Distance Education Course-Retailing in the Nursery Industry
Identify plants and build knowledge of garden products
Learn to manage and sell stock in a retail nursery or garden centre
Retail nurseries buy plants from production/propagation nurseries and resell them at a profit. 'Greenlife' (the term used by the industry distinguish plants from other nursery products) sold by the retail sector include seedlings, bulbs, containerised and bare-rooted plants and trees. In addition garden centres sell associated products such as dry goods (pots, packaged potting mixes, fertilisers, sprays) and bulk landscaping materials.
There is an increasing emphasis on the supply of 'lifestyle products and services' in retail outlets, such as outdoor furniture, gift lines, display gardens, cafes and landscaping services.
This course has been very successful in training both staff and managers of retail nurseries and garden centres. Originally designed in 1986, in conjunction with the State Garden Department Manager of a major retail chain store; revised many times since then to keep up with current standards. It is useful for establishing standards in your garden centre and giving direction for the staff and managers.
COURSE STRUCTURE
The course is divided into 12 lessons as follows:
1. Introduction: Plant classification, plant cultural requirements, soil and nutrition, watering requirements, drainage, temperature, light, humidity.
2. Plant Health: How to diagnose a problem, pests, diseases, nutrient deficiencies, frost, sunburn, chemical damage, insufficient light, overwatering.
3. Stock Maintenance: Quality standards, buying new stock, inspecting stock, extending stock life, disposing of below-standard stock, watering techniques, fertilising, pest and disease control.
4. Display and Display Techniques: Display units, product location, sales area layout.
5. Garden Product Knowledge I: Plant containers, tags, soil mixes, equipment, tools.
6. Garden Product Knowledge II: Chemicals, fertilisers, baskets, terrariums, cut flowers.
7. Indoor Plants: Major groups, common problems, plants for specific situations, customer attitudes.
8. Container Stock: Trees and Shrubs.
9. Seedlings, Bulbs, Herbs and Perennials.
10. A: Deciduous Trees, Fruit, Nuts, Berries. B. Seed.
11. Marketing: Pricing strategy, advertising, promotions.
12. Management: Staff control, staff productivity, work scheduling.
AIMS
At the completion of this course you should be able to:
- Classify and identify a range of different plants, according to their botanical characteristics.
- Describe a range of plant health problems and their treatments.
- Understand the importance of maintaining healthy stock and its relationship to maintaining a profitable business.
- Demonstrate knowledge of a range of garden products sold through garden centres.
- Demonstrate knowledge of a range of plants, including indoor plants, container-grown plants, deciduous plants, bulbs, herbs and perennials.
- Describe effective marketing techniques.
- Demonstrate knowledge of management procedures.
This is an example of of some course notes:
MERCHANDISING SUGGESTIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL PROMOTIONS
What is a Promotion?
A promotion is an activity which produces a change in your customers' behaviour, resulting in extra sales.
How Does It Work?
- Firstly, every brand has a price or value understood by customers. A promotion offers extra value or a lower price to the customer.
- Secondly, a promotion demands urgency from your customer because of its short availability time ("whilst stocks last").
An attractive product display with a message is often an effective way of increasing sales, but it is NOT a promotion. It should really be called a "display feature: because it does not have the vital ingredient of Added Value.
There are several different levels of promotional strategies:
- Full Promotion: all sections at full margin plus a planned and sustained program of promotions.
- Lightweight Promotions: all sections at full margin plus occasional loss leader promotions.
- Partial Discount plus "Highlights": certain sections at cut price plus occasional loss leader promotion.
- Partial Discount: certain sections at low price, other items at full price.
Your strategy will depend on:
- Location: are your customers local, or do you need to attract them from a wider area?
- Competitors: what can you offer compared with them?
- Your shop: in particular, its layout and capacity for extra promotional sales.
- Limitation: If normal marketing and advertising have failed to establish the true value of a product, a promotion will not be successful because there is no comparative standard. Within a store, promotions can only work well if the basic merchandising job has been done properly. They are not substitutes for product range, siting and space allocation with well controlled displays.
The Basic Rules of Promotions
a) Your reason for promoting is to sell more products to your customers as quickly as possible. Specials should be regularly changed. To do this, the offer should appeal to their immediate or secondary needs.
b) The choice of promotion depends on what you want to achieve ie. if you want more people in your garden centre, special locally advertised offers or personality backed promotions could be very useful.
c) Your promotion should be unique to attract maximum attention.
e) The promotion should be simple to understand and operate.
e) The promotion must represent value for money and be credible and honest.
f) The promotion should be consistent with your own image.
How To Choose A Promotion
Consider the following:
1. Who are the main users of the product or brand?
2. How, when and why do they use the product?
3. How frequently is it purchased?
4. What are its main competitors?
5. How does the customer see the brand versus the competition?
Use the facts to decide how to run the promotion:
1. Determine, in order of priority, the key problem.
2. Identify the money available.
3. List and cost all the possible alternative options that are open (eg. more advertising, customer promotions, pricing strategy).
