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So often when I ask clients awkward questions about the hectic spring season, there is a feeling of "shoulda done that." It seems sometimes that, much like a snowfall in England, every year spring arrives and every year some companies are surprised by it.

So given the fact that many people can only glance at magazine articles at this time of year, I thought a checklist of tips and ideas to help make spring more productive and less stressful might be useful.

Business management

* Plan for rain or snow at least one weekend out of 10. Budget for it.

* Buy more shopping carts than you think you need. They may sit unused for 42 weeks, but they'll pay for themselves in 10.

* Get out of the office and watch customers move around the store and nursery. Watch their shopping carts (and then run a tie-in training class for staff).

* Go on a delivery and see how customers live. You'll be amazed.

* Clip your competitor's ads, get on their e-mail list, and shop their store regularly.

* Be firm on receiving times from suppliers. Tell them when you don't want their trucks rolling in, especially when they call for re-orders.

* Be creative with the press. Figure out how to get the local news channel in the garden center on a busy day (as long as it is legal).

* Bring in the bank manager on a busy day, too.

Teams, people and productivity

* Bring new and returning employees in earlier than your budget or controller says you can afford. Spending wage dollars earlier than the traffic count might dictate will be one of the best investments you can make.

* When new people come on board, ask them for reactions to the company and its procedures in the first two days. Interview new people at the end of the first day and again after a week. Asking them "so what do you think of our orientation and training (or layout or signage, displays and so on)?" can bring surprising results. Until they become ingrained, new hires make great consultants.

* Use a buddy system for orientation, but choose the buddies with care and pay them a bit more for the task.

* Set early deadlines for deciding which employees are not what you need. In a 10-week season, six weeks of "I think he/she will make it" is a luxury you can't afford.

* Write short notes on common but critical procedures (such as how to water plants or how to load a car trunk). Conduct 10-minute training sessions three to four times a week, not just in quiet months, but especially when it is busy. If other retailers have figured out how to do this when they're busy, so can garden centers.

* Take a leaf from Wal-Mart and Home Depot and hold a five-minute rah-rah and handover meeting every time a shift begins.

* If you run two shifts, pay managers and supervisors to come in an extra 30 minutes in early for a handover meeting with the ones who are going home. Make each supervisor write down crucial issues and actions needed.

* When store traffic gets busy, don't let employees call vendors or sit in offices or behind computer screens. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. it is show time and everyone should be selling. * Place a mirror and large sign on the back of the lunch room door saying, "Smile. When you go through this door, it's Show Time."

* Walk each department with the area supervisor and identify four to five hot spots in each one. Make managers accountable for the performance of the display you agree on.

* Design a daily checklist and install it in each department. Train managers how to use it, and add this process to their "essential things to do every day" list. Be very firm on this. * Hire seasonal employees with energy. It is easier to slow and direct them where necessary than it is to try to energize a plodder.

* Spend time and money on being appreciative. Provide cold drinks when it is hot and thank employees for a good sale or cleaning up a spill. Those little strokes make all the difference.

* Remember this phrase: "The way your employees feel today is the way your customers are going to feel tomorrow."

Product

* Reduce temptation to support too many new plant programs in annuals and perennials. Stand behind one or two really good new plants. Display them in blocks on endcaps and other hot spots. Plan at least five exposures of the winning lines around the traffic-flow pattern. * Help customers to make quick, easy choices in hard goods and gardening supplies by clearing the clutter on shelves and pallets.

* Keep SKU count under control by watching buyers. Look at orders, and sit in on meetings with reps and vendors. Bloated inventory can undo a lot of progress made in other aspects of this list.

* Only reward suppliers who perform for you with repeat orders. Anyone can be nice at a trade show, but you need support when it matters in spring.

* Restrict merchandising to those who can do it correctly and in quick time. Display themes and styles are very subjective and need leadership from the top or customers receive mixed messages. Be very firm on this.

Summary

Spring can stress the most cool operator, and with up to 50 percent of sales coming in a few weeks, it is easy to understand why. But some managers and owners have learned how to rationalize this and still stay focused. Remember that 75 percent or more of money coming in at this time of year goes out again to buy product and pay employees. Concentrate on the big items and the little items that will become big very soon. Don't sweat the small (but often irritating) stuff like replacement guarantees, three wilting hanging baskets or a customer who drove off without paying. Keep your eyes on the prize and control your own blood pressure. Best spring wishes to you all.

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© 2007 Branch-Smith Publishing