Voice of the Green Industry

Europe, with its long tradition of craft guilds (masons, printers, textile workers, and tanners for example) that formed in the late Middle Ages, developed the practice of apprenticeships. An apprentice provided inexpensive labor to his master in exchange for formal training in a certain craft. Most started between the ages of 10 to 15 years old and would train for approximately seven years. From there, an apprentice could become a journeyman who would move from shop to shop to gain additional experience from different masters. If the individual was good enough, and few were, he could become a master and open his own shop.

Sound familiar? One could argue that our industry’s roots run deep in the apprenticeship mold. Just think how many PLANET members started out by working for another company to learn how to install, maintain, and care for landscapes before starting their own companies. No matter what their educational background, most landscape contractors and lawn care operators will admit that this experience was absolutely vital to their subsequent success.

The flip side, of course, is that our version of an apprenticeship program doesn’t have the means to keep less-than-qualified (unprofessional) owners and operators from participating in our industry. Indeed, a business person in the Middle Ages had little if any competition compared to what our industry is facing. In addition to the proverbial low-baller, we’re also in the midst of an industrywide recalibration where customers are no longer willing to pay yesterday’s price for our services. It’s an ongoing challenge, today, to draw a straight line between the value of the service we provide and the price. With so many service providers to choose from, informed customers (and they’re the ones we all want to nurture) should be looking for the professional, the company that can stand behind its work with experienced, trained employees.

That’s where PLANET comes in, with its many resources, and yes, with its newly branded certification program — Landscape Industry Certified. International Certification Council (ICC) Chair Michael Becker, Landscape Industry Certified Manager, talks about this new branding initiative in this month’s issue of PLANET News. Thanks to the work of the ICC, we have tremendous opportunity to create a renaissance within our industry to (1) raise awareness among customers about the value of retaining true professionals to design, install, and maintain their landscapes and (2) raise awareness among landscape contractors and lawn care operators about the importance of having Landscape Industry Certified employees on their staffs. When the demand is there, when we have enough certified professionals to supply the demand, watch out!

As Becker points out in the article, getting the certification message to customers and service providers who may not understand its value requires a grassroots effort by PLANET members. The certification brand encompasses all certification designations within PLANET, and it’s easy to explain — Landscape Industry Certified service providers are experienced in their field, are well-trained, and, like their predecessors from the Middle Ages, are true professionals.

Let’s work together to market this valuable message to customers and to other green industry service providers.

Bill Hildebolt, Ph.D., Landscape Industry Certified Manager & Technician
PLANET President

PLANET recently interviewed a few of our members on how they were surviving in these tough economic times. Here is part 3 (of 4) from interviewee, Landon Reeve, Landscape Industry Certified Manager, from Chapel Valley Landscape Co. located in Woodbine, MD.

“Our company is divided almost equally between commercial and residential landscape construction and maintenance.  In both construction and maintenance, we are redoubling our efforts to connect with clients - at one level to make sure we’re providing the exact services they need and, at another, to make sure they’re the right fit for us.

Maintenance is holding up well and seems to be fairly consistent and stable. Still, we are reassessing how we can better serve that market. In the short term, we have worked with many of our clients to help reduce their costs by
reducing the scope of our service to them. For all of our maintenance projects, our team has assessed efficiencies, performance, and other functions to ensure we’re doing absolutely the best job we can for customers.

Construction is a different story. The residential market has slowed down considerably, but we’re fortunate to have a backlog in commercial business. The backlog, however, doesn’t immediately translate into business and profit. A couple of our clients declared bankruptcy this year, after we had started work on their projects. The reality is that just because you sign a contract doesn’t mean that you’re going to get paid.

Because of the downturn and the impact it is having on our customers, especially our commercial clients, we’re being more vigilant about determining their financial situation. No, clients will not come right out and tell you “things are bad,” but we can look for red flags (e.g., are they paying us on time with other projects, are sub-contractors getting paid, and so forth). I once read that President Reagan, when negotiating with Russia, said, “No deal is better than a bad deal.” That applies to just about everything in life, including owning and operating a landscape contracting company. We have to make our best deals with customers, vendors, and, yes, employees, and they have to be fair for all parties involved.

To answer the question about the single biggest change we’ve made, I would say it revolves around watching our customers more closely to see if we can serve them better and to ensure they’re a good fit for our company.”

