It’s Time for Spring Cleaning

They don’t call it “the paper chase” for nothing.  In spite of computers, my desk, my desktop bins, and my filing cabinets are awash with paper. 

From post-it notes to memos to manila folders the piles grow taller.  Someday I know it will all collapse crushing me for good.  Is this your situation Bunky? 

Are you in grave danger of being smothered in paper? Time to clean up, throw out, and organize your business life.

Paul Timm, Ph.D. in his book “50 Powerful Ideas”, suggests you handle each paper only once and learn to make decisions, not just postpone action, on each memo or letter you receive.  He states there are usually 4 options:

 F          File for future reference

R          Refer it to someone else

A          Act on it – now!

T          Trash it

 This last option, trash it, is the most interesting to me.  How many times have you filed stuff away only to pitch it a year or so later.  Studies actually show that 95% of the stuff in files for one year or longer will never be used.  Periodically clean out files so your system stays lean and efficient.

Find Those Sales "Gems"
And while 95% is indeed, pitchable, I find the other 5% is often made up of long forgotten sales “gems”.  Whatever happened to good old Joe?  You know, the property manager at Bailey and Coffee?  Think I’ll give him a call.  And, hey, what about the bank downtown?  This old file says we did holiday client gifts for them a couple of years ago.  Think I’ll visit Sue at the Head Office and see if she wants to do that again.  And, look here, I forgot about Dan who used to be GM at Holiday Budget Motel Suites.  He really liked us.  Think I’ll track him down and see which property he’s managing now.  See?  You never know.

Yep, that’s right – you never know – and you never know what a little Spring-cleaning will turn up in the way of long forgotten “gems”, so get cracking!

Many years ago, interiorscapers rejoiced when it was discovered that NASA scientists had proven, that’s right proven that plants clean the air indoors. 

Thanks Dr. Wolverton
Dr. Bill Wolverton had shown that all plants,but some more than others ,were instrumental in cleaning indoor air.  Now why was our National Space Association testing plants and air quality?  Why for a possible future use on the Space Station, of course.  It was pretty heady stuff for we interiorscapers, I tell you.

At the Same Time
Dr. Wolverton also showed that the air cleaning effect was enhanced by using a charcoal filter.  A few good souls tried to capitalize on this finding by coming up with a charcoal enhanced planter but weren’t successful in developing a product that sold well and, at the same time, Interiorscape sales people made the Clean Air message part of their presentations with the same mixed success.

Everything Old is New Again
That was then and this is now.  Throughout history there have been ideas and products that are too far ahead of the curve.  Maybe, just maybe, we interiorscapers need to revisit this literature.  Maybe, just maybe ,with all the buzz about Green Buildings and Global Warming, maybe the World is finally ready to listen.  For more information about Plants Clean the Air, check out PlantscaperPortal and consider updating the information and including it in your sales presentations.

A Rose by Any Other Name

In past Sales E-Tips we’ve discussed the use of language as a highly effective sales tool. 

Different words conjure up different thoughts and emotions so your choice of words is important.  Tom Hopkins, author of Selling For Dummies lists the following commonly used Sales Terms and their better choice alternative.  From this list you get a sense of what’s needed.  Think of the words you commonly use.  Are they the best choice or are there others that are better?

You say Tomato and I say Tomato
To illustrate the impact word choice can make, look at the first example, the word “contract”.  Immediately we think of legalese, courts, and other threatening images.  How much more pleasant and still businesslike are the terms “paperwork or agreement” instead?  The whole idea is to take negative vocabulary and replace it with the positive alternative.  Practice substituting these choices.  At first it will seem awkward, but over time you’ll feel more comfortable.  And don’t just concentrate on the spoken word.  Look at your company paperwork.  Does it reflect this new attitude?  Does your contract say “CONTRACT”?  Wouldn’t it be better with the heading “Agreement” instead?

   “Heck”, you’re probably saying, “I’ve done it my way for all these years, why change now?”  Well, I have yet to meet the perfect interior plantscape salesperson or one that couldn’t improve.  Here is one easy way to do so.  Now, go get ‘em Tiger.

 First Inner Circle Conference Call Gets Year Off to Good Start. 
As part of the Inner Circle members can participate in several conference calls.  Yesterday we held the first such call.

The main topic was Strategic Planning  from an Interiorscaper’s viewpoint and the conversation ranged from setting goals to implementing them.  One profit point (a point that makes money or saves time) was about ways to increase revenue.  Along with more Sales, added services, and subcontracting, the point was made that buying other companies or contracts is still the quickest.  We discussed several ways to establish relations with other companies that might be willing or need to sell part or all of their businesses including the most obvious, "Let’s have Lunch".  This was obviously a topic of interest.

