Y “How to Beat an Old Adversary” continued from p.19
renovated several roof top gardens and we focus heavily on assisting our clients with water conservation. Two of our crews are also equipped with solar-powered charging stations so they can operate quieter battery- powered mowers and hand-held equipment.” Triplett sees this market as less of a niche and more of an extension of the values of the HOA clients his com- pany has been nurturing for years. “This continues to be an extremely competitive market because most HOA boards and property managers are responsible with their budgets and seek value through the bidding process. That requires us to be num- bers driven to a point, but not at the expense of providing quality work.” Competing successfully for Willa- mette Landscape Services means stay- ing true to its horticulture principles, doing good work, and taking care of its customers, of which they have many among its 184 HOA accounts. Said Triplett, “If the numbers don’t add up, we try to find a way to make them work without compromising value or standards. If we can’t, there’s always someone who will do the job for less at a lower service level.” Like Halla and other NALP members, being competitive for Triplett and company owner Randy McManus re- quires having the right people on the front line. That’s no small task today
Y “From the Hill” continued from p.28
interests of landscape professionals in the hearing room itself. Unlike on local issues, NALP has the ability to track legislation in all states. Currently, we track a myriad of topics in all 50 states. So odds are we are already aware of any state issue that holds the potential to impact our members. Instead, if the issue is occurring in the state legislature your best bet is to seek out local allies such as a state associa- tion related to landscape professionals. Find out if they have an action alert list
when labor is the industry’s number one challenge. “We have nearly 80 amazing people working for us in the off-season, and many have been with us for 10 years
COMPETING SUCCESSFULLY FOR WILLAMETTE LANDSCAPE SERVICES
MEANS STAYING TRUE TO ITS
HORTICULTURE PRINCIPLES, DOING GOOD WORK, AND
TAKING CARE OF ITS CUSTOMERS, OF WHICH THEY HAVE MANY AMONG ITS 184 HOA ACCOUNTS.
and if they do sign up for it. This will al- low them to contact you when action is needed on a given issue. Also, find out if they have a legislative day event and if they do try to attend. A large turnout for a legislative event is crucial, and the importance of strong member partic- ipation cannot be overemphasized. When a state association can organize for large numbers of members to walk the halls of the statehouse, legislators take notice. This, in turn, will give the state organization greater influence during the year that can be used to advance its advocacy agenda.
or more,” Triplett noted. “Our staff understands the complexities of our market, love working with plants, and appreciate our focus to perform great work. We reciprocate by offering them an industry-leading benefits package and keep their jobs both fulfilling and fun.”
SO HOW DOES ONE COMPETE, TODAY? Markets vary and competing in them requires companies to be able to adapt. In price-driven or commodity markets they can either try to com- pete on price or choose, instead, to wait out the competition. In markets where customers are more selective, price often plays second fiddle to quality and service, but usually not at the expense of value. Thanks in large part to the Great Recession, customers expect, even demand value for their dollar. So maybe you can’t compete on price or maybe you can’t offer the type and quality of service that some of the most selective customers want. But what you can do, according to the above landscape professionals, is know your cost of doing busi- ness, match your customers to your strengths, and have the resources in place to deliver top quality that’s affordable (profitable) for you and valuable to them. 7
So to sum it up, strong member par- ticipation can literally be the difference between success and failure on any giv- en issue. When NALP members take an active part in our government relations activities elected leaders take notice and the profession is enhanced. If you don’t get involved, the opposite can occur. The influence of landscape professionals can be serious- ly marginalized and others who are not sympathetic to the profession have an opportunity to plead their case. 7
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LANDSCAPE PROFESSIONALS 37
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