Service Exploration

Expanding into new territory can be an uphill battle. Venturing into the unknown means leaving the familiar behind and tackling unexpected challenges with gusto. Although the path of least resistance might be the attractive choice, traveling in a new direction can ultimately broaden horizons and create new opportunities.

Tackling new service options is one form of exploration, allowing contractors to expand their industry knowledge and extend a full-service package that epitomizes the meaning of one-stop shop. As one of these valuable add-ons, irrigation services complement landscape installation and design with the water resources that keep clients’ yards healthy.

In addition, including irrigation system installation and maintenance in the current lineup simplifies clients’ search for landscaping services. “People are looking to just make one phone call, and that’s one of the reasons we picked up irrigation services,” said Joe Goetz, president, Goetz Landscaping and Irrigation, Centerville, Minn.

Exploring uncharted waters usually means encountering a few obstacles along the way. However, contractors looking to incorporate irrigation can do so confidently with a little planning, experience and a taste for adventure.

BON VOYAGE. Stephen Nagle, president, Personal Touch Landscape and Irrigation, Destin, Fla., said that for him, venturing toward irrigation was simply “a matter of necessity.” “Because of what the customers’ needs were, they wanted to deal with a company that did both irrigation and landscaping,” he said. “The customer dictated the decision, and we’ve lost jobs before due to not offering all the services they want. We can make it simple for them.” When debating which irrigation components to offer – installation, maintenance, repair or all three – a decision usually comes down to what is most profitable, Goetz related. Thorough, detailed installation may initially establish the company’s reputation, he said. Yet, the resulting services prove to be more profitable, since installation alone requires significant investment in equipment and parts. “Installation itself does not offer a good margin, unless you offer service after that,” he said.

“It’s pretty cutthroat if you just do installation – it’s better to have that as an added service for customers where you’re already in charge of their landscaping projects.”

For the contractor hoping to build client relationships while maintaining a financial balance, maintenance is an attractive stepping stone toward full-service, said Robert Kinnucan, president, Kinnucan Co., Lake Bluff, Ill. “Maintenance is a great opportunity to engender some client loyalty,” he said. “It enhances your menu of services and also allows you to get your feet wet, literally, with how it’s going to work while you’re able to minimize the capital outlay.”

Maintaining older irrigation systems can create systematic headaches – particularly when other companies performed the installation – and oftentimes companies will automatically inherit properties with antiquated systems that necessitate updating, Kinnucan stated. “We would prefer to only service what we installed, however, it doesn’t work out that way,” he admitted. “Some old systems are nightmares because you have no records of where everything is, and you have to go out and search around and find the system.”

However, Kinnucan has learned from these frustrating experiences. He now keeps accurate records of every system his company installs so he doesn’t run into similar confusions when repairing and maintaining systems. “We try to create a record base of where everything is – how many zones, how many heads, etc. – and keep a database for each client’s irrigation system,” he described. “We even write down a detailed turn-on/turn-off system.”

Nagle said dealing with outdated systems pays off in the end if clients learn the value of quality. “If you educate customers on what your service is compared with what they already have, it’s profitable.”

Irrigation service mix decisions also require evaluating staff knowledge about installing, servicing and repairing irrigation systems. Exploration is one thing, but setting off without a map can be disastrous, Goetz related. “You can know everything about landscaping, but if you don’t have technical expertise for doing irrigation, it’s much harder to get that to grow,” he said. “You really have to find key people to do that and that want to do that, if you don’t have the expertise yourself.”

Also, customers who already used top-notch landscape services will expect the same quality with irrigation installation and maintenance, Nagle explained. “When you’re looking to add irrigation as another service, you want it to be comparable to maintenance services,” he said. “If maintenance is high-level, you want to keep irrigation at the same level, so it’s a challenge to find people that are educated enough to bring on to your team.”

