Face to face

© carlosalvarez | iStockphoto.com

E-mail, smartphones, social media — these are all good ways to engage with your retail customers. But nothing replaces good old-fashioned face time when it comes to really connecting with these important people.

“I don’t think anything replaces face-to-face communication,” said Susan Mertz, marketing director at Loma Vista Nursery, Ottawa, Kan. “You can’t have that kind of relationship electronically.”

Mertz should know. She spends a good deal of her time on the road visiting customers in eight states across the Midwest. She uses these visits to inform customers about the latest plants being offered at Loma’s, but more importantly, she helps her customers with recommendations on merchandising so they can sell more product.

“Walking the property, I can see what opportunities exist for your business,” she said.

Finding out what works
Getting out and about also helps Mertz see what is working well in different garden centers. Then she can pass this information back to her other customers as well as other growers. “I go visit the garden centers, and once I see enough of them, I can go in with ideas how they can merchandise better, let people know what works.”

Visiting the garden centers isn’t just limited to sit-down talks with retailers. Mertz says one of her sales reps literally follows the delivery truck to the garden centers in the spring. By doing so, the rep can see how the plants look upon arrival as well as spot gaps in what is being offered to consumers.

Mertz and her colleagues at Loma Vista Nursery also meet with customers at various events held at the nursery. For instance, they have a “Pink Day” where they give out a free Proven Winners Pink Day kit, along with the latest point-of-purchase materials to go along with their plant programs.

“These are great opportunities to invite your customers to your nursery,” Mertz said, adding that it helps to get people through the door and let them see the 2 million-plus plants they grow.

Preparation and planning
Dan Wenke of WenkeSunbelt Nurseries in Kalamazoo, Mich., and Douglas, Ga., also travels the highways and byways of the Midwest. He spends 30 to 40 percent of his time on the road traveling to “geographical clusters” in the Midwest, from Wisconsin to Chicago and down to Chattanooga.

Before Wenke (no relation to the company namesake) even grabs his keys, he’s reviewing the records from the garden center he is about to visit. He says he wants to see how things fared the previous retail season, adding that if he is to arrive in June, he’ll review accounts from the previous spring and fall. He also loads his vehicle with product samples, new marketing materials and posters before hitting the road.

More often than not, Wenke meets in the showrooms of the garden centers. Sometimes he even meets out by his vehicle, where he can show off the loot he brought with him. He says that the one thing about traveling is that you have to expect the unexpected.

“One thing I appreciate about being out on the road is you never know what is going to unfold,” Wenke said. He relates a story of how he once met a landscape crew early one morning at the Southern Adventist University, outside of Chattanooga. “Lo and behold, before I knew it we were reading out of the Book of Job,” he chuckled. “It was an interesting way to start a meeting.”

Face-to-face contact enables Wenke to explain what his company offers online as well. He walks customers through the features of his company’s website. Sure, he could email or mail this information to them, he says, but he prefers to explain it in person.

“To sit in the presence of the customer and show it to them on the monitor we feel is much more powerful,” Wenke explained.

He shows them how they can use some of the content from the nursery’s website for their own social media promotions.

Knowing when to stay put Wenke and Mertz also know when to stay put in the office. Both agree that late winter is a good time to meet, prior to the growing season. Late August is also good, as that is when they can catch retailers prior to fall sales and activities.

So what advice do these green industry veterans have for the newbies?

“Really know your product mix and inventory,” Mertz said. “You will hear nos along the way, and don’t take them personally. Do take the time to learn from them and search for ways to make them yes.”

Wenke added, “Approach each day as a unique endeavor; to that end I like to have a sense of humor. The hours can be long, the work demanding; what you put in is what you get out.”

Follow these tips for sales success. Tips for face-to-face meetings Go over the account ahead of time. Wenke takes a look at how the retailer did the prior year before leaving the office. Doing your homework will help you get the most out of these often brief encounters with your retailers. Listen more. Okay, this is the obvious one, but perhaps the one most easily ignored. Pay attention to what your customer has to say. Tune into what their needs are to make it a win-win situation. Be patient with your explanations. Not all customers have the depth of knowledge about plants as you do. Patiently explain why you think a new variety will be a good seller for them. Explain your reasons and thought processes. Use positive language to explain why you think a particular plant or brand of plant would be a good seller. Avoid negative statements, like, “If you don’t offer these Knock-out Roses, you’re missing the boat.” Use examples when possible. Perhaps a client in a noncompeting market is having success selling and displaying plants in a certain fashion. These are real-world examples that carry weight. Avoid jargon. In our business, don’t assume everyone knows botanical names. Also, be careful when rattling off acronyms with which others might not be familiar. Put it in writing. Take good notes during your visit and put in writing what you talked about after you’ve met. Mail or email the summary to the customer or client immediately after the visit. This will help both parties remember what was talked about and the goals that need to be achieved. Keep it professional. When you’re communicating with clients, whether it is face to face, by telephone or via e-mail, always stay professional. Clients expect you to conduct your business in a professional manner, so avoid things that could cause them to see you differently. That’s not to say that you can’t get to know your clients on a more personal level; just remember that what you say and write can impact your relationship with the customer. Editor’s note: Excerpts from “7 tips for Effective Communication with Clients” by Jayshree Pyasi were used for this list.

 
Neil Moran is a horticulturist and writer for GIE Media.