Unproductive Customers

[Timothy Lamprey]

guess that calling some customers unproductive sounds harsh, but what I am really talking about is the customer who comes into the store and asks, say, how to put in a lawn. You spend the time telling them what to do, and you usually get, "OK, I'll come back with my spouse on Tuesday and we'll get what we need." My business is small enough that I know that they never came back. They probably used the information to go to the box store and buy what they need for less money. I have been in lawn and garden for 35 years and this is one of the problems I haven't been able to solve. As an Industry we have tremendous knowledge. Lawyer and Accountants charge for their knowledge. Sould We be doing that? Let me know what you think.

[Michael Pawelek]

Timothy, I have also been in the Nursery business for 35+ years and haven't found an answer to that question either. Anyone in retail will have to deal with a miriad of customer personalities and there will always be those that take up a tremendous amount of your time and in the end buy very little. My retail plant area (Greenhouse) is 10,000 sqare feet and during Spring each year I will have at least one customer a week that wants me to walk them down every isle and explain every plant and it's requirements. I have detailed signs for every plant variety I grow but some customers want extra attention. There have been times where I have had to excuse myself to help other customers and it's just part of the drill. I have no full time employees, it's generally just my wife and I in Spring running the operation and we have had as many as 85 customers in the retail area at one time. The vast majority of our seasoned customers know what they want, bring the plants to the check out area on their own and load the plants onto carts themselves but some new customers generally want more "quality" time and this can be exasperating. We are only open for 5-6 weeks in the Spring and sell 45,000-50,000 gallon and up containers of perennials and annuals I grow myself so time is at a premium. I know I could use some employees but this system has worked well for 35 years. No customer has ever left angry and most get with the program when they see other customers busily moving plants like they are employees! I could write a book on the wierd situations that have happened over the years. Retailing is an odd animal all unto itself and you have to take the bad customers with the good.
Michael Pawelek
Pecan Hill Nursery
www.pecanhillnursery.com

[Susan Dunlap]

Hope you will consider 'pushing' these customers to our online plant search and id tool - just launched. They can explore thousands of plants and images all night long, narrow the results before they step foot in your place, and come to you with a short list of desirable plants to find out what you have in stock.

Susan Dunlap
Aerulean Plant Search
www.aerulean.com

[Donna Taggart]

I believe the customers he's talking about do not know one end of a mouse from another! I know mine don't!

Susan Dunlap said:

Hope you will consider 'pushing' these customers to our online plant search and id tool - just launched. They can explore thousands of plants and images all night long, narrow the results before they step foot in your place, and come to you with a short list of desirable plants to find out what you have in stock.

Susan Dunlap
Aerulean Plant Search
www.aerulean.com

[Donna Taggart]

When customers try to get trade secrets like how to make a cutting of an azalea or something I've got a great come back. " Oh yea, you can take a piece off your mother's plants and make another. But you know, anybody can take a tumor out of your brain too. The trick is getting the patient to live and thrive after! I run a NURSERY meaning they are BABIES and require special care until old enough to go home with you without dying." My prices are so low I can barely make ends met but I LOVE the work. I just chose a poor rural fixed income market. If they can't eat it, they don't buy it!

[Timothy Lamprey]

Susan: I think you missed the point of my question. I know the answers. It is just that they want to pick my brain for my knowledge and then go buy product some place cheaper

Susan Dunlap said:

Hope you will consider 'pushing' these customers to our online plant search and id tool - just launched. They can explore thousands of plants and images all night long, narrow the results before they step foot in your place, and come to you with a short list of desirable plants to find out what you have in stock.

Susan Dunlap
Aerulean Plant Search
www.aerulean.com

[Chris Murray]

It would be great to figure out some way of dealing with this situation that really left you feeling satisfied. Sadly, for most of us we will continue to answer the questions and know that they are going to the big box to buy the product. You can hope that eventually they will feel guilty enough to make a purchase at some point, or that maybe they will tell other people to look to you for advice and that some of those people will become customers, not just questioners.
If you are lucky they won't eat up too much of your time, but if they do, or they make a habit of doing it, then you have to bite the bullet and explain that they will have to try to get there answers where they get their merchandise.

[Timothy Lamprey]

Chris: We have " fired " a few customers. It takes sometime to figure it out, but when we know that they are just "using " us, I have become remarkable stupid. I had one customer who had the nerve to say to me, " What do you mean, you don't know?" I just smiled and when he asked the question again, I said I don't know, until he figured out he wasn't going to get an answer. We knew he was a box store shopper, so it made no sense to be an expert for him. Sometimes, a customer who is taking you away from a paying customer just needs to be told, I am sorry but we can't help you if you don't buy from us. It goes counterproductive to the nurturing side we all have in this business, but the reality is we do have to make money.

Chris Murray said:

It would be great to figure out some way of dealing with this situation that really left you feeling satisfied. Sadly, for most of us we will continue to answer the questions and know that they are going to the big box to buy the product. You can hope that eventually they will feel guilty enough to make a purchase at some point, or that maybe they will tell other people to look to you for advice and that some of those people will become customers, not just questioners.
If you are lucky they won't eat up too much of your time, but if they do, or they make a habit of doing it, then you have to bite the bullet and explain that they will have to try to get there answers where they get their merchandise.

[Roger Bolger]

I have taken phone calls from customers who were actually in a Home Depot on their cell phone and couldn't find anyone in orange to wait on them. I do assist these people, although with a little bit of hesitancy as if to say, "I can't believe you actually have the nerve." I have thought about this a lot and I think in the long run it is better for these customers to have a good experience with my company, even though the money goes to the box store this time. By showing how knowledgeable, courteous and accessible we are, I would hope that these customers come to us the next time. It also gives them a nice story to tell their friends about how we helped when the box wouldn't. Being unhelpful or frank with a customer in this situation will not improve my sales or reputation.