Education can begin with training sessions offered by industry associations, Kinnucan pointed out. “We typically send people to the irrigation training seminars sponsored by the Irrigation Association (IA),” he said. Nagle also sends employees to IA events to heighten their irrigation awareness. “They learn about everything from hiring people to networking to finding the right questions to ask to training, and even information on setting up vehicles,” he listed.

Jeff Kaufmann, owner, Jake’s Lawn Care and Irrigation, Fort Worth, Texas, highlighted the importance of proper licensing before agreeing to offer clients irrigation choices. “The first thing employees need to do is become licensed and that’s going to require some schooling,” he said. Irrigation licensing then amplifies the company’s professionalism and hones employees’ knowledge of installation, repair and general business sense.

Even though planning irrigation networks and syncing them with current landscaping elements can begin with training, licensing and trade show sessions, true education ultimately must happen in the field, noted Sidney Showalter, owner, Showalter Landscaping & Irrigation, Naples, Fla. “You have to have someone who’s very knowledgeable about irrigation, and that just comes from time in the saddle,” he said. “Our employees get hands-on training because we’re right there beside them and we watch them until they know what they’re doing.” In addition, finding and keeping good employees is also a key ingredient to service expansion, so Showalter emphasizes fair employee treatment to minimize turnover.

Of course, in some parts of the country, irrigation peak season is only a few months long. Thus, retaining skilled irrigation employees means allocating their labor toward other parts of the business in the off-season, Kinnucan noted. “What we try to do is integrate our irrigation people into other divisions and look for people that can fill dual roles,” he said. “For example, we put them in the snow division or the holiday lighting division during the winter.”

Kinnucan added that he usually trains current landscape construction employees as irrigation technicians, since they have other services to fall back on when the irrigation season ends.

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ARE YOU PREPARED? Once crews have brushed up on irrigation know-how, contractors need to ready their operation for the venture. This preparation requires tweaking equipment budgets accordingly for new purchases, Goetz reminded. “One of the keyngredients to starting in irrigation is a vibratory plow or something that will plow the system into the ground,” he said. Although other irrigation system components are inexpensive, the plow is an investment, costing from $15,000 to $24,000, depending on whether the unit is new or used, he added.

In the early stages of service expansion, keep costs low by renting equipment instead of tying up capital with machinery costs, Kinnucan continued. “Oftentimes we just rent trenchers. We don’t have large amounts of money tied up in plows and trenchers and we always have access to new equipment.” Nagle reminded contractors to check that their trucks and trailers can accommodate large machinery such as trenchers.

If purchasing a vibratory plow or trencher seems unrealistic, contractors always can purchase a trenching attachment for a skid steer loader or compact utility loader, offering the ability to expand without the major cost setback, Goetz continued.

Of course, contractors must also have plenty of fittings, spray heads, controllers and other irrigation gadgets and gizmos on hand. Quality parts and equipment begin with dealer and vendor relationships, Nagle remarked. “I’ve always said three things that keep us going back to the same dealer: communication, price and education,” he identified. “Sometimes you get yourself in a bind, and end up with a dealer that only delivers at certain times of the day, etc. You have to form a relationship.”

In addition, mutually respectful vendor relationships ensure contractors will receive high-quality equipment and products on a timely basis, Goetz added.

To avoid overwhelming cash outlets when starting the new division, Kinnucan suggested growing the division slowly, picking up new accounts here and there so the division can eventually support itself. And, as companies begin locking in irrigation accounts, referrals will grow the division on a slow, yet dependable, basis, Kaufmann said. “Usually if you put in a system, you get a referral, and if you put a sign in the yard, you’ll get two more people, and so on.”

Exploring irrigation thus requires a balance of investment, education and the ability to ride out the highs and lows, Kinnucan said. “When you have the system working, you’re a hero, and when it’s not, you’re the villain,” he compared. “But customers are looking for service convenience, and including irrigation means one call does it all.”

The author is Assistant Editor – Internet of Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at kmohn@lawnandlandscape.com.