April 2020 - 16

DIRTY SECRETS
In this time of the Wild West of the internet where
anything goes, if you speak up and try to bring about
confidence inspiring ways to save labor, time and money,
an internet troll will likely insist that " I don't care WHAT
science says, I'm gonna use Epsom salts everywhere and
I don't care the consequences. " It can feel really defeating
and make you want to throw up your hands in frustration.
Another reason why customers are challenged when
it comes to bad advice boils down to good old Listening
Skills 101. The advisor is so busy doling out the " shoulds "
that they are forgetting to empathize with the customer's
situation and feelings about their beloved grandmother's
failing hand-me-down plant and not asking, " Does this
make sense? " " Do you need any clarification about the
steps or products before we're done here? "
Our customers are starving for information, quickly and
efficiently to gardening challenges that, for the most part,
ARE usually fairly straightforward and simple to answer,
fix or help them. They are getting more and more used
to apps, websites, podcasts and videos that give them
instant gratification in their busy lives so they can imagine
starting their own little backyard greenhouse of veggies
for spring and feeding the entire neighborhood by fall.
Consider the Source
Do you have certain resources that you use and refer to
for answers that inspire confidence and trustworthiness?
I know that after writing two books, I had to be very
careful about what research or listing websites I used and
referenced and often had to cross reference three at once
to cultivate one consistent conclusion.
Since we all have a computer in our pocket these days,
the old-fashioned method of taking a customer over to
a reference library shelf of trusted books triple checked
for accuracy are pretty much gone. It used to be that the
customer asked the question and either you knew the
answer and provided it immediately, or you both looked up
the answer and determined an accurate course of action
that you both agreed on and went about your day.
But now, when the same customer walks up and asks
a question that you need to research, you're both pulling
out your phones and while you're checking the answer
with the Royal Hort Society, for example, your customer
might be looking at a Pinterest meme that looks waaaaay
too good to be true. It features a fabulously mocked up
photo via Photoshop and the customer is silently thinking,
" Why would I buy the recommended product here, when I
can just go home and mix up some soap and vinegar and
voila! I'll have taken care of my insect problem cheaper
and easier. " How many times have we heard or experienced
that story?!
More often, however, it's the unqualified neighbor or
the well-meaning uncle who are offering advice based on
hopelessly outdated science, personal experience where
they " lucked out " and stumbled onto a technique that
worked once and was not able to be replicated reliably.
But now it's like the old game " Operator " where everyone
sits in a circle and the first person whispers a phrase that
16 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | APRIL 2020
gets passed around the circle until hitting the last person
as everyone erupts in hilarious laughter that the opening
phrase " Mary had a little lamb " is now " Mary drove a little
van. " But, in essence, this is precisely how bad advice gets
mutated into solid truths.
Often bad advice also can be emotionally charged.
Objective, science-based truths and thoughtful second
opinions can be perceived as some simply " shilling for
a product " to make the sale. Be careful of your own
particular bias with customers - it's a slippery slope. Just
like diet and nutrition, there are often multiple methods
to get to the same end, you just want to make sure that
you are viewed as offering the best way for the customer
in front of you.
Check Twice
Lastly, bad advice also tends to ruffle our instincts. If
your intuition is telling you to double check that recipe
for keeping gophers at bay and its actual effectiveness,
listen to that. You can come back to the customer after
researching the method they'd been trying and be a
hero for saving them all kinds of labor, time and money
in wacky and disproven methods while showing them
something new they may never have tried before.
So, what are ways to respond to that bad advice about
their plant or problem scenario? It can be a little bit
challenging to find a positive conclusion, but it turns out
that sunlight is the best disinfectant for bad information.
It may sound counterintuitive but hear them out. Be
respectful and use it as a learning tool for your team. If
they're insistent that " Glow-in-the-dark-painted rocks
WILL light their walkway because I saw the photo on
Pinterest, " then thank them for the info they've given you
to think about and do some research about.
Skip the temptation to debate at all costs, all this will
do is bring about a negative relationship dynamic and
possibly a bad Yelp review. You can demonstrate how your
method vs. theirs will save them more money, time and
labor in the long run, but after that, let gardeners make
their own mistakes. It's how we all end up learning the
best lessons anyway.
Christina Salwitz, the Personal Garden Coach, is a container
designer, public speaker, horticultural guidance counselor, service
provider for The Garden Center Group and photojournalist
based in Renton, Washington. She can be reached at
personalgardencoach@comcast.net.
April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2020
