GIE+Expo iPad winner!

Congratulations to Ben McCutcheon, production manager for Team Green Lawn in Xenia, Ohio, for winning an iPad at our booth at the GIE+Expo.

It was a great show!

Bizarre economic indicators

Are you a market-watching junkie, allowing your blood pressure to rise and fall with the Dow? If so, you may want to tune in to Business Insider's list of "36 weird economic indicators you've never heard of." Trust me, they're much more interesting to track than the Dow.

I wrote a column, not nearly as comprehensive but along the same lines, in my previous life as editor of Paperboard Packaging. (Yes, there's a trade magazine for everything.)

How about this one: the speed contractors return calls. "The concept: Always busy with other clients, getting a contractor to return a call can be a big hassle during a home renovation project. So, the quicker a contractor returns your calls, the worse the economy is doing."

Is that true for you?

Setting a good example

When we read about Thomas Cahill, we couldn't help but be impressed. The guy's a junior at New Jersey's Hillsborough High School, yet he already owns his own landscaping business—Cahill Landscaping.

Now he's been selected as the recipient of the 2012 Young Entrepreneur Award, presented every year by the Somerset County Business Partnership in his region. The award acknowledges achievement and encourages the development of business skills.

According to the local paper, the Hillsborough Beacon, Cahill first got into tractors at the age of 4 and attracted his first lawn care clientele at age 13. The paper went on to say that the 17-year-old Cahill, in his fourth year of business, will donate between 10 and 15 percent of his 2012 earnings to charity.

He'll be awarded the Anthony F. Picheca Sr. Entrepreneur Award of $1,000 on Dec. 13. Hats off, Thomas!

Jobs nobody wants

Several members of the Ohio Landscape Association and its Executive Director Sandy Munley shared the industry's worker woes on the local news in Northeast Ohio yesterday. Let's hope it brings the companies some good candidates.

"Many times our landscapers run ads and don't get anybody to answer them at all," Munley says. "And other times, when people do answer, they can't pass drug testing or they don't have a valid drivers license."

Sound familiar? What are you doing to cope with a worker shortage in your area?

The site landlovers.org, a joint effort between PLANET, ANLA and ASHS, offers some good resources to help dispel the myths about working in the Green Industry. Companies can use them as talking points when speaking with prospective employees or exhibiting at job fairs. --Marisa Palmieri

'Tis the season

Green Industry businesses that offer holiday lighting services (which is 16 percent of the industry, according to our forthcoming 2012 Industry Pulse report) are revving up for a busy time of year. 

'Tis the season for closing contracts, ordering supplies and prepping for installations. After Halloween, it's go time, right?

To get you into the holiday spirit, we share this entertaining infographic, courtesy of Neave Group of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., which you might like to share with your prospects. 

Doesn't it remind you of the classic "12 Pains of Christmas" song? --Marisa Palmieri

A son's plea for safe driving

We received this note from Louis Crisitello Jr., the son of landscape company owner Louis Crisitello, who died on the job last month when he was walking alongside his truck and was hit by a motorist. 

Louis Crisitello was killed on the job last month by a motorist.

We're sorry for your family's and the industry's loss, Louis, and we agree the statistics are important to share.

On the morning of Sept. 17, an uninsured motorist in Middletown, N.J., killed my father, Louis Crisitello, in a hit-and-run accident. As the proud owner of Lou’s Lawn Maintenance for more than 30 years, my father was greatly loved and appreciated by all of his customers and the community. He was respected among the brotherhood of landscapers and considered himself a friend to everyone in the business. While on the job, my father was walking alongside his box truck to get his orange road cone to put on the driver's side of his vehicle as a safety precaution. Before he was able to reach the back of his truck a young woman struck him violently with her vehicle and continued to drive, fleeing the scene.

According to the latest projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) published in September 2012, approximately 16 percent of fatal transportation incidents in 2011 involved pedestrians who were struck by vehicles. Of the 312 fatal work injuries involving pedestrians struck by vehicles, 61 occurred in work zones. As a result of the accident, my father’s body was so badly damaged that we were warned not to see him and forced to have a closed casket funeral. The aforementioned statistics symbolize individuals, like my father, who died unnecessary and undignified deaths.

