Congratulations to David Bowser, owner of Woodlawn Landscaping and Nursery in Chadds Ford, PA, for this successful placement in Lawn & Landscape—a magazine that caters to the U.S. lawn and landscaping service industry.
His comments on hardscaping trends in the landscaping industry will be made available in the June 2013 issue of Lawn & Landscape, which reaches an average of 74,042 national subscribers.
You can also find the article online by clicking here.
Rock on!
by Heather Tunstall – July 3, 2013
Summer is the time for stargazing, cookouts, entertaining guests, relaxing outside and enjoying warm weather, and you are in charge of making sure your customers have a nice space to enable those indulgences. The work you put into their yard creates an atmosphere for your customers to appreciate nature. Occasionally, you may have a customer who’s interested in adding an entire outdoor room—and it pays to be prepared for that.
Lawn & Landscape’s Grow the Market research found that 21 percent of consumers surveyed have done a major hardscape project in the last five years. Another 17 percent are planning on doing a major hardscape project in the next two years. The biggest motivation? Their ability to enjoy their outdoor space.
Find the why.
It’s not as easy as just pitching a project to one of your clients. Major hardscaping projects are large investments for consumers, costing anywhere from $10,000 to $400,000, and they often come with a healthy dose of sticker-shock. Knowing which clients are likely to make this sort of purchase – and why – is more of a listening exercise than anything.
“A lot of times, the customers are looking for a problem solved or an outdoor living solution,” says Dave Bowser, owner of Woodlawn Landscaping and Nursery, Chadds Ford, Pa. “Some of them call and say they want an outdoor kitchen. Most of them, when they see the price of that, decide on something less than that.”
Bowser says he works with clients by first asking how they plan to use the outdoor living space. Is it for entertaining? What are the traffic patterns? What are they trying to accomplish?
“It’s always about understanding what the customer need is and what’s going to fit that need. Sometimes hardscaping fits that need, sometimes it doesn’t,” he says. “But it’s certainly a tool that you should have in your bag when you’re out there working with the customers. If you’re not offering hardscaping, you’re probably missing out on some opportunities.”
For a round-up of the latest in the hardscape market, visit lawnandlandscape.com, click current issue and look for the web extra section.
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About Woodlawn Landscaping & Nursery
Woodlawn Landscaping & Nursery is a full-service landscape, garden, and design company that offers the largest selection of locally grown flowers, shrubs, and large trees in Chester County. With design centers and nurseries in Chadds Ford and Malvern, Woodlawn has been providing residential and corporate landscaping services in Chester, Delaware, and New Castle Counties since 1975. For more information, please visit www.woodlawnnursery.com.
Yasheaka Oakley Owens
Yasheaka Oakley Owens is the owner of YOakleyPR, a woman-owned small business that provides public relations, social media, and online marketing support services to small businesses and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and Delaware.
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