HOW WE DO IT: Partnering on an Outdoor Display Area

Not having a physical display area at J&K Landscaping presented us with a couple of problems.

First, it was inconvenient to send prospective clients to a former customer’s home to view our finished work. It was not only inconvenient for the homeowner, but also it presented scheduling problems with potential clients to go out and see the hardscapes and landscapes firsthand.
 
In addition, we were never certain how well a former client may have maintained the landscape after we were finished installing it. This set us up for potential embarrassment and a poor first impression.
 
I considered the need for an outside display area for nearly a year, but our business got busy and we always seemed to find one excuse or another not to follow through with the idea.
 
However, a speaker at the World of Concrete Show in Las Vegas in January talked about the importance of an outside display area. It brought my thought process back to the concept of teaming up with a local company whose mission complimented our business.
 
One such potential business partner was Heat Exchange, a local company that sells grills, patio furniture and wood-burning stoves. As I left the World of Concrete symposium I made a mental note to pitch my idea to them when I returned to our Columbia Station, Ohio headquarters..
 
Surprisingly, Heat Exchange was 100 percent receptive to the idea of a partnership. In fact, they, too, had been looking for a company to pursue a similar concept, but, like us, had failed  to follow through on the idea.
 
Together, we worked out a plan that had Heat Exchange paying for all of the hardscaping materials and we paid for all of the other costs, including labor. Total material and labor cost was $10,000.

In exchange, we are allowed to use and maintain this space for five years. We have a key to the gate to send customers there or to hold meetings with customers and future clients. In addition, we completed all of our work the display area in the off season so it did not impact our work load. 
 
Inside our 3,500 square-foot-area we have unilock brussel pillars with limestone caps and black aluminum fencing. There is a water feature with two streams and a large sandstone bridge. There is nearly 600 square feet of stamped concrete, 250 square feet of pavers, a gas operated fire pit, a putting green, a sandstone water feature and plantings.
 
In addition to the outdoor space, we have multiple signs inside the garden area and inside the building we have a large sign on an easel as well as brochures and business cards.
 
Since its completion in mid-April, I've been sending people to Heat Exchange, which is only 10 minutes away from our headquarters, to view samples of our completed work prior to our first face-to-face appointment. This helps get the prospective client more excited about their project and gives them the creative inspiration to begin thinking about their own ideas.
 
Likewise, it provides us with a huge advantage over most of our competitors. Since its completion, I’ve tracked $115,000 in sales from the display. We consider it a huge weapon in our selling arsenal. While this project was involved, complex to execute and represented a significant investment in money, time, materials and labor, the rewards far outweigh the risks.
 
As for Heat Exchange, they gained a realistic display area for grills and patio furniture. Heat Exchange also claims to be the only store of its kind in Ohio with an outside display area. To date, they have used the area in various radio advertisements and they’ve partnered with local restaurants and beverage companies for food and wine tasting.
 
For a company like us – our projected gross for 2006 is $750,000 – I would definitely recommend partnering with another company to develop this display area, especially if you do not have a nice shop or show room to take potential clients.
 
I believe a physical landscape you can see and touch sells your services better than one rendered only in pictures. – Jay Schwartz

The author is owner and president of J&K Landscapes in Columbia Station, Ohio, and can be reached at 440/236-3323.