Let’s make sense of things with Rick Pontz. Every year I am amazed at both the professionalism and poise of some vendors, and also the lack of preparation of others. What is Drop Ship? We only have one line of pricing. What are SKU’s? These are just a few of the things I have heard over […]
Who Cares if it’s Face to Face? Part Three.
We finished last week confronting the difficult reality of anticipating trade-show ROI, and concluded that most business professionals highly value face to face interaction. We also concluded that although booth style, high budget trade-shows can provide some face to face interaction, they can be risky investments. Part three rounds out our series by discussing multiple avenues for […]
Who Cares if it’s Face to Face? Part Two.
Our last post concluded with two truths: 1) Tradeshows are worth it because they provide the opportunity for face-to-face interactions—the thing we as sales professionals and businessmen and women are all looking for at the end of the day. And 2) to get worthwhile face-to-face interaction you need to put a lot of money, time, and […]
Who Cares if it’s Face to Face? What matters at a Lawn and Garden Tradeshow.
Every year Lawn and Garden industry buyers and vendors find themselves going to tradeshows. Buyers attend these shows in pursuit of new products to sell in their stores. Vendors attend in search of buyers who will get their products in front of customers. More than emails, phone calls, and contact forms, buyers and vendors believe that face-to-face interaction with real […]
Homework, Giveaways, & Keeping ’em Hungry: 3 notes to make sure you don’t blow it when it matters most
It is no mystery that in person meetings have a much higher conversion rate to sales than phone, social media, or even direct mail and email marketing. While there is no doubt that prospecting is necessary, many of our marketing efforts still exist purely for the sake of getting a face to face appointment with […]
Lawn & Garden Vendors and Distributors: a Love/Hate Relationship
There are folks who avoid selling to distributors like the plague and there are companies that sell primarily through distribution. In this industry, we see both crowds. Many companies could probably make more money by doing the hard work of selling direct and managing the books on bigger accounts rather than leaving it to their distributors. […]
The Ten Minutes That Can Change Your Life (or Business)
The ten minute conversation. We all have them on a daily basis, whether it be in line at the overcrowded coffee shop, with a coworker over the lunch hour, or in the park on a weekend afternoon. So often, we tend to glance over these conversations as social niceties or ways to pass the time. […]
Five Winter Resources for the Lawn & Garden Industry
There is significant difference between surviving and thriving. Great businesses (or people, or plants, or animals) know that thriving involves resources. In the Lawn & Garden world, the winter months can be a time of hibernation. They can also be a great time to use energy on often overlooked ways to develop your business. A golden […]
6 Questions Every Vendor Should Ask
We want to prime the pump for vendors by providing a starter list of questions every vendor should be asking and answering. We aren’t going to give detailed answers in this small space (that will come in another blog) but this list will help you prepare for your next business opportunity. We are continually amazed […]
Shovels and shows – how to choose?
I am a minimalist is many areas of my life. My fly box contains fewer lures than most, my yard tools are secondhand and worn, and my winter expedition gear is not fancy. Still, I manage to consistently land fish, reap a harvest, and summit peaks. Why? Besides hard work and a commitment to learning, part […]
