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Wednesday August 4, 2010 |
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falling
into Christmas |
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I realize that August is not technically fall, but so many in this industry
work a season ahead that most of you probably planned for fall months ago.
Besides, with all the "back to school" marketing that has been going on
since right after the 4th of July, it's no wonder it feels like fall is
already here. Except of course, for the temperatures outside!
Like those "back to school" marketers that get their
message out there at least a month before schools even start, apply those
same concepts this fall at your locations. Use the fall season to promote
Christmas. Maybe stage a small section with Christmas product and lots of
signage about what is to come. How about coupons with their fall purchases
that they can bring back for Christmas? Get creative! Inspire your customers
to decorate for the holidays by creating lots of "eye-candy" with color,
signs, etc.
By doing so, they will "fall" in love with shopping at
your place!
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keeping
the magic alive. |
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I just returned from Walt Disney World in Florida and it was indeed a
magical vacation. One of the things that amazed me, from a business
standpoint, is how the Disney staff or "cast member" as they are referred
to, never "broke character".
No matter what their position or role, no matter if
they were actual characters, or in food service, or in "mouse-keeping", or
in another important job, they ALWAYS reflected the magic if Disney. Even
when the actual temps were 99 degrees with a heat index of 110......they
never became grumpy (unless it was the actual character Grumpy!).
I wish I could say that I apply the Disney magic to my
role in our business but alas, in the flurry of our busy season, I know I
don't always stay "in character". What about you? Isn't it hard to keep the
magic alive for your customers when you have put in weeks and weeks of long
hours?
I am going to try to take what I have learned
from Disney and apply it to each interaction that I have have with our
customers. My goal is to leave them with a feeling that, like Disney, our
company is also the "happiest place on earth".
Here's to having a magical day! :-) |
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Wednesday June 2, 2010 |
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the 12
themes of Wintergreens. |
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I have a special sneak-peek just for my avid blog readers! Our website has
been updated to show the "12 Themes of Wintergreens" that will be featured
in our 2010 showroom, our booth at the OFA Short Course, and throughout our
2010 price list. Email blasts about these themes will be coming soon but for
those reading my blog regularly, you will now know you can see them
immediately by clicking
HERE.
Enjoy! |
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bridging
the generation gap. |
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I was reading the April 2010 issue of Lawn & Garden Retailer when the
Editor's Report titled, "Pay Attention to Me!" by Paige Worthy caught my
eye. You can read this report
HERE.
I felt that this article rang so true. I too, am a
member of Generation X and have felt some of the same feelings that Paige
expresses when I have on my "consumer" hat within the horticulture industry.
However, the advantage of this is an increased
awareness in creating "multi-generational" products for Christmas and also
the ability to help our customers direct their marketing to the various
demographics that exist.
A quick search on Google provided me with a Wikipedia
about the various generations. These are "loosely" defined primarily for the
purpose of identifying common characteristics for proper marketing and
advertising. Here is what I found:
Lost
Generation - those that fought in WW I
Interbellum Generation - those born at end of the 19th
Century - 1915
Greatest Generation - born 1916 - mid 1920's
Silent Generation - born 1926-1938
Baby Boomers - born during WW II up to the 1960's
Generation X - born 1961 - 1981
Generation Y - born 1982 - 1995
Generation Z - born 1995 - today
What is my point with all of this? Just to maybe motivate all of you to take
a moment and reflect on your current marketing, especially for the holiday
season. Each of these "generations" has different characteristics, and
spending habits and it is important not to focus too much attention on one
specific generation. It's easy to do what was done last year.....and the
year before.....and the year before. However, change is important and so is
making sure each generation is taken care of within your product line and
services that you provide.
Let me provide a quick example of little, relatively
"easy" things that can be done to help make sure each generation is
fulfilled at your location this coming Christmas:
Lost Generation - Baby Boomers --- Traditional
products. This generation has been decorating for years and they tend to be
more repetitive in their decorations. Those that are older may need to
"downsize" as their ability to do what they did when they were younger
decreases with age.
Generation X - Traditional yet trendy. Pay attention to what is "hot" in
home decor and even clothing. Certain colors may transcend to the holiday
decorations to make a "scheme" flow seamlessly from one season to the next.
Generation X'rs are busy.....things that are speedy will help. Keep it
simple yet fresh and market accordingly and you will have their attention.
