Power to plant more

Shoppers might not be thinking about power tools when they walk into your garden center, but with the right education and displays, they could walk out with a solution to their planting pains. Power Planter augers not only help customers plant with ease, but they also encourage more plant sales at your store. By helping customers make the most of the time they have to spend in the landscape or garden, the augers can inspire gardeners to expand their plans and plant even more.

“Customers with an auger will buy more season after season because they have more time to plant now,” says Greg Niewold, owner of Power Planter.

For customers who struggle with traditional planting methods due to arthritis, bad backs or other physical limitations, a Power Planter auger can help them safely and efficiently achieve their garden goals. Niewold’s own mother is a master gardener who has had eight back surgeries, so the only way she can garden is with an auger. And with Power Planter products, she’s able to manage her 5 acres of land.

“She physically cannot stomp on a shovel. She physically cannot bend over and try to jab a trowel into the ground,” Niewold says. “So for people like her, it gives them the option to get involved again in the garden.”

A local support network

Power Planter products are all made in the USA, giving IGCs direct access to support and service whenever they need it. “IGCs can come directly to us for support and service,” Niewold says.

The company has educational videos and other resources available online, and garden centers are welcome to reach out for virtual meetings to ask questions and better understand the products. And if there’s anything else IGCs need, Power Planter is always available.

“It sounds cliché, but being a small American manufacturing company, people can just pick up the phone, give us a call and say, ‘Hey guys, I really would like something like this.’ And there’s a really good chance that we have it or we will make it and get it to you,” Niewold says.

Making the sale

“One thing that is very key is that nobody is going to walk into your garden center today and say, ‘I’m going to buy an auger,’ so product placement is key,” Niewold says. So he recommends putting Power Planter displays in high-traffic areas where customers with carts full of plants see them on their way to check out.

If a customer is browsing a display but isn’t quite sure which one is right for them, all a sales associate needs to do is take a quick inventory of the customer’s cart and make a recommendation. If the cart is chock-full of plants for their garden, they’ll want to opt for a 24-inch auger.

For a customer who has just a few items, a 7-inch auger is an adequate and budget-friendly option to do the job. And for anyone in between, especially someone who might be skeptical of the product but likes the idea, a 12-inch model is a great option. With that, a customer can plant gallon pots easily or handle their annuals and perennials with ease.

“That understanding from the associate they’re communicating with is a huge thing,” Niewold says. “I always say that most IGCs are small, family-owned businesses, so they know their customers. So understanding those customers, and what their needs, is key.”

For more information: powerplanter.com/wholesale