Field notes
Notes from running the thing we sell.
Writing on selling home & garden products: enquiry response, considered purchases, trade channels and AI agents - from a team running its own revenue on them.
How fast should you answer a sales enquiry?
Fast enough to be first. For considered purchases like furniture, garden rooms and outdoor living, the supplier who replies first shapes the whole comparison - here is why, and what "fast" actually has to mean.
One customer, four records: the duplicate problem nobody budgets for
Duplicate customer records are not a tidiness issue - they distort your pipeline, embarrass your team and hide your best leads. Why they happen in home & garden sales, and how to resolve identity properly.
What is an AI CRM - and do home & garden brands need one?
An AI CRM is a customer record designed for a team that is part human, part agents: enquiries arrive on their own, identity is resolved automatically, and agents work inside the record. Here is the difference from a CRM with AI features bolted on.