KICKER
FROM THE EDITOR
This July, celebrate Smart Irrigation Month by taking the time to help your clients see the same value in effective water management that you do.
The business & technology magazine for contractors
Irrigation & Lighting is published quarterly by:
8280 Willow Oaks Corporate Dr., Ste. 630 Fairfax, VA 22031-4511 Tel 703.536.7080 | Fax 703.536.7019
info@irrigationandlighting.org irrigationandlighting.org
Publisher Natasha L. Rankin, MBA, CAE
Kyle Brown Show your value T
here’s no question that word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most powerful tools for irrigation professionals trying to build their business. When it works well,
a satisfied customer shares their positive experience with your company with a neighbor or friend and the reach of your market share expands out like ripples from a stone thrown in a pond. I’d like to challenge this idea that just having a
happy customer talking about your company is the best-case scenario. It’s fine that they’re saying any- thing about your work, but have you thought about the actual content of what they’re sharing? What if they were talking about the value of what your dedication to efficient water use does for them? Te theme of this year’s Smart Irrigation Month
is “What’s the value of smart irrigation?” Tis July, I’d encourage you to think about that question in earnest and about how you share that value with your clients. Do they know what effective irriga- tion practices look like? Have they seen how much you’re able to save them thanks to your expertise? Many of your clients probably have not thought about the power of irrigation for even a minute outside of your time spent with them. For most outside the industry, it’s just the familiar kick of a sprinkler whirring in the morning as they pull out of the driveway and a regular bill they receive both from you and the water provider. What if, instead, they also thought about it when they head out into the backyard of healthy,
green grass to play with their kids after work? Or while sitting on the deck with their partner late into the evening while looking over a vibrant landscape? What if they saw the value of smart irrigation in money saved every month, which can then be used to help fund that family vaca- tion they’ve been planning? Or recognized it in the responsible use of a limited resource, giving them the ability to impact their community in a positive way? You see all of these benefits because you can’t
help it. You think about irrigation every day. Tis July, celebrate Smart Irrigation Month by taking the time to help your clients see the same value in effective water management that you do. One easy way to do that is by participating in
Technology Tuesday on July 11 when industry professionals wear blue to raise awareness for smart irrigation and share selfies of you and your crew on social media using the #SmartIrrigationMonth hashtag. Visit
smartirrigationmonth.org to find irrigation facts and materials that can be shared with clients along with downloadable social media graphics and templates. Finally, make sure to share your story and photos about the value of smart ir- rigation through the short questionnaire. Some of those responses will be shared online, giving you the chance to publicly show how important effi- cient irrigation is to you. Together, let’s get people talking about the val-
ue of smart irrigation.
Look for QR codes in our magazine to find additional exclusive content on
irrigationandlighting.org, where you can find original reporting and the latest industry news.
4 Irrigation & Lighting June 2023
Associate Publisher Trisha Klaus
Editor-in-Chief Kyle Brown 330.353.8874
kylebrown@irrigation.org
Managing Editor Anne Blankenbiller
Content Editor Luke Reynolds
IA Strategic Partnerships & Business Development Vice President Stephanie Clark 703.472.5810
stephanieclark@irrigation.org
National Sales Representatives Tom Schoen 952.905.3214
tom.schoen@
bock-assoc.com
Adam Hauptli 612.500.8275
adam.hauptli@bock-assoc.com
Creative Director Sean Burris
Database Coordinator Andreina Orozco-Rodriguez
Editorial Committee Tessa Norton, Chair Perry J. Bruggeman, CIC, CLIA, Vice Chair Alexis Deasy Michael Deo Steven M. Hohl, CID Russ Jundt Dawn Norris Ted Rightmire Richard Robinson, CLIA Mark Stuhlsatz, CIT, CLIA
Irrigation & Lighting is published quarterly by the Irrigation Association. The IA and Irrigation & Lighting are not responsible for content or opinions included in this publication. Reference in this publication to any specific commercial product or service is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the IA. Sub- scriptions are free to those who work in the landscape, irrigation and lighting industries; publisher reserves the right to determine qualification. Subscribe online at
irrigationandlighting.org/subscribe. Those who do not qualify can subscribe by paying the one-year subscrip- tion fee of $20 ($35/year international rate).
ISSN 2771-8263 (print) | ISSN 2771-8271 (online)
Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be produced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: Irrigation & Lighting, 8280 Willow Oaks Corporate Dr., Ste. 630, Fairfax, VA 22031.
irrigationandlighting.org
Photo: Nikki Avramovich
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