Across the country, more states are starting to issue water regulations. If these regulations are not affecting your customers yet, they will soon. Don’t worry, this is not a roadblock; it’s an opportunity to grow your revenue and stay ahead of the curve by giving your customers smarter, more efficient systems. Your customers trust you and you want them to have the best lawn and the best products to keep them coming back. By implementing more efficient irrigation systems, you can increase your revenue, save your customers money on water bills and give them better looking lawns. Read on to learn five ways to expand your irrigation business while addressing growing water regulations.
1. Know Your State’s Regulations
As an irrigation contractor, it’s imperative to remain compliant with the latest local and regional water-use restrictions. Make sure you’re aware of water regulations in your state and in surrounding states if your business operates close to your state line. It’s also important to stay on top of trends by knowing what regulations look like across the country. Even if your state isn’t impacted yet, it might in the future. You can work ahead by preparing your customers now with efficient irrigation systems to save them money in the long run.
2. Build Revenue Through Current Customers
You’ve built relationships with your customers founded on trust. You can leverage those existing connections to grow your business by ensuring your customers have upgraded, efficient systems. According to Invesp, you have a 60-70% chance of successfully selling to an existing customer and a 5-20% chance of selling to a new one. By upselling more efficient irrigation systems to current customers, you can increase your revenue and give your customers the lawns of their dreams. Start by educating your customers about the benefits of upgrading to quality products like Hunter MP rotator nozzles and Rain Bird drip and micro irrigation systems. You can also earn revenue through maintenance – audit older systems to find and repair leaks, fix clogged pipes and nozzles, and replace damaged sprinklers to keep systems at peak performance.
3. Recommend Smarter Products
Newer irrigation products help prevent system issues and are easier to program and operate, leading to long-term labor savings. Recommend products like WiFi-based smart controllers, rain sensors and weather stations that can give your customers peace of mind knowing their systems auto-adjust water schedules based on weather and soil conditions. Rain Bird's ESP-Me Smart Controller is perfect for residential and light commercial applications. Irritrol offers both wired and wireless rain sensors depending on your system needs. Hunter’s Rain-Clik Sensors will shut down your system during rainy conditions.
4. Ensure Coverage and Conservation for Your Customers
It is possible to have a great-looking lawn while saving water, even throughout extreme weather like high-winds and droughts. Proper smart irrigation design and controller programming ensures efficient coverage and optimal operation, eliminates overlaps and overspray and is easy to install. Consider PRS rotors and sprays to manage water pressure fluctuations and provide full coverage. Rain Bird’s 4-inch and 12-inch PRS rotors ensure wind resistance and even distribution. High-performance nozzles, drip and micro irrigation will help your customers’ lawns remain healthy year-round.
5. Find A Reliable Partner to Help Your Business Grow
Team up with a partner that can help you seize this opportunity. At SiteOne, we offer resources to help your business thrive. Head to your neighborhood branch to talk with experts about the latest regulations in your area or get product recommendations for upcoming projects. Visit SiteOne.com/online to check out our latest online resources like the estimate and list tools. Our best interest is to make sure you are prepared by working together for any future changes. We’re here to provide the tools you need every step of the way.
Using the five guidelines above, you have the tools to level up your irrigation business. Start saving your customers’ money while conserving water and delivering beautiful lawns with efficient irrigation systems. Learn more about water savings and smart irrigation offerings at SiteOne.com/savewater.