Green Industry Pros May/June 2017 +Dealer Success Guide V37

QUIT MAKING THE LABOR CRUNCH WORSE! PART 3 PAGE 38 MAY/JUNE 2017

A Good Safety Program Doesn’t Happen by Accident ❯ Page 8

SUSTAINABLE GROWTH Atlantic Landscape Management LLC celebrates its 10th year with managed, profitable growth that fits its customers and its business model. ❯Page 16

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Volume 29, No. 5 | May/June 2017

› Managing Growth on the Atlantic Coast

COVER STORY

16 FEATURES

30 Landscape Installation

A good safety program never happens by accident-here’s what you need to do.

28

10 Landscape Construction Market Continues to Build Momentum

28 Hardscape Contractors Learn to Seal the Deal

12 Seven Ways to Overcome Five-Star Strain

33 Taking the Diesel Route in Minnesota

Here’s what you can do to wow clients and shoot past competition.

14 Time for a BrandNew Brand?

With all facets of the landscaping services industry poised to grow, now is not the time to pigeonhole yourself with bad branding.

24 Where Are They Now? Kirk’s Lawn Care leverages technology to drive operational efficiency and improve the customer experience.

The application of cleaners and sealers to aging hardscapes is opening the door for new paver restoration opportunities.

32 Construction Equipment

Reliable Lawn Care relies on a Grasshopper diesel mower, a Cub Cadet zero-turn mower and a Toro 30-inch walk-behind.

34 Understanding Organic Turf Care

36 Turf Renovation

Natural turf care is a topic that will continue to be weighed and measured well into the future.

38 Business Tips

Quit Making the Labor Crunch Worse, Part 3: Which do you think is harder, figuring out what you want or spotting bull? greenindustrypros.com

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The Atlantic Landscape Management LLC team consists of (counterclockwise): Pedro Hernandez, maintenance operations manager; Stephanie Windsor, office manager; Josh Doebert, company owner; and Dave Watson, turf and ornamental division manager.

PRODUCTS

04 Editor’s Column 06 Best of the Web 08 How to Solidify Workplace Safety

Early optimism is alive and well for landscape contractors.

Atlantic Landscape Management LLC is celebrating its 10th year in business with a rebooted talent roster, transformed culture and just as much profit on a lot less stress.

Now sustainable growth can commence.

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Pros

EDITOR’S COLUMN

The Management Resource for Landscape Contractors and Equipment Dealers

Published by AC Business Media Inc.

Working on my

GREEN THUMB

Volume 29, Number 5

Carrie Mantey (920) 542-1238 cmantey@acbusinessmedia.com

I

hate to be the one to break the news if you haven’t already heard it: After many years of dedicated work on Green Industry Pros, Gregg Wartgow is moving on. Of course, we wish the longtime editor the best. And while we’re sad to see him go, I am also excited to introduce myself and begin a mutually beneficial working relationship with all of you.

So you’re probably thinking: Who is this new editor? And then asking: How is she qualified for the job?

Well, let me tell you. I worked as an editor in the business-to-business field for about 11 years across a range of publications, including: Professional Tool & Equipment News, Professional Distributor, Product Design & Development, Chem.Info, Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Food Logistics. And before you think I’m a wishy-washy job hopper, I should tell you I worked on many of these titles in pairs.

I had to entrench myself in all of these industries not only fast, but also entirely to keep my writing relevant and interesting, not to mention up to professional grade.

If you are not an expert at first, you must become one quickly in this business. After all, what’s the point of writing to a group of landscape (or automotive or supply chain and so on and so forth) experts if I’m not adding anything to the conversation?

Entrenching myself in all of these industries, I feel, was a good precursor to prepare me for this new journey at Green Industry Pros. Here is why according to each industry: • Automotive repair, and tool and equipment distribution. Not only are tools and equipment essential to the job of automotive technicians, but also to the green industry. While there are many differences when it comes to the types of tools and equipment used, many of the features and benefits are similar, such as ergo-

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201 N. Main Street Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 (800) 538-5544

nomics, battery life, dimensions, ease of maintenance and more. The same goes for distributors—you must carry the types of product your customers need, regardless of industry.

• Product engineering. I learned a lot after much research about why design engineers craft a product a certain way to why they use certain materials and components to what kind of specifications need to be met to fit certain applications. This knowledge plays a large role in the success of determining the ideal product for a real-world application. Think about it: An engineer designing a riding lawn mower would want to use a lower center of gravity to maximize stability and thereby safety in case a user must drive on a hill, for example.

• Chemical processing. This may seem like a far cry from the green industry, but I wrote extensively about oil and gasoline, renewable energy, organics, pesticides and much more.

• Supply chain and logistics. How to get from Point A to B, while saving fuel and maximizing efficiency is a trick that can benefit almost any profession. It is also this industry that taught me how to manage risk, payment processing and purchases when running a business, and I hope to share some of that expertise with you soon.

Regardless of my experience, I still plan to lean on you as a resource. Conversely, I encourage you to reach out to me. Whether you want to chat about the industry at large, a product trend or a solution to the talent shortage plaguing the industry, I’ll be waiting to hear from you. Thanks and enjoy the issue! › Comment and share online at greenindustrypros.com/12339259.

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ADVERTISIN G

Publisher.........................................................................Deirdre D’Aniello ddaniello@acbusinessmedia.com Sales Representative.............................................................. Fred Ferris fferris@acbusinessmedia.com National Automotive Manager........................................... Tom Lutzke tlutzke@acbusinessmedia.com

EDITORIAL

Editor.....................................................................................Carrie Mantey cmantey@acbusinessmedia.com Graphic Designer................................................................Dave Haglund dhaglund@acbusinessmedia.com

CIRCU LATION

Audience Development Director................................... Wendy Chady Audience Development Manager.....................................Angela Kelty

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Senior Production Manager...............................................Cindy Rusch crusch@acbusinessmedia.com AC Business Media Inc. Chairman - Anil Narang President and CEO - Carl Wistreich Executive Vice President - Kris Flitcroft CFO - JoAnn Breuchel Vice President of Content - Greg Udelhofen Digital Operations Manager - Nick Raether Digital Sales Manager - Monique Terrazas Change of Address & Subscriptions - P.O. Box 3605 Northbrook, IL 60065-3605 - (877) 201-3915 Fax: (800) 543-5055 - circ.greenindustrypros@omeda.com List Rental - Elizabeth Jackson, Account Executive Merit Direct LLC - (847) 492-1350, ext. 18 Fax: (847) 492-0085 - ejackson@meritdirect.com Reprints & Licensing — Erica Finger (920) 542-1230 — efinger@acbusinessmedia.com

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Green Industry Pros [USPS 003-763, and ISSN 2168-121X (print) and ISSN 2168-1228 (online)] is published seven times a year: January/ February, March, April, May/June, July/August, September/October and November/December by AC Business Media Inc. Periodicals postage paid at Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Green Industry Pros, P.O. Box 3605, Northbrook, IL 60065-3605. Canada Post PM40612608. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Green Industry Pros, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.

Subscriptions: Individual subscriptions are available without charge in the U.S. to qualified subscribers. Publisher reserves the right to reject non-qualified subscriptions. Subscription prices are: $35 per year for U.S.; $60 per year for Canada and Mexico; and $85 per year for all other countries. All subscriptions are payable in U.S. funds, drawn from U.S. bank. Back issues, if available, cost $10 prepaid. Printed in the USA. Copyright 2017 AC Business Media Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recordings, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

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Evens “Mo” Mompremier – Packing Lead

Built in America. Believing in America.* STIHL truly believes in the productivity of American workers and businesses. So we’re proud to be one of the U.S. manufacturers rebuilding our economy one brick, one car and one power tool at a time.

STIHL believes in supporting local business owners like you. It means something to

your clients, to your company, and to us.

Because it’s the real people, STIHL people, who help make STIHL the number one selling brand of gasoline-powered outdoor power equipment in America.* To find a STIHL dealer: STIHLUSA.com

*A majority of STIHL powerheads are built in the United States from domestic and foreign parts and components. “Number one selling brand” is based on syndicated Irwin Broh Research as well as independent consumer research of 2009-2016 U.S. sales and market share data for the gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment category combined sales to consumers and commercial landscapers. © 2017 STIHL

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BEST OF THE WEB

To see interactive infographic, please go to http://bit.ly/PlantsDoThat or use QR code.

Study: How Plants Positively Impact People Horticulture positively affects people where they live, work, shop and play, according to a new report from the National

Initiative for Consumer Horticulture (NICH). The benefits of consumer horticulture are spotlighted in the accompa-

nying infographic, which illustrates how consumer horticulture contributes $196 billion to the U.S. economy and creates more than 2 million jobs.

According to the report, plants benefit society in many ways: • Plants in the workplace can reduce employee sick time by 14 percent.

• Well-landscaped homes are more valuable; since homes represent 25 percent of personal wealth, outdoor plants pack a powerful punch.

• A mericans are growing more of their own food—25 percent of all Americans grow berries, veggies or fruit trees.

• Shaded roadways save 60 percent of repaving costs.

The infographic, developed by the NICH Economic Committee, used data gathered by Dr. Charlie Hall, the Ellison Chair in International Floriculture at Texas A&M University.

Debbie Hamrick, NICH Economic Committee chair, says landscapers can use the infographic when speaking before a city council about a new or renovated development. For a larger interactive version, visit: greenindustrypros.com/12333754

JCB MACHINES FEATURED IN NEW FILM—ALIEN: COVENANT

gold to give them a futuristic look—the idea of British film director and producer Ridley Scott.

“This is one of the highest profile film projects in JCB’s history, involving approximately $1.3 million worth of machines,” said Michael Plummer, JCB’s worldwide marketing director. “Ridley Scott’s idea to wrap the machines in gold delivered a stunning result and is certainly an eye-catching addition to the film, which will be seen by millions of people around the world.”

The machines—which appear in the film’s finale—arrived at the movie set in Sydney, Australia, with the help of JCB dealer Construction Equipment Australia. The dealer also provided filmmakers with six JCB generators for additional on-site power.

The equipment is used in the so-called terraforming bay, an area that alters the environment to make it capable of supporting terrestrial life. Alien: Covenant is set almost 100 years in the future and is the sixth film in the popular Alien franchise.

A fleet of more than 20 JCB machines is playing a starring role in the latest installment of a cult film franchise. JCB skid steers loaders, Loadall telescopic handlers and JS excavators were supplied to 20th

Century Fox for the making of the film Alien: Covenant, which was released in the U.S. on May 19.

Starring alongside actors Michael Fassbender and Katherine Waterston, the machines are wrapped in stunning

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OTHER TOP NEWS › Lawn Mower Sparked 7,500-Acre Wildfire greenindustrypros.com/12337197

› College Student Mows Lawn as Part of National Nonprofit Tour greenindustrypros.com/12337155

› Lawn Care Companies, Homeowners Challenge County Pesticide Ban greenindustrypros.com/12336108

› Ecotricity Aims to Turn Grass into Fuel greenindustrypros.com/12330750

SHARE facebook.com/GreenIndustryPros DISCUSS linkedin.com/groups/3916625 FOLLOW twitter.com/YG_PRO FOLLOW google.com/+GreenIndustryPros FOLLOW youtube.com/GreenIndustryPros

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SAFETY

By Steven Cohen

How to Solidify WORKPLACE

S FETY A good safety program never happens by accident-here’s what you need to do.

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ate last year, I received one of the most difficult phone calls I ever received from a client. He said, “We had an accident and I need you to fly out to me immediately.” While I will not discuss the specific details of what happened, I will tell you that my client suffered a tragic workplace accident in which there was a fatality.

The accident took place right in his shop area. For two days following that call, I worked with the owner and his team to deal with an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation, addressing workplace safety concerns and employee grief counselling. While my client’s company will survive the incident, emotional scars will take much longer to heal.

Workplace safety must be designed; it must not occur by accident. Safety is a cultural mindset that must be instilled at all levels within the organization.

from the top-down. They also recognize that workers know their jobs and the hazards they encounter better than anyone else—so who better to suggest how to eliminate those risks? That’s right, it’s the employees themselves.

When an employer and its employees combine forces to make their workplace safer, productivity and quality increase, and employee recruitment and retention are made easier. Safety and health programs help improve injury and illness records, and workers’ compensation ratings. Ultimately, your company’s

reputation is enhanced and your bottom line will likely improve.

Three Critical Action Steps You Must Take

Have employee training meetings. An employer has an obligation to train a new employee in proper safety practices.

Employees should receive complete training in using equipment such as mowers, trimmer and edgers. Training should be conducted by a person knowledgeable in the safe use of the specific piece of equipment.

Hard Hats

Three Key Principles

Successful safety and company health plan policies are built around three key principles: ownership mindset, worker participation, and a systematic approach to finding and fixing workplace hazards.

While entirely voluntary in nature, these programs demonstrate a company’s commitment to worker safety and health

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1. Develop a site safety vision, including key policies, goals, measures, and strategic and operational plans.

