Attention Group Owners-Managers:
Make sure to send this on to whomever does your email newsletters...

How's your newsletters? No matter the answer, can they be improved?

A few weeks back we had a lengthy GroupEs eList discussion about e-marketing and especially email newsletters. In the middle of the conversation, Robert Hendrickson said this is an indication we need to reach out to Michael Katz at Blue Penguin Development for his coaching skills. Michael is one of the best at creating effective email newsletters. He has been a featured speaker at multiple past Fall Events and some of you no doubt are on his email list today. But we know many of you are not. I spoke to Michael to discuss our needs and he has put together a special offer, just for The Group. Here's details:

Connect+ by Proven Winners^®

New Promotional Support Program for 2020

[Danny] This past week, while we were at the Farwest Show, Proven Winners' Jessica DeGraaf shared with me a new promotional support program they are introducing for 2020. You may remember they offered a special program this past spring where our centers could participate in a customized video series by Garden Answer's Laura and Aaron LeBoutillier. The program produced a series of videos each participating center could use on their website and in social media. The program was very reasonable and gave a wonderful message and a number of you participated. This new expanded program for 2020 brings together a number of offerings and is called Connect+. I asked Jessica to give us some commentary on the program and she sent us the following details.

While we discussed each tier of options to Connect+, we discussed the real value of just a couple of the elements such as the Facebook or Pandora pieces, it was obvious it would cost a center much more than the total cost of this offer and therefore what a great value this could be for our centers. Obviously you need to consider what Proven Winners® programs you will be carrying, what they can offer that matches up with those products and how you can implement in your center. If the product mix matches what you can sell, the value of this offer is pretty amazing. At a time of increasing effort is needed to handle all the promotional tools a center is utilizing today, this type of support can bring some needed relief. Be sure to also follow the link at the bottom to see the simple chart showing the four levels of promotional support.

Blow It Up! on Average Transactions

by Sid Raisch

You might remember my session on Blowing it Up! At Fall Event 17 in Houston. That was all about taking something you’re doing and making a bigger big deal of it so you maximize the benefit from your opportunity. The principle of Blow It Up! is to make whatever is working work better.

Peaks and Valleys

by Danny Summers

Twelve Weeks
The majority of a garden center's income happens in a 12-week period in spring. Exactly when the 12 weeks begin fluctuates of course, dependent upon location (climate zone) and seasonal weather breaks. The balance of the year the center is trying to hang onto the profit dollars by working on building income and keeping costs as low as possible.

The July “Word of the Month” is MOTIVATE!

by John Kennedy

 What motivates you and what are you going to do about it? 

As the month of July heats up, so too should your willingness to circle back and reinvest in yourself. We are past the midpoint of the year, and it would be wise to give yourself a “check up from the neck up” and reward yourself.  Our jobs in leadership are plentiful, and the selfless way we commit to motivating others should become a selfish way to motivate yourself.

What's Your Image?

by Danny Summers

I am writing this at or near the end of the spring season and certainly there is a place for specials and clearance sales at this time, but that is not what I am thinking about here. Instead, it is a general question.

Throughout the year, what is your center's image to your audience?

Never-Ins, and Building a Better Business

by Sid Raisch

DANGER: Now that things are slowing down, you’ve got more time to do things you shouldn’t do in the first place. You don’t have time for that.

Finding Your Balance

by Danny Summers

Let's face it. Spring is a marathon and you and your entire staff are exhausted near the end. It's Week 23 and the energy level is waning. I thought this would be a good time to make suggestion. How can you and your team find your balance in the next few weeks?

June Word of the Month - GROW!

By John Kennedy

Welcome to the month of June where the word of the month is GROW! In every aspect of our lives, there are so many things we need to focus on to grow. In fact, I think there are actually too many things to focus on, which in turn, becomes somewhat overwhelming.

The Art of Effective Recruiting

by Jean Seawright

Here's a frightening thought:  It's all up to you! 

Developing Your Most Value Asset

by Danny Summers

As a Garden Center Owner or Manager, I challenge you with this question: What is your business' most valuable asset?

Time Kills All Deals

By John Kennedy

As the Fall Event approaches and we drive the theme of “Time”, I thought this month would be great to highlight a few hints, tips and strategies to make the best of your time…as well as the time of your customers (even more valuable!).  Invest your time wisely but make sure not to waste your customer’s time in doing so.

The Pulse of the Garden Center Industry – Part 2

by Steve Bailey

Besides Revenues, what’s the most important ratio for a business selling a product? I’ll answer that one for you; it’s the COST of the product being sold.

A Tale of Two Sears and "A Road Not Taken"

by Danny Summers

This past week in the WDR, Steve Bailey spotlighted recent announcements by Sears Holdings they will shrink and streamline their produce offering in the coming months as they try to reorganize AGAIN. Steve's parallel here was a challenge to Group Centers to be vigilant about the products you are offering. He has recently told me he often sees centers getting lazy on controlling inventory (and turns) when sales are strong and times are good and therefore not maximizing their profitability.

Welcome to the ReFresh Calendar

by John Kennedy

The month of April is dedicated to the importance and impact of consistency.  From driving the customer experience to the art and science of plant health, ensure that your team sets standards to drive consistency in every aspect of the month.

The Pulse of the Garden Center Industry

by Steve Bailey

You might think the title of this article is a bit of a stretch when describing The Group’s 2018 Profit & Loss Study. I don’t. There’s nothing in our industry that even approaches the depth of information reporting centers receive.

Raising Your Invisible Ceiling on Growth

by Sid Raisch

Do you have a plan to break through your Invisible Ceiling this Spring?

The Forecast – Outlook for the Spring Season

featuring Dr. Charlie Hall and Dr. Marco Palma, Texas A&M, College Station, TX

The SNA Conference was held January 7-8, 2019 in Baltimore, in conjunction with MANTS. Dr. Charlie Hall, the nation's foremost green industry economist, teamed up with Dr. Marco Palma to provide insight on the outlook for the spring season.The following is the recorded presentation. Whether you were there for the event or not, this is an important 29 minutes for you and your management team to see again!

Should you hold back, stand status quo, or see this time of uncertainty as a time of opportunity? What impact will housing trends have on the economy? How will Generation X impact the market as the Baby Boomers are retiring? What will the 2019 spring season look like and how will it impact your business? Structural changes in the industry will also be discussed, along with strategic implication for growers, service providers, and retailers.

#TheFallEvent2018 - Garden Answer's Laura and Aaron present...

"YES YOU CAN Reach Your Customers through Social Media!"

Laura and her husband, Aaron, started Garden Answer, a YouTube how-to gardening channel filled with style, expertise and helpful gardening knowledge, in 2014. Today, they attract over 300,000 YouTube channel subscribers and have generated over 25 million views of their YouTube gardening videos. Garden Answer has 2.2 million followers and over 450 million video views. Garden Answer has become quite a sensation in just a short  time, and the numbers are continually growing!

Their tremendous popularity has prompted industry brands like Proven Winners, Espoma, Gardener's Supply, and others, to partner with Garden Answer to reach consumers.

Denial is Under-Rated?

by Sid Raisch

She actually said this? I could hardly believe my ears, and had to ask, “would you please repeat what you just said?”

She said it again, “Yes - denial is under-rated as a coping mechanism.” Having just met her for the first time, I was both aghast, and willing to give her the benefit of doubt. Maybe she had it backward in her mind? Sadly, the further the conversation went, the clearer it was that she actually believed herself – that denial is a good coping mechanism. But of course, she’s dead wrong.