Contractors try to uncover true value in commercial maintenance work as clients force price reductions. As Brian Golembiewski describes the state of the commercial market, one can only picture a vast, vacant Western movie street with just the hint of wind and the slightest bits of tumbleweed rolling across the dusty, quiet space. “There is such a huge amount... read more
The sensitive residential housing market will stabilize at a ‘frustratingly slow pace’ as home prices return to pre-boom levels. If most of your landscape work was in residential design/build in Tempe, AZ, then “you’re probably out of business because it dried up.” This from Brian Golembiewski, president of Tempe’s $2.95 million Paramount Landscape. And it’s just one example of... read more
Contractors fight lowballers in a battle for core business. What’s the biggest obstacle to growth today for the average landscape contractor? Certainly, the prolonged recession comes to mind for most contractors, as that tops Landscape Management readers’ list of top success blockers. But a mere fraction of a percentage point behind sits lowball/underpricing competitors. Giuseppe Baldi calls them “the undercutters.”... read more
To increase sales, landscapers move beyond referrals as their only means of marketing. Landscapers lose clients. It’s inevitable. “They die. They lose jobs. They sell their houses and move. They divorce. They get sick. They can’t afford us.” Jerry Tindel lists the many ways he’s lost Cutting Edge Lawn Care clients in Austin, TX. The goal, obviously, is to... read more
Consumers will spend again… but not excessively. Some people described it as gluttony. Others called it obnoxious. It was consumers’ “I have to have it” mentality. Anything was attainable to people who wanted it. If they didn’t have the money, they borrowed it. Today, that has clearly changed. Contractors now use words like “cautious,” “careful” and “conservative” to describe... read more
Diversification reigns as contractors adjust to the beat of what they are describing as a “fundamentally changed” industry. Many landscapers are using the word “flat” to describe business this year as owner and consumer confidence and service pricing remain low, office buildings and homes suffer high vacancies and margins dwindle under the continued, tighter restraints of running a landscape... read more