2. Evaluate current safety efforts, and review and update rules as necessary.

3. Develop safety campaigns, such as promotional activities, contests, awards or safety awareness days.

4. Lead by example. Demonstrate a commitment to employee health and safety by implementing safe work practices and prescribing the mentality that unsafe actions are not tolerated.

5. Provide ongoing safety and health training. Ensure that employees have the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to work safely and avoid accidents. Employees who are well-trained are more likely to make safety a top priority.

6. Establish a safety committee in which experienced individuals are paired with new workers to serve as role models and demonstrate safe work procedures.

7. Ensure that the organization has a system for reporting near-miss accidents, injuries and the need for first aid.

8. Reward employees for safe performance. Employees who receive pay increases, promotions and other rewards that are contingent on having a proactive safety attitude tend to take workplace safety more seriously.

9. Communicate your expectations often with employees to encourage them to follow safe procedures. ❯

Eye Protection Ear Protection

Eye and ear protection are essential personal protection equipment elements when operating handheld equipment. What else? Anything missing here?

Employees should also be advised of how to use personal protection equipment (PPE) like safety glasses, ear protection, gloves and approved footwear.

Weekly or at least biweekly safety meetings should take place to both enforce and remind employees of safe workplace procedures.

Maintain accurate daily records.

Landscape business owners must maintain a record of injury incidents to supply to authorities, but also for protection from lawsuits.

Records are also necessary concerning the maintenance of all equipment, along with the manufacturer’s name and address. This information is essential when an employee is injured to avoid lawsuits due to faulty equipment.

If an employee is injured, then certain procedures, along with documentation, are necessary to confirm that medical protocols were followed to prevent financial losses from lawsuits. All employers must maintain an OSHA 300 safety log documenting loss time from work due to workplace accidents.

Observe and inspect. Routinely

inspecting the workplace is vital to find problems that require repair or safety intervention. Everything in a landscape company internally and externally needs to be observed at all times.

Landscape business owners, managers and employees should continually observe workplace and job-site habits as they work to verify that safety and health regulations are followed. When infractions by employees are noticed, immediate action is necessary to remedy the situation.

Consistency Creates Awareness

Accidents can happen at any time and to anyone. Safety begins with understanding the biggest risks we face, regardless of where we work. The No. 1 thing for safety is awareness. It is imperative that we remind our employees of the importance of using PPE, equipment safety features, such as automatic shut-off switches and rollover protection systems (ROPS), and the list goes on.

Here are nine easy-to-follow tips to help you promote a safety culture in your landscape company: greenindustrypros.com

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Steven Cohen is the chief innovation officer at GreenMark Consulting Group.

Contact GreenMark Consulting Group at greenmarkgroup.com/contact to ask for a copy of its free workplace safety checklist.

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT

By Rod Dickens

Landscape Construction Market Continues to Build Momentum Early optimism is alive and well for landscape contractors.

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andscape contractors can look forward to a busy summer and fall, according to recent economic indicators. Consumer confidence, single-family housing starts and nonresidential construction all point in the right direction, even though a labor shortage and cost of certain raw materials-lumber-could dampen optimism.

Consumer Confidence

“Consumer confidence increased sharply in March to its highest level since December 2000,” says Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at The Conference Board. “Consumers also expressed much greater optimism regarding the short-term outlook for business, jobs and personal income prospects. Thus, consumers’ renewed opti-

mism suggests the possibility of some upside to the prospects for economic growth in the coming months.”

Single-Family Housing

In February, single-family housing starts reached their highest level since late 2007, according to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Commerce Department data.

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Nationwide housing starts rose 3 percent in February from an upwardly revised January reading to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.288 million units. Single-family production increased 6.5 percent to 872,000 units—its highest reading in nearly a decade—while multifamily starts fell 3.7 percent to 416,000 units.

“This month’s gain in single-family starts is consistent with rising builder confidence in the housing market,” says Granger MacDonald, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a homebuilder and developer. “We should see single-family production continue to grow throughout the year, tempered somewhat by supplyside constraints, such as access to lots and labor.”

Existing home sales mirrored this growth according to data released in April by the National Association of Realtors. Sales of existing homes, including single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, took off to their highest pace in over 10 years.

The sales total ascended 4.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.71 million in March from a downwardly revised 5.47 million in February.

March’s sales pace is 5.9 percent above a year ago and surpassed January as the strongest month of sales since February 2007 (5.79 million).

Nonresidential Construction

Nonresidential construction started out on a high note in 2017, according to analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as reported by Associated

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Builders and Contractors (ABC). The nonresidential construction sector added 14,900 net new jobs for January, while its residential counterpart added 20,300 net new jobs. The construction industry added 170,000 net new jobs on a yearly basis, an increase of 2.6 percent.

“The employment report indicated growing strength in construction along a variety of dimensions,” ABC chief economist Anirban Basu says. “There was job growth in both residential and nonresidential categories. Over the past year, nonresidential construction accounted for roughly a quarter of total construction job creation. However, in January, nonresidential activities accounted for more than 40 percent of net new jobs, indicating relatively faster performance improvement in that part of the nation’s construction sector.”

Potential Roadblocks

As Basu pointed out, finding labor could be problematic, especially for the nonresidential construction market.

“The rapid pace of hiring is consistent with ABC’s backlog survey, which indicates that the typical nonresidential construction firm can look forward to many more months of activity,” Basu says. “With continued aggressive investment in commercial properties and still-low interest rates, the backlog will continue to expand. For contractors, this likely means more difficulty in finding suitable workers to complete projects.”

Despite lumber costs and a potential labor shortage this summer, early optimism prevails for the continued growth of the construction market and new work for landscape contractors. ❯

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CUSTOMER SERVICE

By Gregg Wartgow

7 WAYS

One challenge the industry has is that most consumers don’t quite understand what landscaping professionals really do.

(Photo courtesy of G.P. Landscape Design Inc.)

to Overcome Five-Star Strain

Companies capable of providing mind-blowing customer service could be few and far between this season. Here’s what you can do to wow your clients and shoot past the competition.

W

ith most landscape companies worried about finding enough employees t his season, one must wonder about the effect that might have on service delivery. You also have to think about customer service in general. Too few employees, or even the wrong employees in the wrong positions, opens the door for mistakes, oversights and an overall poorer customer experience.

“Customer service is one of the few remaining areas where contractors can differentiate themselves,” says industry expert Jonathan Pototschnik, co-founder of Service Autopilot Academy. “Based on their similar actions and appearance, landscape and lawn care companies are becoming more and more commoditized. Then the customer is left to make a decision based on price because price is one of the few variables left to compare.

“It takes time (sometimes years) and investment to build this, but contractors can position themselves differently. They can position themselves on customer service and the overall customer experience.”

Here’s a rundown of some of the things Pototschnik says contractors can do to improve the customer experi-

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ence in today’s fast-paced world of doing more with less:

1. Answer the Phone

“I am absolutely dumbfounded by the number of companies that do not answer their phone,” Pototschnik says. “I understand the reasons why a contractor might not be able to answer his phone, but what I don’t understand is the general lack of willingness to solve that problem.”

For instance, some companies hire an answering service. While that might not be the perfect solution, it is definitely a solution—until you can definitively solve the problem by staffing your office to handle the phone.

“Research shows that many people will not bother to leave a voicemail,” Pototschnik points out. So you spend all of this money on marketing to get someone to call you, but then you don’t have the opportunity to convert that lead into a sale. When you look at it that way, an answering service, which can be relatively inexpensive, has the potential to pay for itself in short order.

Another issue is when an existing

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client calls with a concern. Not answering the phone doesn’t resolve conflict or reassure. “A cornerstone of customer service is knowing that the phone is going to be answered by a friendly, professional individual and that your problem is going to be solved,” Pototschnik reminds.

2. First Impressions Count

First impressions matter—a lot. “What is that experience going to be both visually and verbally?” Pototschnik asks. “I think of that first impression as almost theater.”

For instance, you can train your crew to look for a list of things on its first visit to a property, i.e., weeds or tree branches in flower beds, dead flowers that need to be pulled, a broken gate latch, trash cans by the road that could be brought to the house, etc. “It takes a matter of minutes to deal with things like this,” Pototschnik says.

“Leave a note about what you did. This can go a long way.”

Other examples of theater include sending a welcome package to new clients and following up with a phone call a month into service. It is crafted,

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but it doesn’t feel that way to the client.

It feels personal. It feels good. “It’s all about making the most of those first two months with a client,” Pototschnik says.

The industry is quickly moving toward what some contractors consider the dream scenario: Clients can view your services, sign up and pay you online. You might not even have to talk to them! While that can be good, it can also be risky. You don’t want to lose your ability to interact with the client and make a great impression.

3. Be Easy to Pay

Making it easier for clients to pay, however, does constitute great customer service. There is no better way to lose customers’ trust than to screw up their invoice, i.e., bill them the wrong amount, bill them for something you didn’t do, forget to bill them for something you did do. It’s also important to bill them at the same time every month because consistency breeds confidence.

Along with accuracy, convenience is the key element. These days, more companies are electronically billing and even providing online credit card payment.

4. Communication

Just as making a good first impression is important, so is ongoing communication.

You can think of this step as theater, too.

“One of my favorite restaurants is Eleven Madison Park in New York,” Pototschnik says. “Everything is incredible and perfectly paired. When I went there last year, I walked up to the door, and they opened the door and said, ‘Hello, Mr. Pototschnik.’ The team clearly Googled me and found me online to learn whom I was and what I looked like. That’s theater, but it didn’t feel like it to me, the customer.”

The lesson? Take an interest in your customers and treat them like royalty.

It sounds cliché, but it is effective—and not too many contractors are doing it. Other things you can do include phone calls, handwritten notes and emails. Some of it can be pre-written and saved in your customer database software, prompting you or your team members to customize and send it to certain customers based on a timetable.

You can even do this with a paper-based system if you commit to it and train your people to it.

5. Look like a Pro

Speaking of your people, they have to look professional (i.e., uniforms or some kind of consistent dress code).

For that matter, so do you—and so do your trucks.

“So many contractors still aren’t bra nding t heir t r uck s,” Pototschnik observes.

“It’s so inexpensive, but so effective that I just don’t get it. It builds recognition, trust and credibility.

It’s not really customer service, per se, but it’s the subconscious part of customer service.”

6. Train your Crews

A lot of companies hire a new employee, throw him in a truck and hope it works out. Fortunately, this isn’t all companies, Pototschnik points out, but it is plenty— and too many, in his estimation.

“The only way you achieve great customer service is to train your field employees,” Pototschnik says. “Train them to make eye contact with the client.

Tr a i n t h e m to wave at the client and even other onlookers.

T h rot t le t he blower dow n when a neighbor greenindustrypros.com

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comes walking down the street.

Even though your Spanish-speaking employees might not be able to engage in conversation with a client, they can still do these things. Train them.”

7. Educate

Most consumers don’t quite understand what landscaping professionals really do. They see a 10-year-old boy mowing a lawn and equate that to a professional maintenance crew.

They don’t realize that a professional sharpens his mower blades every day.

They don’t realize how much a landscape company owner pays for insurance. They don’t understand the employee training that takes place. They don’t understand why the contractor fertilizes when he does or why he maintains the grass at a certain height. And on and on.

You have to educate the customer in order to maximize the level of appreciation that customer has for your services. Email newsletters, website blogs, social media and even direct mail can allow you to share your message. And let’s not forget about answering your phone, because doing so gives you the chance to teach clients about why you are their very best option. Just like anything else, you have to commit to doing it—and do it.

And that’s really what it comes down to with customer service. You have to commit to it. Hopefully, the items discussed in this article help get your commitment started. The sooner you start, the sooner you can start wowing customers and shooting past the competition. ❯ Jonathan Pototschnik is the co-founder of Service Autopilot Academy, a business coaching and training program for lawn care entrepreneurs looking to multiply their profits and build the business they dream of—without wasting time doing the wrong things. For more information, please visit serviceautopilot.com/academy.

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MARKETING

By Gregg Wartgow

Time for a Brand-New Brand?

With all facets of the landscaping services industry poised to grow, now is not the time for multi-service companies to be pigeonholing themselves with bad branding.

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lot of contractors offer more than one landscaping service, even the smaller companies with just a couple of crews. In many instances, it’s an existing customer who pulls the contractor into additional services, i.e., a longtime mowing client who wants some trees trimmed or a paver patio installed.

What if a contractor sees something happening in their market that encourages them to more aggressively pursue a certain service niche? What if, for example, Mike’s Lawn Care wants to grow its hardscaping business? Is Mike’s top of mind when it comes to hardscaping? Does the market even realize Mike’s offers hardscaping?

A landscaping company’s name and brand can sometimes hold it back— especially in a saturated, competitive market. A good name and brand, on the other hand, can help you stand out while also effectively conveying your brand promise.

