February 2020
Greetings!
Experts say most of us give up on our New Year's resolutions by mid-January.
You're a business leader, so you're better than that!Here are 4 key things to prepare for a great year:
Grow your team's capabilities with training. Develop other leaders in your business. Stop trying to do everything yourself. Be more prepared to take on new challenges. Take advantage of the slow season to work on crew leader development, technician training and correcting skill gaps. Build a team that's self-motivated and ready to take on new challenges.
Prepare for up-selling opportunities. The economy is strong. Earn more revenue without adding employees by focusing on enhancements. Set a goal to sell more add-ons and upgrades. These take a little more time to install, but offer a significant boost to your profitability. Ask us for ideas.
Review pricing opportunities. Most contractors have been too slow to raise prices in a strong market. Review your situation and consider a significant change this year. In most contracting businesses, you can raise prices 5% and reduce workload by 15% and still break even! If you have more work than you can handle, you're probably not charging enough.
Strengthen your business for the future. Don't lose the success that you've built. Develop a long term plan for your future. Put a plan in motion to achieve your long term goals while the market is booming.
The Team at MPR Supply
Stock Up for Spring
Buy 10 Zurn Backflow Preventers, Get 1 FREE
Take advantage of our pre-season special on backflow preventers from Zurn (formerly Wilkins).
Purchase 10 units of Zurn's 350 or 375 Series backflows (3/4" or 1" size), and receive one FREE.
Free backflow to be equal or lesser value.
Offer valid February 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020
Adding a Bubbling Water Feature
Atlantic's Basalt Columns Make It Easy!
Using an Atlantic Fountain Basin, you can create a simple bubbling fountain or formal statuary fountain that transforms a garden with sound and movement. The sub-surface reservoir stores and circulates water up through a decorative feature of your choice.
Atlantic's Fountain Basins are the strongest, most stable, most convenient basins available to the contractor today.
Make use of their new Basalt Columns to make an attractive, overflowing feature.
- Hexagonal stone pillars have a snapped top and sawn base for stability
- Volcanic basalt oxidizes to a multi-colored patina over time
- Atlantic's Basalt Columns are generously core-drilled to 1⅜" to fit up to 1" Sch 40 PVC or 3/4" kink-free tubing plus a light cord
- A 2" diameter, 5" deep socket recesses Atlantic's Fountain Light and buffers the water plume
- Available in single or three piece sets for design flexibility
Make Your Landscape Lighting Designs Stand Out
Avoid These Common Mistakes & Shortcuts
Want to make your lighting designs stand apart from the average contractor? Avoid these common shortcuts for a design that will really shine.
1) Avoid using the same lumen output on all fixtures (example: only 20W halogen equivalent fixtures). Instead vary the light output to the need and to the fixture type. Minimize glare with frosted filters and louvers. And don't forget dimming options.
2) Don't skip proper wire splices. Be sure to use professional-grade waterproof connectors and leave some extra wire at each fixture to accommodate plant growth.
3) Use more than just stake-mounted fixtures. The best lighting impact is often achieved from fixtures in trees, hanging from structures or mounted to hardscape surfaces.
4) Take advantage of fixture accessories. What are "barn doors"? Telescoping stems? Specialized mounting plates, junction boxes and tree mounts? Invest in these extra elements for better aiming and a lasting, professional installation.
5) Set up fixture zones. The old way was a single transformer and a timer. The better way is multiple zones that allow the property owner to customize light levels for the need. Saves energy too.
Want more lighting design ideas and tips? Ask us for advice and watch this newsletter.
Salt & Snow Damage? Artificial Turf to the Rescue!
When plows scatter salt on and around roads, parking lots, sidewalks and driveways, any nearby plant life that becomes exposed to that salt can develop salt burns. Come spring, what you're left with is a brown, patchy lawn.
