For many businesses or professional spaces, giving thought to proper landscaping for the surrounding environment is often not something anyone on staff has experience with. For some, there may even be a question of whether quality landscaping is even essential; after all, as long as the product or service is good, does it really matter how the surroundings outside the building look?
But all aspects of business are interrelated. In the same way you would frown on marketing staff going to meetings in bedroom slippers and bathrobes, a poorly maintained landscape around your business is making a critical first impression on people that decide to visit your business. So if you’ve made the decision to invest in good landscaping for your commercial, retail, or other professional space, one of the first things you should do is engage the services of a good landscaping contractor.
So what exactly IS a good landscaping contractor? What should you look for? Here are a few of the more important characteristics that any reputable contractor will have once you begin your search.
A Good Reputation
This applies to ANY quality business, including your own. Good work results in good word of mouth, whether that is testimony on a company’s own publications, word of mouth from others, or positive online reviews and commentaries on the Internet. If a landscaping contractor is a quality one, you’ll quickly find out by doing a search to see what past clients have said. Any good landscape contractor is going to have far more good than critical remarks about their services. If can find absolutely nothing hinting at the reputation of a contractor, that should be a red flag to exercise more caution. If you’re finding a lot of positive remarks, this should definitely be a checkmark in their favor.
Licensing & Other Professional Qualifications
Anyone can say they are a landscaper, but saying you are something and actually being qualified to do it are two completely different things. In the same way that most professions will require some kind of certification to ensure that only qualified personnel do it, the same is true of landscaping. There are licenses that are required before someone can legitimately call themselves a landscaping contractor. If the contractor you’re interested in doesn’t have these certifications, that’s another red flag you should be keeping in mind.
A qualified, experienced landscaper will have no problems furnishing the required professional documents that show they know what they are doing and have been officially recognized as such.
An Understanding Of The Region’s Characteristics
There are landscapers that are available all over the world, and in some cases, some landscaping contractors may even have a global reputation, flying from one part of the planet to the next in order to help clients. But one thing that is very important to consider when engaging a good contractor is whether that contractor really understands what it means to live in YOUR part of the world. You may have the budget to engage the services of a celebrated landscape contractor that has done amazing work in Canada, but if that landscaper is more familiar with the seasonal requirements of northern climates, that is going to clash with the needs of a South Carolina business that enjoys the sub-tropical climate of the southern United States.
Different regions of the world will have their own distinct characteristics. A good landscaper will understand the nuances of a region, and know how to make best use of those characteristics for maximum effect. Imposing pine trees in South Carolina just aren’t going to be as effective.
Photos Of Past Work
Different landscaping contractors will have different styles, strengths and preferences, just like people. This doesn’t mean that one landscaper is necessarily better or worse than the other, it just means that some will excel at certain types of landscaping, while others will have a different focus.
One of the best things you can do for yourself to get a good feel for where a landscaper is at their best is looking at past photos of their best work. As with a good reputation, a good landscaper will be able to show off a lot of the work done and you can see whether what you had in mind and where they like to go really align. In some cases, seeing photos of past work can also inspire ideas you’d might never have considered before, so always make sure to ask about past work. Any good landscaper should have a lot of evidence to back up their past history of quality.
Respect For Your Budget
Finally, a good landscaping contractor is going to ask you what you’d like to see and how much you’re willing to spend, then work together with you to hone in on that goal. Landscaping should not be a financial ordeal that results in your committing 3-5 times above what you’d initially been willing to spend. If a contractor, very early on, is insisting that you need to spend more, rather than trying work out something that aligns with your budget, there are likely to be more problems further down the line.
If you come to experienced landscaping contractors like Carolina Services Landscaping, you’ll find a professional company that has worked in the region for years to bring a vibrant, professional look to the exteriors of commercial and other business properties. Contact us today to see how we can do the same for you.
