 Todd Davis
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All right nursery folks, I hear you loud and clear.
I get it. My report of the death of the nursery glut was greatly exaggerated.
But my logic was strong and my optimism was well founded. Initial reports were very positive. “Out of stock” was showing up on availability lists. Landscapers reported trouble sourcing materials.
Everything seemed to be going our way, then Mother Nature stepped in. She gave the nation, particularly the northern half, the wettest, coldest April and May in recent memory. Initial deliveries to garden centers went out strong, but the retailers had to sit on these plants and re-orders didn’t materialize. So stock that should have been flowing out of retail stores sat stagnant on growers’ beds and shipping bays.
Our sister publication Garden Center polled independent retailers and 100 percent said weather this year was a foe, not a friend. Yes, 100 percent. Almost 77 percent said their selling season got off to a bad start.
So what now?
No, you can’t turn back the clock. When that spring window closes, it’s shut for good.
But that doesn’t mean you call it quits. It’s time for you to become the tough mother.
You and your sales staff need to grab phones and start calling your non-traditional customers. I’m talking municipalities and school districts. I’m talking state departments of transportation and churches.
If you haven’t already, it’s time to become best buddies with somebody in the planning and zoning departments in every city in your shipping area. These people know what projects are going on, and when the landscapes are being installed. (Man, I can’t believe I’m giving away all my old secrets.)
Stepping on toes?
And yes, many of you are saying, “I don’t want to upset my distributor clients by going after their customers.” My response is this: If they were doing a better job of tracking down these projects, would you still be sitting on all that material? It’s time to start doing their jobs for them. Distributors are as guilty as anybody of sitting around waiting for orders rather than going and getting them.
And please do your homework. How do you know the material you have on hand is not actually in short supply?
The market is short on 2-inch trees. Supply is down for many flowering shrubs. Do not slash prices unless you know the facts. If a customer says, “I can get that cheaper down the road,” drive down the road and see what that material looks like. When it looks like heck run over by an 18 wheeler, your customer looks like a fool. It’s another old secret of mine: You can shame customers to buy from you.
Now go get busy.
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