Planning for a resilient landscaping solution is a must. The answer is not just artificial grass, it's the right kind of artificial grass. On the surface, most artificial grass will do just fine; however, the solution is in the drainage. Why? As snow melts away, drainage becomes imperative. Too much water on the surface can build up and cause slippery conditions. Stagnant or slow-draining water will develop unpleasant odors and bacteria buildup, while dogs and other pets will have a difficult time finding a place to go to the bathroom.
When looking at artificial grass options, EasyTurf is the only artificial grass manufacturer on the market that offers MaxxFlow, a 100% permeable backing that allows liquids to drain freely at every stitchpoint. MaxxFlow drains at a rate of 250 inches per hour - ten times faster than real grass! Watch video here.
To learn more about EasyTurf and MaxxFlow products, please visit ultimategrass.com
Winter Task: Train Service Techs on Selling Irrigation Upgrades
Smart contractors train their technicians on the importance of making add-on sales during irrigation service calls.
According to industry consultant Jeff Carowitz, most irrigation upgrades are in the customer's best interest, and they also are a source of significant profit for the contractor.
Many contractors pay a bonus to the technician (called in the industry a "truck bonus") for each product he/she sells during service calls.
Common items that earn a bonus include:
- Rain sensors or soil moisture sensors (added to systems that don't have them).
- 12" pop-ups used to replace riser-mounted sprays.
- Precision nozzle retrofits.
- Controller upgrades to current technology.
Carowitz emphasizes that if you don't have a bonus program, you typically won't get technicians to emphasize add-on sales. "They just won't make time for it." he says. "Pay the bonus and you'll make the sales activity visible."
In addition, he says technicians need to be armed with sell sheets to help explain the upgrade to the homeowner.
"Make it worth their while and watch them add-on to your profits."
Install a French Drain in Half the Time with Less Labor
Why You Should Use EZFlow Instead of Traditional Gravel
EZ Flow Gravel Free French Drain System from NDS is proven to cut labor costs by 50% OR MORE
The revolutionary EZ Flow gravel free french drain system from NDS is used in place of traditional gravel, pipe and trench liner combination for a variety of drainage applications. On a typical 50' French drain system, EZ Flow can be installed in under 10 minutes once the trench is dug. This is an incredible labor savings that can allow contractors to double their efficiency. There is no messy gravel clean up after the job - another key benefit that saves time. Click here for a video that takes you through a side by side installation comparison of both EZFlow and a traditional French drain.
Go to the NDS website to see case studies of EZ Flow installations, read technical data, check out a video and see common applications for the product. Be sure to contact your local distributor about the NDS free product trial and get started saving money today!
EZflow Web Page for case studies, free trial offer and videos
NDS Video page for all product training videos
Must Have Problem Solver for Irrigation Repairs This Spring
Need to work around bad or broken field wires without digging up an entire landscape? Now you can control 2 valves with only one good wire pair with Add-A-Zone.
Exclusive features:
- Both valves connected to Add-A-Zone are independently timed and controlled.
- The two valves can be set to separate watering schedules and programs in the controller.
- No disruption of the landscape to repair problems.
Solve these problems:
- Divide existing zones stations with a new valve to correct pressure problems. Permits the addition of an additional valve to systems that have an open station on the controller.
- Work around broken field wires and maintain full system functionality.
Spring Start-Ups Made Easy with the Zurn 300 Series
Spring is here! It's time to start learning about products that can make start-up easier. When starting up an irrigation system, the service line leading to the backflow preventer should be flushed to eliminate debris that can foul checks.
The Zurn 300 Series has a pressure vessel that can be removed and replaced in seconds, significantly decreasing water system downtime. Zurn offers a Blow-Out/Flush (BOF) fitting for the 300 Series that eases start-up flushing. Simply remove the pressure vessel and install the BOF, turn on the water to flush, and then reinstall the perfectly clean pressure vessel.
The Zurn 300 Series is available from us in Model 350 Double Check and the Model 375 Reduced Pressure Principle Backflow Preventers.
Watch the Recomissioning your Irrigation System in the Spring video, or the 375 Upgrades Video on the One Zurn YouTube Channel for more information.