Native Plant Disconnect - let us hear from you!
by Robert Hendrickson
[a continued discussion from week of 6/19 on the GroupEs Listserve]
GroupE’s, Timely topic. The issue of natives/pollinators.
[a continued discussion from week of 6/19 on the GroupEs Listserve]
GroupE’s, Timely topic. The issue of natives/pollinators.
Last time I shared a marketing conversation that took place between a garden center owner, their ad agency and myself. The agency had been following their typical playbook approach with little impact on the garden center's sales or customer count.
Here's an insider's tip on why agencies are so predictable. The plan they suggest clients follow isn't because the process works and actually has a chance to increase sales, it's because the process they live by is easy for the agency to manage. Getting every client to sign-on to the same media plan makes life easy for the agency and their staff. Easy to sell, easy to create, easy to scale, easy to bill. Easy for the agency. A waste of time and money for the retailer.
I knew exactly what to expect. In fact I could have scripted the entire meeting word for word before we started. I've been asked numerous times by garden center owners to play good cop/bad cop with them and their ad agency. No surprise which cop I play. Even after garden center owners finally realize they've been wasting money, losing momentum and being misled by their ad agency representatives, they still want someone else to do the dirty work. Telling an agency they're no longer needed isn't that difficult. I've done it dozens of times. You send a letter to the CEO and simply say their services are no longer required. But for some reason these same garden center owners feel obligated to schedule a face to face meeting with the agency to share the bad news.
Big mistake.
My previous article outlined the results of a survey asking people who garden to provide me with their reasons why they garden. Over 2500 replies were then consolidated into thirty key categories based on words people used in the surveys. The purpose was to identify customer-centric values that would become the basis of a marketing campaign.
"It doesn't matter what it is, what it does or how much it costs until you explain why it should matter to the customer."
After a few decades working with garden center owners on their marketing plans, I've found people usually fall into one of two camps. The majority seem to believe "targeting", "taking aim", "a rifle, not a shotgun approach" (like their intended customers are some sort of prey that need to be brought down) is the best and most logical approach when it comes to marketing their company.
A much smaller faction have the confidence to believe that when it comes to effective marketing, "what" you say is far more important than "who" you might be reaching.
The industry organization was so confident in their presumptions, that months before their survey project was complete they had already stated... "The results of this initiative will demand a shift in strategies, thinking, and paradigms. This is the future of the horticulture industry." (Note: I've learned never to trust anyone who uses the word paradigm when discussing business or marketing and especially never trust anyone who believes they can predict the future.) Besides, any first year 'Stats' student would see right through this charade. When those in charge of research have an agenda to find results that support their beliefs, any survey can be structured to guarantee those results.
I also question the value of asking people who don't garden or shop garden centers for their opinion on what garden centers should do to prepare for the future. Sorta like asking a vegan what Outback should do to help them sell more steaks.
Regardless of our personal views, society seems to function best when a few governing laws are in place. Like a series of scientific laws dealing with gravity, motion and relativity that help keep us Earthlings grounded when it comes to everyday life.
[Continued from Part 1. If you want to return to Part 1, CLICK HERE]
My last article ended with my belief that the future of the garden center industry depends on these eight words... "Our future is in the stories we tell." But why stories and why stories now?
To understand the message in this article I need you to stop reading and watch Johnnie Walker "The Man Who Walked Around The World. This is a Watch the six minute video then come back and continue reading what I'm about to say. Ok? Good.
that I know a lot of people will have a difficult time accepting. Many will think it's way too simple and even more will think it just can't be the truth.
I know the reasons why...
I understand why people find it difficult to respect something called "junk mail" and "snail mail". Not the most reassuring titles when it comes to spending hard-earned marketing money. There's also the problem of people considering "old-fashioned" direct mail obsolete compared to the current 'all-things-digital' marketing mindset of most advertisers. But I've always approached marketing decisions based on what works, not what's currently fashionable.
And when done properly, direct mail works.
when watching the Super Bowl was something I looked forward to for weeks. Not for the game but to see what millions of dollars of ad money would buy. And there were years when the work was amazing. Even the off years provided a glimpse into the world of budget-be-damned marketing.
But the last few years have been more of an embarrassment than inspiration. This year was no exception.
1. What is the responsibility between consultant and retailer regarding property design?
On Wednesday during The Fall Event, Group Clients voted on open session topics when they would join our Service Providers for what we called POWERSessions. Robert took notes from his session, "Finding New & Keeping Customers" where 8 areas were shared, discussed and refined. Here's the eight areas of discussion: (This is GREAT STUFF!)
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