PROFESSIONAL LANDSCAPE DESIGN: Consultative Selling

All sales professionals welcome referrals and repeat business. Qualified leads, little effort. What more could they ask for?
 
That’s why in commercial landscape design/build sales, relationships are everything, says John Barringer, president of Barringer & Barringer, a Charlotte, N.C.-based landscape design/build and maintenance firm that prides itself on repeat business from major institutions like hospitals and museums.
 
Unlike residential projects, where designers typically deal with two decision makers (husband and wife), contractors designing commercial projects usually have one point of contact. There’s a small chance they’ll deal with an owner or board member but, likely, the details of a design/build project have been delegated down the chain of command to a manager. This person must get the  job done right, on time and on budget.
 
In this case, design and sales professionals should strive to make their commercial contacts look good. Return all messages promptly so they can report to their bosses on time. Educate them on achieving the look they’re after within codes and regulations and, most importantly, help them hit their budgets.
 
And when the time comes for another design/build project or the contact knows of a colleague who’s been assigned a similar task, who will reap the reward of referrals? The sales and design professional who made them look good. Hopefully, it’s you.

GIVE THEM WHAT THEY NEED. “Many independent landscape architects will have a plan the client likes, but it will be way over budget, which is frustrating,” says Gary Mallory, president of Heads Up Landscape Contractors, Albuquerque, N.M. “It needs to look great and be creative, but you have to balance their budget and get it approved for them.”
 
HULC, which employs licensed landscape architects, has created a niche by capitalizing on these challenges. “You have to provide strong plans, on budget, in short time periods, ready for approval,” says Mallory, citing his company’s commercial design/build philosophy. More than 90 percent of HULC’s construction division work comes from design/build jobs for developers, general contractors, architects and homeowners’ associations.
 
Because many commercial clients require work to be completed as soon as possible, a quick design process is imperative. In Albuquerque, where landscape plans require city approval, HULC has studied the codes in addition to forging relationships within the local government to expedite the process.
 
“Our goal is to really turn projects around,” Mallory says. “In as short as a week they can have a set of plans.”
 
HULC’s emphasis on timeliness often affects what materials its designers will specify. “We design in things we know we can get right away – not something with a 12-week lead time,” Mallory says, naming plant material and lighting components as two products in particular HULC is careful about. Companies can build this strategy over time by sending designers to vendor training sessions to create relationships and find out which materials are readily available.  In addition, HULC, a $14.2-million firm, has gotten to the size and volume where suppliers will stock materials for them.
 
Unlike residential projects, which require more emotional appeal and many meetings, commercial design/build can usually be sold with one or two client meetings and rigorous e-mail exchanging. “On commercial jobs, typically you meet there, take drawings and then do a lot of e-mailing back and forth,” Barringer says. He stresses that business-to-business sales and design professionals should take a diplomatic approach, educating clients first and foremost and allowing them to ask questions. “You want to always give them the opportunity to feel like their question is important.”
 
However, it’s equally important to be assertive and gather the information you need to prepare a plan as soon as possible. “Don’t be afraid to ask, ‘What are you allowed to spend on this?’” Barringer says. “You can ferret that out in a diplomatic way. Time is money in design.”
 
The need for a quick exchange is one reason many commercial contractors prefer CAD drawings to hand-drawn designs. “Frequently in commercial, clients will e-mail us site and grading plans, we’ll begin working on a design and send it to them for review,” Mallory says. “It’s much easier to do revisions with CAD, and it’s a much more interactive design process.”
 
Also, commercial clients may not value color renderings like homeowners do. “With commercial design, you frequently don’t need to hand-color the designs because the client is used to looking at plans all day long,” Mallory says. “We might do artistic, hand-colored renderings for public meetings.”
 
Commercial design/build contractors have discovered that presentation of the cost is usually what matters most. “We get a lot of compliments on the way our proposals are presented and broken down,” says John Biehler, co-owner of Suburban Landscape Management, Wichita, Kan. “We try to make it easy for customers to compare because we’re not trying to hide anything.” His company provides detailed proposals that break down each aspect of a job, including component/materials prices, labor costs and warranty/guarantee information, in an easy-to-read format.  The packet is presented in a three-ring binder, along with color copies of all plant material, hardscape and decorative elements and general company marketing pieces, including references.
 
While all of these pieces contribute to success in commercial design/build sales, contractors say providing clients with timely information is the key to closing sales and keeping customers coming back.
 
“Respect the people you’re dealing with, give them the information they’re seeking and respond appropriately,” Barringer says. “Make them look good.”
 
Sales professionals should aim to serve as a resource, rather than simply a salesperson, Barringer says. “You’re trying to make sure the person has the information they need. That’s what success is and what will make them trust you and go with you nine times out of 10.”