“If you accept my premise that 95 percent of small businesses have a poor brand, what would happen if your brand was in the top 5 percent?” asks branding expert Dan Antonelli of Graphic D-Signs in Washington, New Jersey. “We always ask the question: What would a consumer who knew nothing about your business assume about you based on your brand? Nearly every business has a neutral or negative brand promise, which is assumed by the consumer.”

Don’t Tell an Incomplete Story

So how do you change that? Antonelli says you have to do something that separates you from the pack. You also have

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to do something that helps to tell your story and convey your brand promise.

“Sometimes a brand name can pigeonhole you into something you don’t necessarily want to be, such as just a lawn care company or just a landscape design company,” Antonelli says. “Mike

hard to help people connect the dots with a brand name like that.”

Using a first name, as in the case

In the case of landscaping, a lot of companies use flowers, trees and grass for brand graphics. That’s OK if done in a clever fashion to make you stand out.

from Mi ke’s Law n Care might be wellknown and well-liked in the community, and he might be great at cutting and treating my grass, but maybe he’s not the guy we want installing our $25,000 patio project. The brand just doesn’t sound like the right company for When a name and a graphic come together, that’s when you can create a memorable brand. that kind of activity.”

Another problem Antonelli often sees is using last names of Mike’s Lawn Care, makes it a little in a brand name, which are somewhat bit easier because you can build off of impersonal from a marketing perspecMike’s persona. However, there are some tive. “It’s also difficult to gain traction downsides here, too. First of all, it’s all with initials-based brand names,” he about Mike. But what about his great adds. “There is very little to latch onto employees, and their training, expewith initials like A&M or whatever. It’s rience and credentials? Additionally,

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building a business around a single individual makes it much more difficult to sell the business down the road because the individual is the business.

On the other hand, you can come up with a name that better tells your story, while providing something to latch onto from a branding and marketing perspective. One of Antonelli’s more well-known clients in this industry is Oasis Turf &

Tree in Ohio. “With that brand name, a specific image is already conjured up in the consumer’s mind,” Antonelli explains. “Then you can attach an image to the name and it becomes very easy for consumers to remember. That’s a brand that can gain traction.”

How to Fix It

If renaming your company is something you’re thinking about, don’t get overwhelmed. “People can get really hung up on how traumatic renaming a company can be,” Antonelli shares. “We’re actually in the process of renaming our agency, Graphic D-Signs, after 20-some years. That’s not what we are. We don’t do signs or graphic design. We’re a branding and advertising agency. Our A landscaping company’s existing name doesn’t name and brand capture that, nor does can sometimes it capture our energy hold it back— especially in and innovation.” a saturated, I n t he c a s e of competitive Mike’s Lawn Care, market. A good is the entire business name and brand, on the based on Mike and other hand, Mike alone? Are other can help you employees going out to stand out while also effectively meet Mrs. Smith? “It conveying your probably makes sense brand promise. to think of a name that isn’t so tied to Mike, while also giving off the impression of a larger entity and saying something dramatic to a potential client who knows nothing about the company,” Antonelli says.

The other thing to think about is if the name has a graphic that can tie into it. When a name and a graphic come together, that’s when you can create a memorable brand.

“We also try to be very disruptive,” Antonelli adds. “We like to think about names that aren’t so common in a particular industry.

For instance, we recently renamed a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) company Honeybee Heating & Air. We named it Honeybee greenindustrypros.com

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because a honeybee is a unique insect that uses its wings to cool itself. We thought that was a unique spin, as opposed to going with blue and red arrows like everybody else does. We have an image of a huge honeybee holding a wrench. Are you going to forget that when you see a Honeybee truck driving down the highway?

Probably not. It’s memorable.”

In the case of landscaping, a lot of companies use flowers, trees and blades of grass. That’s OK if done in a clever fashion to make you stand out. But maybe you want to be really different.

In the case of Oasis Turf & Tree, a big toucan bird is the graphic. That imagery stemmed from the new branding tagline: Wild about your lawn.

Speaking of a tagline, it’s an important element of the branding process.

It works in concert with the company name and graphic, allowing you to take a bit of a risk to stand out—but still clearly convey your brand promise to consumers.

Thinking your company might need a brand update like this? It’s fine if you want to try tackling it on your own, but companies like Antonelli’s can help. “We not only come up with potential new names, but also think about imagery and a total branding package,” Antonelli says. For a busy contractor who’s already wearing many hats, it might make sense to hire this out. Your brand—especially if it’s holding you back in growing—is well worth the investment. ❯ Dan Antonelli has more than 20 years of experience in small business branding and marketing strategy. As the CEO and creative director of Graphic D-Signs, the Small Business Advertising Agency, Antonelli has helped nearly 1,000 small businesses succeed. His team at Graphic D-Signs has won more than 200 design awards since its founding in 1995. For more information, visit www.graphicdsigns.com. He is also the author of Building a Big Small Business Brand.

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CONTRACTOR PROFILE

By Gregg Wartgow

Managing Growth on the ATLANTIC COAST Atlantic Landscape Management LLC is celebrating its 10th year in business with a rebooted talent roster, transformed culture and just as much profit on a lot less stress. Now sustainable growth can commence.

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hings are booming in and around Virginia Beach, Virginia, and we’re not just talking about the roar of fighter jets flying to and from Naval Air Station Oceana, a U.S. military airport. Because the area has such a heavy military presence, the economy remains quite strong and did even during the 2008 to 2010 recessionary years. A lot of landscaping companies

grew during that otherwise troubling period for the industry, including Atlantic Landscape Management LLC. That sales growth continued until a few years ago when the company leadership decided to hit the pause button.

The growth felt good, but it also felt like some things were on the verge of getting harder to control. The company reviewed accounts to identify where it was and wasn’t making money.

It reviewed its routes to determ i ne where excessive drive times could be limiting additional growth.

It re v ie we d its employees and systems to determine where things cou ld—a nd, in some cases, Atlantic Landscape Management LLC now has a 10-year track had to —get record of providing high-quality, horticulturally sound landscape management. better.

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The Atlantic Landscape Management LLC team consists of (counterclockwise): Pedro Hernandez, maintenance operations manager; Stephanie Windsor, office manager; Josh Doebert, company owner; and Dave Watson, turf and ornamental division manager.

“We began the process of basically transforming the company this year,” says Josh Doebert, company owner.

Step one was people. “Many months ago, we decided that it makes more sense to search for the right employees and train them rather than just hire someone with a lot of experience who might not be a good fit for our company,” adds Stephanie Windsor, Doebert’s sister-inlaw who runs the office and acts as his right hand. Windsor joined the company three years ago after leaving her sales career in the medical devices field.

The philosophy of hiring attitude over experience was amplified when Atlantic Landscape Management LLC started working with GreenMark Consulting Group late last year after winning a contest for free coaching for a lucky reader of Green Industry Pros.

“In working with Steven Cohen [chief innovation officer] and Bill Eastman [business management consultant] from GreenMark, we focused on identifying the key attributes we look for in the different positions we fill and then promoted those attributes in the help

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wanted ads,” Doebert relates. Doing We’re straight shooters and compenso helped attract some high-quality sate fairly.” candidates.

One appealing trait is the company’s The timing was perfect. Atlantic now 10-year track record of providing Landscape Management LLC, like high-quality, horticulturally sound other industry contractors, was expelandscape management. That helps riencing difficulty finding qualiestablish a strong foundation fied candidates to fill its from which to grow—and “Right roster for the upcoming growth is definitely now I’m season. This momenback on the agenda. overseeing the tary panic quickly landscaping crew, but turned to optiOwnership as owner, I really need mism for Doebert Mindset to be focusing on other and Windsor from Top to things, like business up on work i n g Bottom development and with GreenMark Purging the bad planning, as we look Consulting Group. apples from its workto grow.”

A recent notable hire force was step one of the is industry veteran Pedro transformation. Adding Hernandez who joined the a good mid-level manager like company as its maintenance operaHernandez was step two. Since both crews tions manager. He was instrumental in are new, he spends a lot of time in the field helping to rebuild Atlantic Landscape training them to company standards. He’s Management LLC’s culture. also creating job folders for each property, “There is definitely a change in the complete with Google Earth imaging and air here,” according to Doebert. “I notations, to assist crews. think it’s the dynamic of our company Now Doebert is looking for someone that is helping us attract good people. like Hernandez to take charge in the greenindustrypros.com

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landscaping division. This is proving to be a more difficult position to fill due to the nature of the work and knowledge base required.

Atlantic Landscape Management LLC currently fields one three-man landscaping crew. “We could easily put on a second crew,” Doebert says, in which case a second Hernandez would be vitally needed. “Right now I’m overseeing the landscaping crew, but as owner, I really need to be focusing on other things, like business development and planning, as we look to grow.

I want to be able to sell a landscaping job and then hand the project off to my manager knowing that it will be completed correctly.”

While the search for a reliable landscape division manager continues, Doebert already has a great leader to oversee the turf and ornamental division. Dave Watson joined Atlantic Landscape Management LLC not too long after the company was founded in 2007. He is indispensable, helping out wherever he is needed, but the goal is to keep his focus on lawn applications.

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CONTRACTOR PROFILE

HOW TO TRANSITION FROM OWNER TO EXECUTIVE Sometimes the consultant benefits from collaboration as much as the client and Josh Doebert proves this true.

The most difficult transition for any owner is to stop acting like one. It is an easy trap to fall into. Atlantic Landscape Management LLC’s success is based on its technical competence, drive and persistence. Now those factors are becoming barriers to further growth. The future is all about mindset: The owner must think like a CEO. One of the things I noticed about Doebert was this frame of mind. He acted

like the best Fortune 500 executives I know. Before worrying about what the company is doing and how it is being done, these executives focus on the why: Should we be doing this?

Doebert looked at every facet of his business and asked that very question.

Why worry about doing it right until you determine if it is the right thing to do?

Our relationship focuses on the why behind the maintenance, landscaping and turf care lines of his business. Although these are traditional landscape services, it does not mean they should

Watson is currently a one-man division, performing the applications themselves, while also providing customer service and estimating, and interfacing with vendors. Doebert and Windsor concur that lawn care presents a tremendous growth opportunity for the company. As this division grows, the goal is for Watson to transition into a managerial role overseeing numerous technicians.

The same can be said for Hernandez as the maintenance division grows. “I envision a day, not too far off, when Hernandez’s maintenance crews will be self-sufficient so he won’t need to

be in the field as much as he is right now,” Doebert says. “Then he’ll have more time to work on account management and selling enhancements, and looking for ways to improve systems and productivity.”

Systems development is another big focus as Doebert and his team work with GreenMark Consulting Group.

As an offshoot to that, accountability and empowerment are also taking center stage.

“We want every employee to feel like their project, crew or department is their own little company,” Doebert says. He and Windsor are working out the details of a new incentive program designed to usher in that ownership mindset. “We want our culture to be about quality, details and efficiency,” Doebert adds. “We’re establishing companywide goals and also goals for each crew. The hope is that everybody will push each other and help each other to get better, because The company is working out the details of a new then everyone will be incentive program designed to usher in a ownership mindset. rewarded.”

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be. Like any executive, Doebert takes nothing for granted.

Once certain of the why, Doebert turned his attention to selecting better talent, people who fit the Atlantic Landscape Management LLC culture and know how to use technology to improve efficiencies. All of this is creating a solid core to build the future on.

I can’t wait to see Atlantic Landscape Management LLC in five years.

– Insights from Bill Eastman, business management consultant, GreenMark Consulting Group

Putting Admin on Autopilot

It took about a month’s worth of adjusting, but everyone is now benefiting from the company’s adoption of Service Autopilot, a cloud-based management software.

“The antiquated paper system we were using just wasn’t efficient anymore,” Doebert says. “You could spend half a morning trying to decipher scribbles and ketchup stains.”

“We started using Service Autopilot when our new foremen came in, which made the transition a lot smoother,” Windsor says.

Each foreman has a smartphone with access to Service Autopilot. They clock their crews in and out of jobs.

They’re able to type in notes as things are observed on properties. They also have access to customer information, which comes in handy when a client has an issue that needs to be addressed immediately.

“Having all of this information and data in real time is proving to be a huge advantage,” Windsor says. “It provides a much better visualization of what’s going on for the day. We’re also able to analyze jobs in a very timely fashion to determine where we’re going over on

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CONTRACTOR PROFILE

man-hours: Are we understaffed, are we using the wrong equipment, or do we maybe need to rework our routes?

Having this information so readily available, without getting swallowed up by paperwork, is tremendous.”

“There is a lot of front-end loading that has to happen when switching to a software system like this,” Doebert adds.

That’s why he and Windsor decided to implement Service Autopilot in phases, starting with the two maintenance crews before moving on to lawn care and then the landscaping crew.

Perfect Fits

A MOWER FOR YOU

Advancing in increments is really how one could describe the way Doebert and Windsor go about growth in general.

The company was bigger in the past, but never better or as profitable. With the

proper people and systems now in place, it’s time to look at growing again.

Doebert says, “We like small to midsize commercial accounts—such as office buildings and shopping centers— the kind where you can put on a threeman crew and deliver a nice, consistent level of service that is appreciated.

