planetary health
• Aligned with Leaf & Limbs purpose and values
• A voracious learner
• Enthusiastic about teaching people and changing their hearts & minds
• Can synthesize complex information in a manner easily understood by people who know little about the topics being discussed
• The creativity and tenacity necessary to solve complex problems
• Perseverance through the hard times. There are low points in this role, as with every role
• Self-motivated while working mostly solo, sometimes with a small team, and with a wide degree of autonomy
• Detail oriented in all regards
• Proficient with a computer, writing, and reading
• Proficient in written and verbal communication
• Able and willing to work 50-60 hours per week as needed
• Enjoys interacting with new and existing clients regularly

Here are other skills that you will need to succeed, in varying degrees.

These augment the core skills listed above. If you do not already possess these, we provide training for all of them.

• Enthusiastic and positive mindset
• Comfortable with public speaking and presenting for crowds
• High level of accountability with the ability to work under pressure
• Actively listen and ask good questions
• Build rapport and retain relationships
• Handle conflict resolution in a professional manner
• Read, reply, draft, and send proposals, emails, and Slacks in a timely manner
• Give and receive constructive feedback
• Skillful at effective task and time management
• Professional appearance
• Ability to adapt to changes and be receptive to new ideas
• Strong work ethic
• Being honest/ethical/enthusiastic with clients
• Knowledge and experience of tree care
• Sales processes and structured pitches
• Goal oriented
• Poise and self-confidence in public settings
• Proficient and starting and guiding conversations
• Facing and overcoming discomfort
• Can handle rejection without taking it personally
• Able to build new habits readily

Finally, before you apply, consider the top things that lead to issues in this role.

It’s worth noting that we provide coaching and personal/professional development to solve these issue and more. But these only succeed for those who are teachable and willing to learn new and positive habits.

• A lack of knowledge in regards to trees, soil, etc. In other words, not learning at the pace and speed required in this role
• Being forgetful (failing to remember tasks, notes on work orders etc)
• Lack of organization and prioritization
• Work is never done; you must learn to set boundaries
• Easy to get caught in the chase of money. Must stay focused on purpose
• Inability to price jobs with adequate time, which lead to issues on operations
• Procrastination and getting behind on tasks.
• Not valuing/managing your time efficiently (e.g., talking too much on consults, phone calls, etc.)
• Negative thoughts like self-doubt
• Multitasking too much
• Getting distracted by certain task (e.g., emails, slack) and failing to give other essential task the prioritization they deserve
• It can be frustrating when educating people with the same information repeatedly
• Saying “yes” too much can lead to problems