The June issue of Lawn & Landscape offered suggestions for a successful commercial irrigation business. Another way to boost the bottom line is to find a way display the benefits of today’s irrigation systems to the building owners, making them easier sells.
There are tools that allow the contractor to calculate a payback on some products, Rivers says. These can be in the form of data sheets that require certain numbers to be provided. Instructions are given that show the contractor how much time it will take before a savings is realized based on the job's specifications.
“This will tell the customer, if you spend ‘x’ more today, you will save this much in long run,” he says. “Focus on ease of use, ease of maintenance and so forth.”
Some manufacturers have downloadable forms on their Web sites, Carowitz says.
If a customer isn’t wowed by the latest technology, remind him or her of the most simple benefit, Carowitz says. “Once turf is established around a building, you want it to stay nice and look nice to potential tenants. If a bank’s lawn is brown, people think the bank is running out of money. It isn’t solvent.”