February News from MPR Supply
Look Ahead to a Strong Start
Hoping 2024 will be as great as last year? Get going on your plan to make it happen!Set goals.They keep your team motivated, your momentum strong, and your leadership satisfied. Results goals track the “bottom line”. Activity goals measure progress.
Upgrade your technology. Commit to learning new green-industry software and hardware. It’s all gotten exponentially better in the last 3 years. The best thing from software: you’ll actually bill for all of the work your team does.
Clear out the clutter. A streamlined shop, office and storage area make everything more efficient. Turn junk into cash. Learn the 5S process.
Celebrate successes. Create incentives for learning and reaching higher performance. When you can’t afford raises, make sure the team is still having fun.
Grow your recurring revenues. It’s time to get serious about expanding your repeat services, and introducing new add-ons for current clients. Ask us for ideas.
Don’t leave selling to chance. With more contractors fighting over fewer job leads, be sure you’re on your “A game” for sales and marketing. Level up your website and your presentation approach.
The Team at MPR Supply
Last Chance! MPR's 2024 Trade Show will be Wednesday, February 7th
Plan to join us for our annual Contractor Meeting on Wednesday, February 7th, 2024. Where: Comfort Inn St. Louis - Westport Event Center
2541 Link Rd, St Louis, MO 63114
View on map
Wednesday, February 7, 2024 7:00am -3:00pm
Come to learn about all of the new products being introduced for 2024 and the latest tips from all of our vendors.
Click here to register your team now.
Re-Invigorate Your Landscape Lighting Business
Too busy to focus on landscape lighting in the last couple of years? Now's a great time to restart! Lighting can expand your profitability and keep your pipeline full during the slower months. Reconnect with your past success in selling lighting, or take your efforts to the next level.
Lighting sales are easy with current and past clients. The gold mine for eager buyers for new lighting installations is right there in your current customer list. They will quickly reconnect with you to enjoy their landscape even more. They know you and trust you, so they’re ready to listen to what you have to say. You can bring them a lot of value and enjoyment. Landscape lighting provides many benefits in a single purchase: adding beauty, safety, security – and making spaces welcoming for more hours.
Offer lighting packages that start productive conversations. Packages get customers focused on what areas of the yard they want to light, and then offer add-ons for special requirements. For example, one contractor’s typical front yard package includes six path lights and four up-lights. He then offers options to add step and railing lights, down-lights in mature trees, and lighting of dormers and gables. For his backyard package, he includes four lights around the patio/deck, four path lights through the landscape, and two up-lights. Options include more fixtures to highlight specific plantings and down-lights in mature trees. Most customers start with the packages and then customize.
New Surface-Mount Step Lights from Kichler - Easier Installation!
Created for easy installation, these new LED step lights mount directly to any wall surface, without the need for a predetermined "box" opening. No need to carve out a hole!Low Profile, Easy Installation Small profile design for easy installation allows you to mount to the surface without fitting a junction box. Includes template to align mounting hole to get perfect placement.
Clean, Uniform Light Distribution Enjoy a clean, uniform light distribution down and across surfaces, preventing hotspots or light cutoff below the fixture.
Professional Quality & Performance Sealed and fully encapsulated to safeguard from water ingress and the elements – helping to extend the life of the product. Includes 4000-volt system surge protection protects against power surges and irregularities.
Take Advantage of Winter Training Opportunities at Aquascape
Register now, because these events sell out fast! Aquascape is expanding their offerings for 2024, and opening up registration NOW in order to handle the demand.
Further your education, gain new leadership skills, and grow tighter with the tribe!
Choose from courses for new and experienced pond builders.
Review the complete course list here.
Sell More Drainage: Download the Property Drainage Checklist
The demand for stormwater management is stronger than ever, especially as we get autumn rains and winter run-off. Research shows that when drainage is recommended by the landscape contractor as a preventative measure, most homeowners accept this recommendation without hesitation. Homeowners rely on your expertise to ensure their landscape and property will be well protected from water damage and less susceptible to water damage in the future.
The NDS Property Drainage Assessment Checklist will help you address common homeowner drainage issues that can turn into golden opportunities for your business. It helps you identify common drainage problems, choose the right solutions and present these solutions to your clients. Download the drainage checklist here (PDF file) Then download their drainage calculation guide. (PDF file)
Improving How You Sell and Renew Irrigation Service Agreements
If you’re in the irrigation business and you don’t offer service agreements, you’re missing a huge opportunity.Or, if you offer agreements but don’t have at least 75% of your service accounts on an agreement program, you’re missing out on a significant way to strengthen your company’s profitability.
Customers actually like service agreements.They rest easier knowing you’ll be there to take care of what’s needed when it’s needed.
Agreements make your operations run more smoothly. Because a big chunk of visits (turn-ons, winterizations, checkups) are booked in advance, you get predictable activity. You’ll have a few fewer frantic calls from customers because they already know they’re on your schedule.
Agreements grow the re-sale value of your company. It’s simple: the more customers under agreement = the more your company is worth. Establishing service agreements allows you to demonstrate to an acquirer or to your bank that your business is worth their investment.
How can you be better at winning more renewals and convincing more of your clients to sign on for agreements? Read the full article (PDF download) here.
Grounding Techniques for 2-Wire Decoder Systems
The components used in decoder systems are very vulnerable to voltage surges.Surges can come from lightning strikes or source surges. Proper grounding is required for any surge protection to work. Good grounding dissipates the surge to a path to ground.
Poor grounding frequently leads to unnecessary component failures, system down time and customer complaints. Since lightning and surge damage is never covered by manufacturer warranty, it is in the installer's best interest to follow these guidelines to install the most resilient system.
Depending on the manufacturer and the size of the system, several different methods of grounding might be used. This training video from Regency Wire and Cable is a great way to learn about the proper techniques.