My father was a selfless man who wanted nothing more than to provide for those around him.  He was caring, supportive, and warm-hearted.  He took great pride in his family and his career.  When it came to work, my father was a bull.  I always believed that it was impossible to knock my father down.  Though he took some hard hits over the course of his career, I can’t think of a situation where he didn’t just stand up, brush himself off, and return to work.  There is no one, at any age, able to work as long and as hard as my dad worked.  Now, at 62 years old, as he neared retirement, my father has become another sad statistic.

In 2011, according to the BLS, fatalities in the landscape services industry increased to 167 from 133 in 2010, rising 16 percent. Fatal work injuries in the building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupational group were up 14 percent to 265 fatalities in 2011--the highest level since 2006. The biggest increases within this occupational group were among landscapers.

With more than 30 years in the landscaping business, my father was always careful to exercise the proper safety precautions while on the job and encouraged his colleagues to do the same. I’ll never know all of the specifics regarding my father’s death, but I’m confident that it was the result of someone else’s carelessness. In this era of short attention spans and a seemingly endless number of electronic devices, distracted driving is becoming a more prevalent danger every day. In 2010, 3,092 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver and an estimated additional 416,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver.  

My father truly appreciated the little things in life. He had a child-like innocence that was infectious; it only reinforces the fact that he died much too young.  My dad taught me to live with gratitude, and I am thankful for every day that I got to spend with him.  However, I cannot accept the manner in which he was taken from my family.  I wonder what the driver was thinking as she drove away with a broken windshield; did she even look back in her rear-view mirror? There is no answer that can excuse the lack of common human decency exhibited by the individual that morning.

The loss of my father has left a void in my life that I can’t imagine ever being filled. I urge everyone in the landscaping and lawn maintenance business to be extra careful when working nearby roadways and stay alert for distracted drivers. In short, protect yourselves and look out for one another. Together we can make safe driving a new priority and invigorate the public. We have the ability to strengthen local laws and enforcement efforts. Together we can prevent another senseless death from occurring, and in turn, make our roads safer for everyone. --Louis Crisitello Jr.

Association membership elevator pitch

I recently received an email from Javier Lesaca of Bakersfield, Calif.-based Lesaca Landscape Co. He's the director of membership for the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA), and he wanted to share his response to the question, "What value have you received from your association membership?" Belonging to an association is something he says he always considered a "no brainer," but it's clear others don't always agree.

At Landscape Management, we're proponents of industry associations; you know, it's the whole "rising tides" thing. For more potential benefits of associations, we'll share with you what Javier had to say:

"I first joined CLCA for the insurance program. Then I realized this association had more to offer than affordable insurance. I saw they had many programs that were developed to help their members to become better business owners. These are programs that will help you shorten your learning curve and help you become a successful contractor with fewer trials and errors ... Along with these programs, CLCA members have the use of California Association of Employers HR hotline for any of their human resource questions and an attorney on retainer that can answer your questions to see if you’re on the right or wrong side of the law. If you were to use any of these programs and services you would definitely see a return on your investment with your membership.

"Networking is defined as a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups with a common interest. This is the definition, but as a CLCA member you can add 'friendship' to the definition. In my early landscape career, I would use my local contractor contacts and vendors as my support system, but because we were working in the same area I wasn’t always sure if I was receiving an honest answer. After becoming a CLCA member I began to network with other members at different events like the Landscape Industry Show, leadership conference, legislative conference, summer family extravaganza, annual convention and my local chapter events ... What I found is that many people I have met are willing to share their knowledge and wisdom with me.
 
"CLCA’s influence in the state legislature is well known. Whenever there is a decision or potential new law that will affect our members, CLCA is there to ask the right questions. We all hear how California is not the most business-friendly state. As business owners, we need all the help we can get. CLCA is there ready to fight for our common interests, whether it's for our C-27 license, workers' comp, water, employment issues and any other potential law that will affect us, CLCA is there fighting for us. This is one benefit that every C-27 contractor or anyone else in the green industry profits from.
 