Landon Reeve, Landscape Industry Certified Manager
Chapel Valley Landscape Co.
Woodbine, MD

PLANET recently interviewed a few of our members on how they were surviving in these tough economic times. Here is another interview from Chris Senske of Senske Lawn & Tree Care in Kennwick, WA.

“Our lawn care and pest control business has been stable, but we’re down a bit in commercial maintenance, primarily because of increased competition. In some instances, competitors are underbidding us way below our costs, especially on a few multifamily and HOA properties.The first change, then, has been to focus our salespeople to sell at our price and target market, followed immediately by training them to be more effective with their sales approach. Our sales motto is, “We want to work with people who want a long-term relationship with us.”  We’re selling more than a service. We’re selling value, communication, and relationships.

In addition to refocusing and retraining our salespeople, our next biggest change occurred over 18 months ago. It was during this time that we asked one of our managers to champion Jim Paluch’s “Working Smarter Training Challenge.” He was so successful that we took the program companywide. Since then, we’ve become more efficient, and now every employee gets touched by training at least once a week, either through the Training Challenge specifically or by attending other safety or technical training sessions.

The knowledge our employees receive through training is important, but equally important is the communication that occurs among employees during and after the sessions. The training has made a huge difference in the communication level around the company, and we are more profitable
because of it.

Like most companies, we’re not as busy as we normally would be this time of year. We’re trying to make use of this time by investing in our people and putting ourselves in the strong position to grow when the economy rebounds.”

Chris Senske

Senske Lawn & Tree Care

Kennewick, WA

Happy New Year !

I wanted to take the time to give you some background regarding the development of the new certification branding effort and the resulting Landscape Industry Certified brand.

Many things emerged in the last 5 years to reshape PLANET Certifications. The first was directly due to the merger [of ALCA and PLCAA]. The PLANET certification inventory now consisted of CLP, CLT-I, CLT-E, COLP, CTP, and CTP-CSL. The first three are certifications that we partner with the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA). The remaining three involve turf certifications that PLCAA contributed to PLANET.

About three years ago, PLANET conducted a Certification Strategic Planning session facilitated by a professional psychometrician, Buck Chaffee, with the goal of bringing all of our certifications into compliance with the best practices of the certification world, and also to find a way to effectively market our certifications to the end user. The result of the meeting was a mandate that PLANET bring all certifications under a single brand. The goal was to eliminate all the alphabet soup of the different certifications under a single, marketable banner. Some additional requirements of this planning meeting were that we would find a solution that was agreeable to all stakeholders in certification and some of those included: PLANET membership, PLANET leadership, state landscape associations, CNLA, certified individuals, educators, and both ALCA and PLCAA legacy members. This strategic plan was voted on and approved by the PLANET Board.

To this end, the International Certification council (ICC) and PLANET leadership held exhaustive meetings and outreach efforts that included facilitated roundtables at Summer Leadership and GIC meetings, and face-to-face town hall forums at state association meetings conducted by PLANET presidents,  CEO and staff.  Also, the ICC made presentations to the DBI, Grounds Management, Lawn Care, and Interior specialty groups in Columbus, Ohio at GIC, and two Louisville GIC meetings…as well as Wilde dunes, Niagara Falls and Stowe, Vermont Summer Leadership meetings. In between these face-to-face meetings, we held countless teleconferences that targeted all of the stakeholders mentioned so far, and then some. After a two-year process, the ICC approved a new brand. The goal from the beginning was to develop a brand that was accepted by the state associations, PLANET, CNLA, and all the specialty groups.

I was just one person who was present at almost all of these meetings and I literally cannot tell you how many hours, or how many people participated in this process. I can tell you that the hours numbered in the multiple thousands for all involved and the participants numbered in the multiple hundreds. Some meetings were contentious, all were frank and open, and this was a public and transparent effort. At our first Louisville GIC, the ICC approved a new certification brand, but concerns expressed by leadership led to an additional year of outreach and ultimately a new recommendation that was approved by the PLANET Board and the CNLA so that all our certifications will now be under the same brand throughout North America.

