Dear Readers

For you, business planning revolves around your customers, their buying history, and their evolving needs. Industry trends play a role, and so do the unique challenges and pressures faced by each grower.

With this year’s Early Order Program about to launch, it’s time to prepare for your biggest sales event of the year. As a new strategic accounts manager for BASF, I’m here to help you maximize your sales and build your business.

Let me start by sharing a bit about my background. I have more than two decades of experience in both the distribution and manufacturing sectors of the ornamental business, so I’ve learned about the market from both sides.

In my new role with BASF, I work with distributors as well as the top nurseries and greenhouses across the country. With the insights I’ve gained into the buying behavior of growers, I hope to serve as a new and trusted resource for you.

The 2017 BASF Early Order Program begins October 1, so get started now by reviewing last year’s sales with your customers. The products they purchased for 2016 will serve as the optimal jumping-off point for a discussion about this year’s order.

Target your biggest customers first and review the products they bought last year.

Kick off the conversation with questions: Do you want to follow last year’s plan? What products worked best for you? Where do you see room for improvement? Then talk to them about new product innovations and where those innovations will fit in their nursery or greenhouse program.

Your customers want to optimize their savings, so it makes sense to go beyond their EOP purchases and review what they bought from January through April of 2016. Remind them that it’s better to buy during EOP for additional savings on products they’ll use in the spring.

This brings us to the heart of any business plan: giving your customers a reason to buy. Show them exactly what they can save when they purchase during the 2017 EOP. Plus, they benefit by ordering early with the BASF EOP.

This year’s EOP is even easier for customers to understand and navigate. Here’s the three-step plan to help them save:

Plan ahead. Growers earn up to 33% more in rebate dollars by ordering in October when rebate levels are the highest. Your customers can order early, but pay nothing until June 9, 2017.

Order ahead. Growers earn an extra 10% on FreeHand^® 1.75G herbicide when ordering 16,000 pounds or more.

Get ahead. Growers can boost their rebate an extra 2% when ordering our most innovative solutions, including Orkestra^® Intrinsic^® brand fungicide, Pageant^® Intrinsic brand fungicide or Sultan^® miticide.

Our newest innovation for ornamentals, Orkestra^® Intrinsic^® brand fungicide is a foundational product used mid-production for fast and long-acting disease control. Ideal for nurseries, this rainfast fungicide features two modes of action. It also provides plant health benefits, including stronger roots that promote resilience to stress.

For greenhouses, BASF recommends Pageant Intrinsic brand fungicide. This broad-spectrum solution controls more diseases than any fungicide currently on the market. Delivering excellent plant safety, it also provides improved plant health for greater tolerance and recovery from stressors like cold, heat, and shipping.

As you prepare for EOP, I’m here to answer any questions and discuss the best options and solutions for your growers. Along with the BASF Ornamentals team, I look forward to helping you build and implement your business plan.

Sincerely,

Strategic Accounts Manager, Ornamentals

BASF