PERSPECTIVE
Dare to Be Diverse
Q
Last year, at the height of the recession, things were pretty rough in my garden
center where sales were concerned. How can I add to my bottom line for next
year and beyond?
D
iversity is key to degree of quality you are known for in your main
success. business, any dissatisfaction customers might have
I think it’s safe to say that last about those activities could spill over and harm
year has been a wild ride for most your main profi t center. So it’s important to decide
companies. But as those of us in the lawn and how many active services you can have going at one
garden retail business know, living through the time and still do them all well.
economy’s ups and downs is a lot like growing and One way to sort this out is to categorize the
Ask P. Allen Smith
selling plants during weather extremes: Some- services into two areas: those you could perform
times all you can do is hope for the best and pre- in combination with your regular season — such
pare for the worst. Coming from a farm and nurs- as design consultations, water feature installa-
eryman background, I’ve learned that one of the tions, power washing decks and party setups —
key factors in keeping your head above water is and those that would help keep employees busy
to offer a variety of products and services to help during off-season months, such as installing hol-
keep the cash fl owing through both the blue-sky iday lights, snow removal, or Christmas tree and
and stormy days. On the farm, although our main wreath sales.
crops were soybeans and cotton, the chickens pro-
vided us “egg money” and the pigs were consid-
ered “mortgage lifters.”
In that same way, the more fl exibility you can
put in your company, the better your chances are
of keeping your fi nances in the black. It’s all about
getting as much business from your existing cus-
tomers as you can while cultivating new clients
along the way. So what does that mean for those
in our line of work?
Obviously, a company that can add new services
such as installing holiday decorations, cleaning
and storing clients’ lawn furniture, and selling
fi rewood has a better chance of keeping the doors
open year round. And these services may also be
the “mortgage lifter” and supplement the income
if your primary business is experiencing sagging
sales. But before you begin offering these new
services, there are a few things to consider.
Maintain Balance
One of the most important factors is that these
extra activities don’t spread you too thin. They
should be compatible with your core business so
they don’t eat into your profi ts. You could quickly
Offering holiday decorating and tree trimming could be a great way
become a jack-of-all-trades and master of none. If
to add value to your regular store services. Sell the supplies to your
you can’t do these add-on services with the same
customers — then do the hard parts for them!
14 Lawn & Garden Retailer November 2009 www.lgrmag.com
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