I am proud to say the ICC under the leadership of Joel Hafner, the PLANET Board under the leadership of John Gibson, James Martin, Jason Cupp and Bill Hildebolt, PLANET staff, the CNLA Board and staff represented by Phil Paxton and Joel Beatson all worked tirelessly to hear, and incorporate everyone’s input. It was evident that there was no single answer that every individual or every group loved. We had to form consensus and even though many did not have immediate buy in of the heart, we did get buy in of the mind and finally the backing of Landscape Industry Certified. We ask that whenever you use your certification efforts in marketing, you use the Landscape Industry Certified logo.

All of this occurred simultaneously with the occupational analysis and redevelopment of the CLT-E test, CLT-I test and the lawn care tests as well. The ICC has budgeted to complete the revamped lawn care tests and development of new study materials in 2010/2011.

I will be the chairman of the ICC for the next three years and if I can be of any service to you in filling in any additional details about this process or anything that the ICC is working on, please feel free to contact me or the PLANET Certification Team.

Michael Becker, Landscape Industry Certified Manager and ICC Chair

As we start the New Year, I’m not alone when I say - last year couldn’t get over fast enough. There’s no question, 2009 was a challenging year for everyone in the industry. Every segment of PLANET membership has been adversely affected, as have been the customers we serve and the manufacturers and distributors who supply us with products and equipment.

Companies need to continue to drive waste out of their organizations and concentrate on honing their marketing and communication skills. Both will be vital to competing in an increasingly competitive marketplace and attracting the attention of consumers who will remain cautious about loosening their purse strings.

Stepping back for a moment, though, PLANET has accomplished much this past year and the long term looks very bright. The first annual PLANET Day of Service was a huge success, as will be a newly rebranded certification program that promises to continue to raise the industry’s professional bar. At the Green Industry Conference, we introduced PLANET Universe, a virtual one-stop shop for anyone seeking information about the green industry.

Our industry has also made tremendous progress in positioning itself as a steward of the environment, and the recently released Crystal Ball Report #29 - Green Industry ECOnomics: Innovating Toward a Sustainable and Profitable Future details how members of the green industry can take advantage of this positioning. As stated in the report, “You may not see the demand for more overtly environmental products or services, now. … But you will in the near future.”

Many PLANET members, as well as their suppliers, are banking on this demand. Bland Landscaping in North Carolina, Greener By Design in New York, and Pacific Landscape Management and DeSantis Landscapes both in Oregon are testimonials to how making a profit and being socially and environmentally responsible are not mutually exclusive. There are many, many more PLANET members who currently are making “green” by marketing and providing green services.

Our industry suppliers are also getting in front of the sustainability curve. Ariens Company and STIHL Inc., to name but two equipment manufacturers, have both developed technology that will allow commercial-grade power equipment to operate on battery power with no falloff in performance. These advancements are not only cost-effective, but they also help reduce both noise and air pollution. The chemical side of the industry is becoming proactive, as well. More organic-based products and bridge products are coming on the scene, and companies, such as Bayer Environmental Science, are reframing the debate surrounding chemical lawn care products, shifting their products’ messages from one of killing weeds and insects to “greening and growing” America’s green spaces.

Smart irrigation controllers and new building products are among other advances that will help our industry stay in the forefront of a greener or more environmentally friendly America. In the meantime, we have to position our companies now for the “new economy.” No, it won’t be business as usual as the cover story points out, but there will be plenty of opportunities for smartly run businesses. In fact, this year’s Executive Forum, to be held February 17-21 in Las Vegas, Nevada, will focus on helping smart owners and their companies master the new economy and develop tools for tomorrow’s success. This event will be well worth the trip to Las Vegas, and there will be an added bonus - it will be held in conjunction with PLANET’s annual Leadership Meeting.

I’ve written and talked at length over this past year on the topic of professionalism and how it encompasses a wide range of skill sets for all business owners. I absolutely believe that individuals who hone their “professional skill sets” by taking advantage of new technology, working hard, motivating their employees, and demonstrating their commitment to their communities and the environment will emerge from this economic downturn in a strong position to grow and take advantage of the recovery.

I say individuals, but the truth is all of us have to reach out to find solutions and move forward in a positive way. This brings to mind one of the more impactful fables I heard as a kid, the story about a king and a thorn. It goes like this: A king one day was out walking when he stepped on a thorn, which hurt very much and made him mad. He was so angry that he ordered one of his assistants who was responsible for the roads to cover all the pathways in leather so that this would never happen again. The assistant gravely suggested to the king, “Would not it be simpler and less costly if the king covered his feet in leather?”