“In the past, we did some larger maintenance accounts and they just didn’t work out,” Doebert continues. “We could see it in our guys’ eyes: They hated it!

“These accounts were not the norm for our business and didn’t align with our business model. The accounts only wanted a certain level of service and it just wasn’t the level of service our guys were accustomed to providing. We didn’t rebid these contracts the next year. We decided to move on and focus on what we were good at.”

Joystick Steering

Like many commercially focused landscape maintenance companies, Atlantic Landscape Management LLC does have some residential accounts.

The company is unique, though, in that it doesn’t cater to the super high-end of the residential market.

“Middle America is very good to us,” Doebert says. “They value the service we provide. There is one high-end neighborhood that some view as the pinnacle of landscaping around here. But there are a hundred landscapers working there. It’s very cutthroat, which is not where we want to play.”

Atlantic Landscape Management LLC knows where it wants to play. The growing company wants to service clients that fit its maintenance model and then build landscape enhancement

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sales off of that base. It wants to grow its higher margin turf and ornamental care division—perhaps even branding it separately to allow for the pursuit of subcontracted work from other area landscape companies.

That’s in the future, though. Today the company will continue working on systems and processes to help facilitate its profitable growth—which could soon eclipse the million-dollar mark if things continue going according to plan.

“We’re very thankful for the great team we now have in place,” Doebert says graciously. “I’m also thankful for our vendors who stood by us and helped us get started 10 years ago. One notable vendor is our equipment dealer Land & Coates. I truly view the company as a real partner in my business.”

Feeling blessed and eager to pay it

Atlantic Landscape Management LLC’s profitable growth could soon eclipse the million-dollar mark if things continue going according to plan.

forward, Doebert maintains his company’s involvement in the GreenCare for Troops program, which helps to provide landscaping services to families of deployed military members. It only

makes sense, seeing as how Atlantic Landscape Management LLC is such a staple of the great military community. Like everything else it does, it’s a perfect fit. ›

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

By Gregg Wartgow

Tech-Savvy and Customer-Centric K

Kirk’s Lawn Care has grown nearly 600 percent over the past three years by leveraging technology to drive operational efficiency and improve the customer experience.

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irk’s Lawn Care in Limerick, Pennsylvania, was first featured in Green Industry Pros in 2013 (greenindustrypros.com/11109112).

Even though he was just 22 years old at that time, Kirk Brown was already a veteran lawn service provider, having started his lawn-mowing business at age 12. He went full time in 2010 after finishing high school. In 2013, Brown was still a solo operation—although he could sense his company was on the verge of breaking out.

Now, nearly four years later, Kirk’s Lawn Care indeed broke out. After hiring his f irst employee in 2014, Brown is employing four this season. Sales grew nearly 600 percent over the past three years. As the company grew dramatically since first

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being featured, it also evolved. In many ways, though, it is much the same. For instance, Kirk’s Lawn Care continues to target younger, more tech-savvy, firsttime homeowners. However, Brown broadened his scope a little bit.

“The customer demographic I target is younger to middle-aged property owners,” Brown says. “I find that they are attracted to our brand because many of them would consider themselves techsavvy. This demographic makes up the majority of our accounts, although I do have a handful of senior citizen customers and also commercial accounts. I don’t really spend any resources marketing to those customer groups, though.”

Double Down on Solid Branding

Speaking of tech-savvy, Brown always considered himself and his company to be just that. Back in 2013, he

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even developed a mobile app for his Why Tech Matters same mounts used in police cars. The customers to use as an educational Brown says there are a few ways the use mounting base is custom to your vehicle. resource and communicate with of technology benefits his customers.

We use our trucks’ existing passenger him. “We actually ditched the app for The biggest is convenience, especially seat bolts. No drilling was required and a mobile-friendly website,” Brown when it comes to payment. “We offer installation was pretty easy.” points out. credit card and bank transfer payments, The crew trucks use Delphi Connect Technology remains at the core of as well as an auto-charge option,” Brown devices from Verizon Wireless to turn the company—but now in a much points out. “All of our service agreement the trucks into mobile hotspots. “We use more overt way. signing is now done online with electhe tablets and computers primarily for “In 2014, I started to notice that tronic signatures. Our online estimate clocking in and out, daily job routes, many of our customers expressed form helps us turn quotes around faster. and GPS navigation,” Brown says. “The that they liked some of the technology Our web-based phone system allows employees really seem to like them, too.” we were using,” according to Brown. us to answer calls and retrieve voiceEmployees also seem to like the two “Examples are credit websites Brown created card payment processing, for internal use. One email newsletters and houses the Department online estimate forms. I of Transportation (DOT) even had new customers forms drivers must fill who chose us because out daily. Another houses we offered those types things like the employee of features. handbook, a team directory “So heading into 2015, and materials calculators.

I came to realize that it “All of our systems are would be best to sell our pretty easy to use,” Brown services on differences says. “I have employees other than price,” Brown who really aren’t great continues. “This is where with computers, but get I thought technology the hang of things pretty could come into play. quickly after a little bit of My company had been training. I actually think around for a while and our tech-savvy branding had good name recogniexcites applicants. Most of tion, so I didn’t want to our applicants are under change it. I did, however, the age of 30, so they decide to change our logo are used to it and aren’t and add the tagline, ‘A turned off by our use of tech-savvy approach to technology.” landcare.’ This remains Kirk’s Lawn Care’s first scholarship recipient Jacob Endy is pictured What does limit Kirk’s (left) with Kirk Brown, owner of the lawn service provider. the best decision I ever Lawn Care’s ability to draw made.” mails anywhere. This all contributes applicants is the fact that the company Brown says that, when people see to customer service. Finally, feedback requires drug testing and background the logo and read the tagline, they are surveys help us gauge what we are good screening for all new hires. That’s OK, intrigued. “I’ve been standing in line at a at and what might need a little work.” though, because Brown wants to mainstore and had people ask me what it means Brown also transformed all of his tain a very high standard. when they read it on my shirt,” Brown trucks into mobile offices. His personal relates. “They ask if I have robotic mowers truck has a laptop, printer and WiFi. His More than Just a Buzz in or something. I chuckle and explain that crews’ trucks have a mounted tablet and the Community what it really means is that we use techmobile hotspot. “The mount that holds Speaking of standards, Brown is quick nology to be more efficient and provide the laptop or tablet is made by RAM to point out that he doesn’t think for a better customer service.”

Mounts,” Brown explains. “These are the second that he knows everything, and greenindustrypros.com

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

is always on the lookout for new ideas and inspiration—often from his peers and competitors.

“I love to meet and network with ot her loca l landscape business owners,” Brown says. “This is how I became good friends with Anthony from TDL Landscaping in Spring City, Pennsylvania; Mark from Todd Quality Landscape Services in Spring City; and Fred from Terra Lawn Care Specialists in Collegeville. I reached out to Fred after seeing him in a magazine.

Anthony messaged me on Facebook after seeing my trucks around his area.

Mark emailed me when he was looking for other landscapers to network with.

“If I want to reach out to someone, I usually ask if they want to grab lunch or a drink,” Brown continues. “I want to get to know them and their company in an informal way. Some offer services that I don’t and vice versa. So we often refer each other.

“It’s also great to have connections when it comes time to hire employees.

I recently had an applicant who worked for another company in the past. It was nice to be able to call that contractor up and ask if I should hire the applicant.

We also refer applicants if one of us isn’t hiring, but another is.”

Brown adds that he also runs into situations when other contractors aren’t interested in this type of local networking: “Some are really competitive and don’t want you in their area.

Others just don’t see the value in it.”

Brown does see value in it. He also sees value in remaining highly engaged in the community his company serves.

For example, he played a pivotal role in helping to construct a local arboretum and environmental education center.

Another thing Kirk’s Lawn Care does is sponsor an annual award at Brown’s alma mater, Owen J. Roberts High School. “We call it the Owen J. Roberts Excellence in Horticulture award,” Brown says. “The horticulture

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THE KIRK’S LAWN CARE ADVANTAGE • The company has been skillfully enhancing local landscapes since 2003.

• All team members are drug- and background-screened.

• The company is community-focused with annual volunteering, donations and student scholarships.

• The company is quality-driven with monthly feedback drawings for convenience store gift cards.

• Dedicated team leaders are available for customers to contact directly.

• The company is easy to pay, including online with a credit card or bank transfer.

• The company is fully licensed and insured.

class there involves formal lessons and education, as well as hand-on work. We had a shop where we built things such as Adirondack chairs. There is a floral area for students to create floral arrangements for school functions and weddings. There is a greenhouse and propagation room to allow students to grow all the flowers that will be planted on the school grounds.

We also mulched and maintained most of the school grounds.

“As a way of giving back to this amazing program, I started this award last year after getting the school administration’s permission,” Brown continues. “The award is designated for a student who participated in the

horticulture program, and displayed an exemplary attitude and extraordinary skill development. The recipient is chosen by the horticulture class teacher, and receives a $200 check, a personal wall plaque, and his or her name added to the perpetual plaque kept at the school.

“The recipient does not necessarily have to move onto higher education,” Brown adds. “With the award, recipients receive a letter with me offering my mentorship, along with my phone number, should they ever have any industry-related questions. I personally present the award each June at the high school’s senior awards ceremony.” ❯

Kirk Brown’s personal truck has a laptop, printer and WiFi onboard, thus converting it into a mobile office.

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6/2/17 9:32 AM

HARDSCAPING

Hardscape Contractors Learn to SEAL THE DEAL The application of premium cleaners and sealers to aging hardscapes is opening the door for new opportunities in paver restoration.

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n the past, the hardscape industry task as difficult with the potential for restore older hardscapes to bring them sold concrete pavers and natural bad results. Consequently, pavers are back to life. Either way, there is a real stone as a maintenance-free investleft virtually unprotected, which only wow factor when we are done.” ment that lasts a lifetime. However, over speeds deterioration. time, wear and tear, as well as harsh However, for savvy contractors Paver Restoration weather conditions, inevitably reduce willing to avail themselves of resources Restoration involves the revitalizaa once-beautiful installation into a and training provided by sealer vendors, tion of installed pavers—natural stone patchwork of dirty, and concrete stained or moldy surfaces—through pavers with weeds mi nor repa i rs, between the joints. joint stabi lizaWhile little can tion, cleaning and be done to stop sealing. In doing Mother Nature or so, hardscapes can the march of time, be restored to likepaving installers do new condition. have a significant According to weapon in their Scocozza, there arsenal-premium i s “pl e nt y of sealers formulated potential for a to protect a nd dedicated [paver extend the life of re s tor at ion] hardscapes. compa ny,” but In addition to the lack of awareproviding a supeness by homerior finish, sealers owners that this can prevent the type of service Wear and tear can reduce a once-beautiful installation (right) into a patchwork of dirty, growth of weeds stained or moldy pavers with weeds between the joints (left). exists, coupled and grass in joints; with contractors’ protect pavers and natural stone against the application of such products is not general wariness of sealers, leaves it a stains from grease, grime and oil; only extending the life and beauty of largely untapped market. inhibit insect infestations; and reduce new installations, but also opening “Generally speaking, homeowners the accumulation of mildew and mold. new business opportunities in paver are not aware of the need to clean and Yet speak to just about any paver restoration. seal,” says Scocozza. “Contractors can installer and they admit that, even on “We’ve worked with new installations also be hesitant to offer the services new installations, sealers are rarely and hardscapes that have considerable because they lack experience, training applied. The reason? Simply put, age,” explains Jim Scocozza, owner of and knowledge.” most paver contractors were never Pennsylvania-based The Paver Savers.

There is a learning curve involved, properly trained in the application of “For new installs, we can protect the admits Scocozza, whose business began sealers and, as a result, often view the beauty of the surface. We can also as a full-service landscaping enterprise

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and recently moved into hardscaping. application, as well as how to avoid diffibusiness, he literally knocked on doors “It took us some time to figure out how culties in the first place. SEK-Surebond and shared before-and-after photos of to do it right,” he says. also provides customers with ongoing recent jobs. “The results were so good, Some common difficulties associated technical support, marketing materials the neighbors wanted their yards done, with sealers include over-application of and instruction on upselling, as well as too. That led to more word of mouth, the sealer or applying it in poor weather. follow-up training and on-site project which led to more jobs.”

Moisture, for example, can become consultations.

Despite his early success, he admits trapped under or within the sealant, “The initial training is only one part that he was initially a bit overwhelmed. and can cause discoloration. that results in successful application,” “I went into business, but I needed “If installers are not completely he says. “The company just doesn’t sell to learn more,” says Hillis, who began familiar with sealing, they could get you a product, and then say goodbye and as a paving installer. “So I surrounded into trouble very quickly,” says Scocozza. good luck.” myself with the professionals in the Although some contractors choose For Sean Hillis of Premier Paver field that could show me what I needed a trial-and-error approach, assistance Restoration in New Orleans, there to do in order to grow.” This included and training are available from good seemed to be few contractors involved taking a class on cleaning and sealing at sealer vendors. in the cleaning and sealing segment, SEK-Surebond.

