When we ’scapers first heard about “Green” Buildings, we thought the word “green” referred to plants, live beautiful plants. Oh, how disappointed we were. “Green” is architectural speak for how Environmentally correct a product is.

Is the carpet recyclable? How much? Are there off gases? To be included in a Certified Green Building every product, every system is evaluated and rated. And the plants? Well, they sort of got lost in the shuffle.

The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow
OK. So Interiorscapers are not a major player for this newest of building dictates. The future is still up for grabs for creating a way, a method, a new product offering to fit the constraints. Plants At Work is trying, some of the larger individual firms are trying.

Its time for all of us to come up with suggestions. Drop me a comment and let me know your thoughts.

We hear from ’scapers cross the country that new jobs are smaller and fewer, some existing clients are cutting service due to budget constraints, and some interiorscape companies are trying to make up the shortfall by aggressively going after other companies accounts.”  Terrific”, you say. “Thanks, Barb for starting my day on that depressing note!”.

Turn Gloom Into Bloom
Well, cheer up! Identifying the problem is one third of the battle, the second part is planning a coping strategy, and the final third is implementing that strategy. Let’s start with new jobs. Where are you looking for them? It just may be that the methods you’ve used until now were sufficient to keep your company busy while we were in a boom economy, but now that “pie” is smaller.

New To You
Guess what? It’s time to look in new places for new work and not just new construction. What about all those businesses moving from one building to another? How do you find out about these “hidden” potential jobs? Well, start by making a list of all the entities in your market that have anything to do with office space whether it is moving stuff to, selling furniture for, designing the space or leasing space. This would include:

• Office Furnishing Companies - These people know who’s building and, just as important, who’s moving (moves mean new configuration, new opportunities).
• Office Furniture/Equipment Movers - Often these people know more than anyone else about whose taking new space.
• Interior Designers - particularly those who provide service for the client segment you’re most interested in be it commercial (office) or residential.
• Property Managers - usually these people are part of a larger entity that has many other property managers and each manages multiple properties. Set up a meeting with a property manager you are currently working with. Ask for the work - more properties, introduction to their fellow property managers - you get the idea.

Build Your “New” Network
By contacting these people for help in general and not necessarily specific projects, you’ve made them part of your company network. You’ve asked them, “How do I grow my businessâ€?? 

All It Takes Is One Yes
Some will blow you off, some just won’t have time, but others (more than you think) will take you seriously and provide leads or advice that will point you toward jobs you didn’t even know existed. Follow up and see where it gets you and don’t forget a handwritten note or small blooming plant as a thank you to those contacts that respond.

Home Sweet Home
Most interiorscape companies count a least a few high-end residential accounts among their client list and, for some, residential work is their primary bread and butter.  Entry into this market is usually effected by doing model homes or working with residential interior designers.  However, because there are always many ways to skin a cat there are some other ways to get residential work that you might not have thought about.

Gated Communities – Often groups of homes function under the aegis of a homeowners association or property management firm.  Consider contacting these entities to see if you can become the officially approved interiorscape services provider for that community.  Maybe you can provide plants and/or service for the clubhouse or their sales office at a reduced fee and, for that, you get a list of residents and permission to contact them. 

It is, literally, a foot in the door or, in this case, a foot in the gate.  I would even consider making a short presentation at the annual Homeowners Society Meeting (bring the cookies and punch) just to make a pitch about how talented, reliable, security conscious my company is.

Time Share Properties – Again the sales office is the contact point.  See above for strategy.

Existing Residential Clients As References – If you are already doing work for a couple of residents in a given area, maybe they will put in writing their recommendation and permission for you to mail a one page marketing piece to their neighbors.  At the very least, you might consider a flyer that can be left at the door or mailbox.  Always check to make sure this is permitted.

Think Outside the Box – Don’t limit your services to inside the home.  Pools, patios, and front entrances are great locations for our brand of “instant gratification� using plants and containerized blooming.  Sometimes these are only for the season, sometimes year round.  It all depends on the climate but these are definitely services high-end homeowners can use.

Light ‘em Up – And don’t forget the Holidays.  Inside with gorgeous trees, garland and wreaths – outside with Holiday lighting – market your full range of services.

Lots of people give you lists of “What to do”. How ‘bout if I give you “What Not To Do” for Holiday Sales. Here, in no particular order, are four don’ts for the Season.

Don’t Sell a Specific Ribbon Pattern - Show the client ribbon samples but warn them that the delivered product will be the same color way, the same quality, and very close but not exact.

This avoids disappointment when the identical ribbon is not available.

Don’t Specify an Exact Time - Take a page from appliance deliveryman and other service providers, set up a “window” for delivery. Nail down the day (Tuesday), the date (the 19th) but not an exact hour. “Before noon” or “before 5″ for example, and then, if possible, have D & I confirm with the client the day before and, of course, if you’re stuck in a blizzard use your cell phone for a courtesy update.

