Excellence in Craftsmanship

Youre on your way back to the shop and you see that truck again, the Landscape King. You seem to see it everywhere, or at least everywhere youd like to put your business. What does he do that keeps his business phone ringing and his crews out landscaping some of the priciest lots in town?

Let me whisper it to you . . . excellence in craftsmanship. Dont be put off by the esoteric sound of that phrase. There are some very practical, down-to-earth ways you can develop excellence within your profession. Heres the low-down on how to bring quality to your business.

Attitude
Robert Rennebohm, a registered landscape architect, and owner of Heard Gardens, Ltd., in West Des Moines, Iowa, says the first place to start developing excellence in craftsmanship is attitude. It has to start in my office, in me, he says. The president or owner sets the corporate culture. If everything you do is of the highest quality and highest ethics, then I think the rest of the people in your business will follow that. Leading by example is crucial. For example, according to Rennebohm, if you try to cut corners around the office, your employees will pick up on that, and they, in turn, will try to do that out in the field.

This professional attitude is mirrored in part of Heard Gardens mission statement. It says that their business is dedicated to meeting our clients requirements and exceeding their expectations. Excellence is then something to strive for.

Pride
Another aspect of attitude is pride. Greg Struhl, owner of Chip-N-Dales Custom Landscaping, Las Vegas, Nevada, says pride is a great motivator. One way he instills it in his crews is by having all of his employees wear uniforms. The employees also must keep the trucks washed and tidy so that wherever the company logo appears, there will be exemplary people to represent it. Struhl also insists that the crews clean up the site every night and sweep the area when they leave. Homeowners appreciate that, he says.

He also believes that you should never start and stop a project for any length of time. His company does $25,000 to $30,000 projects which his crews can finish in about a week. His customers dont want to see their property dug up and cluttered with project materials for very long. It shows dedication and pride in your work when you finish a project in a timely fashion, and you clean up after yourself.

Struhl also advertises in magazines, not just to garner new customers but as a means to show off the work of his crews. Employees see what theyve created, he says. They are just as important to the project as the designer who drew the design.
Rennebohm agrees: his company considers everyone a professional. He doesnt even refer to his crew members as laborers. They are professionals, he says, experts in their own respective categories.

Team building
Connie Balint, owner of Buckingham Greenery, an interior landscape company in Buckingham, Virginia, tries to ensure quality in her business by building good relationships with her employees. Not only does she showcase an employee once a month on the company Web site, but she creates an atmosphere of empowerment and self-interest in the company.

Using an open book management system in her company, team members know what the financial numbers are. Everyone on the team is proactive. They understand how important every persons input is, Balint says.

"They dont want to waste money or resources. Its up to them to increase business through their innovations, and to handle customer needs efficiently and courteously. By empowering employees and developing partnerships with them, managers can increase productivity, and they will also manage less.

AAA Landscape, with locations in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, also initiated an employee stock ownership plan that encourages and rewards its employees. This is yet another way to empower employees, en-couraging them to work as a team for the benefit of the company.

Smaller crews
Struhl also suggests having smaller crews. Bigger crews dont necessarily mean better work, he says. Sometimes bigger crews can be faster, but not always. Since he has a crew supervisor present at each project, employees can get their questions answered immediately and find solutions to problems as they arise. Therefore, the crew stays focused and motivated, and quality is maintained.

Tony Bass, owner of Bass Custom Landscapes in Bonaire, Georgia, suggests that every owner or business operator needs to have contact with all of the projects his company services. That way there is consistent quality control. That doesnt mean the owner has to be out digging the holes for every tree, but he should be on top of every project.

Training
Training is vital in generating excellence in your business. There are several different ways to train your crews. Some companies do informal, on-the-job training that nurtures and mentors new employees. Others like AAA Landscape, which has more than 400 employees, have formal in-house training programs.

Michael Walter, vice president of construction for AAA Landscape, says that great training is the key to their success. His company is the only one in the industry that has instituted a state and federally accredited apprentice program. The Arizona Certified Landscape Professional Program has been in place for more than four years.
This program cross-trains employees between maintenance and construction, Walter says. We find out what they are better suited for, and then we take them through specialized education in that area. Its similar to other educational apprentice programs that have been in place for electrical workers, iron workers, or bakers. Unions used to set up apprentice programs in the old days, Walter adds. Since there are no unions in Arizona, at least for landscaping, we have taken bits and pieces from a lot of different apprentice programs and written our own curriculum, our own training. Teachers from universities and community colleges come in to help teach some of the courses the company offers.

Part of the apprentice program involves mentoring, which helps retain the employee. An experienced employee will take a new worker under his wing and work out the little nuances of the job so that the new person is very well trained and supported.
Even long-time employees like Walter, who has been with the company for 25 years, can benefit from the training. Just this summer, Walter received his Arborist Certification through this program. The top management of the company is setting the example by using the program to further their own training.

Jay Williams, co-owner of Landscape Art in Houston, Texas, stresses outside training. He encourages his employees to take classes offered by specific training organizations. For example, many of his employees are sent to take courses offered by the Texas Nursery and Landscape Association or the Irrigation Association. Its pricey for a small company, he says, but it broadens the view of the employee, and everybody with whom he shares that information. These courses may offer ways to complete jobs cheaper, faster, or better, Williams explains. Also, contact with training outside of the company shows employees that company standards come from a national body or a standard offered in the industry, not just the personal whim of the owner.

