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But he says he does not feel particularly challenged by water regulations. He focuses on educating the customer and recognizes that there\u2019s not much more he can do beyond that.<\/p>\n
Krumnow is also committed to maintaining a high level of quality, no matter what.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes, that means I lose a job, but I\u2019d rather lose a job than compromise,\u201d he says. \u201cA job done poorly always comes back to haunt you. That\u2019s why we have to find ways to work with regulations and restrictions while still maintaining the best quality.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a tall order but one that can often be accomplished by keeping the client educated, says Krumnow.<\/p>\n
Educating the customer<\/h2>\n
Education is a vital part of the solution when it comes to managing customer expectations. Kenny Shiflett, CLIA, owner of Foothill Irrigation in Charlottesville, Virginia, says in order to be successful, education has to be an ongoing part of the conversation. More specifically, customers need to understand what is in your control and what isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Shiflett says a lot of the conversation around water regulations can also open the door to talking about new weather-based technology and smart controllers. Naturally, water restrictions make people more aware of smart water usage, and this is the time to talk to them about how the industry has advanced. This is one way that Shiflett says that he\u2019s working with the everchanging industry instead of trying to go against it.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say that five to 10 years ago, 99% of irrigation clients were overwatering,\u201d Shiflett says. \u201cBut now, as technology has advanced and more people are using weather-based controllers, there\u2019s been a big shift. But people still need to be educated on why this upgrade matters. They need to understand that while upgrading a system might be costly on the front end, it\u2019s going to save them a lot of money in the long-run.\u201d<\/p>\n Having industry accreditation helps a lot when it comes to conducting these conversations.<\/p>\n \u201cI have my CLIA and I do think credentials like that help when you are in front of a customer,\u201d he says. \u201cIt helps them view you as an expert and gives credibility to what you say. I believe it\u2019s important to give information upfront, to be honest and to explain any numbers that you throw at them. If you provide an understandable explanation, it\u2019s going to work in your favor.\u201d<\/p>\n Phil Severson, president of Down to Earth Irrigation LLC in Portland, Oregon, says he\u2019s lucky they don\u2019t deal with a lot of water restrictions. However, water conservation products are heralded in the region. After all, Portland is regularly named one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal is always to put the most water-conserving products out there,\u201d Severson says. \u201cWe use a lot of drip. In fact, that probably comprises around half of our business now. While we don\u2019t have a lot of water regulations here in the Northwest, they do push water-conserving nozzles and offer rebates for them, so that undoubtedly helps us sell jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n In terms of educating the client, Severson admits that most of his customers are already environmentally savvy, so that eases a lot of the burden.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a rule of thumb, people in the Northwest are pretty in tune with wanting to be water-conscious,\u201d he says. \u201cI would say that most of my customers get it. Water is a finite resource and we need to be as conservative as possible. Most people want to be part of that solution.\u201d<\/p>\n But that\u2019s not the case everywhere. In Lincoln, Nebraska, Judson Byleen, owner of Judson Irrigation, says trying to talk to folks about water conservation often feels like a losing battle. Because water restrictions are basically a nonissue in his region, it\u2019s just not something that is on his clients\u2019 minds.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 45 years, we have had one year of water restrictions \u2014 and that was really a tough year \u2014 but it\u2019s just not something we deal with here,\u201d Byleen says. \u201cAnd that year that we did, it almost had the reverse effect on peoples\u2019 mindset. If they were only allowed to water on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, you can be sure that they watered those days whether their lawn needed it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, Byleen says that the extensive flooding in Nebraska posed its own set of challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cTrying to talk to people about water conservation when there were homes in our area being washed away just wasn\u2019t effective,\u201d Byleen says. \u201cI definitely think that the conversations around water conservation are regionally driven. There are still a lot of people that don\u2019t see the value.\u201d<\/p>\n Sometimes, the best solution to being successful in an increasingly regulated industry is to find ways to work with water restrictions. In Virginia, Shiflett says they have dealt with various temporary water restrictions over the years along with rising water costs. Since water costs are tiered in his area, water bills can suddenly skyrocket. As a result, they\u2019ve continually sought ways to be innovative and keep up with whatever is coming down the pipeline. Currently, that seems to be transitioning into more well work.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause people are drilling wells on their property as a result of water restrictions and overall high water cost, we\u2019ve recognized that we have to diversify and expand into more segments of the industry. We don\u2019t drill the wells, but we have expanded into pumps, reservoir tanks and rainwater collection.\u201d<\/p>\n Shiflett says they started looking into well work in 2003, following a significant drought in 2002, when regulations first began to have a serious impact. Since then, the cost of water has continued to rise and that\u2019s put this effort at the forefront. Shiflett says that he sees interest in this type of work only growing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt comes down to the fact that trying to fight regulations will always be a losing battle,\u201d he adds. \u201cHow can we continue to be successful when we know regulations will continue to come? The answer is by evolving and adapting our business.\u201d<\/p>\n Protect your business by being upfront with your customers about tightening water restrictions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":3268,"parent":0,"template":"","main-categories":[27],"class_list":["post-3263","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","main-categories-irrigation"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/talk-it-out-3.jpg\")
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Diversifying business<\/h2>\n
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This article originally appeared in Irrigation & Green Industry magazine.<\/em><\/h6>\n
Lindsey Getz<\/strong><\/a> is a contributing editor to Irrigation & Green Industry and can be reached at lindsey.getz@yahoo.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"