Consumer Communication: Showing The Way

So why would someone need to pay a few thousand dollars for a professionally installed irrigation system that still applies the same water as that sprinkler?

That’s the challenge facing irrigation contractors - convince customers that just because professional systems apply the same water doesn’t mean they don’t do a better job. In fact, it’s the process of applying the water that separates the professional systems from those sprinklers on the end of the hose.

GO ALL THE WAY. For many contractors, getting a foot in the door with potential cus-tomers isn’t the biggest challenge. Convincing customers to spend the necessary money and have the system designed properly for their property is where the challenge lies.

“Most customers initially contact us, and that means they’ve already realized there is a need for a professional system,” noted Bob Dobson, owner, Middletown Sprinkler Co., Port Monmouth, N.J. “Money becomes an issue when it comes time to design a quality system to do the job correctly.”

“The hardest selling point is always trying to convince customers that they get what they pay for,” agreed Bryce Kinney, irrigation supervisor, H&R Lawn and Landscape, Stillwell, Kans. “People who are really concerned about the appearance of their property are generally more receptive when we start talking about price, but it’s still important to make sure they understand the value they are purchasing in terms of water savings.”

MAKE THEM SEE. A common tact for contractors to show a system’s value to hesitant customers is to do a rough system design or actually put out the flags for head placement.

“Putting out the flags lets me point out how impossible it is for someone to manually water each of those locations for 30 minutes,” Kinney noted.

Designing the system as part of the sales process helps Ed Carpenter, owner, Carpenter’s Lawn Sprinklers, Cleveland, Ohio, educate customers. “I talk to them about things like head-to-head coverage and the importance of quality materials like piping,” he said. “They have to realize that if they are too interested in saving money that they won’t know there’s a problem with the system until it’s too late. And if all a customer wants to talk about is saving money, then I’ll usually walk away from the job.”

The author is Associate Editor of Lawn & Landscape magazine.