April/May 1998 BUSINESS MANAGEMENT Turfgrass Producers International Call To Action FQPA Focuses Need to Protect Chemicals Class A & S (producer) members were For nearly a year, TPI publications have been warning about the potentially dire recently asked to immediately contact their own elected federal officials. In consequences of a badly implemented Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). addition to background information on the FQPA issue, the “Action Memo” Unfortunately, those concerns and the included a sample letter members could potential loss of turfgrass sod farm use as a basis for their personal letters to chemicals are appearing more and more Congress. likely, as the US Environmental Protec­ tion Agency begins to implement the new law, using less than complete and accurate scientific data. ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS Computer News Briefs Page 3 Tips for Shrewder Computing. Business Sense In Delegation, Trust is Essential. Page 2 Jest for the Fun of It Page 4 TPI’s “funny business” Department. Page 1 U.S. Chemical Threat Food Quality Protection Act Threat­ ens Farm Chemical Availability. Marketing Tip Benefits of Competition. Page 3 Public Relations In-House Page 2 Press Release “No No's. ” Seminar Materials On-Site Handout Documents Now Available for Recent TPI Seminars. Page 1 Taking Care of Business Page 3 Add-On Sales Opportunities. Page 4 TPI Action U.S. Government Issue Update; TPI Membership Recruitment Campaign; Study Tour Update; Members’ Website / e-mail Address Request... plus more. To help bring Congressional attention to this worsening situation, all U.S. TPI July 16-18 Summer Field Day Set For D.C. TPI’s 1998 Summer Convention and Field Days in suburban Washington, D.C., will offer more events and activities than any previous meeting, in an area that already offers a lot of attractive reasons to bring the family for a fun and educational vacation. In fact, the TPI planned events will extend the July 16-18 meeting dates. Here are some of the highlights now being considered or developed: July 14 - Possible TPI “Hill Day,” to learn about TPI federal issues and visit members of Congress (subject to member interest and Board approval) July 15 — Pre-Convention Tours and Committee (Open Forum) Meetings, two farms and University of Maryland July 16 — Education, Business Meeting, Exhibits & Dinner Cruise July 17 — Demo Day and Exhibits July 18 -- Tour Day of two farms and the Redskins training park. ITPF’s 2nd Annual fund raising “Silent Auction” will be held July 16 and 17 to support turfgrass sod research. Contact TPI to register for this exciting event... it’s a Capitol Idea!. In recent years, turfgrass sod farms have lost the availability of effective, efficient and environmentally benign chemicals because of the Worker Protection Standards. In addition, the EPA has also been considering withdrawing uses of atrazine and simazine. While TPI has worked hard to protect the industry from these losses of chemicals, (and the battles are far from over) the FQPA threat could be the most devastating. Dow/Agro Sciences has devoted a portion of its web site to FQPA. This site not only provides additional information, it also contains a link that will allow anyone to send their elected officials an e-mail message. Access this site at http:// www.dowagro.com/FQPA/default.htm. All U.S. TPI members are encouraged to contact their elected officials on this issue. Additional copies of the TPI information can be obtained by calling the office at 800/405-8873. Seminar Materials Available On-site handout materials from the past three TPI Midwinter Pre-Conference Seminars are now available for purchase. Topics covered in each set are: 1996 - “Financial Planning for Profits” 1997 - “Business Efficiency” 1998 - “Labor Relations” The 1996 and 1997 materials are bound and cost $10 each. 1998 materials are not bound and cost just $5 each. Call Tom at TPI today for more information, 800/405-8873 or 847-705-9898. to horse racing or a maga zine aimed at the trucking industry. In-House Public Relations... Press Release "No No's" The secret to getting a free plug in your expect to see a contact name, address and local newspaper is two-fold. First, telephone number. Submit no more than change your thinking slightly and two pages, typed double spaced and repe second, give the editor information of the contact name and phone on the second value. With free publicity as your goal, page, along with “Page 2 of 2” - pages can think about information others need or get separated in a news room. Center three pound signs (# # #) after the last want that your are willing to share. You sentence to signal the end of the story. know more about turfgrass sod than anyone who does not work in the sod production business. You are an expert, so put your expertise to work. 3) Poorly written - You write better than you might think when it is about something you know well. If you use a computer, get over rough spots with a writing software package. Buy one that includes a spelling, grammar and punctuation checker. 8) Poorly timed - Editors are very likely to run an article that will help readers avoid the embarrassment of waiting too late to send a Mother’s Day plant-if the article arrives before Mother’s Day. Use a calendar and plan well in advance for releases that can be tied to annual events and holidays. Call the publication and ask about editorial deadlines. 