Every business wants to be a strong entity, while succeeding with clients and furthering their venture. Not only is it tough to maintain this outlook in everyday activities, there are a lot of contributing factors that the company must acknowledge. Ideas such as first impressions, employee happiness and investing in yourself all greatly effect success. There’s many ways to improve each idea for better success, but one that can help greatly is landscaping. The addition of top-notch landscaping will improve your business in a tangible way allowing your business to be potent in all aspects.

First Impressions

Think about it… A customer arrives at your business and one of the first things they see is… the landscaping. They might not outwardly notice that the grooming is top notch, but they will subconsciously realize it. Imagine if you went to a friends house and it is a complete mess, with trash all over. You probably would do everything in your power to avoid going there, even resorting to hanging out at other places or even having that friend visit you instead. This is certainly not the impression that you want to make on potential clientele. You are trying to ensure as much business as possible and first impressions count beyond the face to face communication. This article on Forbes details how to make a good first impression, which you can also apply to landscaping. In the article, the author includes a quote ““First impressions matter when you want to build a lasting trust,” says Robert Lount, an assistant professor at Ohio State University. “If you get off on the wrong foot, the relationship may never be completely right again.”“ Frame this to landscaping now and you realize that it is easier to sell people on your product or service if they trust you, as nobody likes to feel like they’ve been “had”.

So what needs to happen in your landscaping to make a good first impression? To start, having a clean cut property is a must, but this doesn’t only relate to grass, but also shrubs and plants. If anything is growing out of control, it looks unkempt and frankly, ugly. Another landscaping improvement is having a beautiful entry way, which can be accomplished with landscape design, as this adds appealing display and color using vegetation. Finally, a clean property is a beautiful property. Make sure your property is clear of any trash, and if there’s a bad storm, ensure the debris or snow/ice is cleared.

Employee Happiness

What about your employees? You hear all the time about company perks such as napping pods and extra days off to recharge. What is it that your company offers? It doesn’t have to be extravagant, as not every business is Google or Adobe, but keeping your employees happy with benefits is a necessity. An easy, and often overlooked perk is having developed areas for employees to enjoy. A perfect example of this is an outdoor seating area, like a gazebo, or an outdoor eating area. To perfect these though, I recommend making a true hardscape.

It’s easy to place a picnic table down and say the employees can eat there, but they won’t as it’s not an appealing aesthetic. However, if you place picnic tables on a brick patio with flower garden beds surrounding the area, employees will regularly eat there in the spring, summer and fall months. A $2000 patio can easily pay itself off, as it will improve employee spirit, and thus improving their work performance, which improves your bottom line. Beyond this, you’ll have an impressive area to admire year-round.

It’s an Investment

Yes, you would be paying to receive landscaping for your company, but your revenue will grow. Whether you are a small business in a strip mall or a business that has a building to itself, quality landscaping will boost your bottom line. A University of Washington team has researched the benefits of the addition of greenery to society and what they found is staggering. Not only does larger trees and landscaping increase the property value (and rental value), it also increases the amount people are willing to spend and the further consumers are willing to travel to do their business.
Consumers are openly willing to pay more in well landscaped areas. Studies have found they will pay 12% more for goods and services in said locations. Along with the price increases, those surveyed reported that they prefer places with trees and landscaping over tidy sidewalks and fancy infrastructure. This shows that having landscaping not only makes people willing to pay more, but also draws their interest. In fact, the research references an increase of foot traffic up to 40%, with units being rented out at a 22% higher rate. By investing in yourself and your property, you will increase the value of your business/property and improve the chance of success.

With all of that said, landscaping doesn’t happen in one day. Look into hiring a company to help you design a landscape that will attract and please consumers, employees and even potential renters. After design, the landscape must be installed and following the installation, the landscape must be maintained. Landscaping will have a positive effect on your business/property and if you add enough positives, success will follow!

Univ. of Washington Green Economics – Internal and External Factors – Tips – Positive First Impression – Employee Perks – Patio Information – Landscaping Investment