Horticultural Marketing

Can You Sell?

Marketing involves getting your product seen in a positive light.

Lesson Structure

There are 7 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction to Horticultural Marketing
   • Introduction
   • Key elements of marketing
   • Resources and networking
   • Supply and Demand
   • Understanding economics
   • Marketing horticulture plant produce vs plant products
2. Horticultural Marketing Processes
   • Packaging
   • Plant labelling
   • Product line decisions
   • Problem Based Learning project
3. Horticultural Marketing Methods
   • Introduction
   • Deciding marketing methods on type of business
   • Legal obligations
   • Value of business
   • Controlling business growth
   • Improving results in business
   • Use of internet for marketing
4. Customer Service
   • Dealing with complaints
   • Customer satisfaction
   • How to become effective communicator
   • Ways of communication
   • Selling
5. Horticultural Marketing Research
   • Introduction
   • Research process
   • Statistics
   • Tracking trends
   • Marketing tips
6. Developing An Advertising Program
   • Publicity marketing
   • Public relations
   • Structuring advertisements or promotions
   • Advertising budgets
7. Developing A Horticultural Marketing Strategy
   • Introduction
   • Shop layout
   • Displaying products for sale
   • Merchandising
   • Type of service
   • Stock control
   • Understanding selling
   • Sales methods
   • Pricing

Aims

• Explain general economic concepts relevant to the horticultural industry.
• Explain different components of the marketing process which may be used in the horticultural industry.
• Explain different marketing methods for horticultural products and services.
• Explain the role of customer service in horticultural marketing.
• Conduct market research into a product or service in the horticultural industry.
• Develop an advertising program for an horticultural enterprise.
• Develop an appropriate marketing strategy for a given horticultural situation.

What You Will Do

• Explain the concept of supply and demand, in a specified horticultural context.
• Explain specified economic theories in relation to two different horticultural commodities.
• Define terms relevant to horticultural marketing.
• Distinguish between marketing and selling in a horticultural enterprise.
• Compare different packaging strategies for various horticultural products.
• Analyse the labelling of different horticultural products, to determine possible improvements.
• Analyse options for transportation to market of different horticultural products.
• Analyse storage options during marketing, for different horticultural products.
• Determine criteria which are critical to the marketing success of different horticultural products.
• Prepare a marketing plan for a horticultural enterprise, that summarises:
  • handling
  • storage
  • packaging
  • transportation
  • promotion
  • selling.
• Describe specific examples of three different marketing strategies, used in the horticultural industry.
• Analyse the marketing of a specific, successful product or service, in the horticultural industry.
• Determine target markets for different selected horticultural products.
• Compare the marketing of a specified horticultural product using different marketing methods.
• Evaluate the success of marketing methods being used by different specified horticultural enterprises, to market their products or services.
• Evaluate positive features of customer service, in a specific horticultural enterprise.
• Evaluate negative features of customer service, in a specific horticultural enterprise.
• Explain the importance of consistent product availability, in a specified horticultural enterprise.
• Explain the importance of well-trained customer service providers, in a specified horticultural enterprise.
• Develop guidelines for maintaining good public relations, in a specific horticultural enterprise.
• Prepare a customer service policy for a selected horticultural enterprise.
• Design a questionnaire to determine demand for a new specified horticultural enterprise, in your locality.
• Design a questionnaire to determine customer attitudes towards a specified horticultural product or service.
• Determine the socio-economic attributes of clients of a specified horticultural enterprise you investigate.
• Determine the behavioural characteristics of clients of a specified horticultural enterprise, you investigate.
• Conduct market research into a specific product or service, by questioning a representative sample of different customers, of a horticultural enterprise.
• Collate statistics from conducted market research that you conduct.
• Analyse statistics relating to market research undertaken by you.
• Explain appropriate applications for different advertising avenues, in the horticultural industry.
• Develop guidelines for writing advertisements for a specified horticultural service or product.
• Write appropriate advertisements for different specified horticultural services or products.
• Prepare an appropriate brochure, to the stage of finished art work, for a specific horticultural product or service.
• Evaluate the response from specific horticultural advertisements.
• Evaluate different advertising methods used in a horticultural enterprise investigated by you, in terms of costs versus benefits.
• Determine the significance of packaging, presentation and labelling to marketing of a specified horticultural product.
• Estimate the relative benefits different techniques which may be used to promote a specific horticultural enterprise.
• Produce design for a specific nursery, farm, or other horticultural enterprise, to enhance marketing in that enterprise.
• Develop a promotional campaign for a specified horticultural product or service.
• Explain different methods of determining a price for a specified horticultural product.

Return Sales will Make a Big Difference

• Be sensitive and alert: buying can be a big decision for some people. They can be nervous and sometimes find difficulty expressing themselves. Often, all that is needed is to allow people time to relax, whilst offering some kind words to put them at ease. Do not rush them. Hard selling can make a nervous person become more nervous.
• Describe the product's benefits, not its features. For example, do not say ”this spade looks lovely”. You should say “it is heavy duty and will withstand the heaviest work you can give it”.
• Be positive when confronted with opposition e.g. if you are told your product is rubbish, do not become defensive and say it is not! You should ask "Why is it rubbish?"  When you find out more detail about the objections you might then be able to counter them.
• Maintain control of the conversation. For example, a customer says “This plant looks sick”, you say “It does, but it's only the leaves that have been chewed by caterpillars and it will soon recover but if you still want it I'll give you 20% off the rice”.
• Always be truthful – do not lie about your products. You should emphasize the good points and not bring attention to the bad points, but do not avoid them if they are brought up by the customer.
• Always be prepared for the customer! Do not invite the customer to test drive a car when it has no petrol. Do not bring a customer into your interview room before you have taken the messy papers off the desk. Check that you have your product and literature in stock before making an appointment to show them to a customer.
• Be sensitive to buying signals. When they are nearing the point of making a decision the customer will say or do things which indicate their likelihood of buying. They might start looking more closely at one product compared to others. They might say something like "this one looks good".
• Once you have made the sale be quiet. Ask for the order or the money and read the customer’s body language.

WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS COURSE?

This is a comprehensive well-rounded course that offers the horticultural marketing manager or small business owner what they need to be successful in this essential component of business management.