Generation Y - Definitely the digital age. While Baby Boomers and Generation
X can also be found on social media sites, this Generation is defined by
technology. They have known it their whole life. Catch their attention with
memories of their childhood during the holidays and get them to shop for
holiday gifts for their "older generation" families (aka Baby Boomers and
Generation X'rs). They have discretionary income, so get them to spend it at
your place!
Generation Z - Hands on "kid" and "youth" activities and events will not
only have this Generation wanting to come back for more, but with them will
come their "older generation" family and friends (aka Baby Boomers and
Generation X'rs). To overlook them will cause you to miss the opportunity
for a captive audience of more than one generation. While Z is enjoying the
activity, X is shopping.
Bottom line.....just don't allow the status quo to cause you to miss out on
additional business. Don't be afraid to try something new. We can help. Just
ask us!
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Tuesday April 6, 2010 |
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spring has
sprung! |
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It's hard to believe in just
about six months, we will be firing up the coolers and awaiting the first
truckload of the season. I know that it is very hard to think Christmas when
the tulips are just poking through the soil in our Midwest area. Everyone is
thinking Spring and lately around here it is certainly feeling like it!
We are well into planning for Christmas 2010 and also
for our booth at the OFA Short Course in July. We would love to see everyone
there. It's a great show and a fun time of sharing ideas and all the joys of
our special industry. Check out
www.ofa.org
for more information about the Short Course trade show.
I know I mentioned this in my March blog post, but I
think it is so important that I want to touch on it again. The next few
months will be a busy time for all of you and spring is obviously your first
priority. Don't forget to market your location as a place to visit all year,
not just in the spring. If you aren't already doing this, obtain your
customers' contact information so you can mail and email them about fall and
Christmas events and promotions. Also, consider Facebook and Twitter as
another way to promote your company year round. As more and more people use
these social networking sites, it's a great way to market your business.
Well, Happy Spring everyone.....and I hope it is a good one! |
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Tuesday March 2, 2010 |
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lion or
lamb? |
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Even though a lot of us are still buried under snow, there is something
about flipping the calendar to March that is exciting. Each day it stays
lighter a little longer and I'm sure most of you are gearing up for Spring
right now. March may come in like a lion and go out like a lamb...only
time will tell. I'm hoping this industry has a lion of a spring with
"roaring" sales. We know we all need it.
Remember that some "Christmas" items
can be sold other times of the year too. Easels are Memorial Day staples,
Wreath Hangers work great for other seasonal decorations, and Porch Pots
are definitely multi-seasonal. The list goes on and on! Have extra
carryover? Dust it off and get it out there! Need something for spring?
Give us a call or send us an email. We can work with you and supply you
with some of our excellent nonperishable inventory items during other
seasons too. Even though our office hours vary, we are still around and
are happy to help you.
Here's an innovative reminder.....amidst all the hustle and bustle of the
Spring season, don't forget to throw in a little signage reminding your
customers to visit not only in the spring, but in the summer, fall and
winter too! You have a captive audience, take advantage of that and entice
them to return to you during other seasons, especially Christmas! That
will help keep sales "roaring" along (we don't want the tiny
bleating of a lamb....we want the ROAR!)
As
for me, I am working on 2010 pricing and am deep in the process of
developing our new items for 2010! We have some fun new fresh wreaths to
look forward too, as well as many other things! Stay tuned....and remember
to ROAR! |
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| Monday
February 1, 2010 |
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love is in
the air. |
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Maybe it is the clean white blanket of snow that causes this but by
February I am ready for a bit of color! I'm a visual person so researching
color trends for Christmas 2010 is one of the more enjoyable tasks that I
do this time of year. We just about have our 2010 themes selected but we
aren't quite ready to announce them just yet. I just have to say I am in LOVE
with the color schemes I am seeing for this year!
So....stay
tuned! The colors are fresh and fun and exciting and when the timing is
right, we will happily announce them... probably adding a bit of fanfare
to get you excited too!
I'm really enjoying this new electronic medium
too....the emailing and blogging allows me to stay connected with each of
you a little bit more throughout the year. I LOVE
it!
It really is true that we work on Christmas all year long.
Most of January was spent finishing out 2009 and starting on 2010 and that
will continue. I will keep blogging and emailing when we have something
really important to share. So stay connected with us......Christmas will
be here again before we know it! In the meantime, we LOVE
Christmas and LOVE
planning fun products for our customers. We hope you are finding something
to LOVE
about this wonderful industry that we share too! Happy February! |
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| Sunday
January 3, 2010 |
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a new
year...a new season. |
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I
hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I also
hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday selling season in 2009. In our
area, the weather was about as perfect as you could get....a bit on the
warm side but that made it all the more conducive to outdoor decorating!
