I M How to Stand out in a World Filled with Shrinking Attention Spans
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www.lawnandlandscape.com MEDIA JSS J How to stand out in a world filled with shrinking attention spans, status updates and mobile overload. m i m i î What's up with this box? Turn to page 10 and find out. INSIDE: Changes at TruGreen LandCare, pg. 12 Creative financing, pg. 80 2011 Profit Booster, pg. 109 You get the picture Now they do. To win bids, customers need to visualize your design ideas. With PRO Landscape, they can. Whether you are designing new installations or renovation projects, PRO Landscape has all the tools necessary to quickly create visual designs that will impress customers. PRO Landscape also lets you create accurate CAD drawings, customer-friendly proposals, night and holiday lighting designs, and 3D renderings. No wonder PRO Landscape is the easiest-to-use and most complete landscape design software available. Photo realistic imaging • Easy-to-use CAD • Night and holiday lighting Complete customer proposals «True 3D photo and CAD renderings 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee Discover why PRO Landscape is the most popular design software for landscape professionals. » Visit prolandscape.com » Call (800) 231-8574 r drafix software, inc. » Email [email protected] PRO Landscape The Standard in Design Software for Landscape Professionals! ® HELPING PROFESSIONAL CUTTERS GROW THEIR BUSINESS TAKE IT FROM THE PRO. Changing equipment lines is not a decision to take lightly. Bringing on a Learn more about our rugged line new brand can be a real culture shift and a strain on operations, from of commercial zero-turn, out-front stocking different parts to training employees on how to properly run and walk-behind mowers! Call the machines. Sometimes, there's a learning curve. That's why Kurt Kluznik, us at (800)933-6175 or visit president of Yardmaster, stayed with his equipment brand for more than www.SnapperPro.com to find 15 years, until recently. Kluznik now owns a dozen Snapper Pro mowers. your local Snapper Pro dealer today! Most of his locations are switching over to Snapper Pro, and Kluznik says aside from being cost competitive, the exceptional service has made him a Snapper Pro advocate. Kluznik compared Snapper Pro to other i mower lines and discovered he didn't have to sacrifice quality to get value. Lawn&Landsca HI ^ INTERVIEW 56 25 years and growing ^ U.S. Lawns President Ken Hutcheson mocm reflects on a quarter century of growth, and how he'll triple the company's revenue. aM A COVER STORY 58 Social media and you O - ? Si Some of the green industry's best social media practitioners lend their J£32U advice on how companies can use Cover social media effectively. How to stand out in a world filled story with shrinking attention spans, FORMULAS FOR SUCCESS 58 status updates and mobile overload. 66 Social scene ft) Landscape professionals share how they use social media to build their brands, capture leads and nurture relationships. 76 Business bookshelf: "Outliers: ^ The Story of Success" 80 Lending outside the box 10(> Be a coach, not a boss \ Malcolm Gladwell provides a blueprint The tough economy has made room Modern workers require supervisors to on how to succeed. for some unique capital opportunities. rethink how they conduct business. 78 A garden showcase ro v 84 Selling lies ^Jf J 120 Properly tracking * Jacobsen Landscape turned a former John Wingfield needed a salesperson. employee hours garden center into a free meeting What he got was a headache and a Time sheet procedures and space for local groups - and a subtle valuable lesson. documentation can keep landscapers sales pitch. from being sued. 88 Structure in the garden Look for these new flowers and 122 Run a successful property On the shrubs that will help your customers management service (C) add shape and form to the landscape. Property management can be a ON ROAD steady revenue stream. 90 The safe side fg. 22 PLANET hosts Safety and training case studies 12; Brown patch — Student Career Days * shared at GIE+EXPO highlight the Proper mowing and irrigation The 35th annual event brought importance of documenting policies. techniques can ensure lawns stay together students from 60 colleges. splotch free. 98 Fungicides _ ro & 26 Valent battles chinch bugs ? Learn how to upsell fungicides, how 12 Fighting grubs — c The bugs are becoming little they reach professionals and how to To prevent a grub-infested lawn, it's fighters, but Valent has a new way be less reliant on them. important to know the symptoms and to knock them out. control options. MAY 2011 A GIE MEDIA PUBLICATION | VOLUME 32, NUMBER 5 A garden showcase 78 Selling lies 84 Leadership Lessons: Tom Fochtman 130 Departments 2011 PROFIT Irrigation Guide 8 Online Contents BOOSTER 10 Editor's Insight 3 Surviving drought 12 News 11(1 Holiday lighting How to ensure landscapes 31 Good Works Your customers'spending spirit can serve as are prepared for, prevail 32 Research a profitable present to your bottom line. through and recover from 34 Ask the Experts water-deficient times. 