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More than just a pretty picture
12 Nov, 2008 By: Jody Shilan LM Direct!<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
If you are like most design-build contractors, you think of a landscape plan as an unnecessary cost or expense that is often required just to get install work. You may think that the plan is something that helps you get the sale of the project — nothing more, and nothing less.
Its real value is typically misunderstood and completely overlooked, because in reality, it is the most important, least expensive and most versatile sales, production and business tool that your company can use. It is the “core” of the entire design-build process, and is something that you should require for every project that you install — not just for your customer, but for yourself, your company and the project.
Working with a plan will not only help you sell the project, but help you upsell work. It will help you estimate properly and track labor and materials effectively. It will help with site layout and to minimize supervision costs. It will help you articulate your ideas to clients so they understand what they are getting before the work begins. Through phasing, it will guarantee you work this year and next year.
I work for a lot of different companies, both large and small, and believe it or not everyone gets the same types of leads, no matter who you are or how well known you are. It’s what you do with the leads that determines whether you get no work, some work, or a significant project. Working with a landscape plan and building from your own plans makes your product less of a commodity. You are not one of four guys bidding a job; you are the only guy designing and pricing your job. No competition, no price shopping: just you, your client and your numbers.
Plan the plan
By definition, a landscape plan (or master plan) is essentially a scaled drawing of your client’s property that shows the layout of existing conditions, proposed plantings, lawn areas and all hardscape elements and features. It can include a swimming pool, driveway, outdoor kitchen, play area, formal garden — anything you and your client can imagine. It is much more than just a pretty picture. It is the only document that goes through the entire design-build process.
The plan that you present to your client to sell the work is the same plan from which you estimate and build. A landscape plan is a vital tool for your business in six specific areas:
1. The initial screening process
Requiring a landscape plan for each project is a way of screening clients from the initial phone call or meeting. It allows you to successfully eliminate poor leads and to focus your attention on prospects.
Every phone call is not necessarily from someone who is your client. By explaining how it all begins with a design, and your design fee, you will chase away people who are just price shopping or looking to waste your time. More importantly, though, you will attract and engage people who value and understand your process, and the value of starting with a comprehensive design.
By approaching the client and process in this manner you will secure more work, better work and more profitable work. Eliminating “suspects” allows you to spend more time with your true clients.
Q: How many landscape contractors does it take to bid on a project?
A: As many as the client wants.
2. The design process
Having a commitment (deposit) toward a design does many things. First and foremost, it creates a professional relationship between you and your client. Having a financial commitment actually puts everyone at ease and allows you to focus on your clients and their project without worrying about whether you are wasting your time. You can now spend the proper amount of time necessary to create a plan, and ultimately sign a contract for the installation.
What you may not realize, though, is that every time you meet your clients with a drawing or revision, you are building your relationship with them. They are looking forward to seeing you and what you have to present. They are feeling more comfortable with you at each meeting, which brings them closer to deciding that your company is one that they want to do the installation. By servicing your clients properly and spending time with them, you are almost guaranteed the contract.
Compare this to the typical estimating process, where you rush through the “meet and greet” and either shove a proposal in their mailbox or promise to get back to them in a week or so, which is most likely a 50/50 proposition. Sure, you may get the estimate out of the way, but really all you’ve done is wasted your time and your company’s time on something that you will have go to contract. And if it is signed , you now have to worry about what you missed on the estimate because you had 20 others to do that week.
Is this really how you want to start your relationship or run your business?
3. The estimate and contract
Everyone dreads estimating and writing proposals — I think we can all agree on that. We would all rather be out there doing the work. So anything that can minimize the time spent doing this, and also improve the accuracy of our proposals, would be a good thing. This again is where working with a landscape plan is a huge time-saver that provides more accuracy. You can count quantities of plants and steps, measure the patios, walks and walls, and calculate lawn and bed areas effectively. You can also get pricing on irrigation or any subcontractor work. Depending on how your company is structured and who does the estimating, having a plan is a much more accurate and consistent way of coming up with your prices.
You can also reduce the time spent writing proposals and use the term “as per plan,” which does many different things. First of all, you don’t need to write so much and potentially give confusing information. Instead of writing in your proposal “paver patio to be 10 ft. off of left side of house, approximately 500 sq. ft. (20x25 with curves) with 10 tons of QP, 3 tons of stonedust, 5 bags of poly sand, compacted at ...” you can just write “patio as per plan.” You don’t have to list square footages or other specifications that gives the client a “shopping list” to compare with other contractors.
4. The sales process
Here is where working with a plan pays for itself 10 times over. Nothing gets clients more excited about starting a project than looking at a beautifully color-rendered master plan of their home and property, especially one in which they have participated. For those of you that are not familiar with the sales process, rule No. 1 is that people buy when they are excited. A design that includes all of their goals, their hopes and dreams, and can be installed in phases over time, is something to get excited about.
