Holiday is over for another 10 months and the good news is that you survived.  Congratulations.  Thinking back to Holidays Past, I recall several that were, shall we say, learning instances.  The truck on Thanksgiving weekend that drove the 100 miles to the large install and the large wreath was back at the warehouse.  Result?  A second trip the following day, a perturbed client, a second truck rental, and two installers time driving and installing.  OOOPS!

The next year we fixed that problem but on another installation, my key designer showed up 2 hours late keeping four other techs waiting.  4 techs X 2 hours = 8 hours paid out not originally budgeted.  I could see the $$ flying out into the snow.

The moral of stories like these?  Plan ahead.  Have lists of materials to be loaded on trucks, check the lists more than once, and allow extra time in your price quotes.  Extra or delayed trips mean dollars lost.  And not just for Holiday.  The second trip for the plant left behind, the containers that didn’t arrive in time-all cost you.  DIRTFT is important in businesses like ours.  Extra time spent in advance is going to save you on the tail end.  DIRTFT should be a motto instilled throughout your company.  Now get out there…..

       Labor Day is traditionally the date marker for the start of Holiday preparation.  It kicks off all the craziness that follows.   But more importantly, it is time to combine creativity with organization.

TRIP #1     This first Trip I suggest you take is just a few feet away.  Walk thru your warehouse or storage facility, gargage, wherever your Holiday Past is hiding.  Amazing, isn’t it, how much dust can accumulate in just 8 months?  Start by getting rid of it.  Feather dusters work but stay away from water in the beginning.  Notice anything?  Do you have artificial floral product like pointsettia that look a tad dull, faded?  Some silver angels that havn’t been used for a couple of years ’cause they are the wrong color?  The time to refurbish is now, not in the heat of the seasonal installation crunch.  Start by making a list of what needs to be done, colors needed, and so on.  And, this is not for just Holiday product.  Make a list of the decorative containers that need some help.  A chip on the edge here, the out of date color there, the scratch or two, all can be repainted and RESOLD!

Now it is time for TRIP #2.     Your friendly Arts and Crafts store.  Michael’s is a national chain that carries the full line of DesignMaster spray colorants for artificials.  Kept under lock and key, they can transform your tired floral products into the look of new.  And, other sprays can mimic Brass, Bronze and other metallics.  A real boon to getting your dollars off the shelf and into a clients lobby.  One line that I’ve discovered may be found more often in hardware and DIY stores is mean’t to paint all kinds of household furniture, accent pieces and is also good for a lot of our decorative containers.    Tricoat products has a line called Sophisticated Finishes.  It paints on metallic and antique patinas on to all types of surfaces.    Iron, Copper, Blackened Bronze, Rust, Patina Green and a host of other finishes can update those unusable containers.  For stores that carry the smaller sizes of their product, call them at 510-614-3900 or on the web, www.tricoat.com.

OK.  So you go to the Craft store and get the spray cans of silk foliage product.  The trick is to apply without getting the color where it should not be.  First, take it outside.  This stuff is volatile and the fumes are heavy.  Spray in a well ventilated area and/or wear a mask.  Next, cover the areas not to be colored with plastic.  I like to make a plastic "collar", like the ones the vet puts around your dog or cats neckso they can’t touch their heads.  Think of a plastic "funnel".  After removing as much dust as possible either with a feather duster or blowing away with a hairdryer, test an area for the right color, and then, spray away and then, let dry.  Voila, bright, red poinsettias or other color florals.  And, for other accent pieces, a new metallic finish can take those unusable silver angels and make them the gold you need. 

Yep, two trips.  One to the warehouse and one to the DIY or craft store.  Great opportunities to make stuff you already have updated and beautiful.  Happy Holidays. 

In years past, at the tail end of the Holiday Season, some ‘Scapers have been known to throw "Poinsttia Bashing Parties".  Not only that but they often referred to points as the "devil plant".  Why, you might ask?  Why such animosity toward such a beautiful, red, vivacious harbinger of the Season?  Well, friend, poinsettia are beautiful, yes, but they are very testy.  They require almost perfect watering,need to be replaced midseason, and, often, are the reason a client will call.  And this need for attention always, always happens at the worst possible time..when staff is super busy, when weather conditions are abysmal, and when traffic is rushed.  So it is that the interiorplantscaper has a love/hate relationship with the Poinsettia.

AN END TO ALL THAT IS NEAR   It gives me great pleasure to announce a new product from TOPsiders, the Joey Pouch for Bloomers and Poinsettia (JPPT).  These little beauties work for all your blooming needs, broms, orchids, mums, kalanchoe, and, of course, poinsettia.  They stretch the  watering interval from days to weeks, keep the plant at consistent moisture and oxygen mix, and so, the plant lasts and lasts.  This past season, Joey Pouch inventor Joe Byles got 12 weeks from his Joey’ed poinsettia!  Now, we don’t promise 12 weeks but they should go beyond the 6-7 week season thus eliminating the need for an expensive, labor intensive replacement mid season.  This means that, per poinsettia "spot", you will save lots and lots of dollars and stress.  Yep, just think.  A poinsettia in a JPPT, one for the whole season, once a week or longer between "fill ups" depending on the amount of water available to the plant,  reusable over and over again, and no client complaint calls.  A "scapers dream come true.

