Clippings - Index of

Issue 29-09
September, 2016
Lawn Clippings
Five Easy “Be’s”
Swarming prospects with sales
pitches is easy. But real
connected selling is much
harder, since it involves
relationships – even if shortterm – with people who
universally want to be treated
fairly and respectfully just like
you do. You’ll never win over a
prospect you’ve not allied with.
And according to Zig Ziglar, sales
requires the highest moral
character, perhaps surpassed
only by that of a minister.
So let’s buzz over five simple
“be’s” to strive for in your
relationships with prospects.
1. Be in it to Win it. And the
winning must be a win-win with
both seller and buyer profiting
from the transaction.
2. Be Personal. Find out exactly
what the prospect needs so you
can guide to the appropriate
product or service. Don’t waste
anyone’s time trying to sell what
is unnecessary or undesirable.
3. Be an Active Listener. Not
only is it polite, but this is the
way you discover the prospect’s
needs, desires, and expectations.
4. Be the Expert. Prospects
come to you because they need
information. Have it! Know your
products and services. And know
how to explain them intelligently
and concisely.
5. Be Beneficial. If you don’t
provide value to the customer
for their dollar, you become not
a salesman, but a huckster. And I
know you’re not…
–RG
Fresno, CA, 8/16/2016 –
This week, as kids across the
Central Valley head back to
school, temperatures have
reached the triple-digit marks
again. They’ve remained in
that range most of the
summer. It could mean you’re
thinking about fall, and when
you can finally break out a
light sweater – instead of
sweating in the unforgiving
Central Valley sun.
Good news, if you believe in
its accuracy rate: the Old
Farmer’s Almanac has
released its long-range
weather forecast for 2017.
The almanac, which claims to
have an 80% accuracy rate,
predicts many northern U.S. Regions will be much
colder this winter.
In the Central Valley, the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts
warm temperatures through August and most of
September (2016).
This winter, the Almanac predicts Fresno and
neighboring communities will see much colder
temperatures than average in
December and January, with the bulk
of our rain falling in January and
February 2017.
As for next summer, the Almanac
predicts the hottest temperatures will
be recorded from mid-July to midAugust 2017.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac says
predictions for weather are made 18
months in advance. The publication
was started in 1792 by founder Robert
B. Thomas. The reference book
features weather, tide tables, planting
charts, astronomical information and
several featured articles on topics
including farming, gardening and
technology.
Comet Clutches Releases New Logo
Total Landscape Care, Jill Odom,
8/9/2016 – These days the war for
and against leaf blowers is being
waged across the country, but in
Sonoma, California, the battle has
been raging for at least five years.
Recently the city council adopted a
ban on gas-powered leaf blowers
that was supposed to go into effect
July 1. Commercial operators as
well as private property owners
were to be subject to fines if caught
using gas-powered blowers, but a
petition against the ordinance
caused it to be suspended for the
time being. Whether the ban will
be tossed out or take effect
permanently depends on voters’
choice during the Nov. 8 election,
when Sonoma will hold a
referendum on overturning the
city’s decision.
Meanwhile, branding strategist
Sterling Stevens has started a
landscaping company in response
to all the brouhaha over the
blowers. Stevens calls his company
Get Reel Lawn Care. Seeing the
need for a quiet alternative to the
typical tools of the trade, Stevens
has opted to use human-powered
reel mowers, grass shears, rakes
and brooms, along with some
battery-powered grass trimmers
and hedgers.
“In this day and age, people think
this is crazy – to do things retro –
but it works just fine for me,”
Stevens said in a phone interview
on Tuesday.
Stevens personally isn’t a fan of the
disruptive nature of leaf blowers,
but acknowledges that they are helpful
for businesses trying to save time. His
business is off to a slow start, but he
has already attracted one of the most
vocal opponents of leaf blowers.
Sonoma resident Mara Lee Ebert, who
founded Sonoma Calm, a group of
citizens pushing for the blowers to
remain banned in the city limits, was
one of his first customers.
“At long last I have peace and quiet in
my home office,” Ebert told the
Sonoma Index-Tribune. “I love hearing
the songbirds even when my
landscaper is hard at work. I look
forward to the return of butterflies in
my backyard.”
As of right now, Stevens is an army of
one. While he doesn’t have a
background in the landscaping field, he
grew up working on a cattle ranch in
Vermont and isn’t averse to hard
manual labor.
“If and when the company grows, I’m
happy to add employees and grow as
needed,” he said. “I really wanted to be
out there meeting the people and
getting a feel for what they want. I
want to be able to respond to what
their needs are.”
Stevens charges $25 to $40 for weekly
visits to houses on quarter-acre lots for
