North America's Resource for Garden Retailing - Since 2001 |
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Your Monday Morning Wake Up Call... |
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Good Morning!
Rise & Shine... It's Day 272 and Week 40 of 2020!
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Fall in the Garden Center... A Magical Place to Be!
The photo above is from Rolling Green Nursery in Greenland, New Hampshire. Seeing this one photo of Rick and Beth Simpson's place makes you just want to see more, doesn't it. I know all of you have great views of wonderful Fall color arriving at your center, just waiting for someone to take a photo (or video) to share. I invite you to do just that and send to our GroupEs eList this week.
The sharing of ideas has already begun. Last week I heard about new ideas for a pumpkin house Joey Bokar at Kerby's Nursery had shared with JD Boone at Dothan Nurseries. Inspiration came from seeing Cheekwood Garden's pumpkin house last year at The Fall Event in Nashville (photo below-top left). Joey's idea was to produce something much more practical. Actually more of a facade. You will remember back earlier this summer we were able to obtain more photos of the elaborate metal frame that Cheekwood designed for their pumpkin house. The Cheekwood design requires a particular size pumpkin be used throughout. That's not very practical for retail.
Joey (and JD) wanted to produce something that could display all sizes and act as an entrance or attraction for their pumpkin and gourd sales area. Below top right is an early photo of Kerby's design and the bottom left shows how Dothan's design is coming together. The bottom right shows how Dothan's facade is used as an entrance to the area. Both are produced from 2x12's. Dothan added chickenwire to the back side to hold the produce in place. Dothan's also has a large stabilizing foot on each end you can see in the bottom left photo.
(A Sunday Add-On) JD called me late Saturday to say the reaction to the new Pumpkin House was amazing. He said their supply of pumpkins and gourds was going fast (they had received a second order earlier in the week). On Saturday they had as many as 30 people at a time waiting in line to take their own photos. He had included a little announcement in their normal Thursday e-news. The message must have worked!
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Cheekwood Gardens
Pumpkin House
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Kerby's Nursery
Pumpkin House
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Dothan Nurseries Pumpkin House (being assembled) |
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Dothan Nurseries Pumpkin House
(completed)
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A special THANK YOU to both Kerby's Nursery and Dothan Nurseries for sharing their ideas. Have great fall displays? Share details this week in GroupEs! |
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Coming October 8th!
The GROUPtalk LIVE Series October's morning session will feature a special presentation by Sid Raisch. Here's details:
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Building on Your Successes in 2021… and Beyond
Moving forward from an outstanding 2020 into an even better 2021 should be a minimum expectation for every Group Client. Sid will present a Hyper-Focus on the Basics and Fundamental Tactics for moving from where you’ve arrived to an even better future place, without undue risk or leaving opportunities unnecessarily on the table.
Watch for more details about our Breakout Sessions scheduled later that day! Don't miss the October 8th Session!
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Is Your Center Registered Yet?
If you missed the August or September Sessions or Break Outs, you can catch up and view all the recordings (and supporting handouts). Sign up today and you will receive details on how to view these first sessions, as well as future all sessions as we build the GROUPtalk LIVE Resource Center. It's never too late!
Mark your calendar for the future sessions:
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- October 8, 2020
- November 12, 2020
- December 10, 2020
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- January 14, 2021
- February 11, 2021
- March 11, 2021
- April 8, 2021
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- May 13, 2021
- June 10, 2021
- July 8, 2021
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If you're registered for the GROUPtalk LIVE Series, you can now see any of the previous sessions again or share it with your staff along with the recorded Breakout Sessions in the new GROUPtalk LIVE Resource Center. You received an email with a link of how to access them.
If you have not yet registered for the GROUPtalk LIVE Series, that's OK as we are just getting started and you can see the recordings of the previous sessions and breakouts today. Simply click on the register button above to get started.
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Welcome Morning Dew Tropicals!
This week we want to welcome Morning Dew Tropical as a sponsor of GROUPtalk LIVE Series. They are one of the best connections for finding the best tropical plants from Florida's best growers. Morning Dew's staff is actually onsite at the growers' locations each week and see what the plants look like. Morning Dew's President, Kingston White, has been with us numerous times at The Fall Event so I know many of you already know him and his team. They are also one of our most decorated award winners at TPIE with our Retailers' Choice Awards. We are discussing the growing need to have fresh shipments throughout the winter season and will be sharing details for helping you with a consistent supply. Watch for details coming through GroupEs eList soon. Once again, welcome Morning Dew Tropical! |
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A Great New Printing Option for You
from GrowTech Solutions
GroupEs have recently been singing the praises of GrowTech Solutions for all their products and support for printing on-demand in your Garden Center. Last week, Sam Burks shared details of the newest printing option for you. GrowTech has long been our go-to source for wonderful "print on plastic" printers and supplies. Along with their huge list of tag and sign sheet-feed options, now you can do even more! Here's what Sam began our conversation with last week...