Don’t Expect Smooth Sailing - This is a seasonal version of Murphy’s Law. If the tree stand can break, it will. In fact, have an informal, brain drain and come up with all the stuff that can go wrong and, then, plan for them. Extra lights, stands, ribbon, wire, tool kits, first aid kits, etc. should be on every van.

Don’t Sell When You Can Lease - 80+ percent of your Holiday clients repeat year after year. This makes them a “recurring” revenue client just like your ‘scaper jobs only instead of monthly, they’re yearly. That means that if you sell them décor items you get the cash infusion Year 1 but after that you just get paid for labor and storage. Not the best scenario.

Instead consider leasing. Assume your artificial greenery, trees, wreaths, etc. will last between 5-7 years, lights and ornaments will last 3 years and so on. Price to get cost of all goods, labor to fabricate, deliver, install, take down, and your cost of storage back Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, and so on. Notice that after Year 2 you’ve made as much as if you’d sold product. Year 3 you make the profit again and for every year thereafter. Yes, it takes deeper pockets but it’s well worth it in the long run.

What’s in a Word?

In any sales situation the words we choose can have tremendous effect both positively and negatively. For example, we know that in advertising words such as “free� and “immediately� are hot buttons and can greatly influence the decision-maker into buying. Keeping in mind this importance of word choice, I was particularly struck the other evening while watching one of the jewelry home shopping channels. They were selling diamond jewelry. Now for two hundred bucks you don’t get flawless white stones but I heard them describe diamonds that were non-white, beige or even brown as “Champagne� or “Cognac�. “Champagne�, “Cognac� - word choices that came across as positively desirable, not negative at all. Ooh - “Champagne� - “Cognac�. Gimme some of those.

The Right Word

In our own industry this same word spin has been used for the, dare I say it, fake/artificial foliage market. Fake is a bad choice of words as well as artificial. But years ago instead of using these negative words, someone called the product “silk�. “Silk� - luxurious, exotic, premium grade material and always placed in quotes because the materials used were not really silk at all but polyester. So from something no one would want to something desirable. This is all possible through the application of a single word. Overtime the “faux� foliage market has expanded so that now it includes trees, florals, branches and greenery and the words used to describe it include “replica� and “permanent� foliage. But long before the product got to today’s state-of-the-art level, the use of the word “silk� was absolutely pivotal for its success.

Which Would You Buy?

Now how does that apply to our main body of sales offerings - live foliage, guaranteed maintenance, and Holiday Decor? Well, one example is the use of common names versus botanical names for live plant materials. Which would you as a customer want to have in your office? A Spathyphyllum or a Peace Lily? A Dracena Marginata or a Dragon Tree? Maybe, just maybe, we shortchange our ability to sell live plants by concentrating on the horticultural sales position versus the romantic sales approach. Maybe we need to present plant material in softer phrases and put the expertise emphasis on the description of the maintenance end of it.

Practice Makes Perfect

Not a bad exercise for some driving time. Think about ways to describe your plant palette and your services in a more user-friendly manner. Try out different words. What impact does each have? It’s just likely that after you do this you’ll come up with new ways to use words in your sales presentation or feel a lot more confident keeping the old ones. And, when all else fails just remember the two magic words - “free� and “immediately�

I remember the first Holiday Party my interiorscape company, Something Different, held after two years in business.  Char, Dan and I met at the local hotel.  “Table for Three”, I said. 

Two years later it was, “Table for 6, please”.  The years went by and then it was,”We’ll take the Meeting Room for the 18 of us”. 

Are You Game?
Finally, we were of a size (32 of us) that we met at a Bowling Alley Private Dining Room.  We’d play a few games teaming up techs against sales and office, have dinner and pass out gifts. 

After a few cold drinks we’d hold the everso popular Poinsettia Basket Toss where we would take the hated plant and have a good time hurling it across the room. This after a particularly difficult Holiday Season of installations. Good Times and I truly think we all worked more easily together after that. 

Summer Lovin Had Me A Blast
It was at our Company Summer Picnics that I first realized how much we’d grown.  One of our supervisor’s parents had a farm complete with camp ground area.  We’d eat, play volleyball, eat, have a talent show, eat, and just hang out. 

Everyone was asked to bring their families, so there would be kids running around doing whatever kids do as well as the parents. 

Plantscaping Is More Than A Business
Looking over the whole gang playing and laughing, I suddenly realized that this little business, this interiorplantscape business, was putting the food on the table and  clothes on the backs of a whole bunch of people.  Who knew??

Plantscaping Memories Last A Lifetime
So whether there are three of you or thirty, start your memories now.  Twice a year have the company get together in a social setting.  Share stories, bring out photos from prior years festivities (my how little Julie has grown!) and enjoy the friuts of your labors. 

You are living the American Dream and if you are anything like 99% of the ’scapers I talk to, you love what you do.  Enjoy.