The moral of the story is simple. In solving a problem, the first idea that comes to mind may not be the best, even though it may come from the “king.” Seek advice from those who work with the problem on a day-to-day basis and listen to what they have to say.

All successful leaders and entrepreneurs share an important trait. They’ve learned how to overcome challenges by perfecting their problem-solving skills. For example, Chapel Valley Landscape Company founder Landon Reeve’s approach to solving a problem is to break the process down one step at a time and receive input from individuals who are actually living and working with the problem. He indicates that a common mistake in problem solving is skipping from the problem directly to the solution without addressing the overall cause of the problem. “If you fail to identify the root cause of a problem, your solution will likely be a temporary one,” Landon explains. “So, it’s important to think the process through and identify all the issues at each step of the way.”

See you at the Executive Forum.
Bill Hildebolt, Ph.D., Landscape Industry Certified Manager & Technician
PLANET President

In this time of new media augmented reality, it is easy to go gaga over what technology can do for you.  Before you know it, you are so wrapped up in a loop of systems you forget the basics that got you here, namely, the venerable to-do list.

The to-do list has always been the gold standard for getting things done, regardless of your area of specialty, level of skill with technology, or hierarchy within your organization.

A couple of weeks ago I discovered a simple tool that makes the to-do list better.  It makes it better by making it simpler, by sharing it, and by accomplishing all of that in real time.

Simple

Checkvist is the social media inspired application that I have come to love, especially at this time of the year when we are all making plans.

I’m using Checkvist to capture all kinds of thoughts and ideas that I can then tackle one-at-a-time.  The simplicity of the keystrokes is what makes it work so well.  Once you memorize a handful of simple keystrokes, you can build your list in a few seconds and manage it accordingly, by adding a short note, prioritizing, and even color-coding - all with the flick of the finger.

Here’s how it works:  A slap of the space bar strikes an item to show it as completed.   A simple ‘enter’ keystroke adds a new item to the list, two e’s edits the field, and two n’s opens a field for notes.  Simple.  Now tell me this won’t make it a snap to create a list in less than 60 seconds?  You can also create cascading lists within a larger list that can be assigned to different members of your team.

And this brings me to what really makes this FREE site sing.

Sharing

I’m using Checkvist to collaborate with my consulting clients.  And they love it!  The feedback I’m receiving from clients is they enjoy seeing the list to get a sense of the agenda - what is necessary to get to the finish line.  They don’t have to wonder what’s next.  It’s right in front of them.  If they have comments to make, that is easily done.  And it can be done on their own time.

If I were still a design-build contractor, I would be using this tool to better manage my client relationships.  After de-briefing my design meetings, I would outline the next steps so that my clients were clear about everything,  especially the date and time of the next meeting.  I would also list the items they are responsible for, such as securing a current plat of survey.   And it would all be waiting for them before they got back home from our offices.

If you work in teams,  sharing the progress on projects online will save phone calls and emails, and also better integrate members that may be working from remote locations.

Real-Time Collaboration

Checkvist allows for a couple of ways to collaborate on a list.  First, you can remotely work together on list with a client or team member in real time.  As soon as something is added to the list, it is right there for everyone to see.  And if somebody decides to modify the list during the wee hours of the night, that information is readily shared.  Here’s how:

Checkvist will send you an email to let you know that your “watched” lists have been modified.  This particular feature is only available with the paid version, which costs a nominal $15 for six months.  If you still want to keep it free, no worries.  You can also accomplish this through a self-generated email to the other users - all straight from the Checkvist platform.

Checkvist does not yet have an iPhone or Android app, but for the time being, you can use Checkvist.com/m.

Are you ready to make a list?

Start with a simple project that requires the collaboration of multiple team members.

Now break it down, share it, and get it done!

Jeff Korhan is a new media marketer who works with green industry entrepreneurs to maximize Web visibility, reputation, and referrals.   He blogs on social media and Internet marketing at jeffkorhan.com.

Photo Credit:  Ebby

PLANET recently interviewed a few of our members on how they were surviving in these tough economic times. Here is one of those interviews from Gerry McCarthy of Mac’s Landscaping in Burlington, MA.

