Smart irrigation can be a smart opportunity if you make sure to speak up about it.
Last week, as I stood in line to get a burrito for lunch, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
“Hi,” my new friend said, pointing at the Ewing logo on my jacket that read, “Your Source for Conservation Solutions.”
He introduced himself as a general contractor and said he might be a potential customer by asking, “What do you do?” It’s rare that customers simply tap us on the shoulder and ask for our expertise.
We aren’t always wearing a label that says “Water Expert”, so we need to be the ones to start the conversation and let our customers know what we can do to help, and why they need it.
Many customers don’t speak the language of water, so educate them! Let them know that excessive water use can damage hard surfaces, wash away expensive fertilizers, and reduce landscape health and vitality.
Over 50 percent of potable water delivered to a property is used outdoors, and most of that is wasted, according to the EPA. When you are proactive, and bring solutions to the table before your customer has even identified the problem, it shows that you are on their side and want to help their bottom line.
The end result is that they will be more likely to listen when you tell them that smart irrigation is more than just running the sprinklers.
This is an ideal time to have a conversation about what is included—or not—in their existing maintenance contract, and how an inefficient irrigation system can hurt their bottom line if ignored for too long.
It’s important that as experts, we let our customers know that there are many subtle ways that water can be wasted in the landscape and offer a simple audit of the system to identify issues and prioritize how they are addressed.
Regular irrigation inspections and controller programming should occur throughout the year. Repair of leaks and clogs and upgrading equipment will increase the lifespan of an irrigation system, reduce water waste, and help to preserve hard surfaces and plant material damaged by excessive water. That’s smart irrigation!
In the lunch line, I met a general contractor who promised to ask his landscape subcontractors for more information about smart irrigation. If I hadn’t been wearing that logo, he would never have spoken up. What are your customers not saying to you? What are you not telling them? The opportunities are out there, so speak up!
Smart Irrigation Site Inspection Form
