If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the real deal has to be worth at least a thousand pictures.
In the world of ponds, fountains and other water features, designers, contractors and retailers have found that there’s nothing like an actual on-site display garden or two (or twelve!) to ramp up sales.
Rivers West Landscaping in Troy, Mo., has about 15,000 square feet of gardens over its two-and-a-half-acre facility. “Many times I’ve heard people say that once they saw our gardens they wanted to have a pond,” says owner Mike Czeschin.
The company’s first display started out as a place for employees. “We started in 2003 with a patio and waterfall set under an oak grove, where they could sit on breaks,” he says. That concept went over so well, he realized he was on to something.
“We grew rapidly after that,” he says. “We built six patios and three waterfalls with ponds,” he says. “While we may meet our customers at their house to draw up plans, we try to get them to visit the office and walk them through the gardens. We have just about everything we sell displayed – they can see all the plants and the stone, and they can see the weathering process.” In addition to the water features, Rivers West also has a lot on site that incorporates examples and displays of the different types of pavers the company sells.
The start-up costs for installing the displays were low – most materials were donated by suppliers, Czeschin says. The annual cost of upkeep of the water features is between $3,000 to $4,000, he says. “We focus on (using) a lot of perennials and the plants have matured now,” he says. “Every year we’ve gotten bigger, and we’ve maximized our space for gardens now.”
The $2.5-million business does high-end projects for residential customers ranging from a few thousand dollars up to $150,000.
ON TOUR. Eric Triplett, owner of Southern California’s Exotic Aquatics and The Pond Digger, started his company in 1996. His business has grown so quickly and in so many directions, he separated it into two entities about two and a half years ago. “I started Exotic Aquatics as a construction/retail/education company,” Triplett says. “As it grew, it got confusing – people would say, ‘Do you teach or build or do retail?’ So, we started The Pond Digger, as the construction part of the business.” Exotic Aquatics now handles the retail/education end, while The Pond Digger specializes in water feature construction – from small projects to building lakes. Last year Triplett grossed about $1.5 million.
Triplett started Exotic Aquatics working out of his home, where he maintains three water features that are a part of his 365 Pond Tour – a different take on the display end of the business.
Though the company hosts three annual organized tours of ponds it’s installed, there was a need to offer more opportunities for clients to see these waterscapes in person. In 2005, Triplett started promoting the 365 Pond Tour – a list of display locations clients can visit at their convenience (365 days a year).
“We have at least a dozen water displays built at different places, like nurseries, where people can go and see them just about any time, any day,” he says. “They’re beautiful displays, set up strategically at places that will then refer interested customers to us.” Most of the displays on the tour were constructed during pond construction seminars – free, public events Triplett hosts to bolster the retail end of his water feature business.
Displays can really make an impact in sales, Triplett says. From the first month he had a display to show customers, sales increased by six or seven times the previous month’s figures. Exotic Aquatics does have one display onsite, set just outside the door.
“We have a 5,500-square-foot warehouse, but very little property for display,” Triplett says. “But on the outside we have a small, authentic Japanese water garden. You have to walk by it to get in the front door.” Going small doesn’t mean the feature has less of an impact than a larger garden, Triplett says. “It shows you can have something really neat in a small space,” he says. “And it doesn’t intimidate people. We want people to come and see that it’s something that they can do.”
WHAT TO DISPLAY? The fact that there are so many types and varieties of water features can be daunting for customers. From special containers, to disappearing waterfalls, to island-scapes, choosing what to display is crucial.
“If you’re an installer and have a store that has examples of your work, a variety of styles helps customers to see the possibilities,” says Randall Tate, owner of The Water Garden, a retail water feature business with a three-acre display garden that’s certified as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.
The cost of the projects displayed is important to consider, too, Triplett says.
He advises displaying a price range that’s in line with those a business’ clients are likely to purchase. He recommends featuring several projects in the $3,000 range. “We sell 100-fold more to that market than to the $30,000 to $40,000 market,” Triplett says.
Water gardens and other water features do require space and time for upkeep, which start-up company’s don’t always have. One alternative is a variation on Triplett’s 365 tour; print and multimedia marketing pieces are effective, too.
“I’d recommend a video that plays all the time,” Tate says.
Triplett agrees. “Some alternatives are a flat screen TV on a wall or a CD from a manufacturer,” he says. Pond Diggers offers 360-degree photographs, or “PondPanoramas” on his Web site. Using the QuickTime video application, customers are able to take a “virtual tour” of seven of Triplett’s installations without visiting the site. “Actual photographs of the work you do are important, too,” he says. “Anything that shows the kind of work you can do for your customer.” PLD