Holiday Safety
As we head into the Holiday season I’m reminded of Holidays past.  Most are a blur of red poinsettia and sparkle that won’t come off your hands and face, but some years stand out for other reasons.  There was the year we set up the 20-foot live poinsettia tree and the year we decorated the Riverboat and made it snow inside over the 30-foot tree.  And then there are the years remembered but not because of an outstanding design but because of something sad.  Like the year one of our installers was taking down a wreath and fell off the 10-foot ladder breaking his leg in two places.  Or the year another Holiday Elf fell back off the loading dock.
As I write this e-tip it is still September.  Still time to have a company meeting and review safety measures.  Still time to give out that ounce of prevention and save a pound cure.  From proper footwear to ladder work, from proper lifting techniques to how best to anchor a tree or wreath.  An hour spent now could save bones, dollars, and workmen comp claims up the road.  So, please take the time.  Have a safety procedures meeting.

 Poinsettia Organizing
And, speaking of poinsettia, you probably use them in several ways but, for the most part, you use the 6” red plant placed into a watertight decorative container or basket with saucer inside or speedcover.  You may or may not add a bow, and away you go.  Suggestion – standardize, standardize, and organize.  There is nothing worse than holding up a crew waiting in a vehicle while one-person hunts all over the facility for the basket or the saucer.  Figure out what you are doing and how.  Set the components in stacks so that everyone knows where they are and can see them as they sprint to load the truck.  Standardization and organization - the keys to a very Merry Holiday.

Fabricating Tips 
One of the crises that happens each year is that you buy Holiday Product back in Jan or Feb long before the new jobs are sold.  Then, come September, you find yourself out of the 4" red and gold balls you need for that big job.  Like a bunny you get on the phone to order from you importer only to be told, "no more available".  What to do?  Check out your local floral wholesaler and, even, your local Home Depot, Lowe’s and any other retail store for product that will meet your needs.  So what if you have to pay 2 bucks instead of 1.50?  Retail prices are still low due to seasonal demand and the ability of the retail venue to pay less than you pay, is just a fact of life since they buy such huge quantities.  So, save yourself some grief.  Buy it locally and get it done.

In a recent issue of Office Furniture & Design I came across an article about how the different Generations of customers have different hot buttons and prefer different information.

The Four Different Generations
The article goes on to divide us up into Matures, Boomers, Xers, and Millenial’s.    The main premise is that the wise salesperson knows the traits of the group they are speaking to and that they tailor their message to each group.

Matures
With this group it is important to understand their needs and stating your solution.  Avoid razzle-dazzle approaches.  They want reliability and service delivery and follow through is paramount to retaining them as clients.

Boomers
Honesty, honesty and more honesty.  This group is looking to you to find out what is truly needed.  They want to trust you to be the expert and give them integrity that they can rely on.  Once you have gained their trust the two of you become a "team" to arrive at the best solution.

Xers
This group does some research on their own so they may already have some knowledge of what you are trying to sell them.  That is why it is important that you know your stuff backwards and forwards, otherwise you may come off as less knowledgeable than what your customer just found out on the internet.  Expect this group to demand extras…extra knowledge, extra work.  The good news for all this extra effort is that once you have established yourself,  they will praise you to all their friends.

Millennial’s
This is the newest group.  Whatever you can do to make Millennial’s feel special will be a winning strategy.  Money is not nearly as important to this group as values and balance.  They need to know that your company has a committment to some facet of the betterment of mankind or the universe.  Here is the group that responds best to Green Sales.  And, as do the generation before them , the Xers, they depend on peer knowledge and recommendations.  This means they will be terrific for referrals.

Now I get it
By understanding the individual needs of each group, the savvy salesperson can best maximize their Sales Efforts.   And, while it helps to have some idea as to group traits,  when all else fails,  just come right out and…..ask.  Now go out there and get ‘em, Tiger.