“I know we’re not alone when I say the design/build portion of our business has taken a tremendous hit since the recession kicked in. To date, though, our revenue is down only 10 percent from last year. Compared to other contractors from around the country, we should consider that fortunate. Mother Nature hasn’t cooperated either, as New England is experiencing one of the wettest summers in recent memory. The combination of a down economy and bad weather literally dried up inquiries. The phone rarely rings, and when it does, we’re bidding against 10 or so other landscape contractors. So, we’ve gone back to the basics of marketing our company and selling our services. One of the first moves I made this spring was to join our local BNI International chapter. BNI is the world’s largest business networking organization, and the group already has generated several new leads and referrals for us, some from people I first met at a BNI breakfast. With my sons Keith and Shawn, I recently did a PowerPoint presentation to the group. The 10-minute presentation, which helped members better understand our company and the services we provide, will likely increase the number of referrals we will receive from the BNI group. On the sales side, with any proposal that’s more than $3,000 to $4,000, I sit down with the customer and go over the details — pointing out value, offering alternatives, and countering any objections, most of which occur because of increased competition and the subsequent downward pressure on prices. The point is you have to be aggressive and really go after the work. Sometimes that requires working extra hard, too. Today, the regimen is to get up early to present a proposal before breakfast and present another proposal after the dinner hour. The economic climate, today, reminds me of what it was like to start up a business. I’ve been there and done that and will do it again, even after being in business close to 35 years.”

- Gerry McCarthy, Mac’s Landscaping

On December 15, 2009, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and several other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus held a press conference to introduce the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity (CIR-ASAP) Act of 2009 (H.R. 4321 ). The bill contains problematic H-2B provisions along the lines of those proposed in past legislation introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

A summary of the bill includes the following statements about the H-2B program:

The H-2B visa program is reformed to prevent the exploitation of H-2B non-immigrant workers and the depression of wages as well as other workplace abuses committed by exploitative employers. Reforms to the program include:

• Imposing stricter requirements for recruitment of American workers.
• Preventing employers from participating in the program if they have conducted a mass layoff in the past year.
• Strengthening worker protections.

This legislation would also give the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States immediate legal status and a path to earned citizenship if they register with the government and attest “to contributions to the United States” through employment, education, military service, or other volunteer service. They would also be required to complete a criminal and security background check and pay a $500 fine plus application fees.

The bill also includes AgJOBS and would give children of undocumented workers an accelerated path to citizenship. In addition, it would create a Commission on Immigration and Labor Markets to determine the future flow of foreign workers into the United States. The commission would recommend to Congress and the White House appropriate methods for determining levels of employment-based immigration visas. Rather than creating a non-seasonal temporary worker program, the bill would allow 100,000 visas to be issued through a lottery and also includes provisions related to employee verification and border security.

Congressional leaders continue to state that Congress will focus on immigration reform early next year. Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are working on a Senate version of the bill. Discussions are also occurring in the House but are not as far along as those in the Senate.

PLANET continues to be engaged with lawmakers and various coalitions to promote reasonable immigration reform that addresses the needs of seasonal employers. Check out statements on the Gutierrez bill from the H-2B Workforce Coalition, of which PLANET is a member. This bill affects all companies that use H-2B workers and those that have employees who may not have supplied legal employment paperwork to employers. H.R. 4321 is 644 pages long and will take more time to review. We will inform you if any coordinated action is planned.

Tom Delaney

Director of Government Affairs

I was flying home recently on United Airlines from a consulting trip that took me through Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.  I realized I had not read Hemispheres Magazine (United’s Inflight Magazine) for the month of December yet, so I flipped through it as my plane took off out of a cold, snowy and icy Allentown, PA.  I love the articles in Hemispheres, including the awesome monthly column, Three Perfect Days – where the authors give you a long weekend tour through International desitnations.

One of the columns had a great article on the ARIA Hotel and Resort – which hosts PLANET’s Executive Forum in Las Vegas this coming February.  It was on the automated, computer-controlled liquor delivery system that is throughout the entire hotel.  See the article online here, or, here it is:

Totally Tubular!

A Vegas casino makes liquor quicker.

Illustration Graham Roumieu

Las Vegas

WHEN YOU VISIT the newly opened ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, order a drink and ask the person on the next bar stool to guess how far he thinks the libation will travel from the bottle to your glass. If he gets it right, you’ll buy the next round.

