In Part 1 we reviewed how we are now in a transition of sorts where in 2019, "Baby Boomers" are projected to start a slow decline in numbers over the coming ears and where "Millennials" are projected to have overtaken Boomers in the top spot as percentage of population. Let's explore this further together...
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy said, "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."
You came, you saw, you heard at the Fall Event 2019, then you went back to doing pretty much the same thing so far, didn’t you?
All of you joined The Garden Center Group for a reason. Maybe it was for the camaraderie of networking with peers, possibly to work more closely with Service Providers within The Group, to access the financial tools such as the Weekly Department Review and P&L Study, or any of the other numerous reasons there are to be a part. Most likely the underlying reason was you needed Change and all of the above enables you to enact it.
There is a difference between being “creative” and being “innovative” and often times they are confused. This week, we share John's ReFresh Calendar for the Month of October and discover how innovation is the key to longevity in business.
As some may know, I have a deep fondness for music and on occasion inject it into some of my presentations. As an example, the very first time the world heard the sound of a synthesizer was on the opening of “Baba O’Riley” by The Who. It was ground breaking, it was unique, it was curious and it was certainly one thing--Innovative.
COMMUNITY: The idea for this message has been developing in my mind over recent months. As I have talked with Retailers, both inside and outside The Group some observations have come together to support these ideas. I will share these observations in several segments in the coming weeks. Here's Part 1.
Earlier this year I received a call from a veteran garden retailer whom I have known and respected for a number of years. During the conversation, he talked about all the opportunities he had through the many years to meet and interact with fellow retailers at industry events and develop life-long relationships that have helped him be successful. He added that many of those events were no longer in existence today. He went on to tell me one of his sons was coming back into the business and he expressed his concern about how his son would develop business relationships, like he did. He went on to say he sees The Group as one of the very best opportunities today to network with fellow garden retailers, share great level of details, and build connections and relationships that could help his son to be successful.
Attention Group Owners-Managers: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:
[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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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?
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.
Here's a frightening thought: It's all up to you!
As a Garden Center Owner or Manager, I challenge you with this question: What is your business' most valuable asset?
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.
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.
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.