Planting Seeds

A couple of weeks ago I wrote something akin to a “Dear John” letter to our landscaper. Like most letters of that ilk it basically said, “It’s not you, it’s me.”

My husband and I have always been more than satisfied with the services of this company; our lawn has never been greener, the bushes are thriving and our property looks neat and manicured. But during a recent kitchen table review of the official family budget, we came to the painful decision that some things just have to change. And, sadly, the landscaping service ended up on the “expendable” list.

A few days later the landscaper phoned; he’d received my letter and wanted to chat. While I fumbled over an apology, feeling a range of emotions from guilt to disappointment to anger, he acknowledged that times were tough and asked if my husband and I had a game plan.

Did we own a lawn mower and leaf blower? No. Who would be taking over this job? Our able-bodied son – the one who can bench press 225 pounds, yet has never mowed a lawn in his life. Did we know what it would cost to buy a new mower and blower? We had estimated the cost to be in the $300 to $400 range.

Then, he made his offer. Would we consider signing a contract for basic services only? Total cost would be just slightly more than it would have cost for the equipment.

There’s no question, I was listening intently now. He knew it was going to be a hassle for us to take back this job and he was working the angles. And, clearly, mine wasn’t the only letter he’d received. He’s a small business owner doing what he has to do to survive, and he proved to be pretty skilled at the negotiation process.

I agreed to the basics-only package, but he wasn’t done yet.

Reminding me of an ongoing conversation he’d been having with my husband – a photographer by trade – he put forward another offer: he’d throw in some fertilizer and shrub treatments in return for photos he could feature on his website.

I was impressed; he was working every angle to keep a customer. In his words, he was doing what he could to “save this season” in the hopes that next spring “will be greener.” He also shared with me that he’d begun dabbling in a little side business: selling used landscaping equipment on Craigslist. Who’s buying? In many cases, people who have been forced to cancel their landscaping contracts.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a big retail business or a small, service-oriented one. Business as usual went out the door last fall, and for the foreseeable future those with the best chance of survival are the ones willing to look for new ways to do business and plant seeds today that will yield fruit tomorrow.