Working with landscape contractors

Even in the economically-depressed Midwest, landscape account manager Polly Bailey-Rule said Four Star Greenhouse was able to increase its sales to landscapers by 19.5 percent in 2009. Photo by Reflections of CaryThis month Polly Bailey-Rule celebrates her second anniversary as landscape account manager at Four Star Greenhouse in Carleton, Mich. Having been in the horticulture industry for 25 years, Rule operated her own landscape business in Colorado for seven years, prior to moving to Michigan. Rule knew when she took her new position that the job would be challenging.
 
Michigan has been one of the states hardest hit by the current economic downturn. Despite hard economic times in Michigan and surrounding states into which Four Star ships its finished product, the company increased its sales to landscapers by 19.5 percent last year. Rule said that if the economic conditions would have been better, the sales increase to landscapers would have been even larger. Landscapers account for about 16 percent of the company’s finished sales.

What the grower provides
Growers are simply the starting point for landscape professionals. They provide the plants that can be either the final decorative touch of a landscape project or the entire focus.
 
The landscape community looks to breeders and growers for a wide selection of quality products and innovative planting systems. They depend on plants with extended bloom times and a tolerance for a wide variety of environmental and cultural conditions. Drought-tolerant and low-maintenance plants are in great demand.
 
Labor will always be a central issue for landscape companies. The development of time-saving planting containers and trays is crucial for the landscape and maintenance industry. Eco-friendly containers and the introduction of more disease- and pest-resistant plant varieties assist landscapers in addressing increasing consumer concerns about the environment, product waste and pesticide use.

Customer similarities
Landscape companies aren’t much different from consumers when it comes to the products and services they need. They want a large selection of plants in a variety of colors. They rely on garden center or greenhouse staff to answer their questions about plant culture, design concepts, and quantity calculations. Both landscape and retail customers look for a clean shopping environment with fresh, healthy plants. Most importantly, they are all willing to pay a fair price for a quality product.
 
Some growers and garden centers set aside “less than prime” plants for landscape contractors. When a contractor’s customer asks for the source of the plants, remember that it is your name out there.
 
Don’t treat landscape customers like second class citizens. Landscape companies install seasonal color based on the desires and wants of their customers, some of whom may already be your customers.

Developing a relationship
A little understanding goes a long way in developing a solid relationship with landscape contractors. One of the biggest restrictions that landscapers encounter is trying to work within a customer’s budget. Landscapers aren’t cheap – they just have monetary restrictions imposed on them by their customers.
 
Don’t misunderstand a landscape contractor’s refusal to accept another color choice or combination as being uncooperative. Good landscape contractors always ask for the color or variety preferences their customers want and will do whatever it takes to follow through. Landscapers don’t always receive a lot of flexibility when it comes to color choice or type of plants. The landscapers’ customers drive most of the decisions; they just aren’t the ones making the final selection and purchase. The landscapers are their customers’ representative and should be treated as such.

Education is critical
Educating landscape contractors is critically important. A fair amount of seasonal color installation work is performed by landscape companies that do not normally provide that type of work in their scope of services. A typical example of this is the landscape maintenance and/or lawn service company that is approached by a customer to install seasonal color while these companies perform their normal services.
 
Landscapers are going to rely heavily on the resources and knowledge of the greenhouse or garden center staff to assist in selecting the appropriate plants. Information about proper placement, cultural practices and fertilizer recommendations will ensure success for the contractor and further a positive relationship.
 
Four Star does in-house training with landscape contractors’ key employees, including crew foremen and designers. Topics include plant selection, planting techniques and maintenance processes. The company also provides educational materials. It holds a spring open house during which landscapers can come into the greenhouses, see the product and ask questions. Four Star also conducts on-site training with landscapers and exhibits and markets itself to landscapers at industry trade shows.

Planning ahead
One of the most frequently heard complaints from growers and garden center operators about working with landscapers is that they do not plan ahead and expect to find exactly what they need when they want it. Although it is important to work with landscape contractors to plan ahead, growers and garden centers have to realize that contractors don’t always know ahead of time what they’re going to need for a job, or that they are even going to need it. Since a landscape crew may already be working at a site, it may be necessary for a contractor to get the material immediately. They aren’t trying to be difficult. They’re just trying to satisfy their customers’ needs.
 
Unlike mowing lawns, seasonal color is not a regular, repetitive service for a landscape maintenance or design/build company. There is a brief window for installing color in the spring and landscape/maintenance crews struggle to accomplish this additional work along with their regular services.
 
Additionally, landscapers do not like adjusting delivery schedules or pickup times any more than growers or garden centers do when inclement weather forces them to postpone an installation. A big concern for landscape or maintenance companies is crews and staff being paid to stand around waiting for a plant delivery, or for a plant order to be pulled and loaded. Developing procedures for landscape purchases, having plenty of product on hand, and a clear, workable delivery system are important steps in easing what can rapidly become a difficult situation for both the grower and the landscaper.

After the season ends
As the end of the landscape season approaches, this is a time to evaluate and reflect on product offerings and procedures for working with landscapers. The off-season is a great time for growers and garden centers and landscape and maintenance companies to build relationships and develop strategies for the next season.
 
Many of Four Star’s customers pre-book 60-75 percent of what they eventually purchase. The company provides landscapers with an order window that allows them to add or subtract from their orders up to certain date. They can pull additional plants from the grower’s regular crops if they need more plants for a job or if they have new jobs come up.
 
Dedicate time to educate landscape customers about new products, assist with project designs and end-of-season evaluations and help build orders. Rather than being just a supplier, it is important for growers and garden centers to become partners with the professional end-users. 

 
For more: Four Star Greenhouse Inc., (734) 654-6420; pwfourstar.com.