6 Ways To Start Talking Smart Water With Your Clients

As irrigation and landscape professionals, you know the benefits of using smart water products - reduction in water usage, healthier soil, lower water bills.

But often the hardest part is talking to your clients about why this makes sense for them. While phrases like “distribution uniformity” and “precipitation rates” are common to us, it can be difficult to translate to a homeowner.

Here are some 6 suggestions for talking “smart” to your clients.

Use Visuals They Can Understand

Changing out 10 sprays to PRS heads can save up to 30,000 gallons of water a year. Sounds like a lot. Or is it? That number is pretty intangible.

So use it in a context your client will understand. Instead, try “that’s like filling up your pool twice a year!” That’s something they can relate to.

Show the Savings

Don’t just talk about the savings, show them. There are a number of smart water calculators available from manufacturers and distributors that allow you to enter real-world data like cost of water per gallon, number of heads, etc. The tools are easy to use and can be entered and calculated in about 2 minutes.

Know the Water District Rebates Available in Your Area

Many city and county water districts offer water-saving rebate programs for EPA Watersense labeled products as well as water conservation services. But sometimes these programs can be a little confusing and even intimidating. By becoming familiar with the programs in your area you just increased your value to your client and helped differentiate yourself from your competitors.

A reference for local rebates in 10 states is available at: https://www.horizononline.com/store-locations

It’s Not All About Money

Fortunately for most of us, water is still inexpensive. So a typical urban home won’t see the financial impact like a community association or office campus.

But all of us know that many states are facing drought issues and that we all have to do our part to conserve. And most homeowners don’t realize how much of their water is being used outside of the house. Use the graphics provided by organizations like WaterSense to show that up to HALF of their water usage is outside.

Lawns Are Not Evil

Many areas facing drought are going to the extreme of pulling up turf and replacing with hardscaping or artificial turf. And while these are both valid options, temperatures around grassy areas are about 25 degrees cooler than around dead grass or concrete, while removing CO2, dust, and other contaminants from the atmosphere.

It’s important to remind clients of the benefit of healthy landscapes around their house while assuring them that with Smart Water products you can maintain that beauty with less water.

Find the Tools You Need on HorizonOnline.com

Horizon has compiled the industry’s best contractor-to-homeowner selling tools to help you have the Smart Water conversation with your clients. These tools talk everything from smart products to efficient irrigation to help the homeowner understand the benefits and importance of using more innovative products in their irrigation system. Whether left on the door or in a formal sales presentation, these tools will help you be professional and prepared.

Download the files for free at https://www.horizononline.com/conservation-resources