Product Profile: Nov. 1997, The Power Of Imaging

That’s how Tom Taylor, vice president of Taylor Landscaping Inc., based in Manorville, N.Y., described the landscape design software packages available for computerized design work today and making the sales process a great deal easier.

Landscape designers and contractors are using computer imaging as the next generation tool to enhance their sales closure rates as well as shorten the sales cycle. For Taylor, the key to simplifying his landscape design process has been Design Ware® from Design Imaging Group, a division of Bissett Nursery Corp., in Holtsville, N.Y.

Taylor’s first step in the design process using the software is taking a photograph of a job he wants to bid on and scanning that image into his computer. From there, he is able to access more than 2,000 images of landscape design elements such as trees, plants, water features and hardscapes from the software’s database and place them in the proposed design.

The new building has two main entrances – one for the bookstore and the other for the gift shop. The landscape design took advantage of this unique architectural detail to bring customers out into the landscape. A stepping stone path winding through the beds and perennial gardens links each of the two entrances (on the north and south sides of the building).

“Imaging makes the customer much more comfortable because they can see exactly what we plan to do with their property,” Taylor explained. “Plus, they’re much more inclined to buy what they can see, which can increase the size of the job.”

The software is designed to show a prospective customer a realistic picture of their home or job site already landscaped before the job is even started. The contractor can use a “before” picture to produce a rendering with realistic images of landscape elements via the software, whereby the house or job site is landscaped according to the customer’s specifications. Then, through the “after” picture, customers can see exactly how the job will look.

Using imaging technology helps contractors avoid spending long hours at the drawing board and produces a clear and easy to understand picture. “I used to sit down with a T-square and spend eight to 16 hours creating a design,” Taylor added. “Now, I can do a house in 2½ hours total.

“Imaging eliminates the considerable gray areas for customers by using pictures and not relying on the customers’ ability to visualize the project,” Taylor noted. “When you’re trying to sell a job off of a drawing, you have to essentially turn the customer into a landscaper so they understand what they symbols and lines all mean. At the same time, you’re flipping through a bunch of books trying to get them to see what these plants actually look like.”

The most valuable feature of the software, Taylor has realized, is the effect is has on converting bids into contracted sales. “I think if I go up against someone with traditional two-dimensional plans and images in books, I’ll get 95 percent of those jobs,” Taylor asserted. “It has nothing to do with me or my skills, but people buy what they can see.”

The imaging also convinces customers of the value of more complicated landscapes. “A lot of people only think of landscaping as being beds around the house or building,” Taylor commented. “Imaging lets me show them how a bed in the middle of the yard can bring out the lines of architecture or how much more functional the backyard can be with a stone patio.”