After the bustling season, I will be honest.....I have allowed myself to
take a much needed break from work a bit lately and now feel refreshed and
renewed and ready to return and finish out 2009 details and also look to
2010 with exciting new ideas and plans.
There is just something so new and exciting about a new
year....like a clean slate waiting to be embraced and written upon with
fabulous, out-of-the-box ideas. Stay tuned. I have a feeling 2010 is going
to be a GREAT NEW YEAR! |
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| Monday
October 19, 2009 |
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it's
magical really. |
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Christmas truly is a magical holiday. Now, before you think I have sniffed
too much of the evergreens already, hear me out. I agree that for those of
us in this industry the holidays lose a little luster in the day-to-day
process of running our businesses. I certainly have moments where I get
bogged down, tired, and downright Grinch-like and I am sure most of you do
too. But then something will happen. Maybe it's something as simple as a
special telephone conversation with a customer but it makes me realize
that what we do for a living shares the magic with the world......one
person at a time. Think about it. From the careful pruning of the trees to
the person hanging the fresh wreath on their home all of us have worked
together...bonded really....to make an already magical holiday all the
more special.
As the season is just beginning I wanted to just take a moment and say
thank you. Thank you for sharing in the magic. I'm looking forward to the
holidays and hope you are too. After all, it's Tis
the Season Time
and what can be more magical than that?
I will attempt to blog periodically but if I don't,
know that it is because I am fully absorbing myself into the magic of the
season and I hope that you join me. Here's to sharing the magic!
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| Friday
August 21, 2009 |
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fresh,
new, and exciting. |
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That is the only way I can describe our new items for 2009. To make the
2009 items easier to find on this ever-expanding website, go to the
current news page by clicking HERE. There
you will find a list of the new items for this year. By clicking on the
new items, it will take you to the right page where you can find
them.
My advice to you? Don't be afraid to try
something new. Remember, we have no minimums! We do this so you can try
and test new items without a huge risk. The key is ordering early. I can't
tell you how many times I hear, "just duplicate my order from last
year". While this is a good strategy for covering your basics, don't
let your inventory become stagnant and repetitive by not taking a few
moments to add something fresh and new. Trust me, you will be glad that
you did!
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| Tuesday
August 18, 2009 |
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the power
of a porch pot. |
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One of the amazing things about this industry is the willingness I see in
my customers to share ideas with their "competition". I can't
tell you how many times I heard things like "what works for me
is...." and "you should try....." spoken from the owner of
one garden center to the owner of another garden center. (Feel free to
substitute "garden center" with "greenhouse",
"Christmas Tree Farm", or any other industry retail
establishment because I have heard them ALL be helpful to each other).
One
such idea I have heard shared numerous times is the "Returning
Customer" tip. This tip involves the many ways you can get a single
consumer to return during each season.....spring, summer, fall, and
winter. New for 2009, we have our own products and tips to help with that
challenge....the Porch Pot.
Don't
let the name fool you, it's not only for porches. This item makes an
excellent memorial item as well. It's very sturdy with drain holes in the
bottom and it will easily hold your 10" pot.
And
the "Returning Customer Tip"? Decorate and sell this wonderful
item for Christmas.....with a program in place to have them bring back
their Porch Pot. You can plant it up for them in the spring, maybe plant
it again in the summer, plant it in the fall with Autumn-inspired colors,
and of course, redecorate it for Winter with Christmas Greens again.
With the sale of one porch pot you have the added bonus of creating a
program to guarantee plant sales in the other seasons too! It's a win for
both you and your customer too!
Click HERE to go to the Porch Pot page of our
website!
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| Thursday
August 13, 2009 |
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CD tips
& candleberry details |
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It's come to my attention that some helpful hints and tips about our price
list CD might be a good thing. This is a relatively new concept and I
apologize if our efforts to be more "green" and simplify things
actually makes it more difficult. I think once everyone is comfortable
with this new tool, they will find it so much easier to use.