S c o c o z z a Hillis is not the points to his own only contractor experience with that is convinced.

S E K- S u r e b o n d , After conducting a company that a detailed analoffers hardscape ysis of the finaninstallation prodcial potential in ucts. The company paver restoration, provides a range of L a rr y Jouet t, options, including owner of Odd Job hardscape-specific Larry in Kenosha, lighting products, Wisconsin, polymeric sand and arrived at t he paver restraints. same conclusion.

In 2010, t he “We crunched company acquired t he nu mbers Surebond, a a nd it looked c o mp a ny t h a t very promising,” ma nufactures he relates. “We sealers, cleaners determined our Sean Hillis initially started his business, Premier Paver Restoration, by knocking on a n d a d h e s i v e doors, and sharing before-and-after photos of recent cleaning and sealing jobs. ove r h e a d a nd products for the profit margins, hardscaping industry. The company making it an ideal business opportuthe start-up costs and what we needed was the first to supply joint-stabilizing nity. “Those contractors that were doing to accomplish. All of that looked quite sealers, and now offers a comprepaver restoration were very busy,” he says. attractive, so we developed a business hensive line of sealers, cleaners and In addition, the climate and harsh and marketing plan, and started a stain-blocking products in various salt air wreaked havoc on hardscapes new business.” finishes, all designed for hardscape in New Orleans and along the gulf Now that the full-service cleaning applications. coast of Louisiana, where he was and restoration company is established, Scocozza says that SEK-Surebond located. “Some projects were 15 years Jouett says he plans to be “ready to go products “produce consistent results.” old, but looked like they were 100,” full-bore in 2017.” ❯ In addition, the company taught him says Hillis.

To read the full original article, please visit greenindustrypros.com/12288856. how to address issues related to sealer When Hillis initially started the greenindustrypros.com

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LANDSCAPE INSTALLATION Compactors, Wheelbarrows, Pavers and Cut-Off Machines Excellent Soil Compacting and Asphalt Patching According to Atlas Copco, its LF forward-plate compactors—the LF60, LF75 and LF100—excel in soil compacting and asphalt patching applications due to productivity-enhancing features like:

Dirt Donkey Hydro Powered Wheelbarrow The Dirt Donkey Hydro powered wheelbarrow from Sarlo Power Mowers comes with: • A balanced bed to enable the emptying of heavy loads with minimal effort, plus a stable and balanced four-point stance.

• The ability to carry loads of up to 500 pounds with a 10-cubic-foot bed capacity.

• Integrated water distribution systems and vibration-reduction handles.

• Weights ranging from 140 pounds (LF60) to about 260 pounds (LF100)—even with a full water tank.

• A lightweight body that contributes to high maneuverability—you can lift them easily into a trailer or truck.

• Plates with rounded edges to ease turning while compacting in tight corners or near obstacles without leaving a mark.

• The ability to generate as much as 2,338 (LF60), 3,372 (LF75) or 3,822 (LF100) foot-pounds of force. greenindustrypros.com/12229511

• A low bed height to minimize lifting and facilitate loading.

• A hydro transmission for positive forward and reverse operation without shifting.

• A 190-cc gas engine.

• The capability to travel over uneven, rough terrain at ground speeds up to 5 MPH. greenindustrypros.com/12297834

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6/2/17 9:30 AM

For a Modern, Streamlined Look Willow Creek Paving Stones recently unveiled its Dekrastone pavers to provide a contemporary choice with the look of classic clay pavers. These pavers additionally offer:

Cutquik Changes the Cut-Off Game STIHL says its battery-powered TSA 230 Cutquik cut-off machine starts with ease and changes the game for the job site, delivering maneuverability and cutting performance in a lightweight, compact package.

The low-vibration unit further boasts: • Zero exhaust emissions, which enables indoor cutting in enclosed spaces and on other job sites where users are not permitted to use traditional gasoline-powered cut-off machines.

• The capability to facilitate wet cutting and suppress dust with an onboard water connection and control.

• Up to 15 minutes of quality and high performance without a gradual drop in power.

• An advanced 36-volt lithium-ion battery system.

• A weight of 8.6 pounds without the battery and abrasive wheel.

• A low-maintenance, brushless, commercial-grade, high-torque electric motor that creates little noise. greenindustrypros.com/12049333

• Dimensions of 5 by 9 inches, plus a 7-centimeter thickness to meet high-performance standards and aesthetic demands.

• Suitability for both standard and permeable applications, in addition to patios, walkways, driveways and more.

• A smooth, flat surface and rounded edge for a modern, streamlined look.

• Six colors to choose from-Black, Bleu, Brik, Crème, Mocha and Patina-which complement Willow Creek’s other paving stones. greenindustrypros.com/12304536

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CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT Tractors Keeping You Upright and in Control Steiner says it completely reengineered its 450 tractor to provide more power, versatility and dependability with: • An articulating and oscillating frame that not only allows for a tight turning radius of 43.5 inches, but also keeps you upright and in control—even on the most uneven terrain.

• A wide stance, low center of gravity and enhanced traction for use on slopes.

• A quick-hitch system to ease the changing of more than 20 attachments.

• Lift arms that are 50 percent stronger, so you can change attachments in just minutes without tools.

• Three engine choices-25-HP Kubota liquid-cooled diesel; 32-HP Kubota liquid-cooled gas; or 37-HP Vanguard air-cooled gas.

• Ground speeds up to 6 MPH in low gear and 9.5 MPH in high.

• Standard rollover protection and rear skid plates. greenindustrypros.com/12305078

• 34.9 and 39.6 gross engine HP, and a power take-off (PTO) of 29.4 and 31.9 HP. • A drivetrain that operates with standard four-wheel drive and rear differential lock, powering through slippery and inclement outdoor conditions.

• A hydraulic system with a Category I three-point hitch for various implement-pairing capabilities.

• HST cruise and link pedals to help reduce fuel consumption.

• Air conditioning and heat.

• The flexibility to be outfitted with the KL4020 front-end loader, which delivers a 98.4-inch maximum lift height and 1,930-pound lift capacity, or the KB2475L backhoe.

Tractors Standard-Equipped with Front Loader and Backhoe Kubota Tractor launched its BX80 Series of sub-compact diesel tractors-the BX1880, BX2380, BX2680 and BX23S-with a standardequipped front loader and backhoe unit. Other features include:

YANMAR says the heart of its YT235 compact tractor is its 35-HP, three-cylinder, liquid-cooled diesel engine, which relies on fuel-injection systems and combustion chambers that are powerful and efficient, yet clean and quiet. The tractor also boasts: • Versatile attachments, a hydrostatic transmission, a factory cab, dynamic styling and a brand new coat of red paint.

• Three speed ranges controlled by a left-hand shift lever.

• Twin side-by-side control pedals.

• The display of functions and operational status on an LCD monitor.

• A new exterior design created by Ken Okuyama, a world-renowned industrial designer best known for his work with companies like Maserati and Ferrari.

• Loaders that fit both cab and open-platform tractors, and are controlled from the factory-installed, right-hand joystick.

• Standard heat and air conditioning. greenindustrypros.com/12315499

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• Rollover protective structures on the BX1880, BX2380 and BX2680, which now fit through most 7-foot-high door openings.

• An 18-, 23- or 25.5-HP, liquid-cooled, three-cylinder Kubota diesel engine.

• The flexibility to remove or attach the loader without leaving the operator’s station.

• Complete line of rear-mounted Land Pride implements with the standard Category I three-point hitch.

• Easy-attach midmount mower with fine-cut or standardcut deck.

• A four-point hitch to enable accessories like blades, brooms and snowblowers.

• Easy-to-read modern dash displaying all necessary data. greenindustrypros. com/12276909

• Availability of YANMAR backhoes.

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KIOTI Tractor introduces two new special edition cab models to its CK10SE Series tractor line. The CK3510SE HC and CK4010SE HC feature the same hydrostatic transmission (HST) and minimal vibration experience of other CK10 Series models—with the added benefits of a factory-installed cab.

These tractors also offer:

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Diesel Engine Is Heart of this Tractor

32 GREEN INDUSTRY PROS

Special Edition Models Feature FactoryInstalled Cabs

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WHAT’S ON MY TRAILER

By Rod Dickens

Taking the DIESEL ROUTE in Minnesota

Reliable Lawn Care relies on a Grasshopper diesel mower, a Cub Cadet zero-turn mower and a Toro 30-inch walk-behind to care for the needs of Winona, Minnesota.

Reliable Lawn Care’s trailer makes room for a Grasshopper diesel mower, a Cub Cadet zeroturn mower and a Toro 30-inch walk-behind.

J

oe Cooper owns Reliable Lawn Care in Winona, Minnesota. In business since 1995, he mows and maintains properties for four homeowners associations, 20 businesses and approximately 35 residential accounts.

“It keeps me busy,” Cooper says, whose trailer makes room for a Grasshopper diesel mower, a Cub Cadet zero-turn mower and a Toro 30-inch walk-behind.

The workhorse is the Grasshopper.

Cooper has two powered by 25-HP Kohler diesel engines. One is four years old and the other was new last year.

Both are models 725D with 52-inch out-front decks.

“I’ve used both gas- and propanepowered mowers, but the diesel works best for me,” he says. “It has the power to cut through the tall, lush grass in the spring and it is economical to run. Currently, off-road diesel fuel or red fuel is about the same price as

gasoline, but I’m getting 35 percent more mileage out of a tank. What that means is I can mow from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and never have to refill the 8-gallon fuel tank.”

Cooper indicated his Grasshoppers are great for mowing big properties, and the out-front deck can easily mow under a fence or beneath the blue spruces that dot many of his lawns. The electric deck lift, which can raise the deck both vertically and horizontally, also makes changing blades a breeze.

The two other mowers on his trailer each have their application, he pointed out. “The Cub Cadet has a 48-inch deck and, even though it is a zero-turn mower, it has a steering wheel. I prefer to use it on steeper terrain. The walk mower is a Toro TurfMaster and is ideal for smaller properties.” greenindustrypros.com

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In addition to mow ing, Cooper does some bush trimming when time allows. He also plows snow with an 8-foot WESTERN plow, but only for his mowing customers.

“I don’t use my Grasshoppers in the winter,” Cooper says. “But I have run them then and they start easily in the cold. Yes, diesel mowers are more expensive than gas-powered ones, but I tell people they last longer, too, allowing users to get even more return on their original investment over time.”

Since starting mowing lawns more than 30 years ago, this owner/operator said he never advertised, relying primarily on word of mouth instead. At 61 years old, he’s contemplating hiring some help this summer, but only if he can’t get his work done in what often turns into a 12-hour day. ❯ MAY/JUNE 2017

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TURF RENOVATION

By Troy Carson

UNDERSTANDING Organic Turf Care

Natural turf care is a green industry topic that will continue to be weighed and measured well into the future. Landscape contractors across the nation should better position themselves to address their customers’ varying needs.

“Do you offer natural lawn care services?”

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t’s a new question many landscape contractors around the country are being asked by longtime customers and prospects alike. Many landscapers noticed the trend, and adapted their service offerings to include natural or organic turf care procedures, whereas others offer only organic options, while others still decided to continue offering only traditional practices.

Traditional turf care tactics sometimes face questions from the general public. Traditional lawn care applications can contain active ingredients that some prefer to keep out of the environment, which is causing property owners to ask environmentally conscious questions before contracting services.

Essentially, more and more customers are asking for not only finely manicured lawns, but also finely manicured lawns that are delivered in a sustainable and responsible way.

Landscape contractors who are not yet seeing this demand from their customer base can get ahead of the game before their customers start asking for these services by first understanding the

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science of turf and then taking steps to adapt their business processes to support this trend. Potential adaptations can include investing in additional equipment, training staff in natural turf care and understanding that the natural turf care craze is something that isn’t going away anytime soon.

The Science Behind It

In terms of agronomics, turfgrass plants—like any other living organism— need to have their basic requirements met in order to reproduce and provide a healthy, quality lawn surface. The basic requirements we’re talking about to produce healthy turf are adequate light, soil water, soil oxygen and nutrients.

There are a number of practices that landscape contractors can offer to provide these basic requirements-in lieu of additional product applications-to help foster a healthy and resilient lawn.

O2 and H2O through Aerification One of the key practices to help improve the overall health of a lawn is aerification.

This process creates openings in the soil, cultivating air exchange, which allows noxious gases in the soil to be released, while atmospheric air, which contains more oxygen, to enter the soil. Openings from the aerification process can also slow water movement across the soil surface, reducing runoff and increasing water infiltration that also helps keep nutrients from washing away.

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One additional key benefit of a proactive aerification program is that the soil pulled to the surface during the aerification process mixes with dead and dying plant material on the surface. This helps incorporate the organic matter into the soil, which helps reduce thatch accumulation. To maximize the benefits of aerification, landscape contractors should ensure they’re performing the process while grass is growing, and receiving adequate water and nutrients. This helps the grass recover and fill openings quickly.

