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Survey Questions

In my e-zine,  I'm including short survey questions. If there is something you want to know, please share below! 

Thanks.

Details, Details

Landscape Designers work all kinds of different ways. Some are design only, some design/ build. Some deal with all kinds of hardscapes, grading and drainage, and others stick to plants.

I'm interested in how you handle the details in your designs. I'm not talking about notes on plans, but specifically "how to build it" details. Please take 12 seconds and fill this out. I'll post the results when I get enough responses. Thanks!

Teleseminar

On September 23 and 24, I participated in a teleseminar hosted by Chris Heiler of LandscapeLeadership.com. If you are interested in downloading the recordings, click here. It was an interesting experience and an opportunity to meet Jeffrey Scott. Our topic for the first night was "Understanding The Value of Design." The second night was entitled "Surviving in a Struggling Economy."

Over the course of the two nights we discussed a number of things. One that is a hot spot for many landscape designers is that of charging design fees. Can you charge them? How much? Do you rebate? All tough questions with no black and white answers.

For the majority of my professional life, I have charged a pretty healthy design fee, at least compared with other design/build companies. But it was never enough to fully cover the time spent. We never rebated. It's a matter of principle. But it's also more complicated than that. It will take several blog entries to cover.

As a small company, doing fairly complicated projects, we couldn't whip out a decent design in an hour or two. When you have 30, 40, 50, 60 or more hours in a design, you can't afford to give it away. But how much can you charge? That's a tough one. If you are design/build, the goal is to build it. There is a pain threshold that cannot be ignored. If you do, sure, you may get your design fee, but you may alienate the client and lose the installation. At least that's the way I view it.

It's not a black and white issue, and there are some creative ways to go about putting a value on your time, getting a commitment from your client, and maintaining a professional image. More later.

A Nice Honor

I'll be reviewing the APLD Conference I attended a couple weeks ago in my EZine in another week or so, but thought I'd share this now. At the conference, 11 colleagues and I were granted Fellowship by the organization.

I am honored and proud to be among only 12 Fellows of APLD. Following is an excerpt from the official Press Release:

Those individuals who qualify for Fellowship status must demonstrate mastery of design in significant works which have advanced the art, stewardship and social responsibility of landscape design; exemplary leadership of people and programs that have had a significant effect on advancing the practice of landscape design; and knowledge that advances landscape design to both the industry and consumers.

Also honored that day were friends I've made through APLD over the years, all whom I respect tremendously.

In the photo, from left to right, are Bobbie Schwartz, Deanna Pillarelli, Judy DePue, Me, Gerry Crouch, Donna Swansen, Robin Williams, Linda Engstrom, Pat Ouderkirk and Peggy Connors. Not pictured are Dennis Rydberg, Joel Lerner and Myrna Dowsett. Until now, Robin was the only Fellow of the organization.

Look for a review of the conference in the coming weeks. Also, the full (pdf) release can be downloaded here. 

More Tech Talk

I love my new iPhone. Mostly. I migrated from a Treo 650,  which is a pretty big change.  Sort of.  I've been using Palm OS PDAs for 10 years and been through at least 5 different devices. Since I made the commitment, the PDA and its desktop counterpart(s) have run my life, both personally and professionally. Suffice it to say there were a few adjustments when making the switch. 

Anyway, I'm really liking this thing. For the most part. Just this week I think I've solved two of my biggest complaints. First is that the iPhone lacks a To Do list. That's an issue for me, as I use the  To Do List not only for tasks, but also as a place to organize thoughts. Because a task can be "undated," I can, for example, jot down ideas for my next newsletter, or blog entry. Enter Toodledo. Huh? Check it out. It's really cool. It does a ton more than task management too. 

At my day job, I keep track of my personal calendar, email, etc. through Google's Gmail and Calendar. With the Treo, I kept my calendar in sync with Gcal, using a really neat service provided by Goosync. Goosync will allow pretty much any cell phone with a calendar to sync wirelessly with Google's calendar and contacts. Goosync has promised iPhone support very soon, so when that's up and running, I'm good to go.  Also, Toodledo interacts nicely with Gcal. Oh, and Jott will allow me to record on the iPhone with my voice, transcribe what I say to text, and automagically add it to Toodledo. VERY NICE for someone like me who gets a lot of ideas when driving. 