"Once every few years something comes along that draws a “whoah!” from us… this is it.
The C8000 gives Garden Centers the ability to print much larger format, all the way up to 12” x 52”, on a professional grade, graphic arts printer that costs less than $3,000. Feeding and printing of Heavy Cardstocks is the best we’ve ever seen. Printing your own Signs, Tags, Labels, Bench Wraps and Hanging Banners is a powerful tool that will help sell more plants and provide critical information for consumer buying decisions. GrowTech Solutions has the Printer, the print media, the Software and the Tech Support to take your in-house marketing efforts to the next level." Get more details here - PDF available.
Sam Burks, Tel: 417-633-5459 | 888-682-0219 Email HERE
A special THANK YOU to GrowTech Solutions for their support of The Garden Center Group!
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All of Our Sponsor Messages... Just for You!
If you have not yet seen all the great videos our sponsors and partners have for you as they support the GROUPtalk LIVE Series, I encourage you to visit the special page we have set up for you. Check all of them out HERE. |
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More of The Group's Annual Awards
During the GROUPtalk LIVE Series September Session, Steve Bailey and Tim Quebedeaux announced this year's award recipients for both the Annual P&L Study's Best Practices and High Achievers groups and the Weekly Department Review's 100% Club. Watch for a special presentation page to be shared soon. In the meantime, here's more of the great photos we have to share - watch for more coming soon!
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Best Practices Award
Terra Gardens Nursery & Bark
Salem, OR
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High Achievers Award
Bloom Greenhouse & Garden Centre
Hammond Plains, NS
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High Achievers Award
Civano Nursery
Tuscon, AZ
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High Achievers Award
The Family Tree Garden Center
Snellville, GA
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High Achievers Award
Gateway Gardens
Hockessin, DE
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High Achievers Award
Gill Garden Center & Landscape
Corpus Christi, TX
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And finally, after a long season, now is the perfect time to think about your annual performance reviews. Steve Bailey is always sharing Dilbert clippings so I found this one that is the perfect way to get you thinking about staff reviews and introduce this week's message by Jean Seawright. |
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Seawright & Associates has a large number of exclusive tools available in our WebSystem's Clients-Only Menu/POWERtools area. Below is just a portion of an important article Jean Seawright produced for you. Be sure to download the complete article in POWERtools today.
Make it a great week!
Danny
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“TRUST is built on telling the truth, not telling people what they want to hear." ~ Simon Sinek
(actually one of Robert Hendrickson's "Rules of the Road" says something very similar!)
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Performance Reviews: The Pruning that Leads to Blooming!
By Jean L. Seawright, CMC
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There’s no question that employees are more effective when working in an environment that promotes regular communication about expectations and results. People want to know where they stand—even if it isn’t good. A performance review can address this need by answering the burning question every employee has: “How am I doing?”
Unfortunately, in many organizations, performance reviews have gone by the wayside, even though the younger generation of workers—the Millennials—are known for their need to receive regular feedback (and praise!) from management.
If your organization has bypassed reviews lately, it might be time to dust off the program or reinvent the process to ensure a more effective evaluation experience. After all, the return on your investment of time is significant when you consider the benefits of implementing an effective review program.
Creating an effective performance evaluation program is one of the most important, though difficult, jobs a business can undertake. No other organizational system affects as many people as the performance evaluation does, nor affects them in such important ways. The performance evaluation system itself, combined with the way in which it is administered, affects how much money people will be paid, their relationship with their supervisor, their opportunities for promotion and professional growth, and their level of engagement with the organizational culture.
There is no set formula or principle that leads to the ‘best’ performance evaluation program. Organizations should consider how work gets done, the important accountabilities for each position, supervisory skills related to evaluating employees, the compensation structure, and the degree of complexity desired. For example, will there be a goal-setting form? Employee self-evaluation forms? Automatic pay reviews? Evaluations administered after 90 days? Written guidelines for managers? Once these decisions are made, job-specific forms and a logical, fair process can be designed.
Every company is unique. Find a system and implement a process that works for your organization. Need help... we're here for you!