"Just paying for a CLCA membership will not make you a successful landscape contractor. But, if you take advantage of all the programs, services and new friendships you will make, your career in the landscape industry will be more profitable and enjoyable."
 
Well said, Javier! --Marisa Palmieri

Employee feedback should go both ways

By Jeffrey Scott, Consultant

Too much time is spent telling employees what to do. You often give your employees feedback, but instead, ask them to give you feedback. They see so much going on with your clients and company, you are likely under utilizing their insights.

Two years ago I consulted with Maine contractor Mark and Lindsay Clement of Clement Bros. We made many profitable improvements, including creating an employee feedback process effective in increasing company value and employee buy-in. Here is how you can create your own feedback process.

Ask your employees to fill in a survey, then follow up with them on their answers. To create the survey pick some of the following types of questions, and add your own:  

About their job

- What do you like most and least about working at the company?  

- What task is your favorite task/least favorite?

- Tell us about your workload: How do you feel about the number of jobs per day and hours per week?

About themselves

- What are your passions outside of work?

- What skills and interests do you have that we may not know about? How could they be used to make our company better? 

About their future

- What are your professional goals (1, 3 and 5 years)?

- What are your personal goals (1, 3 and 5 years)?

About your company

- What opportunities do you see for improvement? For more efficiency? For more sales? 

By doing this you will develop employees who perform better, have better communication skills, and have more confidence at work. You will also develop their company loyalty if you take the time to get to know them better, and take time to help them achieve their goals. It works!

Jeffrey Scott, MBA, author and consultant, grew his landscape company into a successful $10 million enterprise, and he's devoted to helping others share the same success. He facilitates PEER GROUPS for landscape business owners who want to transform and profitably grow their business.  For more info go to www.JeffreyScott.biz, email Jeff@Jeffreyscott.biz, or call (203)220-8931.  

ASLA launches guide to D.C. landscape architecture

Do you live near or are you planning a trip to Washington, D.C.? If you're a fan of landscape architecture, you'll be pleased to hear the American Society of Landscape Architects has created the "Landscape Architect's Guide to Washington, D.C."

The tidal basin

This online, mobile-friendly guide helps visitors and locals discover more than 75 historic, modern and contemporary landscapes in Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va. Sites include:

Tidal basin (pictured)

Freedom Plaza 

The Mall 

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden 

The Exorcist Steps in Georgetown

Pentagon Memorial
ASLA Green Roof Arlington Cemetery  ...and many more

The guide is divided into 16 distinct tours in all four quadrants of the District—as well as a tour of the new D.C. bicycle network. Each tour covers multiple neighborhoods, and includes a printable walking or biking map. 

The guide was created by ASLA in partnership with 20 nationally recognized landscape architects, all of whom are designers of the public realm and leaders in sustainable design. The guides were asked to explain the sites from a landscape architect’s point of view and show how the design of these sites influences how people interact with or even feel about these places.

I can't wait until next year's Renewal & Remembrance event. I just might have to tack on an extra day to my trip and visit some of these sites. --Marisa Palmieri

Marketing in the new world order

By Jeffrey Scott, Consultant

“I saw your trucks” and “I saw your job sign” used to be big drivers for the landscaping and maintenance business.  People would look down the street, see your work, then call you up and give you their business if you returned their call – as long as you didn’t insult them, ignore them or gouge them.

But in the new world order, this is no longer enough.

You still need to create a positive impression (clean, organized, eye-catching) with your trucks, job signs and properties, but buyers now do much more research before they give you a call.  They do Google searches and study your website, and they look for third-party online reviews like Angie’s List, Kudzu, etc. 

But even this is not enough.

You need active referrals to drive your business.  Referrals from existing clients are essential, and even more important are referrals from Professional & Influencers –architects, realtors, designers, inspectors, town regulators, tradespeople and association executives.

If you think you can solely focus on website SEO and pay-per-click, you will soon be disappointed, just like the yellow pages disappointed you in the past. In the new world order of increased competition, you need a broad Internet footprint, massive word of mouth, and community love.

