Customer love, not service

During the Garden Center Group’s Fall Event in Orlando, Fla., Simon T. Bailey said, “Customer service is dead.” The speaker, author and life coach told the crowd at the September conference, “It’s all about customer love.”

I definitely felt the love during one recent trip to a local garden center. An employee was outside watering and stopped what she was doing to check on me. “What brings you here today?” she asked. She pointed out special deals and ideal plants for fall combinations. I told her I wanted to browse and she said, “Great. I’m right here if you need me.” The plant quality was superb. The mums were slightly more expensive than what I had seen at other stores, but they were bright, huge and healthy, and worth the extra cost. What made me stay, though, was the personalized service she provided.

At the end of the trip, another staff member didn’t ask, but insisted on helping me take the plants, containers and potting soil to my car. She carefully placed plastic mats on the floor and the seats of the car in case soil spilled from the plant containers and arranged the glazed pottery to make sure it didn’t clink and crack.

The experience was much different than another I had at an independent garden center in July. My mom had recently moved and was looking to start her garden even though it was late in the season. I’ll spare you the details, but after several attempts to get help from staff members at the very quiet store, we were ignored. The employees, who were not helping other customers, pointed across the greenhouse instead of walking with us to help us find plants we requested. After we checked out, no one offered to help us carry the large pottery and plants to her car, even though there were plenty of people available. My mom has been a loyal customer of that garden center for at least 40 years, but after that trip, they have lost her business.

Bailey said that customer decisions are 70 percent emotional, 30 percent rational. Also, 90 percent of consumers form their opinions on businesses based on the service experience. One bad experience with the store or the staff can drive otherwise loyal customers away, even if the company has gotten it right before. See John Kennedy’s column for more on how “one bad apple can ruin the bunch.”

In order to create a positive store experience, staff must be “hired for attitude, trained for success,” Bailey says. Staff must know that they can make a difference.

On page 18, Karen Varga, editor-in-chief, shares ideas from garden centers she visited while in Denmark at the International Garden Centre Association Congress. One garden center she mentioned gives new employees a fresh bouquet of flowers on their first day. Though it may be a small gesture, it immediately lets staff know they are special and important. And when the team feels special, they’ll make your customers feel special, too.

Michelle Simakis 
msimakis@gie.net