{"id":802,"date":"2017-10-09T07:30:55","date_gmt":"2017-10-09T07:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/?p=802"},"modified":"2024-02-07T13:36:58","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T18:36:58","slug":"diversification-is-key-to-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/diversification-is-key-to-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Diversification is key to success!"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re reading this, chances are you are involved as a contractor in the Green Industry, whether it\u2019s with plants, pavers, ponds, designs, lighting, or maintenance.<\/p>\n

The big question is: Do you do only one aspect of the industry, or do you do many? During my tenure here at Christensen\u2019s, I\u2019ve seen companies come and go, often because they would only focus on one area. Times have changed, and big, easy planting jobs don\u2019t come around as often as they used to – and there\u2019s a lot of competition out there, more than ever since the mid 90\u2019s.<\/p>\n

This is where diversification comes in, and chances are that you\u2019ve already been doing it.<\/p>\n

An easy one is adding landscape lighting to your planting or hardscaping jobs. If you missed my two-part video on how to install lighting, you can catch up here<\/a>. Keep in mind that you don\u2019t have to sell a whole new job – lighting is the perfect second-stage enhancement for an earlier project.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lighting aside, let\u2019s try something different. When trees, shrubs, and perennials get planted early in the season, many contractors apply fertilizers or soil amendments. How about promoting a fall fertilization program?Fall is an excellent time to fertilize, even better than planting time. Established plants benefit as well, so don\u2019t overlook customers from previous seasons. Mix in some granular organic fertilizers, such as the Tone series or Florikote slow release blends, and work it into the soil before it freezes. It\u2019s a low-impact job your crew can manage in between fall cleanups.<\/p>\n

Everyone knows about pavers, but some feel that they wouldn\u2019t know how or where to begin. DID YOU KNOW: During the winter months and in the early spring, paver supply manufacturers such as Unilock and Rosetta hold how-to instructional seminars? Another handy piece of information: The \u201cLords of Legos\u201d at the Christensen\u2019s Hardscape Center are always ready to help you with a project.<\/p>\n

Have you ever done a pond or water feature? I haven\u2019t either, but I\u2019ve always wanted to. This is another area where many folks don\u2019t know how or where to begin. Like paver manufacturers, pond supply companies like Easy Pro offer seminars and on-site installation courses to help you, wait for it\u2026 \u201cget your feet wet\u201d. If a full-bore pond isn\u2019t right for your customer, consider installing a fountain or waterfall, which we carry a variety of. These are less time consuming, pumps run off of a standard 3-prong outlet, and the impact of such a focal point will definitely create a buzz amongst the neighbors. And seeing as you\u2019re already in the subdivision, chances are you\u2019ll pick up those jobs, and you can keep moving down the street. Not bad!<\/p>\n

\"waterfall\"\"Help<\/p>\n

I have one more tidbit to keep in mind. I look at the Green Industry as a large fraternity\/sorority. What does this mean? It\u2019s always a good business tactic to keep up with your contacts and networking, because chances are you will come across another company that specializes in a field that you may be new to, or that you could subcontract on a project if you don\u2019t have the time available on the work schedule.<\/p>\n

Here are some examples:Customer: \u201cCan you do this?\u201dContractor: \u201cNo, but I know a guy that can!\u201d. OrContractor 1: \u201cMy skid loader just tanked on a weeklong project!\u201dContractor 2: \u201cI can lend you mine for $XYZ a day so you can finish\u201d.<\/p>\n

We all battle the elements and obstacles associated with this industry, and everyone needs a little help from time to time. Knowing \u201ca guy\u201d that can fill the void when we\u2019re in a pinch can make all the difference.<\/p>\n

These are some suggestions of ways you can diversify your business, and there is still time to put them in motion yet this season. We want to see you succeed and grow your company year after year and are here to help you out as much as we can along the way.<\/p>\n

\"David<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re reading this, chances are you are involved as a contractor in the Green Industry, whether it\u2019s with plants, pavers, ponds, designs, lighting, or maintenance. The big question is: Do you do only one aspect of the industry, or do you do many? During my tenure here at Christensen\u2019s, I\u2019ve seen companies come and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":816,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,13,4,22,7,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-802","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-88","category-business-tips","category-hardscape","category-landscaping","category-lighting","category-water-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=802"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8079,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802\/revisions\/8079"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christensensplantcenter.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}