Following industry trends is a tricky business. How far do you plan ahead – two, five years or more? Do you wait and see? Do you jump out front – get ahead of the curve? Integrated Pest Management – a strategy for managing pests in a manner that minimizes pesticide exposure in the turf industry – is one continuing trend that you should not ignore.
Not everyone agrees about what’s involved in offering IPM as a customer service program. Definitions vary and advertising often falls short of the actual service performed on a customer’s property. A sure thing, in my opinion, is that IPM is here to stay, and the industry should prepare for a more formal program involving training and implementation. And, from what I see… the industry has to first decide what constitutes a true, consistent turf IPM program as a customer service option.
I believe the biggest obstacles to IPM are:
- customer acceptance;
- incentive for companies to offer IPM;
- thorough employee training; and
- credibility of the program.
How do we overcome these obstacles? Let’s look first at customer acceptance. The tree care industry found some interesting information about customers that may be of help to our industry. Several years ago, the tree care industry addressed IPM. The National Arborist Association, the International Society of Arboriculture and the USDA Forest Service funded a program called Plant Health Care Management System. They felt IPM focused on the pest and not the plant, and was reactive and not proactive. Given the fact that professionals employ so many different working definitions of IPM, they felt consumers were unlikely to achieve clarity or confidence in the concept. The three tree groups researched customers and found three customer profiles, and what it would take for each group to select a plant health care program.
1. Contact-driven customers who would respond to selling points of professionalism and a service package.
2. Aesthetically-driven customers who would respond to selling points of proven results and promises of effects.
3. Information-driven customers who would need selling points of credibility and price.
This information may help you sell IPM to lawn care customers and gain customer acceptance.
As far as an incentive for companies to offer IPM – just look at the obvious. I used to think IPM wouldn’t catch on with consumers. Time and circumstance have changed my mind. IPM is gaining ground in popularity and is a wise path for our industry to take as a service option because it can help us even the playing field with the anti-pesticide movement. Anti-pesticide groups have focused on schools and the effects of pesticide use on children, and campaigned for the elimination of pesticides on lawns based on cosmetic and non-essential reasons.
Misinformation and extreme tactics punctuate their methods. Confusion and doubt are their allies – implant these in the public’s mind and activists can claim success. We must continue to set the story straight in a variety of ways – from spreading the benefits of turf messages to making sure your company uses Best Management Practices. IPM is one of these practices. Offering IPM to a concerned customer is one way we can say: “You choose. You’re in charge. We want to give you customer satisfaction.”
Once you decide to step up or start your IPM program, one of the biggest challenges will be the time it will take to train your employees to be better-than-average applicators. Certainly, a well-trained workforce begins with hiring better-qualified people. The current economy with a higher unemployment rate can work in your favor. For our part, the Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA) can offer more opportunities for training and sales information on IPM.
Making sure your IPM program is credible may be the hardest part. Having a consistent IPM definition is important for a program to be credible from the get-go and I believe many of our members are ahead of the curve here. PLCAA has had a position statement on IPM for several years and defined it in the Q&A brochure “What You Should Know About Lawn Care Products and Services.” If you’d like copies of these, please call the PLCAA office at 800/458-3466.
Definitions aside, having a structured program also weighs in on the credibility factor. The inconsistencies involved in IPM can confuse customers and employees. Questions arise such as how much flexibility an applicator has in determining when to employ the use of a chemical control and communicating this to a customer when necessary. Knowing when and when not to use pesticides should be part of any well-designed system. And, how much will this judgment factor slow up the number of properties that can be done in one day? Will the cost per property go up? How best to communicate and sell this to the customer?
These are some issues to be considered when building an IPM program. I believe we must continue to focus on IPM and build on its acceptance, use and standardization. If you’ve been following the Canadian struggles with pesticide issues, you’ll know IPM is a solution they’re jumping on big time. We will follow their progress closely. PLCAA is assisting the Canadian lawn care industry as the pesticide issue continues at fever pitch. – Tom Delaney
The author is executive vice president of the Professional Lawn Care Association of America.