IRRIGATION: Information is Power

With Florida and much of the Southeast in a drought, unruly irrigation systems that spray down sidewalks are no longer acceptable. Water restrictions are a reality, and in many cases, landscapes are suffering as a result.
 
But they don’t have to suffer, says Craig Borglum, owner of IrrigationRepair.com, an Orlando area irrigation installation and maintenance firm. Well-informed customers understand that efficient irrigation systems can get the job done within the constraints of many areas’ water restrictions. And when well educated, well trained irrigation professionals deliver healthy plants with efficient irrigation systems, it’s better for the entire green industry.
 
“If you’re only allowed to water one day a week, you’re going to need a more efficient system than if you could just blast water all over your yard anytime you wanted to,” Borglum says. “[Water restrictions] are going to require contractors who are more educated to install better systems so that they use less water while still doing an adequate job of providing water to plants.”
 
Borglum, a 30-year-veteran of the irrigation industry who holds Irrigation Association certifications in contracting, design and auditing, is dedicated to educating both contractors and homeowners though various mediums about how they can do their part.

INFORMING CLIENTS. Borglum is a fan of creating informed consumers. “I like to empower homeowners with information so they can do some things themselves,” he says, referring to adjusting controllers and sprinkler heads and making minor repairs. “When you do that, and then they have a more difficult problem and need a repair technician, you’ll be the person they go to.”
 
Several years ago, Borglum produced a how-to irrigation repair DVD to foster homeowner education. But more recently, he realized there weren’t enough easily accessible resources out there about irrigation repair for homeowners or green industry professionals, so he decided to provide more information on his Web site through a blog and expert articles.
 
This summer, after becoming a partner in the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program, a consumer awareness initiative, he conducted a series of free local seminars to spread his water-saving message. “I think people need to be aware of just how critical the water resources are becoming,” he says. “That’s why the WaterSense program is a great idea, because irrigation is definitely moving toward, ‘How do we do more with less?’ We can’t be watering sidewalks or spraying water all over the place any time we want anymore. Even if water was cheap, it’s still going to go away.”
 
Borglum posted videos of these seminars on his company’s Web site, as well. With the advent of broadband Internet, so many people are searching for videos, how-to information and answers online, he says, pointing to the overwhelming success of YouTube. Though Borglum says it’s difficult to quantify just how much, he knows all of his Web efforts – the blog, seminars and video – drive business. “It just makes you an authority on what you’re speaking about and it makes people more comfortable about calling you up for repairs,” he says. “They can check you out online before they pick up the phone. That’s the greatest advantage to having a good online presence.” About 50 percent of Borglum’s customers have visited his Web site before hiring him, he says, crediting his strong search engine results (see “DIY SEO” on page 80).
  
EDUCATING PEERS. Borglum’s biggest education undertaking yet is a new Web site, www.irrigationTV.com – what he calls “the YouTube for irrigation.” In addition to how-to videos for homeowners, the site has a portal for landscape and irrigation professionals. Some features are free; others are subscription-based. Daily, monthly and annual memberships are available.
 
The site may be of particular interest to lawn maintenance professionals who are looking to add irrigation repair to their businesses, as the professional videos are aimed at both the technical side and the business side of irrigation repair.
 
“Everything these days is about accessing information instantaneously, and I’m trying to be on the front end of that for the irrigation industry,” Borglum says. As such, he envisions irrigation professionals calling up the troubleshooting videos on their Internet-ready smartphones while they’re on the job site.
 
The site’s business-related videos teach Borglum’s pricing model, the gist of which is avoiding a simple “labor plus materials” price structure. 
 
“Are you making $100-plus per man hour?” a teaser on the site touts. “If you’re not making this kind of cash, than you have come to the right place.”
 
Irrigation maintenance profits lie in the labor charge, Borglum notes. Over the years, he’s learned that charging flat-rate repair fees is more appealing to customers. “If you tell customers you’re going to charge them $70 an hour plus parts, they think that’s a lot of money because they’re not in business,” he says. Instead, he advises contractors to charge flat rates for the repairs they need. “You just tell them flat out that to replace a rotor it’s $40, parts and labor included, to replace this pipe will cost $50, parts and labor included. People seem to like that better than if you just tell them it’s $85 an hour plus parts.”
 
Borglum came to his prices after a summer of conducting time trials. After defining production rates he was comfortable with and knowing he needs to make $100 an hour to be profitable, he was able to determine a fixed price for each service. He added a buffer of about 10 percent and adjusts his prices as needed.