Are you involved in the right charities doing the right community work? Are you literally loved by your community?  Community love creates emotional bonds that bind people to your company. They will hold you in high regard even if they have never used your services.

The residential landscape companies who bring in leads from a mix of all these sources will have the best chance of selling more work and more high-margin work. For commercial firms, it is a related but different mix. For all companies, it is critical to have a “mix.” This is marketing in the new world order.

Jeffrey Scott, MBA, grew his landscape firm into a $10 million enterprise. He now helps owners transform and profitably grow their landscape businesses by coaching them within a peer group format. Learn about his peer groups at www.GetTheLeadersEdge.com or contact him at jeff@jeffreyscott.biz.

Syngenta to acquire DuPont Professional Products' insecticide biz

Syngenta announced Wednesday it will acquire DuPont Professional Products’ insecticide business for $125 million. The acquisition, still subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2012. It includes many of DuPont’s registered trademark brands, including Advion, Arilon, Acelepryn and Altriset.

Syngenta says the acquisition will further strengthen its Lawn and Garden division and broaden its portfolio of brands in professional pest management. “The insecticide business really represents the next step in scaling the turf and landscape business,” says Scott Reasons, head, Syngenta Turf and Landscape North America.

“These insecticides that will come to Syngenta at the closing will really help our portfolio,” he continued. “They really give us the opportunity to grow in the lawn and garden space.” Reasons added that Syngenta is excited “about what we can do with these products and active ingredients in the future.”

Tim Kroenke, head, Syngenta Lawn and Garden North America, reiterated that sentiment. “This acquisition will help Syngenta gain leadership in the professional pest management market and increase our presence in turf,” he said in a statement.

The acquisition, if approved, would enable Syngenta to pursue opportunities in the ornamental horticulture and consumer markets.

Price cutting, then and now

As we work on Landscape Management's 50th anniversary issue, coming out next month, I'd like to share with you this editorial from the September 1963 issue of our predecessor, Weeds and Turf. If nothing else, it will restore your belief in the phrase, "the more things change, the more they stay the same."

It is certainly a sad reality that a few weed, turf and tree jobs are taken at absurdly low prices. Sometimes these low bids actually result from deliberate price slashing; sometimes the contractor has simply not used a pricing basis which covers all costs and profits.

Whatever the reason for price cutting, the end effect on the industry is unsettling. Prices are soft, profits inconstant, quality of work inconsistent.

"The only thing worse than a man who cuts prices is the man who meets them," one reader wrote us recently. This is a telling comment, and perhaps spells out the real ethical questions. Since price-cutters exist in any business and crop up from time to time regardless of what is done to stop them, whether or not to meet reduced prices is a decision reputable companies are often forced to make. 

Click on the image above to read the whole column, titled "Don't buy business!" While you're at it, check out some of the letters to the editor on the left-hand page. My favorite is the one from Charlie P. Johnson of Miami's Charlie P. Johnson Spray Co. who says, "We derive constant satisfaction from your magazine, and use it over and over in our everyday business."

In fact, I can see that taking shape as LM's new tagline: "Providing the Green Industry with constant satisfaction in everyday business for more than 50 years." What do you think?! --Marisa Palmieri

Rebranding checklist

Here's another teaser from our August issue. The cover story, "Rebranded: Changing your company name might be a hassle, but it could pay off," details what it takes to launch a company name or rename. 

There are bunch of special considerations when undertaking a rebrand. Here's a checklist to walk you through some important steps, courtesy of Just Name It, a guide from the brand name development firm Catchword.

Legal and administrative

• Have your attorney submit an application for trademark registration to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

• File for a name change with the secretary of state and appropriate city/county authorities.

• Check with your tax attorney for any name-change filing issues related to subsidiaries, divisions, sister companies, etc.

• Update bank accounts, checks, and other financial paperwork.

• Update your listing in the Yellow Pages, White Pages and other print and online directories.

Marketing and identity

• Conduct an audit of how your logo appears across all of your communications.