One participant said "the conference was Awesome and exceeded my expectations.  The hour went by …it seemed like ten minutes.  I wrote three pages of notes."

 As always, a tape copy of the Call is archived in the password protected Inner Circle Portal on this page. Inner Circle members may access this tape so they can review it at their convenience.  Maybe its time for you to join this motivated group of ’scapers to kick start your own business.  For more information about the Barb Helfman Inner Circle click onto the Inner Circle portal. 

It’s January 20, 2007 and I am here at the Broward County Convention Center in beautiful Ft. Lauderdale, FL.  The sun is shining, it is 80 degrees outside but in the Convention Center crowds of attendees are foregoing the sun and sand to walk the Show.   

They Know what’s important
Interiorscapers have always known that our products, the plants and planters we use, are continually changing and the one place to see what is current is at TPIE.  In addition, the opportunity to see our suppliers face to face is priceless. 

This Year

Would you believe there is a new blooming plant that is called The Bat?  The botanical name is Tacca chantrieri or "Black Bat Plant".  The foliage has the appearance of a Spath but is a different plant.

The "flower" is a very dark purple/black.  Very limited now.  It comes in both 6 inch and 10 inch.  The blooms lasts up to two months and with the proper conditions it can be made to rebloom again.

Use it for the striking blooms as part of your color program and not as a permanent plant.  Tremendous potential.  The source is Greendale Nurseries in Homestead.

My buddy Steve Foster of Foster Plants in Miami, took this photo as did my friend Lorna.  I’ll be getting a sample in a week or so and will test it "on the job" so to speak.  It is very, very exciting..

Good Friends
I think this is my 30th year at TPIE and ever year I look forward to seeing old friends.  Some "teams" split up with one going to TPIE, the other to the Holiday Decor Shows in Atlanta and Dallas.  Hard to choose but with Holiday making up so much of your interiorscape biz (10-20% for most companies), a visit at least every other year is a must. 

Who did I see?   Matt Gardner was in from CA as was Vicki Cate, Bill Lyon, Bill Meade (back at Gainey).  Linnaea taught, John Mini was there as was Chris and Leann Raimondi from New Jersey (he was just named Fire Chief of his town.)  Dick Ott and Art Cambell hosted an NIN get together, Shane Pliska was there as well.  Kathy  O’Donnell was beaming and showing photos of her new grandchild. 

Yep, we’re all a bit older, grandkids are replacing the kids we had, and several ’scapers wanted to talk about "exit strategies".  Some have second generation already in the business.  Jerry Shipe of the Plant Place in Dallas was there with his son.  It was absolutely wonderful. 

The Newbies 
And there were plenty of new kids on the block.  Hungry for knowledge and so very happy to be a plantscaper.  Crazy but fascinating business this interiorscaping. 

Credentials Vs Benefits

 Often the first contact you have with a prospective client is by letter.  Now in the world of first contact letters there is “Good”, “Better”, and “best”.  “Good” is what you might expect, a “Hi, I’m so and so and I’d like to talk with you about our interiorscaping service”.  “Better” goes the next step and adds to the first info about “Who we are”, the awards we’ve won or the organizations we belong to.  Then there’s “Best” a letter that gives the reader an idea of the reasons they should be talking to you, reasons like saving money, receiving prompt service, professional service and so on.  In other words, why and how they will benefit by using your company.

You also need an attention-grabbing headline that offers a major benefit and follow up with a paragraph that supports the benefit featured in the headline.  Don’t make the letter too long but easy to understand and to the point.  Personalize your letter by writing in a friendly, courteous tone and include a call to action or state you’ll be calling to follow up.

I recommend having three or four different letters each one targeted at a different market segment such as Hospitality, Office, large public spaces, and so on.  That way you can hit on the benefits your company provides that differ for each segment.  Example:  Hospitality – maybe you have a floral division.  Offices – your attention to security issues.  Large public spaces – flexible scheduling of services.  You get the idea.  Take a look at the letter(s) you are currently using.  Do they talk benefits or brag how great you are? 

Maybe, just maybe, its time to revise them.

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When IP companies first get started the paper chase is often very rudimentary.  Usually the most complete documentation consists of the Client Billing information followed by a list of the plant material installed (Inventory), along with a copy of the proposal, and a copy of the signed contract, if there is one.  This is OK for the first number of accounts.  The owner is probably wearing all the hats and has a good handle on the amount of time spent, how many visits per month, the dollar value of the plants replaced, and so on.