However, the openings created during the aerification process can also provide a place for weeds to germinate and establish. It’s important to understand the environmental conditions under which the weeds in the area are most likely to germinate and avoid aerification during those time periods. This can differ between regions, and between warm- and cool-season grasses.

Applied Science: Nutrients Providing nutrients to a lawn is important for any maintenance program. There’s a myth that natural or organic lawns don’t need fertilizer applications, but all plants require nutrition for healthy growth. Proper fertilization is key to create healthy turfgrass and a healthy sward of turfgrass is the best deterrent to weed invasions. Landscapers should create an environment where there’s no room for unwanted weeds to get a foothold in their customers’ lawns.

In the past, there were very few natural or organic fertilizer options. The good news is that consumer demand is changing that and there is now no shortage of organic fertilizer options.

Savvy landscape contractors who want to select the best fertilizer for their customers’ lawns should take a soil test to understand what is already present in the soil. This allows the landscaper

to select a fertilizer that contains only the nutrients that, according to the test, are missing. This careful selection process goes a long way in reducing inputs and preventing excess nutrients from leaving the lawn. Additionally, care should be used when selecting any fertilizer, but especially organic fertilizers because many communities have restrictions on phosphorous applications to turfgrass—a common ingredient in many organic fertilizers.

Many landscapers already know that fertilizer applications are dependent on the species of grass, the time of year and location. What they may not know is that a simple soil test can also help them ultimately save time and money on applications because of the answers uncovered from the test.

Dethatching for Adequate Air and Light

In order to ensure a healthy turfgrass growing environment, dethatching is occasionally necessary in a turf care regimen. However, there are a number of things landscape contractors can do to help reduce this need. Avoiding the over-application of fertilizer is one way to make sure excessive thatch levels do not accumulate. In many cases, excessive plant growth through the use of too much fertilizer is a primary culprit for a lawn with a lot of thatch. Another way to reduce thatch accumulation is by setting up a consistent, frequent mowing schedule. By mowing often, clippings can be mulched into fine pieces that are more easily incorporated into the soil and decomposed instead of greenindustrypros.com

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becoming thatch.

If dethatching is deemed necessary, like aerification, it is also important to dethatch at a time when weed seeds are less likely to germinate, and when the turfgrass is actively growing and receiving adequate nutrients and water so that it can recover and fill in the voids quickly. Again, this timing may be different for warm- and cool-season grasses.

Are Soil Amendments and Overseeding Necessary?

The addition of soil amendments is not normally necessary, but may make sense in certain situations with certain soil types. If it is determined that soil amendments are necessary, compost can be applied during the aerification process to increase the amount of waterholding capacity on sandy soils, and can also help maintain pore space and air exchange in dense, heavy clay soils.

As far as overseeding, unfortunately, this process does not always yield the results that landscape contractors and their customers expect. It’s a big challenge to get good seed-to-soil contact and there is a lot of competition from the plants that are already present. Overall, it’s better to focus on the health of the existing plants versus trying to grow new turfgrass through overseeding.

Additional Service Offering

Natural turf care is a green industry topic that will continue to be weighed and measured well into the future. One thing is for sure—it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. By adding natural lawn care practices, training their crews and offering it as part of their services, landscape contractors across the nation can be better positioned to address their customers’ varying needs. ❯ Troy Carson is a senior research agronomist at The Toro Company.

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TURF RENOVATION Aerators, Sod Cutters & Hydroseeding Systems Portable Sod Cutter Can Conquer Big Jobs This heavy-duty sod cutter is not only large enough to conquer big jobs, but also easily portable. RYAN Turf Renovation Equipment says this unit also offers: • The capability to cut and roll up to three acres of sod a day.

• The flexibility to adjust blade depth and angles while controlling the handlemounted throttle-all from the operator’s station.

• An automatic sod cut-off for precise cutting of 1- to 6-foot sod lengths.

• A cutting-depth guide for accuracy. greenindustrypros.com/12330382

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• A Honda engine and Bowie gear pump to handle slurries up to 25 percent thicker.

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Aeration in Less Time with Less Labor

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The Grasshopper Company says its power take-off (PTO)-driven AERA-vator aerates and loosens compacted soil in one-quarter the time using one-quarter the labor of walkbehind units. It also boasts:

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• Oscillating steel tines that fracture hard, dry soil to improve permeability and drainage.

• Increased water absorption in the root zone.

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2-Acre Aeration in an Hour

HydroSeeder Meets California Diesel Emissions Standards

Turfco introduces its TurnAer XT8 stand-on aerator, which can reportedly cover over 2 acres in an hour with zero-turn agility. The aerator additionally provides:

According to Finn Corporation, its large-tank Titan 400 HydroSeeder comes with a California Air Resources Board (CARB)-compliant, Tier 4 Final diesel engine and: • A high-efficiency hydraulic system for greater spraying distances up to 320 feet.

• A dual discharge boom system that can be run efficiently and simultaneously.

• Aeration speeds up to 7 MPH. • A set tine depth from 0 to 5 inches for consistency across a property, regardless of turf conditions.

• A standing platform that reduces vibration and shock, and locks in the raised position for easy access to tines.

• A 30-inch aerating width, although the unit can fit through a 48-inch gate.

• Raised ground clearance to get over most curbs.

• Chains outside of the aeration area, preventing debris from getting in wheels and chains.

• Easily accessible chain tensioners to ease maintenance.

• A 22-HP Briggs & Stratton engine with cyclonic air cleaner. greenindustrypros.com/12296225

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• A second boom option that enables spraying from both sides of the tank for larger spray areas without moving the vehicle.

• The reduction of exhaust emissions by more than 90 percent through integration of engine and fuel controls.

• A Cummins QSB 4.5-liter diesel engine.

• The ability to meet California’s emissions standards for dieselpowered machinery. greenindustrypros.com/12246263

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❙

MAY/JUNE 2017

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6/2/17 9:28 AM

BUSINESS TIPS

Listen to the lively podcast f or more on this important topic: g reenindustrypros.com/12330461.

Quit Making the Labor Crunch Worse!

Part 3: Which do you think is harder, figuring out what you want or spotting bull?

I

n Part 1 (greenindustr y pros. com/12304551) of this series, we discussed how important brand is to not only attract customers, but also the right people, to your organization.

It is more than an exchange of talent for money. It’s important how the business’ reputation reflects on them, whom they work with and if they can contribute.

Part 2 (greenindustr y pros. com/12314049) discussed job requirements and turned the conversation inward to def ining positions. The starting point was every position must be linked to a process. For example, if a new hire works on the design/ build installation crew, what part of the process is their responsibility? It is difficult to perform when the what is not clear and there is no how it is measured.

All of this leads to identifying what knowledge, skills and certifications are required for success.

Start backward with certificationswhat must new hires have to qualify? It could be as general as a valid driver’s license or as specific as being a certified arborist. When building a list of behaviors required for the position,

focus on the physical activity and tools used. This offers a clear picture of the performance needed. Only then tackle knowledge or what they need to know.

Unless there is something critical like safety, spend the least amount of time on knowledge. You can assume they have it if the skills are present until there is evidence otherwise.

Working through the certification, skill and knowledge demands defines the requirements for eligibility-what the crew member must do or know to be eligible for hire. Eligibility is 50 percent of the hiring criteria and the focus this month. A future article will focus on suitability-in other words, just because candidates are eligible for the job does not mean they should work for you.

Eligibility is easier to decide and can be handled without having a one-onone with the job candidate. If your ad copy is written well, with a blend of job requirements and company culture, you can screen the candidates quickly.

Why spend any of your precious time talking or meeting with someone you will not hire? Instead ask for a written resume that answers:

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38 GREEN INDUSTRY PROS

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MAY/JUNE 2017

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The Question of Match. Ask candidates to give a list of their certifications, what they know and where it was practiced, and any education or training you consider important. Tell them to keep this to one paragraph. Remember you want to read it and be able to place them into one of three piles-yes, no and maybe.

The Question of Character. Their work history says much about them.

If they are 25 and applying for their first job-why? If their history has them changing jobs every few months or multiple jobs over the past few yearswhy? This is the second paragraph on their resume. Ask them to list both why they took each job and why they left.

You are trying to decide if there is a pattern of trading time for money until a better deal comes along.

The Question of Intent. This is the closing paragraph. Why are they responding to this offer and what do they expect? Don’t be too harsh on their answers. Since they never worked for you, or maybe this is their first time in the industry, realistic expectations are impossible. What you are trying to decide is how wide the gap is between what they expect and reality. If this individual has everything else going for them, at least you know the first issue to address-closing the gap with reality.

This three-paragraph resume will force them to give the information you need, not a laundry list. You can sort it into the yes pile or people to interview, the no pile or people to avoid, and the maybe pile or people to interview because they might fit another position.

In the next issue, we will tackle writing tight ad copy that will attract the people you can build a future around. ❯

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Volume 37

Dealer Success Guide

FLOOD OF OPPORTUNITY

Last fall’s dreadful flooding in Louisiana helped accelerate the growth wave K & D Rent All & Hardware had already been riding for several years.

Page 5 Ernie Butitta, K & D A SUPPLEMENT TO

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owner, sees a bright future in batterypowered equipment.

SPOTLIGHT DEALER More than a Half Century Later Page 8 6/2/17 10:04 AM

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Volume 37 - May/June 2017

Cc o n t e n t s

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Taking Pride in your Brand, but Not Being Afraid of Change At a young age, my admittedly workaholic father entrusted us kids to mow and otherwise help maintain our acre-and-a-half lawn-sometimes he even had us tend to the neighborCarrie Mantey ing 19th and 20th cmantey@acbusinessmedia.com century cemetery.

(920) 542-1238 We also cared for our considerable vegetable and flower gardens.

Dad was so detail-oriented that he often drew us new mowing pattern diagrams, leading us around the pool, shed, patio and gardens in creative ways, so we never cut the grass in the same direction. Of course, at the time, I didn’t know that changing mowing patterns stimulates more upright growth and helps prevent ruts in the grass. All I knew is that it contributed to a better-looking lawn-and a more time-consuming process. While we certainly weren’t professionals, the entire family took pride in the yard.

I was reminded of all this when Ernie Butitta, owner of K & D Rent All & Hardware, talked not only about his outdoor power equipment inventory, which he clearly takes great pride in, but also about the landscape professionals who buy his products. (To learn more about K & D Rent All & Hardware, check out the article on Page 5 of this Dealer Success Guide.) Butitta mentioned that landscape contractors, while generally quite brand loyal, are always receptive to something newer or better. Sometimes you just have to show them how a new or different brand better fits the goals they’re trying to achieve.

That is my plan for this guide-to help show you how a new or different brand or piece of equipment, or sales or marketing technique can improve your business.

You might not know me (so feel free to check out Page 4 of the May/June issue of the accompanying Green Industry Pros where I introduce myself), but I promise you this: I will invest in and be proud of this brand as much as you invest in and are proud of your brand and the brands you carry. Please reach out and let me know how I’m doing and how I can improve. I look forward to corresponding with you!

4 IN THIS ISSUE

4 EETC on a High

T he Equipment & Engine Training Council reaches an all-time high for original equipment manufacturer support-while continuing to grow high school and college membership.

5 Flood of Opportunity

L ast fall’s dreadful flooding in Louisiana helped to accelerate the growth wave K & D Rent All & Hardware had already been riding for several years.

8 More than a Half Century Later

F ifty-eight years after the business opened, Ernest Yeager’s granddaughter and store coowner Deborah Clark transformed the way the company does business.

8

10 Follow-Up Marketing Tips for Dealers

E quipment dealers can increase sales across the board by implementing a consistent cadence of follow-up marketing with the help of their suppliers.

12 Prosumer Products 13 Why Individual Incentive Programs Don’t Work

I sn’t the objective to drive team performance toward the profit goal?

14 Words of Wisdom for Dealership Managers

P rofound observations, insights and one-liners abound from the great Bob Clements.

GREEN INDUSTRY PROS DEALER SUCCESS GUIDE ■ VOLUME 37

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Service

By Gregg Wartgow

EETC On a High Erik Sides (right), executive director of the EETC, talks with a conference attendee about some of the association’s new training aids for educators.

T

he Equipment & Engine Training Council (EETC) continues to drive forward with its mission of securing a stable workforce for the outdoor power equipment industry, pointing to several important milestones during its 21st annual conference held April 5 through 7 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The meeting was hosted by local manufacturer and EETC supporter, STIHL. Ron Jensen of ECHO Inc., the outgoing EETC president, kicked off the conference with a summary of the association’s accomplishments over the past year. The EETC now has the support of 23 manufacturers, an alltime high after hitting an all-time low of 12 in 2012 when Erik Sides took over as executive director.

Additionally, the conference itself garnered the support of 13 sponsors, another all-time high.

The EETC also grew two key membership segments over the past year.

Seven new high schools became EETC members in 2016, bringing the total to 109, and three new colleges became members, bringing that total to 48. “It is now important that we don’t grow stagnant as an organization,” says Jensen.