The answer: between 1,000 and 10,000 feet, or up to two miles.

The ARIA, which is part of the stunning new CityCenter, has been constructed with a first-of-its-kind, computer-driven liquor transportation system. Deep in the bowels of the hotel reside six so-called “pump rooms” containing 32 brands of booze. In each room, 1,344 bottles stacked six deep are placed upside down in specialized holders controlled by a computer. Some 26 miles of tubing—or just under a marathon’s worth—zip the liquor around the facility.

Say you’re in the blackjack pit and you feel a little thirsty. You place your order with a server, and she sashays over to a bartender, who punches a code into one of his three liquor guns, sending a signal to the central computer. Precisely measured jiggers of hooch are dispatched through a network of quarter-inch-thick plastic arteries winding behind the casino’s walls. Et voilà: Your Long Island iced tea, sir.

While this set-up helps the casino to monitor its liquor inventory and prevents bartenders from being egregiously generous, it also ensures that customers get their cocktails promptly. “Our liquor guns are pretty intelligent,” explains Heidi Hinkle, beverage director at ARIA. In a casino, every second lost to a bartender fumbling with a bottle of Absolut is time a customer isn’t gambling—and the house isn’t profiting. To make sure nothing goes wrong, ARIA does what casinos usually do: It watches things, very closely. “We have employees monitoring the pump rooms twenty-four hours a day,” Hinkle says. “Just in case.”—MICHAEL KAPLAN

The even funnier part of this is that I was in Vegas recently for a meeting with another client, and the ARIA is large and in charge on the Vegas skyline.  There was an article in Saturday’s paper about their opening in a few weeks, and it was fun for me to realize that PLANET would be having its Executive Forum in a brand new hotel!  Now, I know we’ll have regulated liquor as well…  Ha.

That said, if you have not registered for EF 2010 yet, you can do so here – the early bird ends January 19th (ironically my birthday!) – and the hotel rates are only $149, a substantial discount for this hotel.  See you there!

It’s your signature.

While many of us communicate more than we ever imagined via messages on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and many other networks, we still rely on email as our main communication stream.

Regardless of your social media savvy, you will surely agree that you still send more business proposals via email than any other means, short of possibly doing so with snail mail, or my preference, the original real-time method, face-to-face.

Why then are so many people shooting themselves in the foot by sporting email signatures that are laden with logos and buttons that connect to their Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook profiles?  My guess is they do not understand these HTML images practically guarantee their vital communication will be pushed into the junk folder of the intended recipient. Of course, the same goes for their e-newsletters, which have a variety of other problems that drive away customers.

I understand this tendency so I make a conscious effort to regularly check my junk folder.  Is this something you can count on your prospects to do?  I don’t think so.   It’s not worth it!  For the sake of time we all move forward.  And that is what your prospects are doing.  They are moving ahead with what is clearly in front of them, which is your competitor’s proposal.

As a landscape architect, I am tuned into design.  And as an art lover, I appreciate color and the wonderful things designers can do with it.  However, as a businessman, I know that I have to temper my creative urges with my need to convey a message, as raw and stripped-down as it may have to be to safely arrive within the inbox of my targeted decision maker.

This is not an economy where you want to take a chance on missing an opportunity.  Do yourself a huge favor and stop sending emails that include anything other than text, links, and attachments.  If you need to send graphic images, they will normally arrive safely as attachments, but a link is still the surest method.  If you send images embedded in your email signature or the body of your email, including your pretty logo or “follow me on Twitter” badge, then you can expect to miss your target up to 50% of the time.

This is one of those “you don’t know what you don’t know” things, but it is easy enough to fix. Go green -  lighten up your signature to only text and links.  That’s the solution.  Now you can sleep well knowing that you have effectively communicated, which was your initial intention, wasn’t it?

With that said, how good do you want to be?  It is always a good practice to follow-up.  Ask for a confirmation of receipt at the close of your email.  If you don’t get one.  Make a telephone call.

You will thank yourself for it.

I guarantee it.

Jeff Korhan is a new media marketer who works with green industry entrepreneurs to maximize Web visibility, reputation, and referrals.   He blogs on social media and Internet marketing at jeffkorhan.com.

Photo Credit: Narisa