 Todd Davis |
Everybody screws up, right? Some things are unforgivable, such as intentionally selling plants that aren’t true to name. It was an honest mistake. He really was trying to get me the best product for my money. But my customer didn’t care about quality. He just needed to stick something in the ground that would hit height spec. Another vendor sent a delivery truck out a day early without notification. He “thought I would appreciate it.” The problem is I didn’t have the staff on hand to unload a 53-foot, lean-stacked trailer. So I had to scramble to find temp workers (a.k.a. rent-a-drunks) for the day.  It cost me money and, believe me, the driver didn’t appreciate waiting around for that truck to get unloaded either.It’s all about communication. By all means, go the extra mile for your customers. But when you start doing “favors” without asking, you’re going to get in trouble. One last example: It didn’t happen to me, but I had to share. An East Coast nursery was long on 3-gallon hollies. Looking to get rid of them, he threw about 50 on an outgoing delivery to a contractor as a gift. When they arrived, the grower received a furious call. “I’m not paying for those!” The grower responded, “Don’t worry. They’re not on the invoice. They’re for you to keep as appreciation for your business.” The contractor then complained that he couldn’t use the hollies would have to pay to dispose of them. He wasn’t taking them, and they were going back on the truck. Yes, it was a case where the grower literally couldn’t give his product away.
Todd Davis |
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