Rounding through summer

Photo© SkyLine | Adobe Stock

Some years just getting through the planting and growing season is a victory in itself. Every year offers a different approach and solution; that is the great horticultural puzzle we put together each and every year as growers and managers. Before we can sit back and start planning some PTO or family time, we must sketch out what the fall is going to look like based on what we learned from the previous spring. Not in terms of weather predictions from the Farmers’ Almanac, but where we can really save some time, money, and labor as well as improving internal education of our employees. It also is a great time to focus our attentions to customer needs and trends. Here are some of my fall reflections on how to bring processes and culture to the forefront to make a lasting impact.

Being a past sales manager, I often found the best time to spend with customers was the fall months. Our “second season” as we termed it, allowed for sales staff to drill down and really spend quality time walking blocks of planted fields or meandering through garden centers taking note of what was still on the shelf. “Second season” is a much different time than the booking season. Orders are already in for the next year, sales have been projected for the fourth quarter, and budgets are shaping up. It also provides a great opportunity to educate customers about you and your company. Building that relationship and having positive dialogs can mitigate some of the spring chaos. Some of the most productive conversations with customers have come at the garden center counter or bouncing around in a dusty pick up admiring the October colors. Hopefully, it leads to greater insight as to where you and your company can better serve the needs of your customer base.

It’s also a time to find personal connections with each other. What are the companies’ goals and aspirations? How is the family doing? What questions do you have about us as a supplier or about our company? What can we do better to help make you more successful? Whether you are a garden center, grower, or sales rep, using the fall can lead to sales, but more importantly it can lead to a better relationship with your customers.

Take the wins and highlight some of the successes that the season brought. Whether that was the launch of a new location or the introduction of a new plant, sometimes it’s not all about the dollars. Maybe a new manager, grower, or employee joined the team, and they have a huge upside for the future. Celebrate it and grow those relationships.

Photo courtesy of Bailey

Now, as a general manager, I also use the fall season to check in with employees and look for opportunities to enhance employee training and development, prioritize company goals, and make suggested changes. It is also a great time to identify future leaders, build culture throughout the organization, distribute evaluations, and identify or celebrate retirements.

Setting time aside with people that are on the clock shows them that you have a true vested interest in them and that you want them to succeed and buy in. Most importantly it shows you want to listen to them and that their opinion and suggestions matter. Most employees want to learn, they want to get better, they want to be safer, and they want to make the company better. They cannot do it if they do not know the expectation or long-term direction. Some might call them meetings, tail gate sessions, huddles or educationals. Whatever the adjective, the value in those times does have ROI. It may not be instantaneous, but it will lead to future organizational success.

From a production standpoint, look for opportunities to set you up for the next spring. One example that has been huge for us as a bareroot production nursery in Oregon was shifting our planting schedules to the fall. This has alleviated over half of our spring planting stress. Ground temperatures and textures are favorable and usually our fall rains set those seedlings in perfectly. Knowing that half of our spring planting work is already done is a very positive change that has taken trial and error to hone, but one that has a huge impact come spring.

Take some of the added free time to be forward thinking. If the balance sheets are favorable for the year, fall is a great time to think about plant procurement and purchase for the coming spring, specifically containers. This can come with some risk but if facilities are adequate to winter protect, fall can be a great opportunity to find just the selections and quantities you want and need. Growers are typically more flush with fresh crops at that time and availabilities can be bountiful. Some growers offer additional discounting which could also sweeten the pot.

As the summer transitions into fall, take the opportunity to slow down. I continually believe the fall is an underutilized time for the green industry to get tasks done prior to the next year. Prioritize the days and look for advantages that equate to success in all the above departments mentioned. Those that do will be glad they did come spring.