The Equipment & Engine Training Council reaches an all-time high for original equipment manufacturer support-while continuing to grow high school and college membership.

For instance, active EETC member Harry Senn of Texas State Technical College recently authored a new textbook, Two-Stroke Engines, which is designed to provide up-to-date information to help aspiring technicians learn about the construction, operation, service and repair of modern two-stroke engines. “Over the next six to nine months, we plan to add a workbook and other supporting materials to go along with this great textbook, which is an industry first,” Sides points out.

The EETC is also making great strides in the area of e-learning.

Hector Velazquez, a veteran smallengine technician and video guru who was added to the EETC staff last year, is leading this effort. Numerous how-to instructional videos continue to be produced to help educate both students and dealership personnel.

“We’re here to support you as educators by giving you the tools you need in today’s learning environment,” Sides says, while quickly adding that the videos and other e-learning tools are not meant to replace hands-on learning. Rather, they are designed to enhance and potentially accelerate the technician’s overall learning experience.

Also on the topic of education, Sides reassembled a special educator’s committee last year after a several-year hiatus. The group met again at this year’s conference with the goals of creating a more standardized syllabus for power equipment technology instructors around the country, as well as finalizing the marketing message that can be utilized to promote programs to students and parents. ■

Updated Education Increases Value

While much progress is being made on the educator front, there is more work to be done. Updated training materials are expected to play an influential role.

4

One of the EETC’s new training aids for educators is a clear carburetor kit from Briggs & Stratton. The see-through carburetor allows students to see how fuel moves through the system. An intravenous (IV) bag and stand allow for the distribution of water and dye (not gasoline!), while a mini Shop-Vac provides the air supply.

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By Gregg Wartgow

Spotlight Dealer

Pictured from left to right is Ernie (Ernie B) Butitta, Ernie (Old Ernie) Butitta, Jacob Callegan and Nick Butitta.

Flood of Opportunity

Last fall’s dreadful flooding in Louisiana helped to accelerate the growth wave K & D Rent All & Hardware had already been riding for several years.

K

& D Rent All & Hardware in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, had its best fall/winter/spring ever. Everything is looking up: sales, service and even a new storage facility to help accommodate the dealership’s growing pains.

As is often the case in this industry, natural disaster creates business opportunity. There are also risks, though. A matter-of-fact southern dealer once put it this way: I’m one good hurricane away from retiring, but one nasty drought away from bankruptcy. Of course, nobody wants to see devastation and despair in the community. But when disaster strikes, it’s often the local power equipment dealer that helps the community get back on its feet.

This was the case in Baton Rouge.

“The flooding last August was incredible,” says Ernie Butitta, owner of K & D Rent All & Hardware. “A lot of property was severely damaged, if not destroyed. That includes a wide

variety of outdoor power equipment.

Zero-turn mowers were left completely submerged. Our shop staff kept extremely busy over the past several months trying to unflood as much of this equipment as possible for customers. In some cases, we weren’t able to. But then we sell them something new to replace it.”

Fortunately for K & D, not to mention its customers, securing inventory during this unexpected period of increased demand was not a problem. “We’re very lucky in that we work with great distributors … the best,” Butitta says.

It certainly helps that K & D grew to become a pretty important customer to these distributors. The flood-inspired business boom of this past fall carried right through to spring, when advantageously warm early-season temperatures helped to propel business even further. That said, K & D’s growth and overall evolution has been in the making for years.

Now We’re an Outdoor Power Equipment Store K & D Rent All & Hardware was just that in its early years: a rental center and hardware store. Founded in 1966, the current owner, Ernie Butitta, was just a high-schooler working part time. He then adopted the dealership lifestyle and went full time in 1969.

“We started off as a rental center,” Butitta tells. “Interestingly, we had success in renting Lawn-Boy push mowers. Then we became a major area hardware store. Eventually, we got into selling walk-behind mowers and handheld equipment to homeowners, and then commercial-duty handheld equipment. What I call big iron is something we’re getting into. Now commercial riding mowers are a huge part of our business. The rental and hardware sides are down to almost nothing. These days, we are nearly 100 percent outdoor power equipment.”

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Spotlight Dealer

A new line on the showroom floor this year is Spartan Mowers.

Roughly, 35 percent of sales come from commercial landscapers. The lion’s share, 60 percent, comes from consumers. Municipal and institutional (i.e., college) customers account for the rest.

K & D prides itself on the variety of products and brands it carries, which include: BigDog, Exmark and Snapper Pro commercial mowers; Snapper consumer riding mowers; Honda and Masport push mowers; ECHO, Shindaiwa and STIHL handheld equipment; along with a couple of short lines, Billy Goat and ECHO Bear Cat. A new riding mower line was added this season: Spartan Mowers. “It was really amazing to see the response right out of the gate,” Butitta says. “The mowers look great and different with their dark gray color. These mowers look racy.

In some ways, they almost look like a rugged terrain vehicle (RTV).

“The main thing is I think it’s as state of the art a mower as we’ve seen in a long time,” Butitta continues. “It has so many unique features.

Contractors really take an interest 6

when they see it in our showroom.

I sold two right away. Now we’ll see how they hold up this season.”

Consumers Want to be Wowed

If the Spartan mowers don’t hold up, or any product for that matter, Butitta is going to hear about it.

“I’m still on the sales floor about half of the day,” he relates. “So I hear and see a lot of things.”

One trend Butitta is seeing is landscape contractors, while generally quite brand loyal, are always receptive to something newer or better. That’s a big reason why the Spartan mower garnered so much attention during its first few months in the store. “The bottom line, though,” Butitta adds, “is that, if you properly service them, they’ll usually stay with you.”

Another trend is that homeowner customers are coming back to the independent servicing dealer. “This is something we’ve actually been seeing and feeling over the past five years or so,” Butitta points out. “If the independent dealer can

make itself known, it can start getting some new customers from the box stores. Just about every other customer that has never been in our store before says they are tired of buying a string trimmer that only lasts a year. Consumers are looking for better quality and they’re looking to buy from stores that back up what they sell.”

Two other trends Butitta recognized go hand in hand. First, there is a growing female market for outdoor power equipment—and this customer prefers to operate battery-powered equipment, generally speaking. So secondly, battery equipment is on the cusp of really taking off.

“STIHL, for example, invested a lot in its battery offering,” Butitta says. “They now have models geared for homeowners, professionals and everybody in between. I found that with contractors, though, it’s still a bit of a challenge because they are concerned about run time. I did sell a STIHL cut-off saw to a plumber who was doing some work at a hospital.

He needed something that could perform, but was much quieter.”

An emerging market for battery power is utility crews. “One of the best-kept secrets in the industry is the concept of a battery-powered chainsaw,” Butitta says. “More and more utility crews around here are using them to remove tree limbs, mainly because they are easier to use and the crews don’t have to worry about bringing gasoline with them.”

Now back to the growing female market. “I remember back in the day when Black & Decker first introduced its Dustbuster,” Butitta says.

“It was different at first, but all of a sudden, it seemed like everybody had one. I can see the same thing happening with the batterypowered handheld blower. That tool is great for blowing out the garage,

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Spotlight Dealer

the patio and the carport—all of those applications that take 15 to 20 minutes. At around $130, this is a great little tool.”

Plan for your Success STIHL’s Lightning battery system product series, among other STIHL products, is being showcased in K & D’s brand-new STIHL merchandising display this year. It’s one of the many facility improvements scheduled to take place over the next several years.

“I resisted original equipment manufacturer (OEM) wall displays for a long time,” Butitta points out.

“We always did our own thing and it seemed to work very well. We did do smaller OEM-based items like counters and small sections of wall displays. But that was about it.”

Butitta’s opinion was finally swayed this year, thanks to a little incentive. His distributor, STIHL Southwest, conducted a contest in which its dealers could submit their story and why they deserved to be gifted a merchandising display. “I talked about how we had done well over the years and were growing, and that it was because of our strong partnership with STIHL Southwest,” Butitta says. “I shared how I now wondered if this STIHL display was something we should finally do because maybe it represents what is going to be needed to help us get to the next level.”

So far, it’s looking like that could be the case. “It is absolutely awesome, especially the huge banners hanging from the ceiling,” Butitta says. “When you’re standing in the showroom and look up at those banners, you just go whoa! What I like about the banners is that they make us different from every other STIHL dealer around here.”

Another new improvement for this season is a new storage area. “We

added a 120-foot-long by 20-footwide section to the back of the building,” Butitta says. “We can get a lot of mowers back there, so it’s going to help a lot.”

K & D actually needed the extra storage space for some time. “You just have to get your priorities straight and plan for these improvements,” Butitta says.

There are a few more plans on his radar. “We want to build another building for our service department,” Butitta says. “And eventually, we’re going to make use of some property out back to turn a building into a nice warehouse. We’ll see,

process of developing a plan to turn the business over to his two sons, Ernie (known as Ernie B) and Nick Butitta, along with his longtime employee and “adopted” son, Jacob Callegan.

“These guys have a lot to do with our success, as have all of our employees, which includes six full-time technicians, one part-timer and a full-time office manager,” Butitta says. “This is not Old Ernie’s Power Equipment Store.”

The three successors, all in their mid-30s, have vast experience in all operational areas of the dealership.

Now they are undergoing more train-

A new STIHL display was put in place this season, complete with jaw-dropping banners that climb to the ceiling and help K & D stand out.

but at least we have a map. It’s important because, in today’s world, if you can’t service, you are out.”

Speaking of having a plan, Butitta always planned to retire in September this year. “That ain’t gonna happen,” he says with a sigh. But it’s going to happen sooner than later—and he knows who is going to take the reins from him.

Butitta, who is known around the dealership as Old Ernie, is in the

ing on the financial management side—a part of the business that none would call their cup of tea.

“It’s so much fun to sell and work on equipment,” Butitta says. “But that’s not all there is. A lot still has to happen after that customer walks out the door with the piece of equipment. Ernie B, Nick and Jacob are learning that. Plus, I told them I’d stay around in whatever capacity for as long as I’m needed.” ■

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Spotlight Dealer

By Rod Dickens

More W than a Half Century Later

Fifty-eight years after the business opened, Ernest Yeager’s granddaughter and store co-owner Deborah Clark transformed the way the company does business.

hen Ernest Yeager opened a hardware store in 1959, battery-powered tools to facilitate landscape maintenance didn’t exist.

Neither did the Internet and social media to promote the products.

Fifty-eight years later, the story is much different for his granddaughter and store co-owner Deborah Clark.

Yeagers Hardware & Lumber, a fullservice lumber and hardware store, has four locations throughout Arkansas. Within those walls are many technologically advanced products to ease landscaping and gardening for customers, and the means to quickly get new product introductions and information to them.

“Our stores always sold outdoor power equipment,” says Clark, who worked in the family business since she was 11 years old, but didn’t start full time until 1990, two years after graduating from the University of Arkansas. “We began selling STIHL at our Van Buren location in 1995 and brought the brand to our Greenwood store when we opened it in 2001. Just last fall, we installed

a new STIHL showroom in the Van Buren store.”

Already it is paying dividends, she adds. “Not only did sales of STIHL products increase, but the display also indirectly helped showcase other products we sell. When we installed the new showroom, we produced a Facebook video and since featured it on Facebook Live events.

People loved the new set and commented on how nice it looked.”

Savvy Marketer Social media is a huge consideration for advertising spend. Although the company still promotes through newspapers and television, her advertising budget for both decreased in recent years. “We continue to spend money on circulars because the older homeowners we target with newspaper advertising are still our customer base,” she says.

“Social media, however, is attracting a younger demographic and spending there continues to increase.”

Deborah Clark poses with father Ed Yeager and store manager Lance Armstrong.

Yeagers installed the STIHL showroom last fall in Van Buren, Arkansas.

8

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In addition to locations in Van Buren and Greenwood, Yeagers has two stores in Fort Smith, Arkansas. They are all within 25 minutes of each other.

One of the stores’ biggest promotions is Ladies Night Out when most regularly priced items are 20 percent off. The two-hour event has people lining up an hour before it starts. Refreshments, door prizes and a free gift with a $30 purchase are all part of the action.

“We try to make it fun and interesting for our lady customers, but guys are welcome, too,” Clark says.

“The stores also sponsor a spring event when we discount power equipment 10 percent for two days. During the event, we try to sell accessories at full margin to offset the profit loss on equipment.”

Her stores also promote their product lines in custom four-page ads and direct-mail pieces sent out four times a year, plus on outdoor billboards.

Help has arrived.

Powering Up The new display, promotions and special events help bolster sales. Clark says, “New battery-powered options this year are getting great reception from customers. In fact, I just purchased the new STIHL batterypowered lawn mower after getting frustrated with my husband always complaining about the mower we had.”

In addition to locations in Van Buren and Greenwood, Yeagers has two stores in Fort Smith; they’re all within 25 minutes of each other. The proximity enables Clark to better monitor store operations and assist managers as needed. “One of my biggest challenges is keeping employees knowledgeable about all the new products we sell,” she says. “Recruiting and retaining new employees also takes top priority.”

