Every Five Years (At Least)

Chris Beytes

Do you fear change or embrace it?

I ask because I couldn’t help but notice that your business has gotten a bit, well, stale. The logo, the color theme, the product line … even the office carpets (Avocado green shag? Really? Do you still have the bamboo rake?).

Me, I like change. I’m all for trying something new, mixing it up, breaking new ground and not leaving well enough alone. I don’t like to be a stick in the mud, stuck in a rut or accused of maintaining the status quo. That’s why you’re constantly seeing new columnists, ideas and features in GrowerTalks and Green Profit.

Of course, folks say it’s wrong to change for change’s sake? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Um, what if it’s broke and you don’t know it?

According to a survey conducted by design:retail magazine, more than half the responding retail CEOs, store merchandisers, visual designers and other key players in the retail market say that store design is “much more important” today than it was even five years ago. Another 29% said store design is “somewhat more important.” All of which means that your customers notice—and respond to—the look and feel of your business more than ever before. And I’m talking all business, not just retailers.

You’re a consumer yourself and I’m sure you know businesses that are always an adventure (Trader Joe’s) or an escape (Starbucks) or provide inspiration (IKEA) or offer expertise (Apple). These businesses stay on the cutting edge of business design—graphics, colors, layout, lighting, messaging, services. Why? To make you feel good when you visit and make you want to come back for more. And most of all, to make you want to spend money.

How does this apply to growers? There’s an example on page 12: Color Orchids, a 5-year-old greenhouse in Virginia doing a booming business in orchids. When I visited in October and first entered the offices, I immediately felt like I’d walked into a trendy orchid showroom, with plants prominently displayed amongst hip furniture, art and the company’s corporate colors. It gave me a good sense of the personality of the business.

When I told owner Ben van Wingerden this, he smiled knowingly.

“We’re very focused on sales and marketing,” he explained. “If [we] had to prioritize, that’s number one.”

It shows.

Unfortunately, too few business owners think like Ben. Whether you know it or not (or like it or not), everything about your business, from the logo on your truck to the paint on the restroom walls, speaks to the kind of operation you’re running. It’s either up to date or behind the times, efficient or disorganized, sleek or stodgy.

Now, you might argue that you don’t have time to put into “non-essential” things like remodeling your office or freshening your logo. I’d argue that you don’t realize the negative impact your decision is having on your customers. Many a tired old café has said the same thing … and lost customers when Panera came to town.

Or maybe you’ve been putting your money into your greenhouse or shipping racks or computer system or someplace “more important.” That’s fine. But I’d remind you of Ben’s argument that the look and feel of your business is part of sales and marketing, and you should invest in that with as much gusto as you would in a new catalog or advertising plan.

There are always exceptions. Back in my Central Florida greenhouse days, I used to buy the world’s most beautiful gardenia bushes from the world’s most run-down nursery. If you can look me in the eye and, without blinking, tell me your product is without peer, the tops, the cream of the crop, then you get a pass. In fact, when I write about your business, I’ll call the avocado shag carpeting “vintage.”

For the rest of you, look around and see if it’s time to invest in a freshening up. Your customers will reward you. GT