his quiet brand of lawn care. Although
he doesn’t promise to be the fastest
landscaping company out there,
Stevens feels that what his customers
are getting instead is better.
“People forget what we’ve given up to
keep up with innovation,” he said.
“With Get Reel, you get quieter
neighborhoods and less pollution.”
Edgerton, WI, 8/4/2016 –
Comet, a division of Certified Parts
Corporation has unveiled a new
logo.
“Comet’s ownership may have
changed over the years, but the
dedication to quality has only grown stronger. Our new logo combines an updated
font with design elements from the original logo,” said Jay Grafft, VP of Comet.
“We wanted to keep some of these components, such as the border, to reinforce the
reputation that Comet has built in the industry for over 50 years. Our products are
proudly made in the USA, which we have included in the new logo. In addition, our
logo now features our tagline ‘Made Locally, Trusted Globally’ to reflect our increased
global reach” said Grafft.
Examples of Comet’s global customer base include partners in the UK, Canada,
Mexico, Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, Japan, Taiwan, Turkey and Switzerland.
Hoffco/Comet was purchased by Certified Parts Corporation in 2009. Comet delivers
high performance solutions for OEM and aftermarket applications with a wide variety
of centrifugal and industrial clutches, torque converters, belts, and disc brakes. They
supply industrial, commercial, and recreational products to a highly
diversified group of industries in the off-road market including
but not limited to golf carts, UTVs, ATVs, snowmobiles,
amusement park rides, go-karts, concrete trowels, pumps, log
splitters, and sawmills.
Certified Parts Corporation also provides service parts and
replacement engines for TecumsehPower by Lauson and is the
global distributor of Liquid Combustion Technology (LCT) engines.
Could Conservation Landscaping Be Making LA Hotter?
TimeOut.com, Brittany Martin, 8/3/2016 – Congratulations on your gardening skills,
LA. Your efforts to landscape with drought-friendly plants, find alternatives to grass
and generally be water-wise have contributed to our water district’s ability to beat
water use reduction goals and be on
our way to the 20 percent reduction
that Governor Brown wanted us to hit
by 2017.
Just one small problem: That watersipping landscape might be making the
city hotter.
Researchers have found that grass lawns and trees help provide shade from the sun
and give off moisture to cool the air – which even the most realistic-looking artificial
turf just can’t do. According to the USC study reported on by the LA Times this week,
a Los Angeles with no lawns would be 3.4 degrees hotter at mid-day. Which isn’t
great now, but since the city is also getting hotter each year due to climate change,
those 3.4 degrees could really add up.
It’s not all dire, though. Gravel and low-water vegetation reflect more cool air in the
dark of night than their greener counterparts. The nighttime cooling effect is in fact
so strong – 5.4 degrees – that it might cancel out the overall environmental warming
resulting from the warmer daytime.
It remains, however, that most people are out and active during the daylight hours
and a hotter, shade-free daytime is particularly problematic as the city tries to
encourage more people to walk and bike rather than take cars everywhere. After all,
the taking cars everywhere is kind of what got us into this in the first place, so it’s all a
big circle.
Get Reel Lawn Care owner Sterling Stevens prefers to keep things quiet with his human-powered tools.
One hypothetical solution offered in the study? Just get rid of everything. A city with
not just no lawns, but also no trees or anything else, would actually be half a degree
cooler than it is today. While that may seem counter-intuitive given the other
findings, the reason is because trees in particular block breezes which would
otherwise flow in straight off the ocean and across the city. (Just imagine, then, if we
got rid of all the buildings, too!)
Ready to Ride a Recumbent Mower?
NewsAtlas.com, Ben Coxworth – The
Mow Cycle is essentially a heavy-duty
recumbent tricycle with a reel mower
on the bottom. So far, only one exists.
It was created by New
Hampshire bicyclebuilder Ted Wojcik and
his son Cody, a
mechanical engineer.
Wojcik told us that it was
inspired by a request
from a client who
claimed to have “the
world’s greatest talent
for blowing up gasolinepowered lawn mowers.”
 Oregon discount will be changed after first
order is submitted through area Territory
Manager
 Free Shipping*
 ½-30, ½-60 Day
Terms*
 Cannot be combined with any other
discounts or promotions
 Program valid through 12/31/2016
This client had been
using a reel mower towed behind an old
mountain bike, but contacted Ted about
upgrading. The Mow Cycle was the
result. It has apparently been
successfully mowing lawns since last
August.
In February, the Mow Cycle was
displayed at the North American
Handmade Bicycle Show in Richmond,
Virginia. “It has created an
overwhelming amount of interest since
the showing,” said Wojcik, “It would be
almost impossible to ignore the
potential.”