Store hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The long hours, however, didn’t dissuade Clark from joining her father Ed Yeager.

He entered the business full time in 1966, not long after graduating from Arkansas Tech University, and is still actively involved. “Hardware wasn’t appealing to me until I worked for someone else, and found I missed retail and my family back home,” Clark says.

Two years after graduating from college, she moved back from Little Rock and married her husband. Then both joined the family business. ■

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Marketing

By Gregg Wartgow

The showroom at American Pride Power Equipment, one of Cub Cadet’s top dealers, in Zanesville, Ohio.

Follow-Up Marketing Tips for Dealers

Equipment dealers can increase sales across the board by implementing a consistent cadence of follow-up marketing with the help of their suppliers.

C

onventional wisdom suggests it is much more expensive to sell to a new customer than an existing one. That said, you want to pull new customers into your dealership and/or website to continually grow your customer base. Having a well thought-out, consistent followup marketing effort can help dealers on both of these fronts.

“When a customer chooses an independent dealer, it is often based on the expertise and service that a dealer can provide,” says Emily Sword, director of marketing for Cub Cadet. “These dealer advantages become even more important after customers get home and start using their new outdoor power equipment.

Our independent dealers keep in touch with customers. It is some10

times easier to say than to do, but it is doable. Contacting owners on a regular basis is key. We encourage dealer outreach to focus on a very timely message, which may be sent less often, but will most likely lead to better results for the dealership.”

It’s important to keep in mind that consumers have an increasing number of choices today. Not only are there other dealers, hardware stores and big-box stores, but there is also the growing influence of online retail. This is especially true when it comes to aftermarket parts and accessories. All of this necessitates the need for a sound follow-up marketing effort.

There are basically three types of audiences that follow-up marketing can be directed at:

✔✔Those who bought equipment from you, and have a need for service, parts, accessories or addon products. ✔✔Those who bought equipment from you and need to replace it. ✔✔Those who engaged with you, but not yet bought, i.e., stopped in your store, or visited your website or Facebook page.

To generate the best response to follow-up marketing, it is very important to tailor the message to the customer by knowing what information to send and at what time. “At the right intervals, a maintenance reminder can create demand for parts,” Sword points out.

“A follow-up with new customers post-purchase is a great opportunity to ask for an online review of their

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Marketing

experience. For current customers who were very satisfied with their dealership experience, a refer-a friend offer could generate additional leads.”

The challenge, as is often the case, is time. How does the typical dealer find time to collect data, manage it, analyze it and act on it with marketing campaigns? Most dealers don’t have dedicated marketing staff and can’t afford to outsource it. Some have office staff—but they, too, are stretched thin, especially during the busy season.

Three things can help dealers get their arms around the concept of follow-up marketing: the commitment they themselves make to it, management assistance from a good software system with robust customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities and the support they get from suppliers.

Data Collection and Campaign Deployment

Dealers and their suppliers need to think about how they gather customer information, what information they gather, what they do with it, along with when and how.

Here are some common ways small businesses like outdoor power equipment dealers go about collecting customer names and email addresses: ✔✔Product registrations. ✔✔Asking for info by putting a bucket on the counter for when a new customer stops in the store. Offer something like a subscription to an email newsletter or chance to win in a drawing. ✔✔Local garden shows or other events you exhibit at (again, use a bucket to collect names or business cards). ✔✔Facebook. ✔✔Referral and reward programs. ✔✔Birthday clubs.

“Simply registering a new product begins the relationship with the owner,” Sword reminds. “In the case of Cub Cadet, either the dealer or customer can easily enter the product registration online. Once entered, data is managed in one central CRM tool [by Cub Cadet].

By providing this information, the customer will receive periodic emails from Cub Cadet on new products, special offers, warranty information and other topics. Additionally, dealers can access this information and use it to directly communicate with their specific customers.”

Sword can’t stress the importance of the product registration process enough. “Cub Cadet will contact customers shortly after their purchase to thank them for their business and for choosing their local independent dealer,” Sword points out. “The customer can then choose to receive future news and special information from Cub Cadet.” It’s all about maintaining communication with the customer to build an ongoing relationship.

Cub Cadet also works with other partners, including finance, to coordinate customer communication on behalf of the dealer. “For new sales opportunities, Cub Cadet is capturing data through a lead generation program on cubcadet. com,” Sword adds. “These leads are captured in the Cub Cadet CRM tool for future communication campaigns—and are also passed along to dealers for their own follow-up efforts.”

Technology and business automation help a great deal in this regard.

Furthermore, a good dealership business management system (BMS) with a strong CRM component can help dealers tackle follow-up marketing themselves. So if you’re shopping for a new BMS, don’t stop your comparison research with the service depart-

ment and inventory management functions. As important as those functions are, you must also ask the BMS provider to explain how its CRM tool is going to help you drive sales.

Turning Efforts into Sales

Steps to sound campaign management start with database discipline.

A clean, up-to-date database rich with insightful information can help you parlay follow-up marketing efforts into actual sales.

“As referenced earlier, Cub Cadet dealers have access to a new CRM tool where customer data is entered and warehoused,” Sword says. “All dealers have access to their customers at any time. Another step is to have a member of the dealership team dedicated to campaign management. Having someone focused on knowing where your customer data resides, along with how to access it, allows the dealership to uncover sales opportunities.

“For example, if an early-season winter storm is predicted for your area, sending a weather-triggered email to your snow-thrower customers highlighting the fact that you have a full inventory of snow throwers and parts could prove to be just the reminder they need to call you.

As part of your campaign planning, a dealer marketing representative would have already planned this email and can quickly download the current snow-thrower customer list from the Cub Cadet CRM tool. Within days of the email being sent, the dealer can receive parts orders and start generating additional sales.”

Data collection and follow-up marketing require time and discipline.

But generating additional sales— from both new and existing customers—is more than enough reason to commit. Are you, the dealer, committed? Are your suppliers? ■

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Prosumer Products

LightningSpeed Battery Hedge Trimmer STIHL’s Lightning battery systems product offering now includes the HSA 56 high-speed battery hedge trimmer.

According to the company, the hedge trimmer can not only trim the length of three football fields (up to 1,000 feet) on a single charge, but also provide: • A cutting speed of 2,800 strokes per minute.

• The STIHL AK 10 battery (36-volt, 1.4 amp hour) and AL 101 battery charger.

• A weight of just 8.1 pounds, including the battery.

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• The Z248F zero-turn mower (pictured) is powered by a 23-HP Endurance engine, and features a 48-inch ClearCut deck and 4-inch casters. A second model is also available with a 23-HP Kawasaki engine and 6-inch casters.

• The MZ48 features a 23-HP Kohler 7000 engine and 48-inch ClearCut deck. greenindustrypros.com/12289251

Briggs & Stratton’s First BluetoothEnabled Portable Generator Briggs & Stratton is bringing its first Bluetooth-enabled portable generator to the market.

The Briggs & Stratton 8,000-watt Elite Series Portable Generator with StatStation Wireless Bluetooth makes it easy to monitor the generator from the convenience of any smart device, eliminating the frustration of not knowing remaining fuel levels or the remaining capacity because StatStation Wireless Bluetooth allows users to check the performance of the generator without braving the elements.

StatStation Wireless Bluetooth also empowers users by providing them visibility to: • The fuel gauge and run time left before needing to refuel.

7000 Series PRO Engine Commands Attention Kohler Engines recently developed the 7000 Series engine based on its Command PRO commercial engine design, but enhanced it with the addition of a new modelthe 7000 Series PRO. The 7000 Series PRO engine offers features previously available only to commercial cutters, in addition to: • A professional-grade cylindrical air filter-more than double the size of the filters used on the other engines in Kohler’s 7000 Series-which helps keep dirt and debris out of the engine, while enhancing service intervals.

• Maintenance reminders (spark plug, oil, air filter).

• Kohler’s exclusive Consistent-Cut technology, which helps to maintain engine speed in tough mowing conditions for a cleaner, better-looking turf cut.

• Total hours on generator (hour meter).

• Upgradable oil and fuel filters.

• The percent of available watts being consumed.

• A dealer locator. greenindustrypros.com/12275607

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• A three-year consumer/one-year commercial warranty. greenindustrypros.com/12292957

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By Steven L. Blue

Sales Department

Why Individual Incentive Programs Don’t Work Isn’t the objective to drive team performance toward the profit goal?

I

was shopping for a gift for my wife. One sales associate showed me an item I was interested in. Then I looked around. A second sales associate started hounding me.

I decided to buy an item the second associate showed me. The first associate argued with the second about who owned the sale. Both were rude and oblivious to me, the customer.

This is dog-eat-dog world of incentive compensation. What is right for the customer and company is often ignored. Wells Fargo created 2 million ghost accounts just to make its incentive numbers. When people are incentivized to make the numbers, they often do dumb things.

The only incentive programs I like incentivize teams to work together.

Imagine how much better my situation would’ve been if those two sales associates worked together to get me to buy both the items I looked at. If they were incentivized together, they would have.

If you incentivize people for individual results, don’t be surprised if they don’t give a hoot about the good of the company. And don’t think individual results add up to big results for the company. They don’t. Synergistic results add up to big results. And the only way to get synergistic results is in teams. And teams don’t synergize unless they are paid to.

Here are four ways incentive programs can work: 1. Eliminate all individual incentives.

If you use incentives because base pay is not up to market, bring base pay up.

2. Incentivize the entire company on achieving the profit budget.

The concept is everyone gets the goodies if the company hits the number, but no one does if it doesn’t.

3. Back your actions up with an employeewide meeting on why you did it and what behaviors you now expect.

4. Don’t give in to giving individual incentives to rainmakers.

When they have the same incentive as everyone else, it encourages them to teach co-workers how to make rain. ■

About the Author Steven L. Blue is president and CEO of Miller Ingenuity, and author of American Manufacturing 2.0. Visit stevenlblue.com or milleringenuity.com, and connect with Blue on Twitter @SteveBlueCEO.

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Dealership Management

WORDS OF WISDOM

for Dealership Managers

Profound observations, insights and one-liners abound from the great Bob Clements.

E

very now and then, it’s important to stand back to assess how well you’re managing your dealership. And it helps to have the insight of an industry leader who can provide a truthful assessment of your managing skills. Leave it to Bob Clements, an industry consultant who specializes in developing high-performance dealerships, to tell it like it is. Here are some of his candid thoughts: ✔✔No amount of good put around bad can make the bad good. In other words, one bad apple spoils the whole barrel. You need to get rid of the bad people in your organization. ✔✔People-especially customers-are not logical. They are emotional.

You have to remember that when selling and especially when listening to them vent. ✔✔Sometimes you must act like you care when your employees are whining. ✔✔Sometimes you’re better to be short a person than have one poisoning your operation. ✔✔Fall and early winter is a great time to prune your organization.

You do not want to carry bad apples through the off-season.

Did you? Now are you stuck? Can you still act? ✔✔The brands you sell are not your brand. ✔✔Baby boomers are being replaced 14

by millennials and it’s a whole different ballgame. Millennials want Internet search, then a relationship with the seller. They will spend money, and value expertise and relationship. Are you positioning yourself throughout that buying cycle? ✔✔Your brand is that you’re a family-based, hometown business.

You should be visible, do good things for the community, then tell people about it. There must be a strong personal, emotional element of your brand. Millennials are especially influenced by this. ✔✔Clean up your store and make customers feel like they’re coming home when visiting you. Make visiting your store an experience, i.e., popcorn, coffee, toys for kids, whatever. ✔✔Invest some of your marketing dollars to upgrade both your dealership and your people. You can get a better return than most advertising forms like the Yellow Pages or billboards, which Clements says are not very effective these days. Invest about 25 percent of your profit into property enhancements like nice landscaping and training. ✔✔Understand that different-aged customers buy differently (see greenindustrypros.com/11183794 for “What Drives Customers to Buy

Power Equipment?”). For example, younger people are more influenced by peer pressure. How can you develop a marketing plan and sales approach to leverage this? ■ Bob Clements is the president of Bob Clements International, a consulting firm that specializes in the development of high-performance dealerships. His organization works hands on with dealerships throughout North America, helping them attain the personal freedom and financial wealth all entrepreneurs strive to achieve.

For more information, please visit bobclements. com.

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MAKE YOUR NAME MEAN MORE. MORE LEADS. MORE REFERRALS. MORE SALES.

GROW YOUR REPUTATION WITH CONTRACTORS

BY OFFERING PROPANE EQUIPMENT. In an industry where your name means everything, you need to stand out from the competition. Adding propane equipment to your show room gives contractors a new solution for saving more while cutting their emissions — and leads to better business for you. With resources like Propane Equipment Dealer Point, a dealer search tool for contractors, you’ll be sure customers know where to find you. Go online to learn how to get started with propane mower sales today.

PROPANE.COM/MOWER-DEALER

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