Train for Trust
In today’s retail world where experience matters just as much as price, your staff is not just a set of hands to restock and water the plants. They’re your front line. They’re the reason someone chooses your store over the big-box store or comes back multiple times throughout the year.
So how do you help your team move from “just here to water the plants” to trusted guides your customers rave about? It starts with training but, more importantly, it starts with a shift in mindset.
Your Team’s Biggest Fear: Being Too Salesy
Traditional retail training focused on product knowledge and pricepoints. But today’s shoppers, especially younger ones, are looking for something different.
According to the 2025 Axiom Gardening Insights Survey, 68% of millennial and Generation Z shoppers want helpful guidance, not a sales pitch. Most walk in unsure of where to start. What they really want is someone who sees them, hears them and helps them feel confident.
And here’s the surprising part: The issue isn’t pushy sales tactics. It’s the opposite.
In our 7-week Next-Gen Masterclass, we’ve worked with more than 200 independent garden centers, and the most common thing we hear is: “Our team doesn’t want to feel salesy.”
That hesitation comes from a good place. But when staff members avoid offering suggestions or asking questions, they miss the chance to really serve the customer. Sales isn’t the problem — silence is.
Train for Curiosity, Not Product Pitches
So what does a better approach look like? It starts with curiosity. Instead of jumping straight into how great this new plant is, your team can lead with questions that open a conversation. What kind of space are you working with? How much light does the area get? Have you gardened before, or is this your first time? What’s your biggest challenge to gardening? These questions create connection and trust. Now your team isn’t just pointing to a shelf; they’re helping someone imagine success.
Think in Lifestyles, Not Latin Names
Next, your team should be thinking in lifestyles, not Latin names. Customers rarely walk in asking for ficus lyrata. They say, “I need a pet-safe plant for my new apartment.”
Train your team to connect customers with goals, not just SKUs. A young family with a dog? Point them to the pet-friendly zone (if you don’t have a pet-friendly zone, add this theme to an endcap). A busy parent? Offer hard-to-kill plant recommendations. A couple with a new patio? Help them visualize a whole setup, not just a planter.
Make Upselling Feel Like Support
From there, upselling becomes natural. A customer choosing a hanging basket might not know they need a shepherd’s hook, fertilizer or a watering wand. Someone building a raised bed might not realize they need compost, gloves and a planting guide. When your team is listening and observing, upselling feels more like support than sales.
Build Confidence Through Education
Education ties it all together. Your staff doesn’t need to be plant encyclopedias, but they should be equipped to guide beginners and encourage confidence. One of the most powerful things we suggest is giving your team seasonal talking points and sharing real customer stories. Short, 10-minute standing huddles before a shift can go a long way in making the team feel prepped and ready.
Let the Store Do Some Talking, Too
Don’t forget your physical space. Add-on sales can be supported by the layout itself. Place helpful prompts where they naturally fit: “Don’t forget your soil” near the houseplants, watering cans by the exit and a chalkboard by the entrance that reads, “Need help planning your space? Just ask.” These cues reinforce helpful habits without ever feeling scripted.
A Real-World Win: The DIY Experience Zone
We’ve seen this play out in powerful ways. One garden center we work with used to have a table of soil with no clear signage or structure. Now, it’s a gorgeous DIY zone. There’s a clear sign that reads, “Build Your Own Bowl,” a QR code linking to step-by-step instructions, and everything a customer needs to make their own succulent arrangement.
Other garden centers offer “Build Your Own Bouquet” stations or help families start their first patio vegetable garden. The key to keeping this space engaging is to switch out the DIY theme regularly. A chalkboard easel in the zone can showcase next week’s theme while customers are building this week’s project. If they’re assembling a succulent bowl today, they already know next week is all about bouquets. This drives return visits and gives your garden center an ever-evolving, experiential feel. Sales will increase, but so will customer engagement and joy.
Weekly Habits Create Long-Term Confidence
Of course, none of this works if it’s a one-time training. The best garden centers build this rhythm into their weekly culture. Kick off Mondays with a quick team check in. Focus on one customer persona. Celebrate a win. Share a quick customer story. Over time, these moments build a confident, collaborative team.
Online and In-Store Should Work Together
While your store layout matters, your online presence plays a big role, too. Your team should know what’s been featured on your website or in your latest email. If a customer walks in and says, “I saw a blog about pollinator kits,” your staff should know where to point them. That level of consistency makes your business feel professional and trustworthy.
The Heart of It All: Staff First, Then Customers
Here’s the deeper truth, though. If you want your staff to create a welcoming, helpful and confident experience for customers, they need to feel that same experience from you.
When your team feels supported, equipped and appreciated, they show up differently. They listen better. They lean into conversations. They care more. And that care is what customers notice and come back for.
We see it all the time. When leaders invest in creating a five-star employee experience, they naturally unlock five-star customer experiences. It’s one of the best investments you can make.
The Five-Star Difference
For garden centers looking for deeper strategy and support, our Next-Gen Masterclass returns Sept. 25. It’s a seven-week live experience hosted every Thursday, where we walk through how to build your customer base with modern tools, storytelling, layout strategy and content marketing. For more info, send us an email.
If you need more help, we work alongside independent garden centers with one-, two- and five-day training workshops, typically one in the fall and another just before spring. These sessions are designed to embed the habits, confidence and curiosity it takes to build five-star customer experiences.
To wrap up, remember this: A great garden center experience isn’t built on what you sell. It’s built on how you make people feel. I don’t buy Nike shoes because they make me run fast. I feel something. It’s the same reason I shop at Minter Country Garden instead of the big-box store. I feel known and supported because the staff are warm, welcoming and take an interest in my gardening journey.
When your team is confident, curious and ready to serve, your customers feel that energy and they respond. They ask more questions. They trust your recommendations. And they come back.
Plants alone won’t set your store apart. People will.
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