4. Having estimated the cost, ask yourself what will the benefit be to you.
Duration: 100 Hours
You can comence the course when it suits you and work through it at your own pace.
MORE RESOURCES
This school has a wealth of resources in the area of nursery management. Our staff have been actively involved in this industry for a long time (The principal for almost four decades).
Student Access to Resources Our online student room, videos (many relevant titles) and course materials are unique -not available through other colleges. We have been collecting some of these materials since before when many of todays existing schools were established.
Books If you don't enrol in the course, at least consider purchasing our principal's book "Nursery Management" click for details
REASONS TO STUDY WITH ACS DISTANCE EDUCATION
- Reputation:
-teaching Horticulture since 1979
-exceptional faculty staff (see below) - Hands on: develop practical as well as theoretical skills
- Uniqueness:
-successful people are always those who can offer a skill or service that others can't
-this course is different; our graduates have different skills to set them apart. - Relevance -curriculum developed in response to industry needs
- Lots of help: personal, prompt attention from tutors
- Holistic Courses: We teach more than just "facts"
-success is only 20% about intelligence (and what you know)
-you also need to build networking, problem solving & communication skills, and more!
-this course helps you develop all of these things and more - Value: courses compare very favorably on a cost per study hour basis
- Up to date: courses under constant review
- Student amenities: This school is backed by over one of the most unique and comprehensive private collections of intellectual property in the horticultural industry. The principal and staff have written and published over 50 books and 150 gardening magazines, as well as 20,000 hours horticultural study programs. A team of 5 horticultural writers continue to develop and update new material continually. These resources together with web sites, an online student room, social media etc. provide a unique and comprehensive facility to support students studying with the school.
OUR FACULTY
These are just some of the people involved with developing and updating courses; and tutoring our horticulture students
John Mason Dip.Hort.Sc.
40 years + in horticulture Graduated from Burnley Horticultural College in 1971,Nurseryman, Landscape Designer and Parks Director through the 1970's. One of Australia's most published garden writers, author of books published by Simon and Schuster, Harper Collins, CSIRO and other major publishers; Editor for 4 different national gardening magazines; honored as a fellow of both the Institute of Horticulture in Australia and the Institute of Horticulture in the UK.
Gavin Cole B.Sc., M.Psych.
30 years + in horticulture. Renowned horticulturist and psychologist. Former operations manager for the highly regarded "Chelsea Gardener" landscape firm in London, garden writer and landscaper in both Brisbane and Adelaide in Australia.
Maggi Brown
40 years + in horticulture. Former education manager for "Garden Organic"; England's peak organic gardening and farming body.
Dr Lyn Morgan Phd
25 years + in horticulture. New Zealand based hydroponic consultant and author, with experience working everywhere from Asia to America.
Rosemary Davies Dip.Hort.Sc.
30 years + in horticulture; including Victorian Department of Agriculture Gradening Advisor, Gardening Editor/writer/author for major publishers and newspapers.
Diana Cole B,A., RHS Dip Hort, NTEC Higher Dip in Garden Design
15 years + in horticulture and landscaping
Adriana Fraser Adv.Dip.Hort.
30 years + in horticulture. Consultant, teacher, garden write, manager of plant collections
Bob James B.App.Sc(Hort), M. Env.Sc., Grad.Dip.Mgt., PDC, Dip.An.Husb.
Yvonne Sharpe Dip.Hort., M.Hort.
Martin Powdrill B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc. PDC
Marie Beerman B.Sc., M.Hort.
REFERENCE BOOKS
ACS operates a student bookshop that supplies a range of horticulture texts to supplement our courses.
Many are written by the principal (well known gardening author John Mason), or other staff. All have been reviewed and approved by our academic experts (to be accurate and relevant to students studying our horticulture courses).
- Student discounts are available to anyone studying with ACS Distance Education.
- Both printed books and ebooks (as downloads) available
GARDEN DESIGN Part I by John Mason (publisher ACS) EBook
GARDEN DESIGN Part 2 by John Mason (publisher ACS) EBook
GROWING TREES and SHRUBS for SMALL GARDENS by John Mason
TROPICAL and WARM CLIMATE GARDENING by John Mason (publisher Bay Books) Printed Book
ORCHIDS: A BEGINNERS GUIDE by John Mason (publisher: Hyland House) Printed Book
GROWING CONIFERS by John Mason (publisher: Kangaroo Press) Printed book
GROWING FERNS by John Mason (publisher: Kangaroo Press) Printed book
GROWING AND USING VEGETABLES and HERBS by John Mason (publisher: Kangaroo Press) Printed Book
COMMERCIAL HYDROPONICS 3rd Edition by John Mason (publisher: ACS) Ebook
- Click on above link for info
- Sample pages available to download for all ebook
- E Books can be purchased online for immediate download (Can be read on a computer, ipad, iphone, lap top, most book readers or similar devices).
- GO TO www.acsbookshop.com for more titles