I'm excited to finally have this part of my life back in order. I've had the iPhone for a month or so and been looking for solutions. Some general comments about the phone: The built-in GPS has come in really handy. The 3G network is a bit spotty in areas where I drive, but when it's available, it's fast. Also, the phone seamlessly switches among the various wi-fi networks I use and the 3G service. The keyboard took some getting used to, but I'm liking it now. The 3rd party apps are pretty cool. The screen is really crisp and bright enough to see in bright sunlight. On the "needs improvement" side, it seems odd to me that there is no copy/paste function. The calendar is a bit linear for me and feels like a step backward from Palm. Bluetooth works only with headsets. And the battery life is a little suspect and inconsistent. However, considering this is only the 2nd generation of a product that is just over a year old, it will be exciting to see what it can do down the road. 

Technology and Landscape Design

It's been awhile since I last posted. It's primarily because of the demands of the season, and this post will be brief for the same reason. 

I'm sure many others have discovered some of the new features in Google Maps. Briefly, if you enter an address, quite often there is an interactive street-level photo linked to it. So if you are headed out, for example, to meet a new client, you can do some homework and take a sneak peek at the front of the property. Aerial photos are available too. It's pretty cool. 

There have also been some interesting things captured by these cameras, like they guy on a Chicago street pointing a gun at a kid , and people photographed entering/exiting some types of businesses that they would probably prefer to remain private! See some fun examples here: 

Abovetopsecret.com and Mashable.com

Here's a funny spoof of the technology. 

Also, if you use Internet Explorer on a Windows machine, check out Microsoft Virtual Earth. You get full 3-D aerial photos. Pretty cool. 

More soon on the APLD conference I attended recently.

What Are You Worth?

What is your expertise worth? Your time? Your knowledge? I think it's fair to say that each of us as a professional has a different value to different people. To someone who wants some bushes and a couple flats of annuals, I'm overpriced. But for someone who is looking for a complete landscape makeover, I'm the guy. Maybe you're in between.

When you price yourself, do you put a price on your time (per hour, day, etc.)? Or do you put a price on what you are worth to someone who wants or needs you?

I've long been puzzled by the fact that a plumber gets a better hourly rate than most landscape designers. As a profession, they have done a good job of putting a value on their services. One might even argue there is an entitlement mentality among them, but the point is, they have created a market where what they do is valued, rather than how long it takes to get it done.

It's a totally different animal, but somewhat related. It's baseball season and I'm a very enthusiastic Cubs fan. Yes, I'm on the "big blue bus." Anyway, consider Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano. His contract pays him $16 million dollars for 2008. That's a lotta lettuce!

Is it worth it to the Cubs? Sure it is. But let's do the math. He will probably start 30-35 games this year. Call it 33. He averages 210 innings per year and, say he throws 100 pitches per game, so 3300 pitches. The math in round numbers: $485,000 per start; $76,000 per inning pitched; and $4850 per pitch. And not all the pitches are good ones.

Is that a bit ridiculous? Yep.

The lesson is to price the job based on your value to the client, rather than the time you spend. The challenge, of course, is how to create that value and communicate it's worth to the client.

this begs a host of other questions too. More on this later.

No One Asked Me (Again)

I keep forgetting to blog this. It's no longer new or news, but it's still disturbing. Well, the logic, or lack thereof, is disturbing. The City of Chicago this year instituted a tax on bottled water. Hmmm...if it weren't punishment enough to pay for something that comes out of the faucet. 

Of course, it's a greenwashing strategy. It is not described as a tax on water, but a tax on plastic. They claim that the disposable bottles are a big problem and that taxing them will help the environment. Sure. Lots of plastic out there, but only water being taxed? So far.