Then Along comes the First employee
Now the owner is still able to manage the account by just tracking time and replacements but after several employees are out there, this task becomes increasingly more difficult. 

It’s Time to Take Control
And the sooner the better.  It is no fun trying to reconstruct a hundred accounts 4 years after the fact.  Your monthly or quarterly Operating Statement may give you the numbers for the whole company but without the numbers for each account, how do you know if you are making money or losing it?  How do you know if you should raise your fees?  Some companies never raise fees because of this lack of specific information or they wait a few years and then raise fees across the board.  Not the best way to manage your business.

Along with Mangement Information you Have No Way to Evaluate Technicians Productivity.
At the end of the year, how will you know who to give raises and who not?  In another life I was in this very predicament.  So, what did I do?  I gave raises across the board and bonuses just ’cause it was that time of year.  Obviously, some employees who deserved this were pleased, others were not.  Most of them were well aware of their coworkers and who worked hard and who just did the minimum and many would ask themselves, "Why should we work so hard when it doesn’t matter"?   This method did not give both the company and the better employees a fair shake.

Documentation is Key to Running a Profitable Company
Today there are several software programs that give you at least the basics of Productivity and Profitability by the Account.    What ever method you use, it is vital for the future health of your business that you start to implement some method soon.

Check Out TPIE Seminar on Thurs. Jan.18th.
One of the seminar offerrings at this year’s TPIE covers Computer aided Presentations by Tropical Computers (Dr. Joe Cialone and Tom Creedham, Web Sites for Interiorscapers by Curt Conrad, and Quickbooks for Your Interiorscape Company.  This last presentation is not listed in the program as it was added after the program went to press, however, it is sure to be of interest to all ’scapers as they fight the battle of the Paper Chase.  For more info log on to www.tpie.org.

You Gotta Have a Zebra
Picture a large herd of brown and black horses.  Its a sea of dark shapes.  Suddenly, in the midst of the herd you spot, could it be, a zebra.  Its white and black stripes stand out like a beacon. 

Well, in the world of interiorscaping, we, too, have "horses" and zebras". For us the zebra may be an exotic plant or an unusually shaped or colored decorative container while the horses are the usual, most often specified plants or the simple containers in standard colors and finishes. 

For example, think ‘Janet Craig" Dracena in a light tan Roundz cylinder container.  Definitely a workhorse, definitely.  Now visualize a bromeliad in a Euro style container.  A zebra-definitely a zebra. 

Use Zebras Sparingly
Too many zebras can result in sensory overload so the trick is to use them with caution.  Let the intended use of the space and the existing surroundings be your guide. 

For example, offices demand lots and lots of workhorses while hotels and residential projects call out for a higher proportion of zebras.  In other words, where there are lots of the same,–same desks, same chairs, same cubicles, think workhorses.  And, if there are oriental rugs, elaborate window treatments, exotic woods—-think zebras.

Explain As You Go Along
And while you are going through this mental process, don’t hesitate to share your design reasoning with your client.  Explain why a particular plant is , from the design aspect, a zebra and how very "special" zebras are.  They are tempermental but, oh, beautiful and worth the extra effort and, usually, the additional cost. Explain why one decorative container is  fabricated differently and even though both are approximately the same size, one is more costly than the other. 

Sometimes Its Best to Compromize
When the budget is a factor consider adding a "zebra" plant in a "workhorse" container.  In this case you are geting the most bang for the buck and by using a simple planter you are letting the unusual and eyecatching plant be the "star".  Example:  Gorgeous Red Bromeliad in a simple, classic Black cylinder planter.  Dy-no-mite.

Your Client Wants to Know
And speaking of price differences, often your client doesn’t understand why one 6 foot plant is twice the price of another 6 foot plant.  I always found that they are always thinking this question even though they don’t voice it.  Take the bull by the horns and explain that not all 6 foot Palms are created equal or, even, created the same way and that’s why there are price differences.  For example, the Kentia Palm (a zebra) is grown from seed and not a cutting and that it takes many years to reach a certain height while the Massangeana Cane plant (a workhorse) is grown from cane cuttings and only takes a few months to grow to 6 feet.  In short, you are educating the client and as they "get it", watch their eyes light up.  Now they understand why one plant costs more than another and they are excited and pleased ’cause, "Hey, Dude, we’re getting a zebra".