June 2023 - 43

POHMER ON...
Store managers became store team leaders; employees
became team members.
Consumer-Focused Culture
I was somewhat skeptical that the whole corporation
could rally around a bunch of warm and fuzzy words and
ideas. But I was wrong! There were solid, concrete actions
and activities behind the words and, over time, the desired
culture change took root. Everyone, from the CEO to the parttimer
on the store floor, not only talked the talk, but they
also walked the talk (and still do)!
And if a large company like Target can successfully change
to a consumer-focused culture, there's no reason why smaller
businesses like yours can't be even more successful in doing it.
Small businesses pay attention and care very much about
each and every customer. Yet, are we hiring the right people
to be able to deliver the customer experience to achieve our
corporate goal of being consumer focused? If you believe
that a differentiated customer experience is a primary driver
in getting customers through your front door, initially and
on a recurring basis, it behooves us to understand what
drives their shopping decisions. They're coming to you not
because you have the cheapest prices, but for solutions, for
knowledge, for information, for confidence to tackle their
project, for ideas and for inspiration. They're coming to you
seeking someone who can meet these " soft " needs and make
them feel good about their decision to come to you in the
first place.
Bottom line: They're looking for someone who cares about
them. Most shoppers are coming to you with a need, looking
for you to provide and recommend the solution. Very few
know exactly what they want when they walk into your
store. They want to purchase a plant, but what they really
want is someone to guide them through the process leading
to the plant purchase! Plants and flowers become the means
of providing the solutions they seek.
As a rule, we tend to hire people who have demonstrated
success and experience in sales and, ideally, have some plant
knowledge, and then we spend time training them on the
operational and technical (i.e., product) aspects specific to
your business. And we give them titles like sales associate
and customer service associate. Wouldn't it make more
sense to give them titles that the customer can relate to,
titles that better describe their role in your company, such as
customer care specialist or, better yet, guest care specialist?
Now, the desired traits that you should look for in hiring
a guest care specialist are far different than in hiring a
product specialist. For a guest care specialist, you should
hire for character, integrity, honesty, empathy, friendliness,
personality, willingness to ask probing questions, problem
solving skills, and an attitude that winning isn't just making a
sale but providing a solution that satisfies the guest's needs.
It's important to note that a leader such as yourself can't
dictate caring in your team, but you can create a culture that
cares, and you can hire people predisposed to caring. It's also
essential that this guest care philosophy be in sync with your
brand message; your specialists are the face of your brand to
your guests and part of their role is to reinforce your brand.
I'm not suggesting that product knowledge isn't
important, but it's far easier to teach the technical
information than it is to teach and infuse the traits noted
above that make for a successful guest care specialist.
The two most critical training needs for guest care
specialists are:
1. Knowing the right questions to ask the guest so that
the specialist can gather all the pertinent information
needed to provide the best options to the guest.
2. Having or knowing what and where the internal
resources are to help the specialist identify the correct
responses to the guest's problems and needs.
Customer Care in the Garden Center
Last fall, I visited Bachman's, one of my favorite garden
centers here in Minnesota. I wanted to plant an evergreen
screen between my house and a neighbor's house, and I had
no initial preference on what plants were suitable.
Bachman's is well known for its staff's plant knowledge,
and the young lady I spoke with was no exception. But before
making any product recommendations, she asked a series
of probing questions. Do we have to be concerned with
property lines and height/width as the plants mature? How
about sun and shadows from the houses and existing trees?
Do we have critter (deer) issues, water drainage and soil
condition issues?
As product knowledgeable as Bachman's associates are,
they all carry a plant reference book in their apron that
they almost always access, just to make sure they have
reviewed all the possible options before they offer their
recommendations. For the record, I'm sure the associate
could have provided me with their recommendation
without referencing the book, but my confidence level
increased dramatically when she validated their response
with the info in the book. While I don't know where
Bachman's reference book comes from, possibly selfpublished,
there is plenty of great info available from
university Extension websites, and from Master Gardeners'
publications and training guides.
Words and phrases like guests, caring (and the traits that
are embodied in it such as integrity, empathy, character
and problem solver/solution providing) are powerful,
especially when you and - more importantly - your guests
understand what they mean to them and the experiences
they have with you. Incorporating these types of aspirational
attributes into your company culture and brand message and
then executing them at point of purchase can truly be game
changers for your business. And the most effective brand
messengers you have are your front-line employees. Focus
on your guests and your team members and you might just
become a believer in the power of your new culture.
It's all about focus.
Stan Pohmer is president of Pohmer Consulting Group in
Minnetonka, Minnesota. He can be reached at spohmer@
pohmer-consulting.com or 612.605.8799.
LGRMAG.COM | 43
http://www.LGRMAG.COM
June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2023