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Remember, as a Group Client, if you have questions on the hiring process, performance reviews or need help with any HR issues, Seawright & Associates is already on your team. Give them a call!
Jean Seawright
Seawright & Associates
100 E. Ventris Avenue
Maitland, Florida 32751
P: 407.645.2433, ext. 14
www.seawright.com
jseawright@seawright.com
DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE: The above message is just a portion of Jean's complete article. The complete message includes a bulleted list of benefits and tips for ensuring effective reviews. It is available on The Group's WebSystem for you, our Group Clients. Simply login and go to the Clients-Only Menu/POWERtools.
REMEMBER: Your interaction (by phone and email) with Group Service Providers such as Jean Seawright, Robert Hendrickson, Steve Bailey, Tim Quebedeaux, Sid Raisch, and John Kennedy are included in your retainer!
This article is also available on The Group Blog: CLICK HERE!
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American Beauty/
North Creek Nurseries
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Ball Publishing /
greenPROFIT magazine
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Garden Center Magazine
GIE Media
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Master Nursery
Garden Centers
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Morning Dew
Tropical Plants
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Proven Winners/
Color Choice®
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Saunders Brothers
Nursery
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Tropical Plant
International Expo 2021
Jan 20-22-Tampa, FL
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The Group Partnership with Constant Contact
Saves You 10 to 25% Off!
It is pretty easy to tell, we really like Constant Contact. It is the only email marketing system we have used for The Group since the beginning and there's good reason for that. It's the best! Now, our connection with Constant Contact is even closer with our partnership with Constant Contact to help Group Clients save 10 to 25%. Just see what you are paying now and check out the possible savings over the entire 2020 year.
Already a Constant Contact Customer? You can transfer your account under The Group's Partnership and SAVE! Ask Danny for details!
Complete details are now on The Group's WebSystem - in CLIENTS-ONLY MENU!
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OUR PARTNERS FOR SUCCESS...
Our Partners for Success recognize the unique nature of the independent garden center operation and are interested in developing methods that can help improve retailer/vendor relationships through open dialog, new product introductions and, when possible, special pricing for Group Clients. We encourage you to reach out to these "Partners" and "Harness the Power of The Group." Follow the links below for more information.
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Bailey Nurseries
Growing What’s Next™
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Ball Seed
Partnering with The Garden Center Group to help grow your business and Color the World!
Ball Seed is the leading North American distribution company in annuals, perennials, vegetables, tropicals, potted plants, cut flowers and more. You know us for some of our key products like Wave, Burpee and now WebTrack and WebTrack To Go (mobile version), Ball Seed's industry-leading business management system to place and track orders, manage business online and find images and marketing support tools.
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EPICOR®
Meet Epicor Retail Cloud. Easy-to-use tools that seamlessly connect your business-from POS and inventory to purchasing and pricing. So, you can focus on the big things-like creating customers for life.
- Grow revenue, while cutting costs
- Serve customers whenever and wherever they are
- Build loyalty with flexible rewards programs
- Manage seasonal inventory more effectively
- Drive faster, smarter decisions with powerful analytics
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The Espoma Company
A natural in the garden since 1929.
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Monrovia®
Monrovia - Passion for Plants: Our expert craftsmen pour their hearts and souls into their work, and share our knowledge and love of plants with gardeners of every skill level.
Plantt was founded to provide a turnkey e-commerce solution for independent nurseries. We strive to attract new shoppers to local nurseries while increasing value to their current customers. We do this by allowing nurseries to sell their unique inventory online, coupled with the information, tools, and resources that help consumers succeed.
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Prides Corner Farms
Our goal is to be your best business partner, a partner that helps you grow, helps you sell and helps you to be more profitable.
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Proven Winners®
Proven Winners is proud to support the members of The Garden Center Group. We are here to help your business grow with great new plants and programs to increase your sales.
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Star® Roses & Plants
From the revolutionary Knock Out® and Drift® Roses to Bushel and Berry®, Bloomables® and breakthrough trees and shrubs, Star® Roses and Plants is a leading genetics company involved directly in breeding roses, perennials and woody plants, and introducing varieties from other breeders around the world.
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GROUPtalk is a service of The Garden Center Group and is intended strictly for current Group Client owners, staff members, Group Vendors/Sponsors, and Group Service Providers and Group Staff. As a subscriber to The Garden Center Group e-publications, you are included in this distribution. We will be happy to change your subscriptions upon request. Any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the The Garden Center Group, LLC. |
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