If the goal is truly a strategy to keep these bottles out of the landfills, make it a deposit. Many states use deposits on cans and bottles to encourage recycling. If you think about it, a tax is paid every time you buy a bottle of water. If you are careful, you pay a deposit only once. 

Design and Voice Mail

In my last post I criticized some bad system design. One was a poorly-designed voice mail system, and the other a poorly designed phone support system. Both result in a company's being perceived as user-unfriendly. 

On the other hand, you have different fingers. Also, there are a few who "get it." Take, for example, American Taxi. I use them all the time for travel to/from O'Hare airport. Their automated phone system is really well-designed, efficient and user-friendly. There is virtually no wait when you call. All you have to know is the phone number(s) of your pickup  location and destination. The system is very clear and easy to understand. Also, you can order a taxi from their web site if you choose. Good design.

I Don't Do Book Reviews II

One of my favorite topics is design. In fact "design thinking" is a topic I've blogged about in the past. That's why Tom Peters' book Design appealed to me. Tom Peters is not in the landscape business and he's not a designer. But he knows design. 

Not I'm not saying he knows a good landscape design from a bad one. I have no idea whether he does or not. He uses the term "design" to describe a much broader concept. 

In the book he encourages the application of "design thinking" to all aspects of business, product design, marketing, systems and more. 

Here are a couple of examples. 

I recently switched my cellular service to AT&T. That is the same company that handles my land line and internet. I called to inquire about combining the billing. I get one bill with my internet and land line on it. Seems to me they ought to be able to add the cell phone to the same bill. After 10 minutes of  discussion with the rep on the phone, I was told that I need a different plan (with a cost of course), to get that feature. Also, I would have to call the wireless division. Huh? The woman laughed at me for assuming that she would be able to handle it. Nice.  Bad design. 

When someone calls your company after hours, how is he or she greeted? One company I know has the voice mail say something like "You have reached _____.  Our office is now closed. If you are prospective customer, press 1 for the sales department. If you are a current design customer, press 2 for the design department..." and so on through a half dozen departments. Then, at the very end, "For a company directory, press 0." Are you kidding me? That should be the first option. Bad design. 

There are other problems with the message as well ("sales department"? How about "to reach a design consultant"?), but that's another topic. 

Anyway, consider this an intro. There will be other posts on "design thinking." This book struck a chord. 

Book Review: Perennial Reference Guide

I don't do book reviews. I guess the main reason is I've been around awhile and I no longer get too excited about the "next new thing," and I don't refer to books as much as I used to. I know enough plants to do what I do. I'll add a few to my palette every year or two, but I tend to stick with what works for me.

Having said all that, Karleen Shafer asked me to review her book which is aptly called "Perennial Reference Guide." It is definitely not a bedside table book, nor does it belong on your coffee table, and I must say that on first inspection I was underwhelmed. There are no pictures and there is no index to look up a specific plant. But then I started really looking at it. I also ran it past a couple of colleagues, one with similar experience to my own, and the other a younger designer. They had very different impressions and I was convinced to look a little further.

I think this book definitely has value, especially for some of its uncommon lists. Examples include lists of plants for Aromatherapy, Biblical Gardens, Crevices and Evening Gardens. Of course there are the more common lists based on color, size and growing environment.

If I were to offer any criticism it would be the following: The color coded sections are fine, but tabs to help find them would help. An index would help a ton as there is no way to cross reference a plant. For example, you may be browsing the Environmental Low Pollen/Allergen list and find, say Brunnera macrophylla. The listing shows sun/shade requirements and the hardiness zone, but an additional column that lists other pages where you can cross reference it would be a huge help (Thanks, Tara).

So, in general, it is interesting to browse the various lists. It is a good way to learn. Although it is difficult to look up a specific plant, there are a lot of books where you can do that. Same with pictures. This is an unusual format, but there is valuable information inside. All things considered, if you are a plant person and you typically spend a lot of time choosing just the right plant for a given condition, this book may be a valuable addition to your library.

Please remember, I don't do book reviews.