9) Length - Ten-page news releases go from the mail to the trash can with barely a glance. Editors usually depend on news releases as story tips. Write about one subject and cram as much information as possible into one or two pages. 10) Uninteresting - Include some human interest. All news stories contain at least one of the following: timeliness, proximity, conflict, prominence, economic conditions, cultural significance and novelty. Reasonably combining two or more of these elements bolsters news value. Editors are very busy and look for any excuse to throw away material. By avoiding the 10 common mistakes, you greatly improve your odds of making it into print. TPI has samples available upon request... call Tom: 800/405-8873. A recent survey of newspaper editors revealed the top 10 reasons business news releases wind up in the trash instead of in print. To boost your chances for free publicity, avoid the following common editor complaints. 1) Reads like advertising - The media wants news to be news, not advertising. Begin thinking about your business from a news perspective. Instead of the temptation to brag about your firm as having the best service in town, inform the editor of the teamwork it takes to ensure your customers get high quality turfgrass sod. Emphasize coordination and transporta­ tion spotlight the people who make it all happen. Call some firms you supply and let them know you are working on a publicity piece. They will be more than willing to help knowing that their company’s name will also get positive press. 2) Inappropriate subject matter - Do not send a “beautify your lawn with turfgrass sod” article to a paper devoted 4) Not enough information - Let someone you trust read your release about your most unusual request or how to have beautiful lawn with minimal work. Pick someone who knows little or nothing about your business to read the article. If they have questions, so will an editor. 5) Too technical - Use the term “Kentucky Bluegrass” instead of the species “Poa pratensis” in your piece about your product(s). Unless you are writing for an industry publication, avoid technical terms. Keep your writing informative, but approach it with your audience in mind. 6) Writing style unsuitable - Read several issues of the publication you are targeting. With some study, you can gauge a publication’s attitude and slant your material appropriately. Style also refers to mechanics like capitalization and abbreviations. Your material gets a “thumbs up” if it needs little if any editing for style. 7) Incorrect format - At the top of the first page of news releases, editors Trust Goes Both Ways in Delegation Successful delegation rests on a foundation of mutual trust. Here are some tips and advice for making delega­ tion a positive experience for both you and your employees: * Don’t dwell on mistakes. Chances are the employee realizes he or she has blundered, and constant reminders will only erode self-confidence and trust. Focus on fixing the mistake. * Support workers’ decisions. Even if you don’t agree 100 percent with everything an employee does, back the person up when he or she needs it, particularly in front of other people. * Don’t spy. You have a right to monitor the progress of the task you’ve delegated, but be open and aboveboard about it. If you’re caught spying, the employee’s trust in you will vanish. * Don’t test employees by holding back information. Making an employee’s job more difficult is never a good idea. * Admit your own mistakes. Telling your employee about mistakes you’ve made may help him or her avoid repeat­ ing the errors. Delegation developed through trust will build stronger working relationships. Marketing Tip Karen Sekich, Top Quality Turf Longmont, Colorado Shrewder Computing Competitive strategy is a vital part of my marketing plan, especially in a new or growth industry. Sod production is a new industry, even though some produc­ ers have been at it for 20 years or more, and it is certainly a growth industry in many areas where the economy has witnessed increases in housing and commercial building trades. Even in these circumstances, “competi­ tion” is viewed as negative to many people who fear the associated challenges of restructuring the company, solidifying the customer base and cost containment. Competition, however, can be very good for new and growth industries. Yes, there is such a thing as good competition. Here are just a few examples of the advantages of competition: * Lower per producer cost for new and renewed research and technology (like the International Turf Producers Foundation “2-Cents Worth” campaign, which raises money for research.) * New entrants may create markets, or cause existing producers to create or use new products. * Increased awareness and acceptance among buyers of sod, with reduced perception of “buyer’s risk.” * Legal coalitions, state and regional associations, alliances and joint ventures among competitors that influence legislation and reduce the number of unworthy entrants. Competition will cause existing compa­ nies to look at their bottom line and see if they are running “lean and mean,” and take measures to increase profits margins and overall stability. Customers will never be taken for granted in a competi­ tive environment, and this increases the overall credibility