To that end, Ted and Cody are now
trying to raise capital to go into
production. The current trike has an
internally-geared five-speed rear hub
with a coaster brake, which helps keep
the fiddly bits from getting clogged with
grass clippings. Wojcik plans to use a
fixed gear rear hub on future models, so
they can be pedaled backwards when
needed.



Quotable
BOB-CAT® CARB Units Now Available
The California Cats are Here...
BOB-CAT® is one of the oldest and most respected commercial mower manufacturers in
the industry and one of the top three fastest-selling national brands. Now there’s an even
greater offering of California-compliant equipment that meets CARB emissions
requirements. The Cali-Cats include:









32” Walk-Behind Classic Pro Gear Drive w/ Kawasaki FS481V
36” Walk-Behind Classic Pro Gear Drive w/ Kawasaki FS481V
36” Walk-Behind Classic Pro Hydro Drive w/ Kawasaki FS481V
36” Stand-on Quickcat™ ZTR w/ Kawasaki FX600V
48” Stand-on Quickcat™ ZTR w/ Kawasaki FX651V
48” SD CRZ ZTR w/ Kawasaki FR600V
52” SD CRZ ZTR w/ Kawasaki FR651V
48” SD XRZ ZTR w/ Kawasaki FR651V
52” SD XRZ ZTR w/ Kawasaki FR691V
And don’t forget the 61” SD, 61” RD, and 72” SD muscled-up
Predator-Pro™ propane-powered units are approved for California
as well. That’s a great coalition of cats...
Roger Miller
“Some
people feel
the rain.
Others just
get wet.”













The next time came around and she asked again.
Changing the Baby
After a young couple brought
their new baby home, the wife
suggested that her husband
should try his hand at changing
diapers.
The husband narrowed his eyes as
he looked at his wife. “I didn’t
mean the next diaper. I meant the
next baby.”
Then Leo suggested, “What if we use a pocket knife
to cut around the rubber, then stick a finger in and
pull up the lock?”
Rough Day
“Well,” sighed Leo, “we’d better think of something
fast. It’s starting to rain, and the sun roof is open!”
The businessman dragged himself
home and barely made it to his
chair before he dropped
exhausted.
“I’m busy,” he said. “I’ll do the
next one.”
His sympathetic
wife was right there with a tall cool
drink and comforting words, “My,
you look tired,” she said. “You
must have had a hard day. What
happened to make you so
exhausted?”
“It was terrible,” her husband said. “The computer
broke down and we had to do our own thinking.”
Locked Out
1343 South Main St.
Porterville, CA 93257
billious.com
[email protected]
Leo and Sam exited and locked
the car in a hurry, forgetting to
remove the key from the
ignition. Realizing the mistake,
Leo asked, “Why don’t we get a
coat hanger to open it?”
Rick Groves, Editor
“No, that won’t work,” answered Sam. “People will
800.245.5468 ph
800.266.7337 fax
think we’re trying to break in.”
“No,” said Sam. “People will think we’re too dumb
to use a coat hanger.”
Dragging the Deer
Two hunters were dragging their dead deer
back to their truck. Another hunter
approached, pulling his along too.
“Hey, I don’t want to tell you how to do
something… but it’s much easier if you drag
the deer in the other direction. Then the
antlers won’t dig into the ground.”
As the third hunter continued on, the two decided
to try it.
A little while later one hunter said to the other,
“You know, that guy was right. This is a lot easier!”
“Yeah,” the other added, “but we’re getting farther
from the truck!”