First,
on the CD are 3 different types of files which I will break down into 2
categories. Those file types are Word documents, Excel files, and PDF
files. The neat thing about the Word and Excel files is that you can type
right into the fields on those files. You can then save a copy for your
own records and print and fax or even simply email back the file to us as
your 2009 order. You can fill out the forms that are in Word by typing in
the appropriate areas....then save a copy for your records and email (or
print and fax) the forms to us. The catch is you have to have Word and
Excel (which is part of Microsoft Office) in order to use these
files.
Since
we know not everyone has Word and Excel, we have also saved all of the
information as a PDF file. This file can be read, but not modified so you
can't type in the fields with the PDF files. However, you can view the
files and if you don't already have Adobe PDF viewer on your computer, you
can download it for free at www.adobe.com. Simply
click on "Get Adobe Reader" and it will take you to the page
where you can download it.
Back to the Excel files......in terms of the multi-page
lists (such as Regular Price List and Direct Ship List), you will see
little tabs at the bottom of the screen that say "Page 1",
"Page 2" and so on. You need to click each "worksheet"
as they call those tabs in Excel in order to view, modify, print that
particular page. Our Regular Price List has 22 pages (including the cover
sheet) and the Direct Ship has 5 pages (including the cover sheet).
As for the Candleberry details.......I had a customer
just today point out to me (and if you are reading this blog, you know who
you are....thank you for the feedback) that the wording on our price list
is a bit confusing as 12" shows up near both the Candleberry Wreaths.
On Page 2 of our Regular Price List, the Candleberry is a 12"
ring.....and that is the new wreath for 2009. On Page 3 of our Regular
Price List the Candleberry has 12" OD in the description but that OD
means "outside diameter". The ring size of that wreath is a
7" ring. That is the Candleberry wreath we have had for many years. I
hope this helps clarify things.
As I mentioned, I want this blog to be helpful
and informative. Please let me know if I can answer questions, or if there
is some other information that I can share that might be helpful to
everyone.
Happy Thursday Everyone! (P.S.....the deadline
for the PreSeason Sale is only 19 days away! Don't forget....it's
September 1st!)
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| Wednesday August
12, 2009 |
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the beginnings of a blog...and a ticking
clock. |
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Welcome
to our blog! Although we haven't yet joined the Twitter and Facebook
bandwagon, we felt it was time to create a blog on this website, with the
intention of sharing information and other fun and useful tips. Hopefully
you will enjoy your time visiting our blog and it will become a place you
frequent often!
Tick-Tock....Tick-Tock.....the countdown is on. Not just for back to
school but for the deadline to lock in pricing for our two fabulous
sales....the PreSeason Sale and the Swag Stimulus Sale. Take just a
minute.........find a pen, pencil, crayon....whatever it takes....and mark
your calendar now with the deadline of September 1st!
Okay, now that we got that important task out of
the way, let's chat about the upcoming Christmas season. Last month we
were exhibitors at the OFA Short Course in Columbus, Ohio. I will be
honest, I didn't know quite what type of "mood" attendees
would be in. We all know the economy hasn't been the best (to put it
mildly) and I wasn't sure how the spring season had gone for everyone in
terms of sales. I was cautiously optimistic going into the show....and I
was pleasantly surprised! The majority of the people that we spoke with
had decent to better-than-normal spring sales. They had also done very
well with our product during Christmas 2008. And....they were EXCITED
about Christmas and ENTHUSIASTIC about planning and ordering for the
upcoming holiday season.
There are many things to be positive about and
the economy is slowly improving. Christmas is a time of family....and of
hope....and that "staycation" trend from this summer will
continue during the Christmas season too. Look to the spring sales as an
indicator.....home gardening was big. People stayed home and planted
gardens. They are also going to stay home over the holidays and
"plant memories". Our product is at the root of those
memories......the fragrance of our fresh greens is such an integral part
of Christmas...it's a natural fit. There is nothing, absolutely nothing
that can be a substitute for that.
A lot of time and thought went into our
"new" items this year. We wanted to make sure we had a variety
of pricing points to allow for the possibility that consumers might still
be watching their pennies. We have found solutions for that.....such as in
our new 12" Candleberry Wreath. It's the same design as our
ever-favored Candleberry, but in a new door-size and at an excellent price
too. It has quality, distinction, and value.
It is very important that blogs cater to
their readers. So please tell me what you want to hear about. How can our
blog be enjoyable and educational? Send your thoughts to me at shannon@wintergreens.com.
I can't promise how often this blog will be updated, but I will do
everything I can to make this new blog something you want to frequent.
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Note: This web background was found at www.backgroundcity.com. |
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