Let’s start this article with a warning about landscaping companies: there are no requirements when a business owner purchases a business license and calls his company a landscaping company doing landscape design.
None at all!
There are no requirements regarding experience in landscaping services. There are no requirements regarding equipment. You simply fill out the paperwork, sign the paperwork, pay your money, and you are handed a business license.
Now we mention that for this reason: this COVID thing has seen an explosion of “fly by night” companies in all industries. People have seen their regular jobs disappear, and they are desperate to make some cash to pay their bills and support their families. They might have a lawn mower, and they might have a weedwhacker and maybe a leaf blower, and long ago they worked for their uncle’s landscaping business, so they start a landscaping company.
We understand it! We can even sympathize with it. As long as you, the customers, understand it as well. We are All Seasons Outdoor Solutions, and this article is written with you, the customer, in mind.
What to look for
There is a big difference between working for your uncle when you are eighteen, and doing professional landscaping work as a professional business. Let’s look at some key attributes of a quality landscaping service run by professionals like those at All Seasons Outdoor Solutions.
Actual landscaping skills
You are going to pay good money for quality landscaping services. Make sure you check references to make sure you are getting what you are paying for. A bad landscaping company can do more damage than they are worth. If they do not know about proper irrigation, proper drainage, proper lighting, or proper use of hardscape, they will leave your property looking worse than when they began. We cannot say this with enough emphasis: check reference and make sure you are getting what you are paying for, and not just some guy who has a lawn mower, a pickup truck, and a dream.
Certification
There are a number of certification programs in the United States for landscaping companies. The National Association of Landscaping is one. There is a landscape certified manager certification exam that can be taken. There is a Better Business Bureau in every major city which ranks businesses. Bottom line: if you are paying for quality, quality should be certified in the landscaping industry. Ask for it and insist upon it.
Good communication and people skills
Translating the customers dream into a reality requires good communication and people skills. If you don’t have them, don’t bother entering this industry. You must be able to work closely with customers.
Offer an array of services
Landscaping companies can do it all. They are experts at irrigation system repair. They are design experts. They know how to plant according to region. They know drainage solutions. They can look at a piece of property, listen to the customer’s needs, and put the two together into a cohesive landscaping package.
And if a company can’t do all of those things, don’t bother to hire them.
A word about All Seasons Outdoor Solutions
Ask around about All Seasons Outdoor Solutions. We encourage customers to check up on our references. We want them to hear from our former customers, and that should tell you all you need to know about All Seasons Outdoor Solutions.
