The Nursery Sales Assistants course has been developed to provide the necessary balance between plant knowledge and sales skills. Your staff will learn all about plant identification, plant care, how to advise customers and all about important sales secrets that will boost your bottom line. This course will train staff on how to ‘open’ and most importantly, ‘close’ a sale!
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
MARKETING INVOLVES:
a. -THE PRODUCTS available (range, quality, diversity)
b. PACKAGING & PRESENTING the goods or services
c. MAKING CONTACT with the person you are selling to
d. COMMUNICATION ensuring they understand about the goods or services
e. CONVINCING presenting the "product" in a way which favours you achieving the result you are aiming for.
f. FOLLOW UP ensuring the "buyer" is satisfied with what they get (in the long term)
Marketing can be looked at as having six stages; products, promotions, packaging, transport, sales, after sales (analysis & follow up)
This course focuses on just the "Selling" aspect of marketing.
SALES
There are various methods of obtaining sales.
WHOLESALING PLANTS
Wholesalers can sell to customers the following ways:
Orders to Grow (Contract Growers)
Calling on Retailers (Sales reps)
Trade Days/Wholesale Markets eg. Plantmart
Through Agents
Franchising (having the right to sell a company's plants or services in a particular area)
Nursery to retailers, landscapers, councils
RETAILING
The alternatives:
Mail Order -selling plants and associated services/goods through the mail. Advertising and promotional work needs to be done to gain customers who send away for your goods. You do not have the problem of a retail outlet re: positioning and related costs, browsers, salespeople.
Markets -may be once off or a contract stand depending on the market. Competitive prices are expected by customers. Not all markets are open 5-7 days a week, although most are open weekends. A good way of selling poorer quality or end-of-line stock. Good alternative for a person beginning a backyard business.
Shops -the common retail alternative. May be a large garden centre/nursery or a small shop in a shopping centre. Many costs involved but easily accessable to the public.
Party plans -a form of selling to a 'party' of people. Organisation is done through a hostess who provides the venue as well as drinks and nibbles for her guests. If a cerain amount of produce is sold, then the hostess receives a 'gift' eg. a plant of her choice.
Hawking -selling from a vehicle or trailer on the roadside. Dependence on passing traffic to stop. Few costs involved. Most local councils require a hawking licence to be obtained for a specific area.
THE SALES PERSON
Every sales person should know.....
*Details of what the product or service they are selling is.
it's attributes, it's competition, it's negative points (and how to
counteract these)
*Where & how to find the product/brochures/catalogues/order forms....or
anything else relating to the sale.
*The prices to charge and terms of sale
*Procedure for making a sale (incl. Using cash register, filling out order
book, writing receipt etc).
*Company policies (on returns, damaged goods etc)
*How to package or deliver goods or services (eg: wrapping, directing
other staff to deliver service or good etc).
*How to keep records in order.
*How to maintain order & tidiness in sales area/equipment etc.
A good sales person should possess the following characteristics:
A good appearance.
A pleasant personality.
Courtesy & tact.
Enjoy selling.
A basic understanding of human nature
(practical not theoretical ability to read people's
body language etc)
KEY RULES EVERY SALESPERSON SHOULD FOLLOW
*Research your customer and product first.
(You need to know both the customer & the product before you attempt
to sell)
*Get your customer's full shopping list before you start. Gently introduce them to
products that will complement the ones they want eg. orchid mix for an orchid plant.
Remember that most customers are open to suggestion and want their plants to grow well
so help them acheive these goals.
*Highlight the benefits of a product...rather than the features.
(Tell the customer what it can do for them personally...don't tell them
what is great & unique about the product if it is not relevant to them
in particular).
*If there are objections, play it cool and try to determine, very
specifically what they are...once you narrow down the objection,
put it into perspective by showing something about the product which
compensates that objection (eg: Yes it is expensive but it will do more
things). Don't make it seem as if you have won a point.
*Always keep control of the conversation...don't let yourself get into
a defensive position. This is done by asking questions when the customer
starts to take the offensive.
*Do not talk while giving a demonstration. Show them, then stop & talk,
stop talking while you show them again...etc.
*Handle products with respect.
*Get the customer to try out the product.
*If you need to, use the phone or calculator to buy thinking time.
*Try to close the sale ask for an order at the appropriate time, when the
customer seems to be in a state of mind where he/she is likely to buy.
*Fulfilling the customer's needs is more important than improving
your own knowledge or sales technique.
*Remember that the customer is always right without him you are not
going to remain in business.
In the nursery situation, plant knowledge and cultural information are one of the most important requirements of staff. This can be disadvantageous for new staff with low or little plant knowledge. Teach then that customers prefer to wait while information is being researched rather than be fed incorrect information. Remember, signage around the nursery will help here.
TYPES OF CUSTOMERS
In retailing (at least), shoppers can be categorized into the following four groups:
1. Economic Shoppers
Most interested in prices, value, product quality & economic factors.
Not so interested in treatment by staff, decor of the store, location etc.
2. Personalizing Shoppers
Enjoy the interaction with sales staff, prefering to shop with sales
staff they know and like.
3. Ethical Shoppers
Avoid large chain stores or companies which tend towards monopolies
or deal with products which are judged unethical.
Don't shop at big supermarkets because "they are putting the small man
out of business"
Prefer to buy food from the biodynamic shop because it hasn't been
treated with chemicals.
.......etc
4. Apathetic Shoppers
Don't like shopping, go to the most convenient supplier because
they must.
Recommended Books
Nursery Management by John Mason
Paperback book. http://www.acsbookshop.com/products/1744-nursery-management-2nd-edition.aspx
Propagating from Cuttings by John Mason
Growing Ferns by John Mason
Paperback book http://www.acsbookshop.com/products/2013-growing-ferns.aspx
Trees and Shrubs for Warm Places by John Mason
Growing Trees and Shrubs for Small Gardens by John Mason
WHYCHOOSE US?
- Support: communicate directly with staff . Answering you is our top priority
- Different: if your training is different, you stand out
- Resources: unique collection of people and intellectual property.
- Reputation: A team of a dozen university trained horticulturists led by our principal John Mason, with a 40 year career incl. author of over 50 gardening books, garden editor, landscape, nurseryman and parks director
- Flexibility: more options for how, where, when and what you study
- Learning is top priority: what you learn changes you for life. Everything else is secondary
- Better value: Compare our cost per study hour.
- Reliability: Established since 1979, and being independent means we have avoided the stresses suffered by many other institutions
