When the NALP Internationals Peer Group worked with Wilson-Olyer recently to host a panel of commercial property and facilityĀ managers, Ā they learned what facility managers really want from their landscape contractors.
1. A clean teamāThe appearance of your crews andĀ equipment matters.
2. SimplicityāDonāt make things too complex. They wantĀ doing business with you to be easy. Make your presentationsĀ shorter and minimize the jargon.
3. AccessibilityāThey want you to be there for them 24/7.
4. A consistent point of contactāThey donāt like to beĀ passed off to someone else. They want a regular problem-solver they can build a relationship with.
5. Tokens of appreciationāCupcakes dropped off for noĀ reason or lunch brought in for lunch-and-learns.
6. AuthenticityāThey want you to like them. If you donāt,Ā theyāll know it no matter how hard you try to pretend.
7. AssuranceāThey want to know that you know whatĀ youāre talking about.
8. IntegrityāThey like to know theyāre going to be treatedĀ fairly and are getting their moneyās worth.
9. DependabilityāThey want you to keep your promisesĀ and be reliable.
10. TransparencyāThey want to be kept abreast of theĀ issues and problems: no surprises.
11. QualityāThey expect quality and define it the sameĀ way you do.
12. Full DisclosureāThey want proposals that include āallĀ inā costs: include sales tax!
13. DocumentationāThey like photos for diagnosticĀ purposes and trouble-shooting.
14. UniquenessāThey want to see the difference in theĀ service you provide compared to the other guy.
15. CompatibilityāThey want the personality of yourĀ organization to mesh with theirs.
16. VisualsāThey like visual context offered by designersĀ as a value-add.
17. To know you understandĀ their businessāThey want you toĀ understand their budgetĀ cycle and bid proactively,Ā engage early, follow-upĀ regularly, and stay on top
of their process thresholds.They want you toĀ make them look smarter to the people theyĀ report to.
18. A proactive approachāThey want you to help themĀ think proactively and long-term so they can plan, withĀ recommendations for repairs/upgrades and capitalĀ improvements identified so they can budget and anticipateĀ cost requirements over time. They want your
proposal to sync with their specsāprepare a parallelĀ proposal with better suggestions and recommendationsĀ if their specs need a different perspective.
ABOUT NALP PEER GROUPS
NALP peer group members are senior executives fromĀ companies in non-competing markets formed aroundĀ similar business models or specific issues and interestsāthe Internationals are all BOSS software users. For moreĀ information, contact program facilitator, Bruce Wilson,Ā Wilson-Oyler Group at bwilson@wilson-oyler.com, or
Joan Haller, NALP peer group administrator at joan@landscapeprofessionals.org.