ONE IMPORTANT WORD.  And that word is "reservoir".  Place the joey pouched bloomer in a very deep saucer or watertight liner (old decorative etc).  The more water the plant is sitting in, the better.  It cannot be overwatered even if it is up to the top.  The more water availble, the longer between waterings.

HOW?  Well, we are asking that you review your past history of Poinsettia use, come up with the number and place orders NOW.  We will only bill you once they ship in early October.  We are only producing TO YOUR ORDER and not keeping tons of these on the shelf in advance.  This means that if you do not order by late August, you will not be able to receive product.  This is how we can save dollars and keep both our costs down.

SO HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH?  JPPT is available be the case (72 per case) at $3.80 apiece ($273.60 per case) plus shipping costs.  Figure out how many you will need and let us know at TOPsiders (800) 533-7661.  For questions, you can call me at (513) 205-8195 between 9-6 EST before May 15th and after that, between 12-7 EST.

Went  to the bank the other day, Feb.25th, and on the teller counter…a still-living poinsettia!  And on the bank officers desk.  And on the coffee table.  Then, I stopped at a local restaurant and, you guessed it..another one!  Now, mind you, there were only a few bracts visible, but, there they were,  Devil Plants.  Kinda like finding a spath living in the desert.

So, what does this have to do with anything?  Maybe, just maybe, inspite of all that is going on in the economy, we should think of ourselves like these remnants of Holiday Past.  We are the survivors.  And, even though the Holidays are months away, how would you like an inexpensive variation of the Joey Pouch created just for Poinsettia and Blooming?

Well, inventor Joe is working on it and it should be announced this summer.  Just think.  One change of poinsettias lasts for all 6 plus weeks.  Watering once per week or longer!  Reusable.  A ’scapers dream and a surefire way to help lower our costs.  Stay tuned as we work on this industry changing innovation.  And, just a heads up.  As you quote Poinsettia for Holiday proposals, do NOT quote so much per point delivered (the old 2 changes).  Instead, quote so much per "spot" and use the two point formula.  Do not commit to a number but, instead, the resulting look.  That way you will be charging as if there were two when you will need only one.

Just thought you would want to know.  Barb

This powerful phrase comes right out of Jeffrery Gitomer’s "Little Black Book of Connections".  Gitomer says that every company in the world tries to teach people how to sell and, that nothing could be more backwards or ineffective.  "What they should be teaching, he says, is how to promote, how to provide value, how to communicate, how to make presentations, how to engage, and how to connect."  All of these are important for us as Interiorscapers but, to start, lets look at one of these, How to provide Value.

Lets take one group of IP clients, the property manager.  He has buildings with office space he leases/rents and then, once he has these tenants, he is responsible for providing maintenance, repairs, etc.t   Lots of opportunities for you to become an invauable resource.  Maybe you offer to provide a gift plant to a new tenant or one that just renewed their lease.  Or, maybe, you help him by suggesting a new service provider you know to be reliable, honest, and so on.  Don’t just sit there like a bump on a log.  Ask questions.  How can you help?  What does he need and not just in plants.  And, also, look at what he is receiving from you and if you can reengineer things so that he is getting the most bang for his buck.  Suggest not just Holiday Decor, but Holiday Decor as the backdrop for a Holiday Charity partnership.   Maybe a tree with $$ ornaments tenants can buy/contribute.  Maybe, a Holiday Egg Nog and Cookies Hour for all the tenants one afternoon.  A great way for tenants to connect and network.  And, if you are providing these extra pluses, it sure helps protect you from those who do not.

You get the idea.  Ask the right questions and you just might make a friend for life..your business life.  Now go out there and get ‘em, Tiger.  And sell a few TOPsiders for me.

My memory just isn’t what it used to be.  Thats why I find myself writing lists, sometimes I even write lists of the lists!  Now for those jobs you have that you do weekly or biweekly, they become indelibly etched in your brain.  But what about Holiday jobs?  They only happen once a year and sometimes we just forget.

That’s why I highly recommend reviewing all of the posts in the Holiday Category (click on Holiday under Categories to the right of this blog).  I guarantee you find a relevant, helpful tidbit that could save you $$ and or time.

Now go out there and get ‘em, Tiger.

That’s right, I said 2009.  Even though you are knee deep in garland for Holiday 2008, I’m asking you to focus just a tiny bit on 2009.  Here’s the deal.  Plan on visiting your local Target, Walmart, Home Depot and so on sometime around the week before the actual Holiday.  This is the very best time to pick up sale items for…..next years Holiday. 