• Engage a graphic designer (or design team) to create/update your logo and other elements of your new visual identity.

• Create/update business cards, letterhead, envelopes and other stationery.

• Create/update brochures, pamphlets and other marketing collateral.

• Engage a web designer to create/update your website.

• Establish a plan for how to phase out the old name, if applicable (e.g., use transitional copy, such as “NewName—formerly known as OldName”).

• Decide when to debut the new name and identity change.

Internal communications

• Solicit ideas from the internal team for the best ways to announce the new name and visual identity. Possible vehicles could be an e-mail from the president, an employee gathering, an outside party or an internal blog where difficult questions can be addressed openly.

• Announce the new name internally (and be sure it’s before you do so externally.)

• Roll out new business cards early (ideally at the announcement) to get employees onboard. Consider giving out some kind of promotional “swag” (hats, T-shirts, water bottles, etc.) with the new name and logo.

• Help employees understand the rationale for the change. Use this as an opportunity to galvanize your organization to “live the brand.”

• Recognize that not everyone may be onboard with the name change. Identify the naysayers and engage them by asking them take an active role in the announcement.

External communications

• Develop a plan to communicate the name change with customers, analysts and other key external influencers.

• Send customers and partners a letter or postcard announcing the name change (e.g., “We’d like to announce our new identity... same great company, new name.”)

• Anticipate and address questions such as whether service contracts will be affected.

• Call key customers to advise them of the name change.

• Send out a press release announcing the new name. Be sure to include the rationale for the name change—and how it supports your company’s vision.

• Create a page/link on your company website with rationale for the name change.

Technology

• Register the new domain name with your company’s registrar (e.g., Network Solutions, GoDaddy.com, Register.com, etc.).

• Register close variants and potential misspellings of the new domain name and redirect them automatically to the new site.

• Change your website domain and update your website content, as needed.

• Forward your old domain to your new domain.

• Update e-mail addresses to reflect the new domain name, and make sure all e-mails sent to legacy addresses are automatically forwarded.

• Update e-mail signatures.

 —Marisa Palmieri

Who's the face of your company?

Here's a teaser from Bruce Wilson's August Best Practices column. In talking about how your employees represent you to the public, he says:

Remember, the team on the loading dock is the face of your company to the vendor; the courtesy of the receptionist is the sound of your company to the caller; the precise, uniformed crew is the image of your company to the customer. It’s not just the team on the trade show floor.

All the flashy marketing tactics in the world can't replace the feeling a person gets about your company when he or she is treated poorly by one of your employees. 

It's something I think about every time I speak to a rude receptionist and, on the flip side, every time I've been to a Chick-fil-A. You can certainly debate the quality and healthfulness of its food or its president's politics, but you cannot deny the consistent, uncharacteristically polite attitudes of its employees and how they've boosted the Chick-fil-A brand. --Marisa Palmieri

Beverly Hills, baby!

It's time again for Rain Bird's Intelligent Use of Water Film competition. And that means you have another chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Southern California this October!


At the beautiful Paley Center in Beverly Hills, you'll join other Green Industry professionals and journalists in watching the films unfold on the big screen. The annual event helps recognize great filmmaking that raises awareness of the need to preserve the world's most fundamental resource. At the end of the screening, the audience will have an opportunity to name the year’s best film. 


Enter the sweepstakes here.

Big clients CAN kill you

By Jeffrey Scott, MBA

It almost happened to me: the biggest client we ever had (million ++), at a time when we really needed the money and cash (think: recession...15 years ago). He was a pain through negotiations, and yet we bit our tongues and signed him up with a big margin. Big mistake. 

This client played all kinds of tricks on us, and he never intended to pay his final 10%. In fact, he brought troubles that I don't even want to recount in print. Sure, his cash helped us...initially....but his chaos hurt us. I have learned my lesson. The clients you say "No" to can be your best clients!

The other problem with big clients is they upset your sales cycle. You run out of time to develop new business because you are so busy with the "big" job. Trust me, this happens.

Are you feeling a cash crunch or a profit lull? Don't look for a silver bullet. Look for a better system and a better approach to your business. More of the same is just that....more sales on top of a bad financial or operational structure will do you more harm -- amplified.

