We conducted our first Revolutionary 100 Panel discussion at the show and it went great. The panelists were Steve Gallion from Stauffers of Kissel Hill, Denni Jones from County Line Landscape Nursery, Stephen Barlow III of Barlow’s and Frank Fernicola of Fairfield Garden Center.
One big highlight included Frank’s before and after pictures of the inside garden center store that received a coat of white paint this winter. It was amazing, appearing as though he adds tons of new lighting. But all they did was paint the ceiling and support beams white and lower the sight-lines of the fixtures a couple of feet. What a difference!
The panelists also talked about their plans for 2010, which for three out of the four included reducing inventory in the area of big-ticket items like statuary and furniture. They also talked about shoring up labor to make sure they’re watching labor costs, as well as using events and educational seminars to promote gardening. Denni Jones focuses heavily on relationship-building with customers via her e-newsletter and direct contact with customers. Barlow’s has begun to focus more on children’s activities and events in the hopes of bringing in families and moms to shop.
And finally, Stauffers of Kissel Hill has used a program called a detached-address label through its local Clipper coupon book to mail out direct-mail pieces at a fraction of the cost of a regular direct mail piece. To learn more about this program, click here.
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2 comments:
I thought the Revolutionary 100 panel discussion at PANTS09 was terrific. Jen posed a great set of very pertinent questions. And the panel reacted with both candor, insight... and humor.
I was talking with Steve Gallion afterward and interestingly enough he felt that there wasn't anything necessarily ground-breaking revealed, but the panel certainly did validate for many in attendance the fact that the issues they face on a daily basis are the same ones faced by the Rev 100 businesses. The difference really is in how each business reacts. Frank's before and after was a great example of that. Sometimes the simplest strategies are the most "revolutionary."
Steve Gallion also mentioned their brand redesign was something that put them on the path to revolutionizing their business. There's a cast study on the Stauffers of Kissel Hill brand makeover available at http://www.GardenCenterMakeOver.com/skh.htm
Thanks again Jen for the great discussion at PANTS09!
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