[Irrigation] Selling Convenience |
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Wednesday, April 12, 2006 DRIVING THE SALE HOME. A key to selling irrigation systems is to first sell the company, many landscapers say. Showing the customer you have unmatched service boosts their confidence. "Most contractors are correct in selling themselves and their capabilities way before selling a brand of irrigation equipment," Carowitz says. Ultimately, prospective customers are most concerned with the contractor's reputation, he says. An irrigation contractor's chances of wooing a customer depends on a solid first impression, says Robert McCarthy, owner of Artistic Irrigation in Woodbury, Conn. "Presentation goes a long way," he says, adding a representative in neat clothing and clean shave gets the prospective client's attention. During the sales process, contractors should ask the homeowner what he or she is looking for and then just listen, McCarthy says. Carowitz agrees, and adds, "A big mistake contractors make is not letting the homeowner talk enough. Ask questions to clarify the customer's expectations." From the initial contact through to the sale, Steven Krieger's team takes the time to answer any customer concerns. They review the property, find out what the homeowner is looking for and then design the system, says Krieger, president of Water Tech Irrigation in St. Louis. After custom designing a system for a client, Water Tech sales personnel prepare a proposal package and present it to the homeowner. "We'll spend whatever amount of time necessary to answer all customer questions and ensure that the homeowner understands what our system will do for them," Krieger says, adding that they shy away from high-pressure sales tactics. It's important go above and beyond when formulating proposals, McCarthy says. Because the client may be getting estimates from multiple contractors, he tries to stand out by creating a full blueprint of the irrigation system. He tries to further wow them by including information about the associations he and his contractors are members. McCarthy gives his clients a few days to review his proposal and places the follow-up call around the fourth day. "That goes 100 miles," he says. "They have three estimates on the table. They might as well put them on a lazy Susan, spin it and stop it and go with that contractor. But if I'm the first to call, I have a better chance." SELLING CONTINUED SERVICE. Krieger says his solid reputation helps sell systems at the price he wants. He charges around $4,500 to $5,500 for an average subdivision residence, which measures 10,000 to 12,000 square feet. He admits the prices are 20 to 50 percent higher than the competition's prices, but the level of service and product quality warrants it. With this strategy, Water-Tech has enjoyed a steady 10 to 15 percent growth for the past eight years. They accomplished this by focusing on aspects other than growth. "Service is No. 1 if you want to remain viable and profitable," Krieger says, adding that word-of-mouth referrals have been one of their greatest publicity-getters. "The only thing that gets around faster than good word about a company is bad word about a company." Acme's 50-year history and reputation also give them some leeway with charging customers. "We're not generally the lowest bidder, but people still want us because we've been there before," Laur says, adding that he still has to be somewhat competitive in pricing his irrigation services. To maintain his company's image, Krieger deals with customer service "the good, old-fashioned hard way" by taking on every inquiry on an individual basis. "There's no substitute for personal attention," he says. Staying in touch with existing customers helps retain them, Laur says. Maintenance is obviously important too, he says. "Systems do need to be maintained," he points out, adding that bi-annual maintenance is a must. Likewise, be alert of customers building decks and pools after irrigation systems have already been installed on the property, Laur says. This alters the landscape and causes a need for an irrigation system revamp. TOUTING TECHNOLOGY. Sometimes, the customer is sold on the gadgets designed to make the irrigation system more effective. Recently, these have included rain sensors and wireless controls. "Residential customers don't want something difficult to operate," Laur says. Sometimes the pressure level, or psi, of a system is too high, which can waste water, Magner says. "For every 5 psi reduction in the system, there's a savings of 7 percent on average," he says, adding that the right type of nozzle can allow the optimum pressure level. Another water saver is a drip system, which takes water straight to the plant's root zone. Customers can realize a 70 percent savings with this system, Magner says. Rain sensors are becoming more common on irrigation systems. They have been required in some states and proposals to do so have been made in others. McCarthy, who deals with water conservation issues, says rain sensors can be a selling point. If these aren't sophisticated enough, new "smart" devices take irrigation and efficiency to the next level. Chris Manchuck is vice president of business development at HydroPoint Data Systems in Petaluma, Calif. He says some irrigation product manufacturers are designing technology that goes into several brands of "smart" controllers. These controllers have the ability to change daily based on the weather, Manchuck says. They use a daily local weather station from the national service to adjust the system's schedule and compensate for whatever Mother Nature might bring. No matter what type of technology is used, there's no substitute for expertise and planning. As Laur says, "You could take the same product and install it wrong and have a bad system." |
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