On the Record: Too macho for our own good?
1 Feb, 2005 By: Ron Hall Landscape ManagementWe're a masculine industry. We like sweat, especially when we see it popping out on the brows of our employees. We sprinkle our conversations with terms like labor-hour production, horsepower and blade speed. We drive pickup trucks and love to hunt, and one of the ways we measure our standing in the industry is by revenues and how many guys we have working for us. (Okay, so maybe some of us don't like to hunt.)
We're manly men
Even so, go to almost any industry conference or trade show and count the nine men for every woman present. Sure, women own and operate successful landscape and lawn service companies, and they manage sizable grounds operations. But they compete in an industry of manly men. Some of the reasons are obvious. How many teenage ladies get their first taste of this industry mowing neighborhood properties?
Okay, so men dominate commercial landscape, lawn services and grounds care. You'll give me that, right? Will you also agree that too much testosterone might not be the best thing, particularly in selling to and servicing the residential market?
Think about your own household. Which partner makes the decisions about the state of your home or property? Which partner drives the big projects?
In my world it's Vicky, my lovely wife of 35 years. Darned if I can think of one major household project that I initiated in the 29 years we've lived in our 80-year-old, two-story frame home. OK, well maybe some painting. But, not the dormer or skylights. Not the installation of an upstairs bathroom. Not the new hardwood floors. Not even my basement shop.
How about our landscape, you ask? Are you kidding?
The way it is
Vicky gets her inspiration and ideas from television (HGTV and the various "makeover" shows) and slick landscape/garden magazines. I'm relegated to capital support and bouts of manual labor. Hey, don't get me wrong — I'm not complaining. And as far as I've been able to determine, my situation is far from unique.
Robert Tillman, the CEO of Lowes, said at the Green Industry Expo that his chain's growth exploded after it shifted its emphasis from the commercial contractor to the decision makers (women) in the home and property fix-up market. It did this with such offerings as its well-stocked garden centers
The take-home message? Show the man of the house the respect he deserves, but give the woman of the house the type of landscape she wants. In most cases, she makes the call.
Ron Hall, Editor-in-Chief. Contact at 440/891-2636 or e-mail at
rhall@advanstar.com
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