I consider myself a connoisseur of frozen foods. Lean Pockets, Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine (I need to stay slim), I can pick out the best tasting ones from each company, as well as give a stinky face to the ones they should have never brought to market. And within the frozen food market, I am really invested into the frozen pizza market.

In the past few years, I’ve noticed the makers of these gems have really stepped up their game. No longer are there only three variations of the same item under each brand. Nope, now there’s thin, thick and cheese-filled crusts, combos with wings, cookies, and one of my favorites, a dipping sticks pizza. They cut the pizza so it can be dipped in marinara sauce they provide And recently, I tried a Diginoro chicken parmesan pizza that was the probably one of the greatest frozen pizzas I’ve ever had. I’m smiling just writing about it.

So why am I clogging the L&L blog with unhealthy, fattening (although they now have fat free pizzas too!) frozen goods? Because the frozen food, especially pizza, market is very similar to landscaping. Some would probably say, “it’s just frozen pizza” like someone could say that you just mow lawns. And yes, that’s true, but it’s all in the presentation and the ideas to make what seems like a simple product or service into something dynamic. So, if you are a company that considers yourself just a mow and blow operation, you are missing out on a great opportunity. I remember when getting a Stouffer’s French bread pizza was like a mini-vacation for me. Now, I don’t even buy those because there are so many other better brands out there. Take a look at your competition and see what you can do better than them. Somewhere along the line, a wise person noticed no one was standing out in the market, and took advantage.

And try that chicken parm pizza. I swear, it was fantastic.

Seth Godin has a great definition of what it means to be the best in a world of online marketing and unceasing demands on your customers’ attention and budget.

The only way your business wins in Google world is to be the best available option, where “best” means best for the person searching for an answer, and “available option” means everything. (Best doesn’t mean most expensive or exclusive, it merely means the best choice for me, right now. You don’t have to be happy about how much competition you have, but it helps to admit it.)

We’ve written about this before, but it bears revisiting. Your competition is the other landscapers in your market, but it’s also a new car or a new roof or a vacation.

You don’t sell nice plants or green grass. You sell a homeowner time with his family. You sell a property manager less risk and a better conversation with his boss.

That’s what you have to tell your customer. That’s what you have to be best at.

Here’s our weekly update on cool stuff we found online. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

• NPR gets really NPR-y with a story on how sound can impact plants.
• Which metro areas in the U.S. are recovering fastest. (via @UrbanLandInst)
• An apples-to-apples spreadsheet for your favorite property manager or HOA.
• Seth Godin makes the case for follow-up calls.
• A new international competition will award 15,000 Euros to the best sustainable landscape design. (via The Dirt)
• Above: Chris Heiler and our own Carolyn LaWell discuss the changes Facebook made this week and what they mean to small business owners.

Here’s our weekly digest of cool and interesting stuff from the web. Enjoy!

• Seth Godin on why we lie to salespeople.
• Don’t lists from landscapers around the country. (via @EdenMaker)
• Business ratios to track.
• How many plants do you need? Try the landscape calculator. (via Austin Outdoor)
• On your competition.
• Rebuilding the forest in Forest Lawn. (via @jasoncupp)
• D.C. cherry trees turn 100 years old. (via @ISArboriculture)
• Above: Casey Trees plants 30 trees at the Smithsonian National Zoo.