In my last e-newsletter (sign up here) I talked a little bit about sales in the landscape industry. I really don’t think that “sales” is a great word, as it implies that we are the ones causing someone to purchase, that if we push hard enough that we can convince someone to give us their hard-earned money. Instead, I prefer to take the view that we are here to help people solve a problem, or reach a goal. We are on the same team, and together we will reach a solution.
How to you position yourself that way? Well, it’s not that complicated, really. I call it “being a human.” How about that? Just “be a human.” That is, instead of turning into a “sales machine,” you actually treat people like, well, people. And carry on actual human conversation! You can talk about the big game last night, the weather, an upcoming vacation, their kids, pets, or anything that has nothing to do with the landscape, or with whatever you want them to buy. Pretend you just met at a social function and begin there.
People buy from people they like and from people they trust. Be likable. And give trustworthy advice. Be a human.
That was the topic of the last newsletter. Actually, the topic was Etiquette, but it’s all the same thing. People absentmindedly do things that can sabotage a business relationship (answer the phone in the middle of a face-to-face conversation, for example). I listed a few things. In response I got some good feedback and a couple other suggestions. For example:
Don’t sell your idea to the client until you find out what the client is looking for.
Don’t offer your hand for a shake first if the client is a woman; she should put her hand out first.
Take your hat/cap off
Don’t smoke
Don’t wipe your nose (and then shake hands)
Not sure if the second one is true any more. If any women out there want to comment, by all means, let me know.
In a service business, good feelings go a long way. Take a simple Cup of Joe. When you visit a client’s house, it’s nice when they offer you a cup of coffee, or a glass of water, isn’t it? Once in awhile you get a client who offers nothing–not even an offer to take your coat. Once in awhile they won’t even let you in the house. They may have their reasons, but it sure doesn’t feel very good.
A number of years ago I went to meet with a client, and she was a few minutes late. We had a good relationship and I didn’t worry about it. But when she offered me a Starbucks (she’d bought an extra for me!), it felt really nice. It made the business relationship more friendly. Communicating on a human level is such an important thing when it comes to selling. It’s so easy to go into “sales mode” and lose track of the fact that you really should be working on a relationship, on creating trust, on being liked. Yes, it is a popularity contest.
I was at the dry cleaners this morning. For quite some time they have had free coffee for visitors. On a cold winter day, it’s a nice thing. My auto mechanic has the same in his waiting room. Why not? It doesn’t cost much and gives warm feelings. If you have a client that you know is a coffee drinker, why not pick one up on the way over? Or do like another landscape designer I know does, and take Girl Scout cookies! He buys them by the case (the mint ones of course), and puts them in the freezer. On a warm July day, he shows up with frozen mint cookies. Nice!
I neglected to mention that the dry cleaners actually has the coffee sponsored. It is provided by a local restaurant and there is a sign prominently displaying their name. So they get a two-fer out of it.
The 10 Step Design Process is the foundation upon which my landscape design business, Garden Concepts, built its reputation as a high quality, high touch professional organization. Recently I recorded an interview on the process with Chris Heiler at LandscapeLeadership.com. Members can download the podcast by logging in!
Well, I’ve had this thing for 4 or 5 months now and I have to say, it’s an amazing piece of technology. The internet is really good. The Apps are pretty cool. Other than the basics that come built in, the ones I use the most are Toodledoo, Reqall, Facebook, NewsDesk, Sportacular and Vlingo.
I just found Vlingo, which is a really cool voice control program. It’s free too! With Vlingo, you can voice dial and much more. Amazon just added an App too. So did Ebay.
Of the built in apps, I use Mail, Safari, and Maps the most. SMS too. The way the GPS integrates with Google Maps and Address Book is genius.
Recent updates to the software have solved some of the battery and coverage issues, though not 100%. I can live with those. But the lack of copy/paste is a stunning omission. Also, the way Mail handles POP mail is really bad too. A “delete all” command would be nice. I’m switching to an IMAP server soon, so those issues may solve themselves. Those who use Gmail, for instance, will have no problem at all. Exchange works well too.
