Landscape Management, October 2012

BUSINESSPLANNER2013 continued from page 40 The more you occur when one of our own members does a presentation on something his or her company does very well It could be about snow lawn maintenance or design build Whatever the topic is when peers talk everybody listens The cost of a state association membership is usually minimal typically a few hundred dollars per year depending on the companys size In addition to the great networking opportunities member benefts often include a health benefts program member discounts and educational opportunities Peer groups Another C2C opportunity is peer groups collections of professionals typically six to 12 contractors who have scheduled meetings both face to face and via conference calls to openly discuss their businesses Peer groups provide more structure to the sharing process than association memberships and are managed by facilitators or consultants They can be made up of a local group of peers within driving distance of each other or a national share The more oThers will share wiTh you Looking for a knowledgable partner in your landscaping business LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET OCTOBER 2012 42 group of landscape contractors that are in different states Professionally managed peer groups have specifc criteria for their members such as company size type and or geographic location The cost of these types of peer groups can run anywhere from 1500 to 10000 or more a year depending on the frequency and intensity of the meetings Meetings can be held once a month once a quarter or once a year They can happen in person or via a conference calling bridge A great way to try out C2C networking is to attend the Professional Landcare Networks PLANETs Green Industry Conference GIC in Louisville Ky held every October and participate in the Breakfast with Champions event It features many roundtable discussions where you and nine peers enjoy breakfast while 9702929000 ds enquiries@ agriumat com www aatdirectsolutions com Our sales team is part of the PLANET Landscape Industry Certification Program Direct Solutions is committed to growth and not just plant growth but growth of your business and bottom line We strive to meet that commitment in all that we do from consulting and recommending solutions for your turf landscape problems to earning our PLANET certification We believe in PLANET certification because being an expert is one thing but being a PLANET certified expert is something completely different Check us out at the 2012 GIE Expo at booth 10110 A strategic division of Win a personalized networking mentoring session with an industry leader through PLANETs Trailblazer program at our GIE EXPO Booth 10110 Contact your local Direct Solutions sales representative today for your consultation 2012 Agrium Advanced Technologies U S Inc DIRECT SOLUTIONS and COMMITTED TO GROWTH and designs are trademarks owned by Agrium Inc Landscape industry certified and PLANET and designs are trademarks owned by Professional Landcare Network