January 2021 - 34

DIRTY SECRETS
departments tend to be even more dubious about new
introductions - so when they get excited, you truly have a
sales juggernaut if you work it right.
3. Get creative. The thing about perennials, shrubs and
trees is that they can all be sold with any of those fancy
annuals, so it's not as if any of this is segregated to one
category. A truly creative display can incorporate key items
in outdoor displays just the way you would in a landscape.
Reinforce this though with education; bring in your sales
reps to help " chum the water " and get them rallied to sell.
Raise the bar for your merchandising and display
departments to extend the lengths to which they go to
feature new plants. Often the sales reps are very motivated to
help you with posters, cardstock and even display ideas. They
are a fantastic resource - call on them to help you sell more.
Use height, color and texture to raise the bar on effective and
energetic displays. Think BIG drama. Hang big kites from the
ceiling and float kokedama petunias around them. Or use
indoor palms to create a tropical oasis in a desert scene.
4. Emphasize value. Customers are sophisticated enough
these days that just plunking a sign on a table that exclaims
" NEW " next to a petunia is not going to cut it. Asking, " Why
should I spend $3 to $5 on that petunia versus the old
one at the box store that only costs $2? " makes complete
sense when no one explains that this new plant needs no
deadheading and blooms 5x heavier.
And you know that it's mentally exhausting to make
signage no one reads anyway, so there's that! I'd have one
ear to the sales floor to hear how many times the new plant
data was repeated with gusto and be quick to reward it.
5. Be social-media worthy. Set yourself apart as the
place that provides exciting new options that can't be found
anywhere else. And how can these exciting new options be
used in exciting new ways? Show them! In fact, make it so
exciting that they want to take selfies with them! PinstaGram
requires your unique creativity to feed your feed. Think wild
and wacky here! Hang new varieties of succulents from
the trees! Show a fabulous new begonia with trendy new
houseplants. Display a mass of unique and colorful foliage in
a contemporary way with a spiral walk in the center.
Imagine you're putting on a show, because you are selling
tickets to one every day when you open your doors. New
plants are the undiscovered starlets and handsome leading
men that no one has ever seen on the red carpet before.
Give them a venue to shine bright!
Christina Salwitz, the Personal Garden Coach, is a container
designer, public speaker, horticultural guidance counselor, service
provider for The Garden Center Group and photojournalist
based in Renton, Washington. She can be reached at
personalgardencoach@comcast.net.
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34 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | JANUARY 2021
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January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2021