36 New Products 112 llar<k<»a|>c 38 Columns Despite the tough economy, there can still 4 Savings in Santa Clarita be success in this market. 125 Classifieds The California city is serious 129 Ad Index about conserving water and 114 OutdiKir fireplnm money. 130 Leadership Lessons: Gathering around the fire isn't reserved for Tom Fochtman just the indoors anymore. 6 Not your typical system Drip irrigation applies water 110 Lawn care marketing slowly, but the technology is Using bold signage can be an effective way quickly taking off. to pull in potential customers. 9 Top products 11H Kclging An investment in integrity. See what's making a splash in the irrigation industry. Scan to win Research 32 an ¡Pad 2 ••••••••• Design/build Equipment Irrigation Lawn Care Management Marketing/Sales Money Online Extra Personnel/HR Plants Video 0° è _ (0 $ *2 4 B. LAWN & LANDSCAPE (ISSN 1046-154X) is published monthly. Copyright 2011 GIE Media. Inc. 4020 Kinross Lakes Parkway. #201. Richfield. OH 44286. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without written permission from the publisher. Single copy rate: $5.00 One year subscription rates. $30 in the United States. $35 in Canada and $98 in other foreign countries. One year foreign airmail rate: $218. Two year subscription rate: $42. Subscriptions and classified advertising should be addressed to the Richfield office. Periodicals postage paid at Richfield. Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster send changes to LAWN & LANDSCAPE. 4020 Kinross Lakes Pkwy, Suite 201. Richfield. OH 44286. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Bleuchip International. PO Bo* 25542, London. ON N6C 6B2. BUILT TO BE TRUCK OF THE DAY. ENDED UP TRUCK OF THE YEAR. MOTOR TREND'S 2011 TRUCK OF THE YEAR: NEW SILVERADO HEAVY-DUTY Learn more at chevy.com/NewSilveradoHD STRONG- 21,700 LBS. OF MAX.TOWING1 STURDY- 6,635 LBS. OF PAYLOAD CAPACITY2 SECURE- CONFIDENT TRAILERING Shown: New 2011 Chevy Silverado 3500HD Crew Cab with available Duramax 6.6 L Turbo-Diesel V8 engine with 21,100 lbs. max. towing and 5,122 lbs. max. payload. I Requires fifth-wheel trailer hitch and Regular Cab model. Maximum trailer weight ratings are calculated assuming a properly equipped base vehicle, plus driver for additional details. 2 Requires a Regular Cab model and gas engine. Maximum payload capacity includes weight of driver, passengers, optional equipment and cargo. Allison is a registered trademark of Allison Transmission, Inc. The marks of General Motors, its divisions, slogans, emblems, vehicle model names, vehicle body designs and other marks appearing in this advertisement are the trademarksand/or service marks of General Motors, its subsidiaries, affiliates or licensors. ©2011 General Motors. All rights reserved. Buckle up, America! ONLINE Contents Check out what's now online from Lawn & Landscape. Lawn & Landscape editor Chuck Bowen is skipping lakiatapc summer and looking to fall. We think he's crazy, T but who can blame a guy who's jonesing for the GIE+EXPO and GIC shows. Read his post about why he likes them taking place in Louisville, Ky. Rooting out the causes The latest bit.ly/llblog Grow Show podcast has This month we have the Harvest some fun with creative Group dis- commercials and get cussing the serious about a New reasons for a Jersey landscaper who low gross margin, needs your help. http:// bit. ly/ Igmgrowshow Check out Lawn & Landscape's coverage of the California Spring Trials For all the video interviews, visit www.lawnandlandscape.com/cst Eye catching Controlled chaos Best of both worlds Benary's Big Red begonia made Dummen's new Dahlia XXL This plant will thrive in the sun one landscaper slam on the series won't get too wild in the and the shade, and is great in brakes and make a purchase, landscape. the landscape, twitter http:// bit. ly/ eyecatch i ng http://bit.ly/xxldummen http:// b it. ly/ bestboth wo rids TOP TWEETS Some stories ourTweeps liked: FACEBOOK CONTEST PROVIDES VALUABLE Outside the industry LESSON FOR LANDSCAPER Here are some stories beyond the green industry that have universal business lessons. http://bit.ly/uglylandscape Social skills Start me up Avoid becoming the Businessinsider.com has some According to Patch.com, next GoDaddy GREEN ROOF INDUSTRY GREW tips about what to do first when business owners in one Ohio city This article from Reuters BY 28.5 PERCENT IN 2010 diving into social media. want to make the area friendlier reminds small business owners http://bit.ly/roofgreen http://read.bi/socialmediadive for entrepreneurs. What's even they should think twice before better is that you can do the posting something to social same for your town.