Knowing Your Customers: The 10 Commandments for Growers
Vertical farmer monitoring his leafy greens. | Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock
“Knowledge is power.” Believe it or not, that phrase entered our lexicon almost 400 years ago, and it’s still a cornerstone for smart business thinking today. Let’s face it, with artificial intelligence (AI) now woven into our strategies, understanding your customers is a game-changer. Here’s a time-tested, foundational, and non-negotiable roadmap for winning: the Ten Commandments of Customer Knowledge.
1. Thou Shalt Listen Before Selling
Whether you’re talking directly with customers, sitting outside focus group walls, or reviewing quarterly Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey results, listening openly uncovers strategies and tactics for building a better business.
If you have a wholesale business with fewer than 100 customers, regular conversations, meetings, and meals are prime opportunities to listen. If you’re in retail or run a direct-to-consumer (DTC) website with thousands of customers, mass survey results are what matter. A single conversation might be interesting, but it’s not statistically significant. Benchmarking results year after year drives long-term improvements.
Our 2025 State of Succession and Exit Planning Survey showed a nearly 50% improvement in the use of written surveys to measure customer satisfaction compared to 2024. That’s progress. Yet only 8% of owners responding felt customer satisfaction was important to increasing business value. There is still a strong need to measure and act on customer satisfaction in our industry.
2. Thou Shalt Know Thy’s Customer Pain Points
Real thinking begins when you ask the tough questions. Check your ego at the door and let customer sentiment guide you. NPS scores are only meaningful if they’re nines or tens. Anything less signals vulnerability – an opening for competitors.
Ask yourself:
- How is quality?
- Is your service consistent?
- Are your prices aligned with the value you deliver?
Knowing the answers is mission-critical, especially with your top customers.
3. Thou Shalt Understand Customer Buying Behavior
Your sales curve likely follows a familiar pattern year after year. As a wholesale grower, you know when orders typically come in. If timing shifts, either earlier or later, it’s a change in customer behavior you can’t ignore.
Is your sales data flowing in a way that is actionable? Are you prepared to respond if something deviates from the norm? Do you have a Plan B?
Retailers and DTC marketers: make sure your systems support summarized customer data, analytics, and reporting. You need insights that lead to action.
4. Thou Shalt Segment or Die
A bit extreme, but segmentation is essential. Treating your best customers the same way as your worst is bad business. You should market by segment. Every client deserves a tailored approach.
Your best customer should receive better service levels, pricing, and terms. Think in categories:
- Sale Buyers
- Pre-Planners
- Last-minute buyers
- High-touch clients
- Slow payers
- Locals versus long-distance customers.
Understanding your business at the segment level helps optimize your profitability. If you don’t do this, your competitors will. Technology, and AI, can be the great equalizer.
Example:
When I traveled frequently, Delta Airline agents saw my Frequent Flyer ID and recognized my value. Their screen flashed dollar signs, signaling they should treat me and others in that segment with extra care. Today, Delta uses low NPS scores to target dissatisfied customers with special offers.
5. Thou Shalt Personalize Every Contact
We live in an age of personalization, triggered marketing, and real-time database communications. Special occasion messages matter, and they’re easy to create.
Examples:
- Abandoned cart emails work.
- Gas points are instantly usable at your local grocery store.
- Knowing your customer’s growing zone helps you recommend better products.
- Millennials prefer chat support; Boomers prefer personal phone calls.
- Gen Z gravitates toward houseplants and container gardening, while rural customers may want bulk or acreage solutions.
Yet you need to be authentic. Customers can spot fake personalization instantly.
For the remaining five commandments, read the full article on GreenhouseGrower.com.