Our Promise - Part 2

by Danny Summers

In Part 1 of Our Promise, I shared examples of several Group Centers' 5 Star Commitments. They help set the standards for how each Center expects the Guest should experience should be.

I ended Part 1 with, there's more to this story...

In the December edition of Green Profit magazine, Columnist Bill McCurry authored a very important message titled, "The Customer is Always Right."

Bill spotlight's a team training program early in the 2025 year for Mahoney's Garden Centers, introduced by Liz Lark-Riley, Mahoney's Director of Marketing. One of the important points in the program says... The Customer is Always Right Human. Liz emphasizes three important parts to this idea... Empathy, Exception and Education.

Liz explains to Bill in this article, "I believe people returning plants are generally sincere, frustrated, embarrassed and regretful about "killing" their plant. First and foremost, they need help, not hassle. They want empathy with someone on their side."

While the full training video is almost 27 minutes, Bill spotlights two areas that carry important statements for all Garden Centers. At 2:16 into the video, Liz introduces the The Customer is Always Right Human idea. And then at 17:37, she shows how to handle returns.

Reading Liz's message and then hearing her emphasize the details in the video reminded me of an old concept that I learned in my first real job. It was my junior year of high school and I started working for Sears Roebuck & Co. Sears had a message over every store entrance... Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back. This was Sears' promise every time you walked through their doors.

In the Mahoney's program, it emphasizes the customer may not always be right, but they are always the customer. That was also at the heart of the Sears promise. At the heart of the Sears training was the concept Liz provides examples of... by helping a customer with a problem, they become even more committed to you.

In Part 1, I said, "One of the most important connections a customer can have with you and your Garden Center is a sense of trust and dependability."

The truth is it takes time and effort to develop real connections with a customer. Every interaction can help build this relationship. And, of course, one bad experience can undo everything that has come before it.

So, while Plant Guarantees are set for practical and needed purposes, the opportunity to be a hero for the customer seems to be a wonderful position and well worth the chance to build on a life-time customer experience. Here's a few questions to consider for your Center:

Developing strategies around the answers to these questions can help develop policies and training for your team, just like Mahoney's has done.

Be sure to read the entire Green Profit article by Bill McCurry and watch the Mahoney's training video. I want to say THANK YOU to Bill McCurry, Green Profit, Liz Lark-Riley and Mahoney's Garden Centers for sharing their message with us!

You can find Bill McCurry's article "The Customer is Always Right" HERE. Then, click on the publication cover and go to page 14.

And remember... The Customer is Always the Customer!

Danny Summers
[email protected]
Tel: 678-909-7770
Cell: 678-761-7145

REMEMBER: Your interaction (by phone and email) with Group Service Providers such as Tim Quebedeaux, John Kennedy, Seawright & Associates, and of course Danny Summers are included in your retainer!