A Tale of Two Landscapers
4 Aug, 2010 LM Direct!By Nicole Wisniewski
The other morning, I stopped at the gas station on my way to work. As I sipped my coffee and waited for the tank to fill, an old, white truck with a long, rickety trailer pulled in.
The man who got out to walk into the convenience store was wearing a dirty gray-blue t-shirt, ripped jeans and was tripping over untied tennis shoes. There was no sign on his truck, but the mud-caked skid-steer, worn shovels and rakes, broken wheelbarrow and dirty power tools tossed in around it screamed “landscape contractor.”
I know there are landscape professionals who pride themselves on instilling a cleaner, more professional image. But there lurks a negative, unprofessional connotation the Green Industry can’t seem to shake, despite its best efforts. And this contractor in the white truck – no matter how successful his business – is contributing to it.
Think an image problem doesn’t exist in this industry? Let me tell you another story.
Last week, we heard the familiar rev and pause of an engine on our street. Typically, this signals the daily mail delivery, so my daughter likes to run outside and wave to the “mail lady.” But when we moved the curtain back and peeked out front, we realized it wasn’t the mail truck but someone delivering fliers. Losing interest, we went back to playing with our toys.
Then, the car sat idling noisily in the cul-de-sac so it made us look out the window again to see what was the matter. In our cul-de-sac, there is an area where woods and a retention pond create an unbuildable space where two homes usually would sit. So instead, we have lawn and some trees.
The man who had been delivering fliers was standing outside his vehicle in this open spot. We wondered if he needed help, but upon closer inspection, we realized that the man was relieving himself in our cul-de-sac.
After shuffling my daughter away from the window, a neighbor had called the house with an unrelated question. Still stunned by what we saw, we shared the story. He was as outraged as we were. That afternoon, three other neighbors had heard the story. One brave neighbor even called the number on the flier – which advertised landscape services – and left him a message explaining his disappointment. By the next day, the whole street knew the story. Later that week at a homeowners’ association meeting, word got around to the whole development.
Think that landscaper is getting business in our development?
So what prevents these competitors from following in the footsteps of those who have a better image and push their employees to do the same? It puzzles me, quite frankly. Why wouldn’t you strive for more and set out for constant improvement?
Expert marketer Seth Godin calls it sabotage – self-sabotage. And it’s not just employees who get caught in this trap – owners do, too.
It’s along the same lines of cheating on a diet, Godin says. “We don’t get forced to eat that cookie, we choose to,” he explains. “And so the diet is ended.”
Why? Because if we fail, then “we’re off the hook,” Godin says. “No promises made, which means no promises to keep.” And scaling back the effort, unfortunately, is easier and feels safer than putting in the extra effort and making the additional promise or commitment to something like a professional and tidy image.
Today, stop being afraid to succeed and, instead, commit to something better. Employees: Set a better example for your coworkers and think about current and potential customers every time you are representing the company.
Owners: Set up a uniform policy. Instill a good behavior on the job mentality that is rewarded and, therefore, becomes infectious. Hire someone or make it a part of the crew’s job to wash trucks and equipment when they bring them back at the end of the day.
No, it won’t be easy. But it won’t cost much. And it might be worth it.
You never know where your next customer will come from. These two landscape contractors lost any chance at my business … but how close do you think they might have been to inspiring me to tell a whole different story?
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