Reputation

Our opportunities are created or destroyed based on what people think of us. Once a reputation is tarnished, it is hard to clean it up.

Reputation

There IS one thing that’s yours alone,
And it’s up to you to guard it.
That thing’s your reputation—
Be sure you haven’t marred it:

When someone asks, “do you know him?”
And you respond, “Of course,”
Your curiosity’s aroused—
Why? What thoughts are yours?

Are you visualizing someone
Who is pure as driven snow?
Or is his reputation showing—
Painting pictures base and low?

What’s YOUR opinion of yourself?
Could you safely pass the test?
If ever your name’s mentioned,
Would you feel you’ve done your best?

It’s not too late to ponder
On correcting your mistakes.
If your reputation’s tarnished,
Polish it for goodness’ sake!

—Mary Burger

Mary Burger is my grandmother. She wrote this years ago and it was published in her local paper. As of this writing she is 93 1/2 and living in Longmont, CO.

Your reputation is everything: Guard it jealously, reinforce it demonstrably, promote
it religiously.

Poetree

How is a poem like designing a landscape? Well, you can write your own metaphors, but the process of creating both is very similar. You take a bunch of inventory items: In the case of a landscape, that would be plants, paving, water, and the like; for a poem, words. Then you put them together. One of my favorite poems is Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken." The last 3 lines are the best known:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Okay, let's ruin it. Same words, different arrangement:

In all I took the wood
And a one that has traveled by the less difference.
I diverged and made two roads.

Huh?

A well-designed landscape is more like the original than the second one. Sadly, many seem content with landscapes that are more like the second than the first. Or worse--they can't see the difference.

Sales and Customers?

I've blogged this before. Here are a couple more thoughts. To repeat a previous thought:

People do NOT like to be sold to. But they LOVE to buy!

If you call yourself a sales person, that is how you will be perceived: As someone out to sell stuff. However, if you position yourself as an adviser, you have a better chance of gaining your potential client's trust. Of course you must also ACT as an adviser. If you really believe in your product (If you don't, you've got other issues.), people will want to buy it.

Likewise, if you position your potential client as a "client" vs. a "customer," that helps the whole mind set. In fact, if you can find a term for them that is NOT "client" or "customer," all the better. A prime example: American Express has "members." "Membership has its privileges."

Disney does not have employees. They have "Cast Members." Blue Cross Blue Shield has "Customer Advocates." Many businesses use the term "team member" rather than "employee." What does your company have?

Sometimes it feels as if I'm spitting into the wind when I put my comments out here. It's a good place to vent. As they say, "fight the good fight." Right?

"The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it."
Woodrow Wilson

"Only the dead fish go with the flow!"
Unknown

Edit: Just got off the phone with a company whose sales people are called "Solution Specialists!" Nice. This was nice following a nearly 1.5 hr. phone call to Adobe in which I was passed around among 7 different people who all began by asking me for my customer number. It was an exercise in utter frustration. No solution. No specialists. Wouldn't you think a software company would be run with software that made life easier for its customers?

Don't Say It

How do you describe your business? It's a tough thing. You need to say something about it, but if you say too much, it's self-defeating.Maybe you disagree, so if you do, please speak up.

Here's a simple example. The moment you describe something as "classy," it's tainted. The person describing it as "classy" immediately loses credibility as one who might recognize or be accustomed to "classiness." Something truly "classy" needs no description or validation. To describe it as anything other than "very nice," or "upscale" or in some other understated terms does it a disservice. Again, my view.

Consider your business. If you describe it as "professional," does that help? Isn't it assumed that if you are offering something for compensation that it is "professional"? How about "quality"? Same thing, huh? Consider a company called "Quality Widgets." In your mind, is what they sell high quality, or is it a commodity?

If you are a design professional, and you describe your service, your company as "creative," is that helping? Again, you may disagree, but "Creative Design Services" to me sounds like one step above the design department at a home improvement store. Nothing wrong with that, if that is what you are and the client you are after, but if you want to be perceived as "Classy,” “Creative” and “Quality," don't say it. Demonstrate it.