How to reach customers

It’s time for a head count. Somebody needs to do the math, then maybe all this concern about who our customers really are and who they might become can be put into perspective.

{sidebar id=61}

An article in the Baltimore Sun on gardening looked at the impact of Internet access. A few points of interest were that the average age of people who call themselves “gardeners” is between 40 and 44 years old. Of that age group, 75 percent report that they go online to research all types of gardening information.

The research showed that the strongest online communities are ones that are connected to offline activities. People do stuff in real life, then go online to continue the experience. If both are personally rewarding, people stay interested. Garden centers should be able to play a role in that development process.

So, is your Web site ready?

Take a look at your Web site and ask yourself this question: “Why would anyone come back to this site for a second visit?”

Most garden center sites I visit seem to be designed for first-time visitors. Once a person finds out a few basic facts about the company, there aren’t a lot of compelling reasons for a second look. That’s where I believe garden center e-newsletters should play an important role in an ongoing customer connection. A proper e-newsletter should supply timely advice and “news” with links to even more helpful content on the company’s Web site.

Most e-newsletters I receive from garden centers around the country are nothing more than self-promoting advertisements. Even the Smith & Hawken one I recently signed up for was just a 20-percent discount coupon. Boring. I was really hoping for better and probably won’t open too many more before unsubscribing.

Expect a surge in customers?

Other interesting numbers came from a private research firm looking into the state of the industry. The results showed that the most avid garden customers are about 50 years old. A few paragraphs later they note that this age group will grow 30 percent from 74 million today to 97 million by the end of 2010.

Our best customer base is increasing by 30 percent, but while potential shoppers are growing in number, we’re losing them because they’re losing interest.

I still believe the answer can be found in a dramatic shift in how garden centers market their products. So does Nike. Take a look at their Web site. The slogan says they’re out to reinvent running, another past Boomer passion.

We’re an industry with an exploding customer base. Sounds like the type of news all of us could use. Are you ready for the opportunity at hand?

Time for an attitude adjustment

It’s nice to have clients who remember stuff I spout off even better than I do. Last week, Bill Van Wilgen of Van Wilgen’s Garden Center in North Branford, Conn., sent me an e-mail he said was a quote I gave him more than 10 years ago. It was a reminder of how the proper attitude can make a world of difference in the success or failure of any company. I don’t have a clue where it originated.

It reads: “Let those that deserve to fail, fail. Let others cut back on marketing and cut valuable people. Entrepreneurial heroes know that now is the best time to stretch marketing dollars, gain market share and choke competitors.”

When Bill and I started working together his garden center was doing less than $500,000 in sales. Our goal for 2008 is close to $6 million.

I’m sure people could create a long list of why this example is different from what other centers face. But I believe the biggest difference is that we didn’t have that list of reasons to worry about. We planned and expected great things to happen. They did.

How to know if you’re successful

Lots of people ask me what the most successful garden centers have in common. Here’s a short list of what I see as key differences.

* The most successful owners hire the best people they can, then let them do the jobs they were hired to do.

* The most successful owners could take time off work for months and nothing bad would happen.

* The most successful centers pay much closer attention to the numbers side of their business than any other area.

* The most successful owners expect all financial reports to be timely, accurate and meaningful.

* The most successful owners are willing, excited and anxious for change.

* Successful centers build on momentum and quickly dump underperformers -- people or products.

* The most successful centers build on their own strengths and resist industry trends.

* Successful centers understand that aggressive marketing and a great shopping experience are keys to sustained growth and profits.

Looking for a short list of things to do to make the remainder of 2008 your best year ever? This list should keep you busy for awhile.

- Robert Hendrickson

Robert Hendrickson is managing director of the Garden Center Group, an alliance of more than 100 garden centers, vendors and service providers. He can be reached at (410) 313-8067,  robert@thegardencentergroup.com; www.thegardencentergroup.com.

{sidebar id=3}

May 2008