Editor's Column - We're Under Attack – Again

Are you familiar with SmartMoney magazine? If you currently get it, then you probably know what I’m about to write about, and I hope you’ve already cancelled your subscription. If you haven’t encountered this publication before, please read on.

In its May 2002 issue, SmartMoney ran an article that everyone reading this column should be concerned about. The article was called “Ten Things Your Landscaper Won’t Tell You,” and it portrayed the lawn care and landscape industry as everything we have spent decades proving to the public that we’re not. While this article bothered me because it painted a horrible picture of our industry and represented disappointing journalistic standards, we should all look to this piece as a wake up call.

This article, which was distributed to nearly one million people, by the way, illustrates how pervasive negative public opinion is about landscape professionals today, and just how dangerous such opinions can be. The truth is, too many people still think green industry professionals are nothing but uneducated dropouts incapable of holding down a “real job.” Here are some of the article’s “high points.”

• It starts with a homeowner’s claim that pesticides left her dog “riddled with skin cancer and tumors.”
• The article portrays contractors as deceitful businesspeople using the fine print in a contract to “raise an annual bill by 25 percent.”
• Readers are also warned of contractors who intentionally install high-maintenance plants just to create extra maintenance work for themselves.
• Equipment doesn’t escape this author’s sharp pen, as he talks about when homeowners’ “couch time is blasted to pieces by the roar of a leaf blower.”
• And, the author wrote that contractors won’t tell customers that, “My workers chug your beer when they should be mowing your lawn.”

In instances like these, two things need to happen. For starters, we need to set the record straight, specifically with SmartMoney. I already sent in my letter to the editor, and I’ve asked a range of industry leaders to do so as well. I think any of you with pride in this industry should also share your thoughts about this story with the publication.

Letters can be emailed to letters@smartmoney.com or sent to Editorial Dept. – Letters to the Editor, SmartMoney magazine, 1755 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Don’t send a letter insulting or attacking the magazine or the story’s author – that’s obviously what they expect of landscape contractors. Send in a copy of your pesticide applicator’s license. Send in a list of customer referrals. Show them pictures of work you’ve done. Share a list of awards you’ve won. But most of all, prove to them that this is an industry of professionals who deserve respect.

Secondly, take a long, hard look at your company to make sure you send the right message to people who see your employees, your equipment and your work. Are your employees uniformed and presentable? Does your equipment look like something a professional uses at his trade? Do you address customers’ complaints immediately and thoroughly so that they are satisfied and impressed? Essentially, are you part of the problem or part of the solution?

We all know where opinions like those in this article come from. The author is obviously uninformed, and that’s a situation to address directly. At the same time, this article is a reminder that the great strides we’ve made improving professionalism in this industry haven’t brought us to the finish line yet.

The author is Editor of Lawn and Landscape magazine and can be reached at bwest@lawnandlandscape.com.