When you work with a plan, all you need to do is get a contract signed for Phase I — whatever that may be. The budget and project will grow by itself, and will be consumer-driven. By working with a landscape plan, you will see that it is not unusual to write change orders for more than the original contract, many times doubling or tripling the originally stated budget.
Years ago, I worked on a project where the clients had a maximum budget of $30,000, stressing that $25,000 would be better. They wanted a patio, pond and plantings in the backyard and nothing in the front. I went through the design process and developed a master plan of their entire property, front and back. We put together a proposal for the items they requested and came in around the $30,000 mark. We signed a contract, scheduled the job and got started.
After we began the backyard and things started taking shape, questions about the front yard, retaining walls, driveway, walks and plantings started coming up: “You know, the back looks great and now the front looks terrible. How much do you think it would cost if we wanted to do the front, too?”
Next thing you know, we are doing the front yard at an additional $60,000. But it didn’t stop there: “Well, with all of these plantings, we’re going to need to keep them watered and we just don’t have the time. Can you install an irrigation system, too? Also everything looks so beautiful during the day, but we don’t get home until it is dark. We should probably do outdoor lighting, can you do that, too?”
This segued into “Everything looks so beautiful now, but we don’t have the time or ability to maintain it. Can your company do this?”
When we were finished, the $30,000 budget turned into a $120,000 install, a maintenance contract and two extremely happy homeowners who recommended us to anyone who would listen.
Compare this to running around giving “free estimates.”
5. The installation/production process
The same plan that you designed with your client, used to develop your proposal and sold the job with, is now your road map to its installation. Incredible! The project can be laid out with marker paint (the universal language), and the design can be verified and/or modified in the field with the sales person, designer, foreman and homeowners before the project begins.
Walkways can be shifted; patios can be enlarged or altered; steps and walls can be adjusted and elevations can be set — all before the skid steer is off the trailer. This is the most important meeting that you can have to ensure the success of the installation, the overall customer experience and the profitability of the job. As the project progresses, you can refer to the plan and show your clients what you are doing and why. This will minimize any potential errors, answer any questions — and keep them informed, confident and excited.
Also, by working with a plan, less supervision is required for your crews. This allows you and your supervisors to optimally manage the projects: Materials can be properly ordered and organized, and equipment and man-hours can be meted out properly, reducing labor needs and increasing profitability.
When I was first doing planting installations, I had a simple project that needed screening along the left property line. We had to install (15) 7-8 Norway Spruces, 10 cu. yd. topsoil, 5 cu. yd. mulch and do some lawn repair from the machine access. It was going to be an easy, one-day job.
We got there early enough to see the clients, John and Sandy Ruppert, leave for work. We happily promised them we’d be done by the time they got back. The job went smoothly and we were right on schedule. We were just laying down the mulch as the Rupperts pulled into the driveway.
Confident and proud of our accomplishments, I was excited to show off the work we completed. But as we walked around the back, I heard Sandy groan. Instantly my smile turned into a frown, for I knew the next words out her mouth would not be good. Puzzled, I asked what was wrong. Did she not like the trees, was the spacing bad or did we break something?
After a minute, she said, “No, everything looks great. There’s just one thing: The trees are along the wrong property line.”
“No they aren’t,” I confidently replied. “They are along the left property line, just as we discussed.”
She nervously chuckled and said, “I guess you were confused. I meant the left side facing the back of the house. Sorry!”
Just then I realized that we were facing different directions when we discussed it, so her “left” was my “right.”
Can you guess who had to move the trees at his own expense? If we had had a plan, this never would have happened.
6. Closing and referral process
If you don’t have a closing process, you should develop one. Working with a plan will help you develop one that is simple, logical and can easily help answer the following questions:
When is the project really finished? When does the guarantee begin? Who is responsible for the maintenance? Are all of the punch list items resolved? Has the client accepted and paid for the project in full? Can you ask for referrals?
You want to bring the project to a close, and have the clients take ownership of it. By doing a final walkthrough with the plan, you are not just reviewing the project, but reminding the clients why they chose you, what services you provided for them and how happy they are with the finished product.
Show them how the finished project was installed based on the initial design concepts. Talk about what was changed, and answer any questions. Discuss some of the difficulties that you overcame during the implementation of the project, or highlight some of the nuances that make their property and landscape design so unique — or just sit together in their newly created garden, which was only a dream several months earlier.
Finally, answer any maintenance questions and discuss all guarantees or warranties. You can now comfortably pick up your final payment, ask for referrals and thank them for giving you the opportunity to work together and allow you to create something wonderful.
So before you go to your next appointment, decide which story you want your customers to tell: the one about the landscape contractor who provided them with an incredible landscape plan, a great customer experience and phenomenal installation — or the one about the guy who never called back?
Jody Shilan is a former landscape contractor and now Green Industry Consultant. Using his 30 years of industry experience, he works with design/build companies developing Best Practice Standards to organize their systems, grow their companies and increase sales and profits. He can be reached at jshilan@optonline.net or at 201-783-2844.
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