Increase Sales From Existing Clients
Most interiorscape companies count on an additional 10-15% business from clients they already have. They call  you’cause there are three new employees and they need plants. Or, they call because they are adding a new floor and….need plants. Or, and this is my personal favorite, you stop by just to make sure everything is O.K. and they say the magic words,"Oh, Barb, while you’re here….." It’s this last statement that should give us interiorscape salespeople an important clue. Don’t just wait for the client to call you. Instead, be proactive and stick your head in the door. Or, do a quick Quality Check and report to the client while you are there

. Just Showing Up Makes Sales
It’s amazing how many times they’ve been meaning to call you or you can take that opportunity to show them a container you think would work just great, say on top of the cubicles. You get the idea. Make your opportunites happen. As Woody Allen said, "Seventy percent of success in life is showing up."

Do The Unexpected
Good quality paper with your name and or company name engraved says you understand quality. Keep the message short and to the point but, oh boy, does a handwritten note say something nice about your thoughtfulness. And,oh yes,leave those adorable kitty cat cards for another time. Your stationery or notecard should convey good design and professionalism.

Recently I wrote a TOPsider E-Tip about how uniforms, logo’d shirts and so on are important for the small service business in establishing an identity.  A friend who read the E-Tip called to tell me two stories about employees wearing her company name.  The first one goes like this. 

LOOKED LIKE THE BUFFET TO ME

How great the installation team looked in their new shirts and jackets.  Sue had just received the new uniforms and was admiring them as the team, Joe and Mark, got in the truck and drove away.  They were going to a hotel to do some replacements and Sue didn’t expect them back til late in the afternoon.  But Sue’s pride soon turned to dismay when the Manager of the Hotel called.  In a very soft, sad voice he said, “Sue, I hate to bother you but we really can’t have your guys eating food off the Banquet trays”.  Yep, as the team passed by trays of food outside the Ballroom, they were grabbing food!  That was week 1. 

“IT’S JUST LUNCH”

Not even a week had passed before Sue got another shock.  She was attending a very important charity function and ran into her banker and his wife.  During a pleasant conversation, the banker’s wife said,”Sue, do you do the plants at “Sally’s Pit Stop?” Sue was taken aback.  Everyone in town knew that “Sally’s” was the notorious strip joint out by the airport.  When she answered,”No”, the banker’s wife informed her that as she passes that spot on her way home she often saw Sue’s company van complete with new brightly colored and very distinctive graphics.  Upon further investigation, Sue discovered that “Sally’s” had a “Free Lunch” every day.  “Free” if you tipped the dancers and paid for the beverages.  Turns out that Sue’s tech was stopping there fairly often and didn’t see a thing wrong with it.  Suffice it to say memos went out and warnings went into files and pages were added to the Company Manual. 

For us it’s a good laugh but these two incidents also serve as vivid reminders that when your employees are wearing company attire they have to know what the boundries are and act appropriately.  Word to the wise.

Any salesperson trying to contact a new, prospective decision-maker knows that more often than not you’ll get their voice mail. “Hi, this is Joe Don’tbotherme. I’m away from my desk right now but leave your name and number after the tone and I’ll get back to you.�? Hah! A likely story. But, obedient soul that you are you leave the asked for info. Most of the time you never get the callback. You try again a few days later. Still no callback. And so on and so on. And, over time, you’ve learned to hate the message machine.

 BIG MISTAKE
 Instead, look at the message machine as your friend. It provides you with the opportunity to get a message across without interruption. The catch is that the message you leave must engage the recipient to take action and return your call. To do that you need to leave a very clear, compelling message not just name and number

WHAT NOT TO DO
Susie Plantscaper – “Hi Joe, my name is Susie Plantscaper and I’m with Green, Green, and Green Plantscapes. We’re the biggest ‘scaping company in Oofaloofa. We’ve won 46 awards and belong to 6 associations. Here’s my name and number, please call me back so we can talk about your new office building. OR Susie Plantscaper – “Hi Joe, I’d like to submit a bid for your new office buildings plantscaping, please call me at 666-6666.�? Neither of the above take advantage of this opportunity.

GOOD, BETTER, BEST
Susie Plantscaper – “Hello Mr. Don’tbotherme. My name is Susie Plantscaper and I represent Green, Green, and Green Plantscaping. I understand from Sid Friendly Property Manager for XYZ Corporation (outside referral) that you are in charge of the interiorscaping for your new office building on Greentree Road and he suggested I call. It looks like your new building is going to be an outstanding facility and I would love to submit an innovative design that will be in keeping with your plans. I’d also like to discuss Green, Green, and Green’s format of employing only trained, security conscious employees to compliment any security measures you may be implementing. Please give me a call back so we can meet at your convenience. Again, my name is Susie Plantscaper and I would appreciate a call back at 666-6666.�? See the difference? The last call was about the client’s needs and concerns and not about how great your company is. Much more engaging. To do this it takes a plan. A written script in front of you. And it takes perseverance and fortitude. Repeated attempts until finally he calls back or you connect. This is just one strategy for dealing with answering machines. Come up with your own and, then, go for it. I’ll bet you’ll see a difference.