July 2023 - 60

POHMER ON...
the customer expectations. Ongoing training, making it
easier for them to do their jobs, keeping the employees
informed and finding ways to celebrate successes as a
means of reinforcing positive behavior are activities that
Temkin recommends to help in this area.
5. Employees do what is measured, incented
and celebrated.
You need to have a frame of reference for employees to
use as a guide or benchmark for them to understand the
expectations. Define your expectations and find ways to not
only communicate, but also to measure compliance and
progress for improvement.
6. You can't fake it.
You can't give lip service to creating an exceptional
customer experience; it must be one of the top priorities
of your corporate and employee goals. And it must be a
consistent goal because the marketplace, competition, and
consumer are constantly changing. You need to continuously
adapt and improve.
One of the pithiest points Temkin makes is that you
" advertise to reinforce, not create, positioning. " If you
advertise your customer experience position and can't
deliver, you've set false expectations and your customers will
be sorely dissatisfied. Only promote what you can deliver.
We keep hearing about the most compelling point of
differentiation for the IGCs versus the box stores is the
customer experience they offer. While I completely agree
this is the way it should be, are we really providing this, and
have we reached our potential in differentiating through the
customer experience? In tough economic times and with a
consumer who is challenging every discretionary purchase,
the customer's experience can transcend price as the deciding
factor in where they'll spend their limited resources.
Without exception, every company I've ever talked to
makes the statement that " our employees are our greatest
asset. " But do we treat them this way, give them all the
training and tools to reach their potential, and empower
them to use their strengths to help create the customer
experience we want and need them to?
The consumer mindset is focusing on price and experience
as their guiding principles in what they buy and where they
buy it. Though both are important, which one do you want to
make the conscious effort to emphasize?
Stan Pohmer is president of Pohmer Consulting Group in
Minnetonka, Minnesota. He can be reached at spohmer@
pohmer-consulting.com or 612.605.8799.
Circle 128
60 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | JULY 2023

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July 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2023

Editors' Letter
Table of Contents
Headlines
Calendar
Editors' Picks
From the Road: Touring the Prairie State
Green Goods: Taking on Trends at Cast 2023
Product Focus: Plant Materials
Management: Success Strategies for Succession Planning
Trade Shows: Garden Center Show Returns to Milwaukee
Product Focus: Garden Accents and Decor
Holiday: What's Trending for the Holidays
Eco-Friendly: Green Gifting
Management: Safety First
Pohmer On ...: Setting Customer Expectations
Marketplace
Ad Index
5 Minutes With ...: Jennifer Hatalski
July 2023 - 1
July 2023 - 2
July 2023 - 3
July 2023 - Editors' Letter
July 2023 - 5
July 2023 - Table of Contents
July 2023 - 7
July 2023 - Headlines
July 2023 - 9
July 2023 - 10
July 2023 - 11
July 2023 - Calendar
July 2023 - 13
July 2023 - Editors' Picks
July 2023 - 15
July 2023 - From the Road: Touring the Prairie State
July 2023 - 17
July 2023 - 18
July 2023 - 19
July 2023 - 20
July 2023 - 21
July 2023 - Green Goods: Taking on Trends at Cast 2023
July 2023 - 23
July 2023 - 24
July 2023 - 25
July 2023 - 26
July 2023 - 27
July 2023 - 28
July 2023 - 29
July 2023 - Product Focus: Plant Materials
July 2023 - 31
July 2023 - Management: Success Strategies for Succession Planning
July 2023 - 33
July 2023 - 34
July 2023 - 35
July 2023 - Trade Shows: Garden Center Show Returns to Milwaukee
July 2023 - 37
July 2023 - 38
July 2023 - 39
July 2023 - Product Focus: Garden Accents and Decor
July 2023 - 41
July 2023 - Holiday: What's Trending for the Holidays
July 2023 - 43
July 2023 - 44
July 2023 - 45
July 2023 - 46
July 2023 - 47
July 2023 - 48
July 2023 - 49
July 2023 - Eco-Friendly: Green Gifting
July 2023 - 51
July 2023 - 52
July 2023 - 53
July 2023 - Management: Safety First
July 2023 - 55
July 2023 - 56
July 2023 - 57
July 2023 - Pohmer On ...: Setting Customer Expectations
July 2023 - 59
July 2023 - 60
July 2023 - 61
July 2023 - Marketplace
July 2023 - 63
July 2023 - Ad Index
July 2023 - 65
July 2023 - 5 Minutes With ...: Jennifer Hatalski
July 2023 - 67
July 2023 - 68
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