Top Story

• How to raise rates and keep your clients
  When you need to raise the price for your services, decide whether to do it all at once or space it out over time, writes this author. Then, let your staff know so you're all on the same page. Also, tell your customers why the price is going up and offer them options such as a package deal that could be discounted. GreenIndustryPros.com (2/4)     

Industry Buzz

• Green your marketing with luminous planters
  Luminous planters known as "glowboxes" from PlantusNYC can add greenery and bring marketing opportunities, according to this article. The frame of the planter has a ribbon of LED strips that can change color at set intervals and highlight a logo or other advertising on the planter's "skin." Crain's New York Business (2/3)     

• How to make an urban garden a wildlife habitat
  Urban gardens can double as wildlife habitats when designed properly, according to this article. This can be seen in the Seattle garden of landscape architect Keith Geller, which features spaces for people, layers of shade trees, rocks that collect rainwater and small shrubs to serve as home for birds. Evergreens provide color year-round, while perennials offer nourishment for beneficial insects. The Seattle Times (2/1)     

Economic Indicators

• U.S. payrolls kept growing in January
  U.S. employers added 157,000 workers in January, and job creation in November and December was better than previously thought, the Labor Department reported. The upward revisions added 127,000 jobs to the total employment growth during the last two months of 2012. Bloomberg (2/2)     

• Manufacturing growth accelerates in the U.S.
  The Institute for Supply Management said its index of U.S. factory activity rose from 50.2 in December to 53.1 in January, its highest reading in nine months. The index for new orders jumped from 49.7 to 53.3. Reuters (2/1)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by OPEI SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Kohler CEO talks about growing the business (BJTOnline.com)

• Dixie Chopper to expand into Canada (GreenIndustryPros.com)

• Column: 3 types of mowers could trim emissions from lawn work (GreenerIdeal.com (Canada))

• New generators pack power, technology (ConsumerReports.org)

• Deere: "People-powered" for continuous improvement (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (Iowa))

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Inside & Out

• What landscape professionals need to know from their clients
  Landscape professionals can help homeowners personalize their gardens to meet their preferences, writes Tom Heald, managing partner of the Wyoming Plant Company. In this piece, he outlines five steps that clients can expect to go through when they work with a landscape professional. Heald suggests asking customers to be honest so you can get a better feel for what they're looking for. Star-Tribune (Casper, Wyo.) (tiered subscription model) (2/3)     

• How leaders can be better sellers
  Every leader is a salesperson at heart, spending their days pitching ideas, deals and products to potential customers, employees, suppliers, corporate partners and the board, writes Daniel Pink. To carry out that role successfully, it pays to strike a balance between introversion and extroversion. The best bosses are those "who can talk smoothly but also listen keenly, who know when to turn on the charm but also when to turn it off, who combine the extrovert's assertiveness with the introvert's quiet confidence," Pink writes. The Washington Post (1/28), The Washington Post (1/29)     

• Good innovators know that less is more
  The best innovators focus on getting rid of stuff, and developing products and processes that deliver memorable and meaningful results with the least effort possible, writes Matthew E. May. "They adopt a 'less is best' approach to innovation, removing just the right things in just the right way in order to achieve the maximum effect through minimum means," he explains. Strategy+Business online (free registration) (1/28)     

Policy Update

• Closing tax loopholes could be key to budget deal, Obama says
  President Barack Obama said future deals with Congress on the U.S. budget could set aside the option of raising tax rates and, instead, focus on eliminating tax loopholes and deductions to reduce the deficit. "I don't think the issue right now is raising rates," Obama said. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (2/3), CBS News/Political Eye blog (2/3), The Washington Post/The Associated Press (2/3)     

OPEI News

• Outdoor Power Report -- A quarterly update for OPEI members
  OPEI's quarterly summary of issues and activities is now available. Read the report.     

SmartQuote

To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, subtract things every day." --Laozi, Chinese philosopher