That said, I definitely encourage "phone shoppers" to come to the store. After the first few questions, I will tell them that there is too much to list over the phone and they really need to see the product to appreciate it, etc. Getting the customers in the store to ask for advice is at least a chance to sell them something.

[Timothy Lamprey]

Roger: I too, have had people call from the boxes, it's not too hard not to heard the chatter and the PA announcements. The larger question is, why do we give our knowledge away for free. I have toyed with the idea of selling or giving away cards to customers that would allow them to come in and ask questions for free after purchase of the card. No card, charge, say $ 5.00. I would guess that we are the only business that possesses highly skilled knowledge that gives their information away for free. Can we change this? I don't know. We are a very fragmented industry that is in many cases, afraid of major change unless we are forced to . Roger, I do laud you for helping the phone in customers. But I would throw out this thought. While you are helping these people on the phone, are you potentially "ignoring" cash paying customers who are waiting in the store. I know that I have stopped shopping in several stores where the phone customer has been taken care of even if I am in the middle of buying something from the store. Tim

Roger Bolger said:

I have taken phone calls from customers who were actually in a Home Depot on their cell phone and couldn't find anyone in orange to wait on them. I do assist these people, although with a little bit of hesitancy as if to say, "I can't believe you actually have the nerve." I have thought about this a lot and I think in the long run it is better for these customers to have a good experience with my company, even though the money goes to the box store this time. By showing how knowledgeable, courteous and accessible we are, I would hope that these customers come to us the next time. It also gives them a nice story to tell their friends about how we helped when the box wouldn't. Being unhelpful or frank with a customer in this situation will not improve my sales or reputation.

That said, I definitely encourage "phone shoppers" to come to the store. After the first few questions, I will tell them that there is too much to list over the phone and they really need to see the product to appreciate it, etc. Getting the customers in the store to ask for advice is at least a chance to sell them something.

[Curtis Stillwell]

Welcome to America! Sure, you’ll always have a few of those “unproductive” customers, but this is America and we all have the right to look for the best deal. If you’re savvy enough to recognize the situation, you need to turn the salesmanship up a notch to insure they don’t walk away empty handed.

Perception is everything! When a customer has the perception that you’re a wealth of information but, your prices are too high, then it's time to work on those sales skills.

Be prepared and know your competitors. When you know the box stores will have exactly the same item, you better be priced right, not always less, but in the ball park. If you offer a similar or even superior product or service, the customer needs to perceive your product or service has an increased value over your competition. Most customers will spend more if they get more.

Experience is the best teacher! Oscar Wilde once wrote “Experience is the name everyone gives their mistakes.” And so it is for the “unproductive” customers, when you have positive and negative experiences in those situations, share them with your sales staff and figure out what works. We always give our sales team some negotiating power when asking for the sale, especially when dealing with volume.

Go old school, negotiate the best deal for your customer and then for yourself, and you will always be a hero to your customers. The art of the selling is sometimes lost in today’s retail environment with the scanners, UPC codes, and SKU’s. Be different than the box stores, offer discounts for quick action, discounts on delivery, discount for volume, or anything you can offer that will create a perceived benefit for the customer.

[Timothy Lamprey]

Curtis: Discounts? You must not have property taxes, health insurance premiums, electric bills etc. If we become the discount price place we are no better than a box store. You cannot survive in this day and age, in a seasonal business by discounting your product to gain a marginal sale. Sure you can have a loss leader catagory, but you cannot survive by discounting to get every sale. If you have the quality product, quality employees, quality in knowledge then you deserve to be paid a premium above a box store. Salesmanship yes. I have sold a Christmas tree at retail to another garden center owner. But we have to all put food on our table and expect a reasonable ROA. I wish I could remember who once said" If everyone complains about your prices, your prices are too high. If no one complains about your prices, your prices are too low. If only a few people complain about your prices, you are right where you should be" The few complainers are the box store customers

Curtis Stillwell said:

Welcome to America! Sure, you’ll always have a few of those “unproductive” customers, but this is America and we all have the right to look for the best deal. If you’re savvy enough to recognize the situation, you need to turn the salesmanship up a notch to insure they don’t walk away empty handed.

Perception is everything! When a customer has the perception that you’re a wealth of information but, your prices are too high, then it's time to work on those sales skills.

Be prepared and know your competitors. When you know the box stores will have exactly the same item, you better be priced right, not always less, but in the ball park. If you offer a similar or even superior product or service, the customer needs to perceive your product or service has an increased value over your competition. Most customers will spend more if they get more.

Experience is the best teacher! Oscar Wilde once wrote “Experience is the name everyone gives their mistakes.” And so it is for the “unproductive” customers, when you have positive and negative experiences in those situations, share them with your sales staff and figure out what works. We always give our sales team some negotiating power when asking for the sale, especially when dealing with volume.

Go old school, negotiate the best deal for your customer and then for yourself, and you will always be a hero to your customers. The art of the selling is sometimes lost in today’s retail environment with the scanners, UPC codes, and SKU’s. Be different than the box stores, offer discounts for quick action, discounts on delivery, discount for volume, or anything you can offer that will create a perceived benefit for the customer.

[Susan Dunlap]

where are you located?

Donna Taggart said:

I believe the customers he's talking about do not know one end of a mouse from another! I know mine don't!

Susan Dunlap said:

Hope you will consider 'pushing' these customers to our online plant search and id tool - just launched. They can explore thousands of plants and images all night long, narrow the results before they step foot in your place, and come to you with a short list of desirable plants to find out what you have in stock.

Susan Dunlap
Aerulean Plant Search
www.aerulean.com