Drumroll Please!

Drumroll Please!

by Danny Summers

THIS THURSDAY... our next GROUPtalk LIVE session, will feature Tim Quebedeaux presenting the results of The Group's Annual P&L Study for 2023!

It's a BIG DEAL!

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The Natural Connection

The Natural Connection

by Danny Summers

If you have been with us in The Group for some time I'm sure you think I am heading into either The Nature Fix or Emotional Marketing areas, shared in recent years.

The idea actually came from a totally outside source, but our two major programs have left their marks on my thinking. I guess you could call this a hybrid message. Or simply... an outside message with internal influence or flavor!

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Knowledge is the New Currency

Knowledge is the New Currency

by John Kennedy


As the Spring season begins to take shape throughout most of the US, and as IGC’s fill the new and returning roles of retail (hiring or re-hiring), this is the time to reinvest in training and development.

I recently had the chance to present a webinar for one of The Garden Center Group Partners for Success—Proven Winners, titled “Batter Up!” where we compared spring training in baseball to spring training in garden centers. The same “Back to Basics” approach is a wise way to kick start the body and the brain to ready for the season ahead.

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The Power in Collaboration

The Power in Collaboration

by Danny Summers

If there is one thing I am certain of, it is there is real Power in Collaboration. I see it nearly every day and certainly multiple times a week watching all of the sharing within The Group. It happens Peer-to-Peer (our Garden Centers) as well as with our Service Providers. It also happens with our Partners for Success and Fall Event Sponsors.

The Power in Collaboration comes in different levels. At the base level, it is sharing details that can help save time and direction. Time is saved by just not having to create or learn something from scratch. Direction comes through being capable of making the right decision the first time.

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Tea & the Garden

Tea & the Garden 

by Danny Summers

Just the idea of a simmering hot cup of Tea... in The Garden creates an ideal vision for how to begin the day. Maybe we should pause here for 15-20 minutes, grab a cup of Tea (or coffee), and step out to the Garden (or the most peaceful area of the Garden Center will do). Use the time to relax, breathe deeply, perhaps pray, and think about all the wonderful natural world around us. Then, return to this message when finished...

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Magnetic Personnel-ity

Magnetic Personnel-ity

by Sid Raisch

Finding people is one thing, finding people who CAN actually do the job we need them for, and who actually WILL do the job is quite another. People fitting these two criteria don’t often walk in the door asking to fill out an application, outside of the dwindling luck we may have had in the past, or hope to have now.

It’s not good people vs. bad people, as in, you have to go to the county jail on Monday morning to bail them out and bring them to work. It’s about good people as in developing a workforce of effective and productive people. We can’t passively wait for another person who can pass a drug test and background check to walk in asking to fill out an application. And we can’t spend enough money on Internet ads, job boards, apps, and so on to hire people with any confidence they’ll be right or will show up, or stay long. Innovatively attracting the right candidates who match up with our ability to develop them into fully functioning, long-lasting associates is the relevant objective today.

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A Choice of Two Roads

A Choice of Two Roads

by Danny Summers

At first glance, the image above may bring to mind a poem know by most of us... "The Road Not Taken", by Robert Frost. Frost, an American poet in the early 1900's, initially published "The Road Not Taken" in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American word-smithing, Frost frequently wrote about settings from nature and life in New England.

"The Road Not Taken" was first published in America in the August 1915 issue of the Atlantic Monthly, and later published as the first poem in the 1916 poetry collection, Mountain Interval. Its central theme is the divergence of paths, both literally and figuratively. The poem ends with...

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Knowledge by Knumbers

Knowledge by Knumbers

by Danny Summers

OK, my spellcheck is not disabled. I wanted to intentionally misspell Numbers in order to grab your attention. If you are reading this now I guess it worked. ;-)

In general, Numbers is a big part of The Group Experience. Just from a "people point of view" when you consider our largest eList, GroupEs, has over 580 people subscribed to share all types of information. That's Numbers.

And at the heart of The Group Experience are two industry-exclusive programs that share Numbers – lots of Numbers. Both the Weekly Department Review (WDR) and the Annual P&L Study compile and share an amazing level of Numbers. By the way, you only have 10 more days before the deadline (February 15) for the 2023 P&L Study reporting. Don't miss your chance to be in the study and gain valuable insight from these Numbers!

Another important Numbers program begins this Friday, February 9th:

The 2024 Financial Basics of Garden Center Retailing Series

This February to October Series is starting its 9th year and believe me... it truly is Knowledge by Knumbers!





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How Will You Know?

How Will You Know?

by Danny Summers

These are your customers or guests in the coming weeks.

How will you know... what they are thinking?

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Visions of Oasis

Visions of Oasis

by Danny Summers

Last week, many of us, along with thousands of other industry pros, were in Ft. Lauderdale for the TPIE show. One word that was introduced during the General Session was WOW! That same word was also used by many as they explored the show itself.

Experiencing such a large expanse of our tropical world in one place creates a feeling of an Oasis. This message can be an important one to your audience.

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Are You All-In?

Are You All-In?

by Danny Summers

It's only the 3rd week of January but still a busy time of the year with a lot going on. Group Centers are well underway with spring preparations. At the same time, several important programs are getting underway within The Group. The first two are included with your annual retainer.