Self-Critiquing
Another tool for training and motivation is self-critiquing seminars like those Rennebohm uses at Heard Gardens. Several times a year, a completed project is chosen for all of the crew supervisors to critique. They go on-site and offer suggestions about possibly improving the way a project
was handled. Often, these sessions become a means to share how difficult problems were solved and how their solutions are maintaining the project. Theres a lot of good-natured kidding from their peers, but the crew supervisors profit from this shared learning approach.

Standardized Systems Manual
One way to create consistency in training is to develop written procedures. Judd Griggs, vice president of operations at Smallwood Design Group in Naples, Florida, says developing a standardized systems manual is essential for employee training and for company growth.

In an industry that often has a changing workforce, especially in field crews, having written instructions maintains quality and consistency. Training can lose something over time, Griggs explains. With a manual, you can always use it as a reference.
Rennebohm adds, The key is having qualified people in the right positions and making sure that they are motivated and enthusiastic. And that their objectives are clearly defined.

Consistent systems grow a business, Griggs maintains. Look at McDonalds, he says. Everywhere you go around the world, youll find the same product. Though McDonalds does tailor some food items to local tastes, as any landscape contractor would for local environmental conditions, the basic product is the same. McDonalds has grown to be the giant it is because it uses a written systems manual. You can duplicate the same quality in products and services no matter where your business is located. As you grow, Griggs says, you will need written procedures.

Educate Customers
Not only does your workforce benefit from written procedures, so do your customers. By communicating a clear understanding of what your company can and cannot do, you set expectations up front, says Bass, whose company landscapes and maintains several niches of service in middle Georgia, from very detail-oriented projects to large, less detailed ones. His written procedures are similar to company systems manuals because they describe what a lawn man does or what is meant by design (spray paint on your lawn, or digital images). Bass, though, doesnt limit access to these procedures just to employees.

As a company grows, Bass points out, one of the real barriers to growth is not having a person other than the owner write estimates. Having written company policies about the specifics of different projects allows more than one person to estimate the scope and cost of a job. That way, you dont promise something you cant deliver, Bass says.

These written policies are not in contract jargon that only a lawyer could understand. They are written in plain editorial style that is understandable by people who dont know the industry. That way, both crew and customer know what is expected at each project site.

Struhl says that customer education is also important. Informing the client of the intangibles involved in a project helps them appreciate the quality of the work youve done.

For example, this may mean explaining that his company replaces dirt in a planting hole with a specially formulated organic mix so that the plants in his area have the best possible chance of survival in the Nevada desert climate. Or, it may be explaining that special aeration tubes are standard in his companys landscape installations because they allow more nutrients to reach plants.

Quality Products
That brings us to quality products. Bill Schnetz, owner of Schnetz Landscaping in Escondido, California, says that hes not wooed by the latest sprinkler gadget or the newest lighting fixture. Im concerned about how long a product will last in the field before it needs repair, he says, and how easy it will be for my crews to operate.

Thats why he concentrates on proven, quality products and materials. I dont want my crews to have to keep a ton of different parts on their trucks, he says.

Consistency in products helps his crews maintain what they install. They know what theyre up against with a problem-solving task, Schnetz says. Because his company has a proven track record with certain products, hes been able to give some manufacturers feedback on how his crews solved specific problems.

For example, one valve had to have its rubber diaphragm replaced quite often. His crews found that if you ream out the holes in the valve at the first sign of trouble, you can increase the life of those diaphragms, instead of replacing them so often.

Struhl also encourages landscape contractors to buy the highest quality parts and materials. Dont make a big deal about the profitability factor, he says. Let the customer pay for quality. Buying the best will save the customer money in maintenance costs in the long run. It also increases your companys reputation as a quality business.

Williams company doesnt take the cheapest way either. We try to do our work the most thoughtful way, the best way, he says. And that means not sparing the cost or the labor. He is most concerned with what would work better long term, and what gives the customer the better product.

Vendor Relationships
Bass also suggests cultivating a good working relationship with product vendors. They understand what products are available and how they can suit your companys needs. A long-term relationship also allows vendors to see how you use specific products and offer suggestions for better ones.

Customer Service and Communication
Finally, the last way to foster excellence in your company is through thoughtful and respectful treatment of your customers. Balints company prides itself on its fast response time to customers concerns. Within fifteen minutes of receiving a call, her team meets to determine how fast to respond to the customers concern, and when. They call the client immediately and tell him what they will do and when. There is a follow-up call later, after the problem is taken care of, to be sure the client is satisfied. A similar method could be used for any size company, but perhaps with a longer response time. That first call is important because it tells the client that the problem is being given thought, and that the client hasnt been forgotten. This will soothe even the most unhappy customer.

Conclusion
Here is excellence in craftsmanship in a nutshell. Train your employees well, using a standardized training manual or a formal program. Treat them with respect and build a team. Take pride in the work you do. Buy quality, long-lasting equipment and parts and establish a good relationship with your vendors. Have a standardized systems manual so everyone knows who does what, and what that what is. Communicate with your customers and treat them well.

By implementing these techniques, you will improve the quality of your business and create a more effective and loyal crew. You may even generate repeat business and allow your company to grow. Who knows, it may just be your truck every other landscape contractor sees and wonders what youre doing to have such a sought-after business.

February 2002