HONESTY LESSONS

Honesty

LESSONS

PHOTO: LASSE KRISTENSEN FROM LEESER

Independent retail consultant, Liam Kelly explains why retailers need to be a little more honest if they want to build a sustainable plant sales business

There are those who say that honesty has no place in a successful business, especially one that deals with the public either in the act of selling or in the supply of information - the famous ‘white lie’ blurs the line between what’s really right and wrong. Increased competition and the need to get more revenue into the business seem to have made that buffer between stretching the truth and blatant falsehood practically invisible at times, especially in recent years.

This has often been the case with retail gardening too, where the hardiness of plants, the effectiveness of chemicals and fertilisers or the fragrance of a certain rose might have been guesstimated or chanced. But a few occurrences this year have made me question whether retailers really care about the plants they sell, or keeping their customers gardening and buying for that matter, and whether we should be educating customers more instead of fooling them.

Full of flower miniature roses used in planted containers in February? Hydrangeas in full bloom in March being sold on covered plant areas as hardy plants? Bone dry, recently lifted Buxus pyramids still sitting on a CC trolley and being purchased by customers who thought they were a bargain? These were all issues that I came across this year in various plant retailers, but not with my own clients where at least I could have voiced disapproval.

The question is, are these acceptable practices for those involved in the selling of plants? Or should we even care? Is it not just money into the till - supply and demand and all that - and let’s not worry about the rose that drops its leaves and buds, the blackened hydrangea that sits on a deck after one night of frost or the desiccated box plants that sit forlornly in pots at someone’s front door. ‘Buyer beware.' Right?

I can appreciate that we now live in a throwaway society where it’s easier to replace than repair and there are plenty of retail chains willing to feed this false economy of disposable consumerism. So perhaps it’s OK that these plants die quickly and can be replaced easily? Surely that’s great for business, as the customer will have to return to buy more? People don’t really care about that these days, do they?

Perhaps there was a time when these practices would have bothered me less but now I feel that selling a 'hardy' plant that's forced into flower three months ahead of its

“Having staff with just plant knowledge is not enough anymore. We need a more holistic way of teaching them so they can sell product from the business as a whole”

normal season and will be cut back by frost, or even wind and rain, within days of planting can’t be anything other than wrong. There are plenty of other colourful plants that can be sold in spring that the retailer can stand over and sell as hardy and long lasting.

This is exactly why people think that gardening is hard and that they don't have 'green fingers', and so the only lesson that will be learned by a customer with a dead hydrangea is not to buy them anymore - not even in the summer when they are an ideal choice for colour - as the customer will think, “Ah sure that'll only die again”. Even the most plant disinterested customer expects the plants to live longer than a few days. Surely the fact that practically no one is educating the customer is why we are in this predicament of no knowledge gardeners in the first place? If the sector is complicit in deceiving the customer, it is complicit in undermining its own success in the future. Maybe it’s time that garden retailers stood up and stood out for our honesty, educated our customers, and in doing so still increased sales and secured the future of the plant side of their businesses? It might be refreshing in a time that many other retailers are deceiving their customers with false branding and the dubious origins of what they sell. Enthusiastic and engaging customer focused education is relatively scarce in retail horticulture, as many in our sector show little interest in anything that doesn't boost their egos, images or bottom line. The Bloom gardening festival and other events have succeeded in stimulating an albeit fleeting interest in gardening with a new generation and although there is more information than ever at the customer's fingertips they seem not to engage in the knowledge side of social media and the internet, focussing instead on images and the emotive side of plants and gardening. Anyone who has manned a stand at a garden event will quickly tell you how poorly informed the public are on gardening in general, and how much they desire it imparted from a knowledgeable, interactive, living, breathing and passionate source.

It’s easy for a business to say that it’s not their job to teach their customers, but if the garden centres don't do the actual schooling - even if it's just in the interest of selfpreservation - then who will? The more you educate the customer the more they'll buy, as they will know what's needed to keep their purchases alive and well. I appreciate that's a simplistic way of looking at it but it makes sense on every level, and this starts with stocking the right plants - those you can sell, confident in the knowledge that they will thrive for the customer. I would still argue that even in this throwaway society customers want to keep their purchases alive, and retailers are missing a trick by not selling pots, compost, feed, etc. to help keep those plants healthy by informing them of the plants' requirements. These link sales are another major failing of retailers in our sector, and a crucial and easy way to engage with and educate the customer, either by point of sale information that quickly and effectively communicates the needs and benefits of the plant or by staff interaction.

Having staff with just plant knowledge is not enough anymore. We need a more holistic way of teaching them so they can sell product from the business as a whole. Awareness of composts, fertilisers and chemicals or alternatives is a given, but what about knowledge of basic colour combinations, the growing trend of decorating the garden and how to impart the unbridled enthusiasm that so many plantspeople possess? There needs to be more focus on this way of thinking – less stretching the truth and more broadening of the plant salesperson’s remit.

Of course the GroMór initiative should be commended for attempting to teach those who want to learn with in-store marketing material and their ambassador programme but perhaps it’s missing that connection with those who only have a fleeting once a year - or none at all - contact with plants and gardening, as those are the people we need to encourage and attract, in tandem with informing those who already regularly frequent garden retailers. This is where a bigger and perhaps more diverse media campaign is needed to seduce, encourage and direct the general public into garden centres, where they need to be met by passionate plant lovers who are skilled in communication and the above mentioned honesty led, selling know-how – and perhaps that is where there needs to be a more concerted focus. These green fingered geniuses should be the focal point of any gardening campaign and are in the best position to sell it to the masses. That’s people power at its best.

Honesty should pay off, in the form of happy customers, healthy plants, better stock turnover, and increased revenue. Garden centres can create gardeners out of plain old customers, as simplistic and naive as that may sound. We need to stop fooling customers and be more truthful with them, guiding and teaching them in a way that benefits everyone.

It’s either that or just give them what they think they want, and let honesty be damned. ✽

LIAM KELLY - Since

establishing Retail Services & Solutions in 2007, Liam has become one of the most influential people within the retail side of Irish horticulture. His knowledge of the mindset and ethos of those in this sector, combined with his problem solving ability, experience and hands-on work ethic make him uniquely placed to offer advice and help to those who need it most.

Key to his success is his knowledge of purchasing, pricing and sales combined with his understanding of layout, signage and merchandising, and how the interaction of these can lead to increased sales and profits. His focus is on garden centres, nurseries, hardware and DIY stores, where discretion, honesty and unbiased opinion are crucial and appreciated by those who secure his services. Liam Kelly, Retail Services & Solutions, Garden Centre Design & Consultancy, 086 822 1494, 059 913 0176, lksolutions@eircom.net