Business Barometer January/February 2009

These responses came from a Nov. 21-22, 2008, survey and originally appeared in the January/February 2009 issue of Water Garden News.

Expanded Service Grows Business
A landscaper in North Lawrence, Ohio
Business increased by 300 percent from last year to this year. Expanding our services caused the increase. People like full-service and dealing with one company. They like that sense of one-stop shopping.

Pondless water features are probably the biggest thing right now because of low maintenance. Many people are leaning toward natural stone that is drilled. Bubblers are big right now, and so are natural waterfalls that go into a pondless basin.

Repairs, Maintenance Contracts Up
A designer/builder with repair/maintenance in Broken Arrow, Okla.
We’ve been steady. Until recently, Oklahoma was sheltered from the economy by the oil business. We have a fair number of people with $250,000-plus incomes, so they haven’t been affected.

We’re even doing small jobs for people with middle incomes. As people spend more time at home, they make their homes more of an oasis. I’m seeing more repairs and maintenance contracts; pond owners don’t want to mess with the pond, so they want us to maintain it.

No Financing Drives Cash-buyer Focus
A water garden designer and contractor in Charleston, S.C.
Clients want to make improvements, but they cannot finance the projects. The average pondscaping and design project costs between $2,000 and $6,000, requiring folks to get a home-improvement equity line. These lines are not available these days.

Now we’re looking for cash buyers. We’re pretty brutal about inquiries; we ask if it’s a cash payment or if it’ll be financed. You have to be aggressive. They all have appetites beyond their ability to afford them.

Pumps, Sound, Green Keep Sales Up
An online pond retailer in Hackensack, N.J.
We’re experiencing good sales. Everybody is crazy about Leader Ecosub pumps and Ecovort pumps. They last for years, and customers go right back to that product when a pump breaks. I sell a dozen a week.

Customers are getting into fountains and waterfalls — things that make sound. People like the serenity and the beauty.

They also want organic products. Everybody’s going green. They want to feel like they’re helping the environment. They’re also buying more barley. Many people did not realize that barley went into a pond system, and the people who buy that are the people buying green.

No New Projects in Two Months
A designer/builder with maintentance in Walnut Creek, Calif.
We haven’t had a phone call for new projects in a couple of months. With the property values crashing and nobody being able to borrow money, not much is happening, even in this affluent area [San Francisco Bay Area].

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Business Barometer January/February 2009

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