When my consulting clients ask me to help them with sales, I don't automatically say, "Yes." I say, "Yes, tell me what's going on in the business." Sometimes sales will balance out your overhead, and sometimes it will make you lose more money.

Big clients are fun to brag about, but they can kill your morale and your wallet.


Jeffrey Scott, MBA, grew his landscape firm into a $10 million enterprise. He now helps owners transform and profitably grow their landscape businesses by coaching them within a peer group format. Learn about his peer groups at www.GetTheLeadersEdge.com or contact him at jeff@jeffreyscott.biz.

No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care

Randy's Take

While flying to Chicago with 2 buddies for a golf getaway (one of them is from there) I am reading "The Big Miss" by Hank Haney. It's about his time coaching Tiger Woods. I keep referring back to a folded page featuring a quote from Kevin Kleven: "Nobody cares how much youu know until they know how much you care."

Man, how appropriate is that saying? Take some time to reflect on that statement. It really sinks in.  As an owner , a management person, foreman or supervisor are you a know-it-all and can't seem to get your point or points across? Does anyone seem to care? Do they tune out when you're talking? Does their body language twist and turn when you speak?

Well, just maybe you have come across as a know-it-all and don't or haven't bonded with your team. Whether it is upper, middle or lower management, you have to have a connection with your team. And those in the hierarchy or chain of command must bond with their team and subordinates. 

You or they don't have to be best buds. Your team just needs to know you care about them. Caring means a lot. Whether it is listening to their needs or wants, take the time to listen to them. More importantly, ask about how their day went, how their weekend was, how their family's doing -- anything and everything about them. Do not make it about you! Let them talk. Remember what they talked about and what interested them. Then when you see them again, bring it up.

Let them know you care. When they know you care, they will be interested in what you say and what you want to teach them. I guarantee they will work harder and smarter for you as well. Try it. If it doesn't work, email me and we'll work on another solution.

Have an awesome day and week! Enjoy your summer and remember, we need to have fun along the way so we can be better bosses, managers and people. 

Least we could do

It's hard not to get choked up when you're taking part in PLANET's Renewal & Remembrance event at Arlington National Cemetery. Here, for the past 16 years, Green Industry volunteers have convened to donate their time and materials to help preserve the hallowed grounds where so many of our country's finest men and women rest.

I caught myself tearing up during the Pledge of Allegiance, changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier and especially when a funeral procession rolled by and all the volunteers shut down their equipment as the caisson, troops and band passed. I'm kind of a crybaby, so it's no surprise, but I know I wasn't the only one welling up.

The 400 volunteers took a moment of silence during the opening ceremony this morning, and it seems as if another one's in order for those who couldn't make it.

But first, a recommendation: If you've never participated in this event, put it on your calendar for next year. I promise you won't regret it. Such service is a rite of passage, and the least we all could do. --Marisa Palmieri

Social media cheat sheet

Social media adoption among Green Industry businesses has vastly improved over the past few years, but it's likely many companies are participating in just one or two sites and haven't quite figured out the rest yet.

To help you decipher all of the different platforms and whether or not you should be using them, Chris Heiler, social media guru and founder/president of LandscapeLeadership.com, created this cool infographic. We especially like the "best for" box, which spells out the practical application of each tool. --Marisa Palmieri

Infographic by Landscape Leadership

Angry Birds?

Clean uniforms and tidy trucks are a point of distinction for many landscape and lawn care companies. Do you ever feel like you can't keep the bird droppings off of your vehicles, no matter how often your crews wash them? 


Are your trucks red? A new study suggests they're birds' favorite targets.


A recent study conducted by British auto retailer Halfords analyzed 1,100 cars over two days, the Huffington Post reports. At the end of the period, 18 percent of the pooped-on cars were red, 14 percent were blue and 11 percent were black. White vehicles made up 7 percent, followed by gray/silver (3 percent) and green, which netted only 1 percent of the droppings. 


Maybe it's time to think about switching to green trucks. --Marisa Palmieri