Beyond the Brick and Mortar—Two Years Later (Part 2)

Vendors and Retailers collaborate and partner in the new digital space of e-commerce.
by John Kennedy

In this second installment of a two-part series on the E-Commerce movement, John shares “The What & The How” of the E-Commerce Connect program and invites Group Members to enjoy the benefits of the additional revenue while reducing your inventory and labor costs. There will also be a panel discussion at The Fall Event discussing the E-Commerce Connect Program.

Two years ago, this past May, I was invited to write an article about the growing trend of independent garden centers looking to increase their revenue and relevance within the convenience economy space of e-commerce. The link to the initial article can be found HERE. And the Part 1 of this message is in my Group Blog HERE.

Beyond the Brick and Mortar—Two Years Later–Part 1

Vendors and Retailers collaborate and partner in the new digital space of e-commerce.
by John Kennedy

In this first installment of a two-part series on the E-Commerce movement, John explains “The Why” regarding IGC’s leveraging technology to reduce the impact of weather from their foot traffic and expand your customer experience into a 24/7 model.

Two years ago, this past May, I was invited to write an article about the growing trend of independent garden centers looking to increase their revenue and relevance within the convenience economy space of e-commerce. The link to the initial article can be found HERE. 

Grapefruits and Cactus

by John Kennedy

It’s that time of year again!

Yup! You guessed it… Baseball is back!

The Art of Minimalism

by John Kennedy

Past:

Years ago, I had a deep realization that quantity never outweighs quality…

The Bridge

by John Kennedy

One single word can have so many different meanings, and one of my favorites is the word “bridge.”

In a song, “the bridge” is the musical passage that connects two parts of the composition. There are many wonderful examples of bridges in great music…so much so, that Billy Joel has a remarkable 80’s album named “The Bridge.” A beautiful “bridge” in the song “A Matter of Trust!”

Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience - Part 7

by John Kennedy

Dealing with Difficult Customers

With the four expectations of our customers established (a perfect product, delivered in a timely way, by caring friendly people, with world-class problem solving), let’s focus on the last one—world-class problem solving.

Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience - Part 6

by John Kennedy

Keeping Your Customers

Now that we know why customers leave, let’s find out what it would take to KEEP them.

Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience - Part 5

by John Kennedy

Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience - Part 5

by John Kennedy

Consistency is Key
Continuing with "Delivering an Exceptional and Consistent Customer Experience,” John picks up where he left off with the importance of “consistency.”  In fact, consistency is key to a sensational customer experience.

The session also addresses the top reasons customer leave your business, the insanity of 4% of your revenue being invested in marketing,  yet a small fraction, if any,  being invested in training your employees on what you are promising, and finally understanding the four basic expectations of your customers.

Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience - Part 4

by John Kennedy

The Hampton Inn of IGC’s!

The word CUSTOMER has two 2-letter words that mean everything in delivering an exceptional and consistent customer experience.  Your team will learn why they both matter when it comes to the customer and learn how not to be a “Gwen!”

Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience - Part 3

by John Kennedy

The Four Reasons Customers Buy

In this video, your team will learn the difference between having an “A-Team” or the “F-Troup” of customer experience. Does the journey of your customer, at every single touch point, align to your brand identity, support your brand strategy, and deliver on your brand promise?”

Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience - Part 2

by John Kennedy

Attitude Defines Altitude

In this video, your team will understand how important it is to arrive at work ready to deliver an exceptional retail experience…every single day.  And in order to do that, it has to be from within…an inside job.

The Power of Attitude (good or bad) can dictate the entire day for the team and the entire experience for the customer. Is your attitude contagious or a contagion?  Because when the customer arrives at your garden center, they don’t really care about what happened prior to work, or that it’s hot, or that you are two folks down, or the POS is off-line, or a truck just arrived, or a storm just blew over your entire tree selection, or, or, or…

Delivering an Exceptional Customer Experience - Part 1

by John Kennedy

Part 1 - Introduction: Setting the Table for Success

As Danny mentioned a few weeks back, the Starbucks story was built upon a hyper-focus on the customer experience. The idea of dusting off this video series from Member Clicks and reintroducing it (or introducing it to new folks) would be a great chance to “sharpen the saw” for your training and development goals during the summer.