Of course, you have to be careful.  You don’t want to spend too much or purchase stuff that isn’t standard Holiday, prelit trees etc.  And you definitely don’t want a bunch of stuff that you will have to walk around for the next ten months because you are cramped for space.  BUT, if you have the space, buy judiciously, and have the extra bucks, you can save a bunch of money now. 

Just make sure you follow the above rules.  Happy Holidays. 

It is September 2nd and on the interiorscape.com web site someone asked about the best thing to use for Poinsettias and two responses cited Sippers as the best.  One post, however, asked if it wasn’t too early to begin tthinking about Points and Holiday.  Nope, in fact, it is a bit late.  If you will need Sippers, call now.  We get sold out often in late October.  Call the TOPsider office (800)533-7661.

Next, we are shipping Joey Pouches and you are already trying to figure out what to do with them.  Read the instructions and watch the dvd instructional video on the TOPsider website, www.topsidersinc.com.   And, for those of you who want to do Green Roofs, contact the TOPsider office.  We are now the sole distributors for the 42" squares that weigh only a pound and a half dry (instead of hundreds of pounds for soil and drainage material).  The squares are $96.00 each and have irrigation hook ups attatched to them so they can be attatched one to one to one etc.  No soil is needed and they are 2.5 inches (that’’s right, I said INCHES) thick. 

Be aware that it takes much more than just throwing a bunch of planted squares on top of a roof to have a green roof.  There is working with the roofing guy, the construction people, and making sure the liability and safety aspects are all covered but those parts are true no matter what product is used.  Our Freedom Squares as we call them, are the lightest, the easiest components ever.  We have a minimum of squares per order required.  Again, see us at Calscape.

OK.  I admit it.  I actually watch the Home Shopping Channel and QVC.  Now what does this have to do with Interiorscaping?   Well, approximately 15-20% of Interiorscape gross revenue comes from Holiday Decor.  This is a big number and while most of those dollars come from Installation, Take Down and so on, another big hunk comes from the Sale or Lease of Product, trees, wreaths, garland and props. 

Many ’scapers travel to the Holiday Shows in Atlanta or Dallas to buy product from the importers, always on the lookout for what’s new or problemsolving.  Going to the Shows is expensive and so, for the smaller Holiday business, I often advise just buying product at the beginning of the season locally from the Targets and Home Depot stores.  Why?  Because they buy in such bulk that their prices often rival what you would pay at the Mart.  This a particularly good option for the Green Basics.  The glitz is in the decoration and placements, not neccessarily in the green stage-the tree. 

So what does this have to do with the TV Shopping Channels?  Just this.  One of our largest importers/suppliers of prelit greenery and lighting is GKI.  They also have a retail division known as Bethlehem Lighting.  Under this name, they supply QVC and the rest of the retail world with prelit trees, wreaths, garland and novelty items.  Often at prices that are a lot lower than what we would chargeto our clients for similar product.  In this case, advance knowledge of what QVC is charging and offering is a good thing.

For example, today I saw on QVC a 30 inch prelit wreath on a battery that will keep the wreath lit for 6 weeks!!!! Price?  30 bucks.  Also, 30" tall double ball poinsettia topiaries, prelit, and in a decorative urn.  Price?  36 bucks.  Then there were the 5′ Prelit tree in an urn for 87.00 and the 9′ Prelit Tree in urn for 310 dollars.

Bottom line is that product like this is not just being supplied to QVC and HSN but will be sold to mass retailers in your neck of the woods as well.  Make it  a point to visit your locations early in the season, see what they carry, the price points, and how some of this could fit in to your purchasing.  And remember, you also save on the shipping costs. 

And, even though Holiday seems months and months away, I advise getting to your past Holiday clients earlier rather than later.  In this crazy economy, Holiday Sales just might be the canary in the mine, the leading indicator for business in the future in general.  If budgets are to be cut, this might be the first thing to be downsized.

Now go out there and get ‘em, Tiger.

That’s right.  Here it is almost Fourth of July in Ohio and I’m thinking about Holiday…and so should you. 

It goes without saying that Prelit trees and wreaths are the way to go.  That large ornaments take less time than the itsy bitsy ones and that, while we all love hot new colors, your customers will still fall back on red and gold, burgundy and gold and gold and gold.  You get the idea.

There is one new twist you should be aware of however, and that is the evolution of LED lights.  LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights have become ubiquitous.  They are on keyrings, in flashlights, hanging in closets and on the front end of cars.  Everywhere.  And why?  "Cause they are longlasting (anywhere from 100,000-400,000 hours), bright, and low energy users.

For interiorscapers, trees prelit with these babies will last 10-15 years.  Once installed to outline a building it would take decades before they have to be removed and reinstalled.  They are an opportunity to make your Holiday life infinitely easier. 

Check them out for the coming Season.  You’ll be so glad you did.