Weekly Department Review for 2024
While the WDR is now more than 20 years in the making, last year was the very first year it became an online, live system. Group Centers accepted and embraced the new experience by uploading 5,506 weekly reports! That represented an amazing 97.3% reporting rate! The 5,506 uploads created a tremendous amount of data that is now available for comparison in 2024 and beyond. Tim Quebedeaux has been working on formatting the reporting so that the 100% reporting Centers don't even need to include any of their 2023 data this year... we already have it, saving them more time each week. We encourage you to report every week and save time the following year!

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Building Balanced Inventory

Building Balanced Inventory

by Tim Quebedeaux

[The following is a message Tim Quebedeaux created and originally shared through Garden Center Magazine as part of their State of the Industry Report.]

Profit dies as non-perishable inventory ages...
but there are ways to keep it from lingering on the shelves.

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Creating the Guest Experience

Creating the ULTIMATE Guest Experience

by Danny Summers

We all have recently participated in Creating the Guest Experience as we have either hosted or been the guest of family and friends during the holidays. Crafting the Guest Experience is at the heart of planning for these gatherings.

What about your Garden Center's Guest Experience?

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The Heart is a Muscle!

The Heart is a Muscle!

by John Kennedy

As we kick off the new year with high hopes of projected profits along with extra expectations of customer counts, I thought it important to bring out an oldie but goodie.

Past:
A few years back, I wrote and presented to The Garden Center Group about a healthy business being equivalent to a healthy body. The similarities are easy to see and the approach is easy to execute.

When we go to the doctor’s office for our annual check-up (or unfortunately when we are sick), there are a few Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or body metrics that they measure---Blood Pressure, Height/Weight, Temperature, Pulse and BMI (Body Mass Index). These provide a window into your current condition and are usually compared to your last visit.


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Time for the Special Moments

Time for the Special Moments

by Danny Summers

As our families gathered together this past week for the holidays, it is easy to see how quickly the time together goes by. The wonderful smiles, hugs, laughter, food, and gift-sharing we cherish, all seem to go by so quickly and we are left with memories of these Special Moments (and maybe a few extra pounds encouraging us to new resolutions).

Last Thursday, I received the weekly enews from Kerby's Nursery. Joey Bokor's message was "Garden Moments." He begins the message by saying much of our lives we focus on the big events..."Events that transform our lives or that bring us attention and praise." But then Joey turns the focus on the little events or moments that can mean so much. He then leads us into little moments in the garden.

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Group Gatherings Ahead!

Group Gatherings Ahead!

by Danny Summers

The Power of The Group is probably most evident when we gather together, both in-person and virtually. The level of knowledge transfer and creative exchange is dramatic. I am always amazed in witnessing what can happen during Group Gatherings. And in the next three weeks, we will have four Group Gathering opportunities:

\Wednesday, January 10th - MANTS 2024 - Baltimore, MD
The largest of the "woody-focused" trade events will take place January 10-12. At the end of the first day, Wednesday, we will gather for The Best of MANTS at 5pm. This year, we will co-sponsor this hour+ gathering with Master Nursery Garden Centers and Prides Corner Farms to share our day-long experience. We will see a number of new faces this year and the hunt for "what's new" will certainly be center stage. If you will be at MANTS on Wednesday and able to join us at 5pm, be sure RSVP below. We hope you can be with us!

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What's Your Blind Spot?

What's Your Blind Spot?
How Cognitive Biases Limit You as a Leader

by Carl Phillips

It’s been over 22 years since the roll-out of The Garden Center Group Mystery Shopper Program. Over three thousand, six hundred (3,600+) shops have been completed that form the basis for great customer service benchmarking.


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Numbers Tell a Story

Numbers Tell a Story

by Danny Summers

Last week I shared the message What a Story to Tell and focused on the stories of how plants were found or developed and by whom. I believe the more background information about our plants the better our Centers can connect plants to people. But this week, the Numbers Tell a Story.

Last Thursday, our final GROUPtalk LIVE Series session for 2023 featured Tim Quebedeaux walking Centers through the reporting process for The Group's Annual P&L Study for 2023. Watching Tim and our Centers in attendance interact gave me the idea for this message.

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What a Story to Tell!

What a Story to Tell!

by Danny Summers

Storytelling could be described as both a gift and art. Of course, there are different methods of storytelling. When considering the written form, names like Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, C.S. Lewis, Ernest Hemingway, Beatrix Potter, Mark Twain, Will Rogers, today's JK Rowling, and many others come to mind.

What we may not be considering often enough are the stories about the plants you offer every day. We could be challenged by questions like...

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Hallmark and the Plant Trend

Hallmark and the Plant Trend

by Danny Summers

If you were with us at The Fall Event 2022 in Kansas City, you will remember Darren Abbott, Hallmark's Senior Vice President Global Product Development and Consumer Experience, sharing much of the DNA that is at the heart of their emotional marketing which leads to product development and the ultimate customer connections. During his presentation, he acknowledged the trends toward gardening – particularly tropicals and he told us his team was developing a series of cards in their Signature Paper Wonder Pop-Up series featuring a few tropical plants.

At the time, he didn't have examples to share and could only say they were in the pipeline. This past week Karen and I were in one of our local Hallmark Gold Crown Stores to grab Christmas Cards (because we care enough to send the very best...) and as I wandered the different aisles of cards I came upon the Paper Wonder 3-D card section. And there I found four of the new tropical-themed cards and, of course, I just had to buy them!

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