Knowledge is the New Currency

by John Kennedy

As the Spring season begins to take shape throughout most of the US, and as IGC’s fill the new and returning roles of retail (hiring or re-hiring), this is the time to reinvest in training and development.

I recently had the chance to present a webinar for one of The Garden Center Group Partners for Success—Proven Winners, titled “Batter Up!” where we compared spring training in baseball to spring training in garden centers. The same “Back to Basics” approach is a wise way to kick start the body and the brain to ready for the season ahead.

The Heart is a Muscle!

by John Kennedy

Past:
A few years back, I wrote and presented to The Garden Center Group about a healthy business being equivalent to a healthy body. The similarities are easy to see and the approach is easy to execute.

When we go to the doctor’s office for our annual check-up (or unfortunately when we are sick), there are a few Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or body metrics that they measure---Blood Pressure, Height/Weight, Temperature, Pulse and BMI (Body Mass Index). These provide a window into your current condition and are usually compared to your last visit.

Becoming Great – Fall Event Thursday Morning Presentation

By John Kennedy

As the dust from The Fall Event settles and the lessons and blessings found in Cincy are applied back home, I thought it important to share the message I delivered on the final day to all of The Garden Center Group members who may not have attended or had to catch a flight home.

Ultimately, the presentation centered around the common threads of excellence found inside of great leaders, athletes, business owners, and garden centers in the world. Three attributes that they all share which place them at the top of their game—the best of the best!

The Power of Asking

By John Kennedy

A few years ago, a grower client was trying to come up with new ideas to improve and innovate the customer experience within their business model. My suggestion set off a chain reaction of ideas and improvements by the simple (yet somewhat complex) approach—why don’t we ask the customer?

Note: Don’t ask a question if you’re not prepared to hear the answer!

Talent Development is All Math!

by John Kennedy

As we see the initial signs of the 2023 economy play themselves out in April’s numbers, and forecast for May, June and July are just around the corner, we should never underestimate the investment in your people.

One of the Centers within The Garden Center Group has committed to a “People First” vision for 2023. Another has committed to “Build the Bench!” in 2023, and both are poised to propel themselves into the future of their businesses by focusing on the soft skills just as much as the hard goods of their retail operation.

Getting to YES!

by John Kennedy

Years ago, I stumbled upon a great book that highlights the importance of the word “YES.” And a few years later, I came upon another book that also focused on the importance of the saying “YES.”  When I hear the same thing twice in short order, I believe I should pay attention.

Both books, as well as many, many others, have been influential in my mind set on strategic planning, training and consulting, as well as the necessary skillsets of leadership and sales.

We Grow What We Feed - 2

by John Kennedy

My very first job that I can remember, that was not chores on the farm for $5 a month, was stuffing church mailers in Alice Springs, Australia. Between 1972-1974, our family lived “Down Undah” and they remain some of my most cherished memories as a child.
In exchange for working a few hours on the weekend, we were compensated with candy. That candy was the only time I was able to eat it other than Easter and Christmas.

So, I guess you can say I ate candy, religiously! (I’m here through Friday…tip your bartenders!)
Another job I had in my teen years was at a pizza shop--Vennari’s Pizza in Columbia, Maryland. My High School friend Kyle got me the job and taught me everything I “kneaded” to know…from making the “special sauce” to spinning the pizza, I was in my element working there, and not only paid in pizza but also made $3.15/hour! After 2 summers, I saved up enough to buy a purple 1974 AMC Gremlin. Yup…I did!!

Get Your Kicks, on Route 66!

by John Kennedy

When you finish this thoughtful message about Route 66, enjoy a version of It's Wonderful and Route 66... performed by Diana Krall and Natalie Cole at the end.

Over the last four years, in the Northern Virginia area, there has been a flurry of infrastructure improvements nearby our home in Centreville (a bustling DC Suburb). A crazy, constant cacophony of construction and chaos.