Join the NGC Book Clubs!
Why We Buy: The Scheince of Shopping by Paco Underhill
led by Garden Center Magazine's Yale Youngblood
Sunday, January 9th; 11:30 - 12:30
"The best retailers, regardless of focus, know the answer to this question: why does the customer buy? In his book "Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping," Paco Underhill makes it possible for everyone to get a better grasp on this important part of the retail equation. Who wouldn't want to have that kind of advantage going into any sale?" - Yale Youngblood, Garden Center Magazine.
The more you know about why consumers buy, the closer you are to knowing how to sell to them, and how to sell more to them. Led by GIE Media Horticultural Group's Garden Center Magazine Editor Yale Youngblood, the book club will discuss Paco Underhill's book Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping. Join other independent retailers as we discuss "Why Does the Customer Buy?"
We invite you to purchase the book from your local, independent book seller and to read the book prior to the National Green Centre but invite everyone to participate in the discussion.
In partnership with GIE Media Horticultural Group
Listening to Stone - Hardy Structures, Perilous Follies, and Other Tangles with Nature by Daniel Snow
led by author Daniel Snow
Sunday, January 9th; 2:30 - 3:30 P.M.
"I work with stone because stone is so much work. Physical labor stimulates thinking. The more engaged I am in working the freer my thoughts become. It takes a lot of stone to stay working. I appreciate stone for its abundance and for its willingness to play along." - Dan Snow
"this book began with the idea of giving the reader a close-up look at some of my recent works in dry stone: the techniues I employed, the stones I handled, and the landscapes I encountered in the course of their making. It seemed like a straightforward enough endeavor, but as I got into the writing it became evident that what I had to offer on the subject was being matched at every turn by what the subject had to offer me. ... Eventually I did manage to cover the original subject. Some of the constructions were designed to perform a utilitarian function while others are simply bits of whimsy. All were built based on principles of dry stone construction that have proved themselves over the millennia." - from the preface to Listening to Stone
For 35 years Dan Snow has been building dry stone constructions in his native Windham County, Vermont and beyond. From the practical to the fantastical, his works in stone fuse vanguard vision with old world techniques and traditions. As a Mastercraftsman with the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain, Snow instructs in the craft and examines for the DSWA Craftsman Testing Program. He has authored two books that tell the story of our hand-made heritage in stone and his personal journey in the art and craft of walling.
Dan Snow is an assemblage artist specializing in site-generated, or locally sourced, natural materials. His dry stone constructions have included stock-proof fences, pillars, stiles, staircases and arch bridges. More complex creations such as garden follies, grottoes and grandstands as well as environmental art pieces and figurative works of sculpture are part of his oeuvre.
Think for Your Customer and Just About Everything a Retail Manager Needs to Know by John Stanley
led by author John Stanley
Sunday January 9th; 4:00 - 5:00 P.M.
Think for Your Customer
Think FOR Your Customer provides a sophisticated framework to help today's time poor business person understand the key principles behind building relationships with customers by taking the stressors out of their customers livesAs the world is changing, life is changing and customer service is changing. Failure to change could result in your business becoming an historical statistic.
When it comes to customer service today, most businesses don't get a second chance. New customers judge your business on the first ten seconds in your establishment. They judge your services, your team, your products and your ability to meet their needs often even before they speak to anyone. If your business does not meet their expectations they will either leave or they will not return. They will go to your competition. 96% of customers do not complain, they just go elsewhere.
The challenge today is to become the business of choice of customers. How do you do that? You do it by providing outrageously good service, the type of service that gets customers talking about you to their friends and relatives, and creating a positive buzz in your marketplace.
Just About Everything a Retail Manager Needs to Know
The ‘how-to' retail book every manager should read! By world famous retail consultant John Stanley. This hot retail book is a wealth of information for every retail manager and store owner. John has successfully put into an amazingly usable format, the experiences and insights he has gathered in his more than 20 years as an international retail consultant.
Just About Everything A Retail Manager Needs to Know is in a handy reference format, no need to read the whole book if you are short on time, just open up to the topic you need a solution on. Every topic is individually explained in a easy to use ‘how-to' style, ideal for rapid problems solving in the retail environment
John Stanley
John Stanley is a coach, consultant, author, speaker and trainer. He has been described as the 'Retail Guru' and he has also been described as the leading horticultural consultant in the world today. That is because his skills in perishable retailing : food, plants, flowers and pets, anything that cannot be put on a shelf and ignored , in fact, apply equally to all fields of retailing. John is one of the top ten percent of speakers in the world. His presentations are enthusiastic, charismatic and engaging . As a result he regularly overfills a conference room and has delegates standing at the back, hanging on to his every word.
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