For a Commercial Property Manager, dealing with your commercial landscaping provider can be a hassle. From tenants complaining about dirt blow onto their cars, to noisy mowers and trimmers disrupting important morning meetings, commercial landscapers can have you wishing your building was somewhere in the middle of a downtown concrete jungle.
Sure, it looks nice when it’s done, but did you ever wonder who really notices your commercial property’s landscaping?
One property manager recently told us:
“I only pay attention to landscaping if it looks really good, or if it looks really bad. Everything else just kinda blends in.”
Yikes.
Is it worth all the trouble just to have someone say your landscaping “blends in”? Not to mention all the expense?
Of course not.
You deserve a landscape that gets noticed by the right people – for the right reasons.
And exactly who are the right people?
There are two kinds of people that will always notice your commercial property’s landscaping. They are the people you need to impress if you want to lease your space quickly, and keep it leased for years to come.
First, you should always make sure your prospective clients take note of your property’s landscaping.
You invest in quality commercial landscaping because you know that a great commercial property - one that’s fully leased for top dollar - starts from the second your prospective client lays eyes on your building. Your landscaping is the very first thing they will see.
If they’re looking at your listing online, the first photo is usually the exterior of the building, right? Wouldn’t it make sense to have some curb appeal to show off in the first photo of your slideshow?
If they’re driving up to your office building or retail center, it only makes sense to welcome them with a beautiful entry.
Your prospective clients are comparing yours to all the other available spaces they’re considering for their business. They’re imagining their business thriving and growing in your space. Does it fit the brand they’re trying to build?
Landscaping defines a commercial property just as dramatically as anything inside the building.
Is it upscale modern, with clean lines and intricate flower displays? Is it eco-friendly? Does it offer healthy amenities like outdoor seating for lunch breaks or walking trails around the grounds?
Prospective clients have a long list of things they need to check off before they decide to lease with you. Your landscaping can significantly impact their overall impression of your property and is often the deciding factor between yours and other similar spaces.
Once the client chooses your property, your landscaping’s work is just beginning.
The second group you need to impress, your client’s employees and customers, will also notice your commercial property’s landscaping.
Landscaping adds measurable value to retail centers. (Consumers reportedly pay up to 12% more for identical items in shopping centers with high quality landscaping.) It enhances the buyer’s perception of value and adds to the experience of buying your goods and services.
For a commercial office property, landscaping impacts the employees who work there in a number of very important ways. First, landscaping inspires creativity. Colorful flowers, manicured bright green grass, healthy trees, and manicured shrubs stimulate the mind and enhance worker performance. Landscapes also impact the job satisfaction that employees feel. By providing employees a well maintained outdoor environment, the opinion of the employer and opinions about how the employer values their employees increases exponentially. When given a beautiful environment to work in, employees are more likely to show up and be productive every day. They take fewer sick days remain at their companies longer.
Happy, productive employees build successful companies. Those companies become highly desirable clients for commercial property managers.
So, does landscaping really matter that much to your clients and their employees?
Yes, we know it does. We’ve had so many Property Managers tell us that by simply keeping their grounds beautiful and tidy, we’ve made their job so much easier.
They lease their spaces faster and keep their clients in those spaces once they’re leased.
No matter what type of commercial property you manage, your landscape does make an impression. Make sure it’s a good one.