We get it. LandscapeHub is a new way of doing business, different than the way you've bought and sold plant material in the past. And let's be honest, that can be a little scary, right? Change and growth often can be uncomfortable, but anything worth doing is bound to raise some questions.

That's why, for today's post, we wanted to dive into some of the common questions we get from buying organizations about joining LandscapeHub. Some of them are simple misconceptions, while others get to the core mission of why we do what we do (yay, we love those questions), and others are simple but warrant explanations. After all, you're considering trusting us with your business, and we do not take that responsibility lightly. We love our industry and the people in it and want to make you feel confident in your decision to conduct your business on LandscapeHub.

So, without further delay, here we go...

1. How is working with LandscapeHub better than my current process?

Our number one value we provide to our customer is time saving. We've seen customers that use LandscapeHub spend up to 90% less time building quotes/estimates that they typically do using their current, offline method. We are are opening you up to a national network of suppliers and are exposing not only product availability, but also pricing. You have the opportunity to work with new suppliers, and take advantage of our logistics network to source and procure material from areas of the country or suppliers that may have previously been unavailable or cost-prohibitive.

2. I like the suppliers I work with, and some of them even give me discounts! Does that relationship and pricing go away if I join LandscapeHub?

We are here to enhance your existing relationships and help you establish new relationships with suppliers you may not have worked with before. We encourage communication between buyers and suppliers that are doing business on the LandscapeHub. The platform improves the order workflow and gives both buyers and suppliers the option to route all communication through LandscapeHub if that's what the buyers and suppliers prefer. However, it's up to you and the supplier to decide how often you want LandscapeHub to communicate on your behalf.

3. How is LandscapeHub different than working with a broker?

While there are some similarities between LandscapeHub and brokers, we are very different, starting with the fact that our service is free. Many brokers do not disclose the source of the product they are selling, and most of them are not using the internet to reach new buyers. Brokers excel in maintaining critical relationships in the supply chain; however, many brokers are still relying on a pen, paper, email, and phone to manage orders and sales. At LandscapeHub, we leverage technology to get our affiliate suppliers in front of buyers online. We combine best in class technology and industry veterans to deliver an improved, streamlined, buying and selling experience. LandscapeHub is a tool to enhance the way PEOPLE work together, not a tool to replace PEOPLE. We In fact, we have a handful of brokers currently using LandscapeHub as a tool to buy and sell.

4. What if I'm nervous about buying sight unseen (especially from a new-to-me supplier)?

If you're nervous about buying sight unseen, we are always happy to provide photos of the product you're looking to procure. Also, it's important to remember that you're joining a curated network of quality suppliers. We do not allow any supplier on the platform without first vetting their products and facilities. If you ever receive a product you are unhappy with, you are always encouraged to reach out to our team so we can make it right. 

5. If I already have someone on staff to handle purchasing, why do I need LandscapeHub?

Think of us as your purchasing assistant. We are here to offer you a tool to save time, streamline processes, free up time, etc. We are not here to take anyone's job away, we simply want to enable them to do their jobs more efficiently. In fact, you may be interested to know that we conducted a study with a large, regional design-build firm where we asked on of their purchasers to complete eight quotes using LandscapeHub and to complete the same eight quotes using their traditional, offline method. Do you know what we discovered? Using LandscapeHub gave their purchaser an almost 90% time saving compared to building the quotes offline! Just think of all the extra value your purchasing team could add with the time saved created quotes. 

Didn't see your question addressed here? Please reach out to us so we can start a conversation about how LandscapeHub can help your business.