The calendar is really lacking though. I’ve used Palm OS for 10 years or so. Palm was better 10 years ago than the iPhone calendar is now. Hard to believe really. I thought this was well-written: http://stealthisidea.com/articles/palm-vs-iphone/
In the last newsletter, I asked for some feedback on how detailed you get in your designs. There were a few anomalies, but in general, here is a brief summary.
For those in Design/Build, it was interesting to me that 16 of the 26 who responded, included Planting as a detail they draw. That seems a bit high to me for D/B, so will make the assumption that most confused my question with a Planting Plan.
The vast majority, it seems, draw details for subcontracted items, which makes sense. But many draw no details at all, whether they are design only or design/build. In fact, out of 42 total responses (26 D/B and 16 D/O), there really was no significant difference between the level of detail provided.
As for my own experience, for the vast majority of my career, all design was done in house, and the contracting (everything from plants to pools to woodworking,fences, masonry you name it) was subbed out. Subcontractors were always part of the team, so we included them in working out design details. In many cases, the “details” were nothing more than descriptive text,”back of envelope” sketches, and photos. Rarely was there any misunderstanding, and we had a lot of success doing things that way.
That all said, there are advantages to providing more detail. We’ll save that discussion for another post.
Landscape Designers work all kinds of different ways. Some are design only, some design/ build. Some deal with all kinds of hardscapes, grading and drainage, and others stick to plants.
I’m interested in how you handle the details in your designs. I’m not talking about notes on plans, but specifically “how to build it” details. Please take 12 seconds and fill this out. I’ll post the results when I get enough responses. Thanks!
On September 23 and 24, I participated in a teleseminar hosted by Chris Heiler of LandscapeLeadership.com. If you are interested in downloading the recordings, click here. It was an interesting experience and an opportunity to meet Jeffrey Scott. Our topic for the first night was “Understanding The Value of Design.” The second night was entitled “Surviving in a Struggling Economy.”
Over the course of the two nights we discussed a number of things. One that is a hot spot for many landscape designers is that of charging design fees. Can you charge them? How much? Do you rebate? All tough questions with no black and white answers.
For the majority of my professional life, I have charged a pretty healthy design fee, at least compared with other design/build companies. But it was never enough to fully cover the time spent. We never rebated. It’s a matter of principle. But it’s also more complicated than that. It will take several blog entries to cover.
As a small company, doing fairly complicated projects, we couldn’t whip out a decent design in an hour or two. When you have 30, 40, 50, 60 or more hours in a design, you can’t afford to give it away. But how much can you charge? That’s a tough one. If you are design/build, the goal is to build it. There is a pain threshold that cannot be ignored. If you do, sure, you may get your design fee, but you may alienate the client and lose the installation. At least that’s the way I view it.
It’s not a black and white issue, and there are some creative ways to go about putting a value on your time, getting a commitment from your client, and maintaining a professional image. More later.
I’ll be reviewing the APLD Conference I attended a couple weeks ago in my EZine in another week or so, but thought I’d share this now. At the conference, 11 colleagues and I were granted Fellowship by the organization.
I am honored and proud to be among only 12 Fellows of APLD. Following is an excerpt from the official Press Release:
Those individuals who qualify for Fellowship status must demonstrate mastery of design in significant works which have advanced the art, stewardship and social responsibility of landscape design; exemplary leadership of people and programs that have had a significant effect on advancing the practice of landscape design; and knowledge that advances landscape design to both the industry and consumers.
Also honored that day were friends I’ve made through APLD over the years, all whom I respect tremendously.
In the photo, from left to right, are Bobbie Schwartz, Deanna Pillarelli, Judy DePue, Me, Gerry Crouch, Donna Swansen, Robin Williams, Linda Engstrom, Pat Ouderkirk and Peggy Connors. Not pictured are Dennis Rydberg, Joel Lerner and Myrna Dowsett. Until now, Robin was the only Fellow of the organization.
Look for a review of the conference in the coming weeks. Also, the full (pdf) release can be downloaded here.
People buy from people they like and from people they trust. Be likable. And give trustworthy advice. Be a human. 
A number of years ago I went to meet with a client, and she was a few minutes late. We had a good relationship and I didn’t worry about it. But when she offered me a 
I’ll be reviewing the 
