Respect customer IQ
1 Mar, 2005 By: C. Hope Clark Landscape ManagementBeing sensitive to your customers' knowledge of horticulture is a sure-fire way to impress them
Isn't that nice?" John asked as he showed me the colored pencil sketch of my proposed landscape. John knew something about customer service. His landscape business operated at full speed via word-of-mouth in its short two years of existence. With freshly gelled hair, creased khaki shorts and white teeth that stood out against his tanned, close-shaven face, he could have starred in a commercial advertising landscape services.
Passing the buck
He offered a warranty, rattled off nomenclature and danced a good show. When I asked him about watering rates, pH and fertilization needs required once his crew left me alone with his masterpiece, he said I'd have to talk to Randy. Unaccustomed to a client with an agronomy background, he passed the buck. In that moment, his ability to make the sale hung by a thread.
 Never forget to ask |
He had assumed that a lady from out of state who stayed home all day was a sucker for pretty colored charts and sketches of flora. He'd met a lady with an agronomy degree and a lifetime of experience who operated a successful home-based business.
When landscape company owners implement customer service, they understand the minimum mandates for quality. These would include, for example, efficient phone call management, respectable warranties, uniformed staff, credible deadlines, honorable prices, professional business stationery, meticulous clean-up, behavior etiquette and the occasional gift merchandise wrapped up with a bow.
These are givens. They're business basics. Customers don't demand these, they take it for granted most are provided.
John had mastered these items but had failed to take into account the "Landscape IQ" of the customer. The service provider should match the product he delivers with the owner left behind with the maintenance. Giving personal attention to the customer's horticulture knowledge not only demonstrates a more personal interest but also helps assure fewer warranty claims.
Know your clients
Understanding the needs, wants and relationship of an owner with her yard creates a superior customer connection. When assisting home or business owners with initial landscape choices, remember that in addition to the plant and the hardscape decisions, you might determine a little more about your clients.
Educate yourself with a checklist or selection survey to avoid misunderstandings and future headaches. Include personal taste in color palette, pruning needs and shade desires. Offer unusual items like fruit trees, raised vegetable beds or hummingbird feeders. You can't go wrong collecting more information than you need. The inexperienced person addresses issues she never thought about, and the seasoned customer elaborates about her preferences.
Take your customer assistance one step further, and leave her with personalized follow-up instructions that will make her life easier once the job is done such as:
- Seasonal watering instructions
- Timer calibration
- Pruning times and techniques
- Fertilization schedules
- Suggested annuals for beds
- Pest control
- Disease pointers
- Potential nutrition problems
- Mechanical upkeep guidelines.
Go the extra mile with follow-up and you'll not only receive more business from your customers, but you'll also hear from their friends:
- Revisit in a month, six months and a year
- Send a birthday gift on the anniversary of completion
- Offer a discount for follow-up specialized services
- Keep a website with current advice for owners about maintenance
- Feature satisfied customer testimony
And most of all, reference the surveys you collected initially and ask specific questions during follow-ups about a plant, a terrace, the color scheme or the fruit production. Thrill your client by remembering her needs and wishes. The reward remarkably surpasses the additional effort on your part.
Treat your customer with dignity and respect by understanding her "Landscape IQ." People buy the personal touch of customer service over bargains every time.
— The author is a freelance writer based in Phoenix, AZ. She can be
hope@fundsforwriters.com.
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