Q: Can you explain the concept of using a retainer agreement instead of a design fee to get a commitment from the client toward both the design and the installation? —Dylan Mickelson, Bright Lights Landscaping and Outdoor Lighting, Las Vegas, Nev. A: I just got back from PLANET’s Green Industry Conference in Louisville, Ky., where I was a speaker, as... read more
What’s the most valuable yet underutilized resource in your business? For most small businesses, it’s customers. One of the web’s principles is to serve consumers first and businesses second. So, as customers move online in greater numbers, their collective voice will become stronger, thereby creating disruption in every business sector, including the Green Industry. This is why it’s essential for... read more
Conservation-minded landscape professionals are turning to rainwater harvesting and graywater systems to recycle water. With the heat wave that engulfed the country this month, no doubt many Americans have taken the liberty of letting the sprinkler run a tad bit longer than usual. We hope people have been paying as much attention to the calendar as they have to the... read more
Knowing when to pursue a lead and when to back down has been beneficial for a New Jersey landscape business owner. Drewe Schoenholtz, owner of The Green Scene in Hopewell, NJ, says there’s a delicate balance between sizing people up incorrectly and what he calls “chasing the wind.” Finding that balance has come with years of experience in the business.... read more
Q We provide our clients with landscape master plans and charge a design fee for our drawings. Our problem is that a lot of times we scare them off and lose the work and the relationship when we give them a price for the entire project. Is there something we should be doing differently? —Bob Pedatella, Kodiak Landscape, Haskell, NJ... read more
By: Beth Geraci, Questex Media Group LLC Everything was fine until I noticed the landscaping truck parked in the driveway. I opened the front door and called out to the two workers in our yard. “Can you move your truck? I have to go to work.” “Too bad,” the one joked. “No work for you today.” I laughed, but his quip... read more