of the sod industry. Our economic system depends on products, prices, production and the distribution of goods that are determined primarily by competition in a free market, and the sod industry proudly demon­ strates this capitalistic ideal. Taking Care of Business: Add-on Sales Steve Schiedel, Greenhorizon Group Cambridge, Ontario, Canada Add-on sales can be fun and exciting, but caution must be advised when choosing what particular products and/or services your client base and local market can support. Do research! Is your area lacking a good bulk seed house? Do your landscape contractors have a good supplier of hard goods like pavers and wood products, bark mulches and decorative stone? Is your farm close enough to town that you could market retail products like bedding plants, fertilizers or nursery stock? the options, make sure it is going to be profitable, especially since it will be taking valuable time away from your core business. Add-on products can be a great bottom line booster to your turfgrass sod busi­ ness, but a wise sod farmer in the business for over 40 years once told me, “If I had stayed only in the sod business, I’d be a rich man today.” Same Old Sod? Before choosing a product or service, research your competition. Is it a box store that aggressively markets price and election, or is it a garden center that promotes quality and service? Now consider the possibility of losing a good garden center customer because you begin competing with them. After weighing all * Think about “value-added” products you can offer or sevices you can provide to augment your turfgrass sod sales. Product examples include: water/rain gauges, work gloves or a knife for trimming sod. Service examples include such things as: truck wash, mower blade sharpening and equipment repair. * You can help direct the focus of the “Business Management” Shewder Computing column. With the wide range of computer- related topics available, we would appreciate your input as to the kind of areas you’d like to see covered here. Desktop publishing, hard­ ware, software, internet, Microsoft Windows or Office, etc. Please call Tom at 847/705-9898 or fax your suggestions to 847/705-8347. * Out with the old and in with the new. Have you tried to open old documents with a new word processing program, and found out that you’ve got compatibility problems? Here are several things you can do will help alleviate compatibiltiy problems: 1.) Ask before you buy new or upgrade software if you’ll be able to use it on existing documents. 2. ) Keep your old software in your system until you’re sure that the new software will open “old” documents. 3.) If your new software resists opening older files: Try using your “old” software to open a document you want to convert for use with your new software, Save the document as a “text only” file to a temporary file. Open the text-only version of the file with your “new” software, and Save it as a docu­ ment in your new software format. You will lose your formatting by doing this, but you won’t have to retype the document. TPI Action TPI Addresses Growing List of U.S. Federal Issues Affecting Turf Producers which include the following: Farm-Use Chemical Losses as a result of FQPA and WPS, as well as actions to ban future uses of atrazine/simazine and methyl bromide Farm Labor Shortages and Immigration Enforcement are now being addressed by HR 2377 “guestworker legislation” and revisions to the I-9 “Employ­ ment Eligibility Verification Form” Sod Farm Wetlands and the industry’s position that equal treatment should be available to all farmland, regardless of the crop. To effectively address these issues, TPI’s members have been asked to write or call their members of Congress and consider participation in a July 14 TPI “Hill Day.” TPI President Doguet and Executive Director Doug Fender will represent the organization in Washington, D.C. at a day-long specialty pesticide association leadership conference. ITEMS OF IMPORTANCE (contact TPI for more details on any of these items) 1998-99 Membership Renewal Notices will be mailed in early May. Respond immediately to maintain all benefits and services, without interruption “Going For The Grand” membership recruitment campaign is approaching the 1,000 member mark... now just 50 away. “Grand Recruiters" are eligible for special recognition and prizes, including $1,000 for recruiting the 1,000th mem­ ber. Campaign completion target date is the July 16-18 Summer Convention. New Zealand/Australia Study Tour registration deadline is June 30. Already, nearly 30 people have signed up for the 17-day visit of TPI member farms and other sights in these two remarkable countries. Member E-mail and Web Site Addresses should be updated and included in TPI’s popular web site. Mail, fax, call or e-mail additions and changes to TPI. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT Turfgrass Producers International 1855-A Hicks Road, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Jest For The Fun Of It More Bumper Stickers... Vegetarian: Indian word for lousy hunter. It’s lonely at the top, but you eat better. Forget about world peace -- Visualize your turn signals! Hom broken. Watch for finger. Nonconformists are all alike. Hang up and drive! Go ahead and honk. I’m reloading. FIRST CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID Rolling Meadows, IL 60008 Permit No. 662