plants@work Accreditation
The accreditation is divided into 4 sections:
- Horticulture Skills;
- Health & Safety;
- Sales & Marketing;
- Management.
Each of these sections contributes towards 25% of the overall accreditation, and any member who has completed 75% or more across all the sections becomes an Accredited Member.
Horticulture Skills Accreditation
- Module 1: Knowing your plants
- Module 2: Maintenance Techniques
- Module 3: Design
- Module 4: Pests & Diseases
Health & Safety
usually completed in-house as part of new starters’ inductions. If this is the case, H&S Accreditation will be awarded to members who can supply proof of an induction with a recognised HSE body or qualified person. We can also arrange for for the H&S sessions.
Sales & Marketing
Module 1: Sales - Interior landscaping selling structure
- The buying process
- Features and benefits of interior landscaping
- Unique selling points,
- Brand talks/propositions,
- Questioning skills – SPIN technique,
- Listening skills,
- Reacting to buying signals,
- Handling customer resistance,
- Closing techniques
Module 2: Sales - Negotiation skills
- Influencing techniques
- Using networking effectively
- Developing a sales and marketing plan
- Common marketing mistakes
- Getting the message right
- E-marketing techniques
Module 3: Presenting with Confidence
- First impressions
- Creating the right conditions
- Defining and redefining the objectives
- Good preparation – planning and structure, Creating the right introduction, Delivering the presentation,
- Language – style, vocabulary, tone
- Content – information and data,
- Managing Nerves
- Dynamic delivery
- Maintaining interest
- Handling questions
- Using notes, slides & visual aids
- Establishing rapport
- Understanding your audience
Module 4: Time Management & Personal Effectiveness
- Setting clear goals and objectives
- Managing yourself and your resources
- Analyse and understand your work styles
- Effective management of time – where is your time going?
- Managing disruptions
- Planning & prioritisation
- Managing meetings
Module 5: Exceptional Customer Care
- Define the factors of exceptional customer care
- Consequences of poor service
- Communication skills – communicating the right message about interior landscaping/plants
- Ability to enhance the image of your business,
- Importance of first impressions and appearance
- Ability to use features and benefits
- Taking advantage of sales opportunities
- Active listening skills
- Assertive behaviour
- Handling complaints
Module 6: Telesales
- Defining ‘cold calling’
- Structuring the sales call – solution based selling technique
- Questioning & listening skills – Question through to sale
- Reacting to buying signals
- Features and benefits
- Dealing with objections effectively
- Closing techniques to win business
- Features of an effective telephone conversation,
- Rapport building
- Getting past the gatekeeper
- Use of voicemail
- Managing the conversation
- Use of positive language
Management
Module 1: Personality Types – What is your team made of?
- Being a team leader requires strong leadership qualities to coordinate and manage others' abilities to the fullest. A good knowledge about the skills and temperament of each team player helps in delegating work effectively, motivating team members and creating loyalty among teammates. Training will enable you to develop your team to achieve their maximum potential
- Management vs. leadership
- Motivating staff
- Managing and reviewing performance
- Achieving Results through others
- Delegation
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Communicating with the team
- Improving team performance
- The value of feedback
Module 2: Finance for non-financial managers
- Why bother?! (The purpose of Accounts, The big equation, The accounting equation: Assets + Liabilities = Capital, Profit or Loss?, Profit and loss accounts and the difference between profit and cash, Breaking the code, Financial ratios – calculation and interpreting ratios)
- The finished product (Interpreting financial statements using a case study, Going around in a circle, The working capital cycle, where cash gets tied up in a business, Cash is King, Cash flow forecasting and management, Looking ahead),
- Budgeting
Module 3: Managing People
- Review personal & team goals & objectives,
- Develop Personal Action plans to achieve goals & objectives,
- Management vs. leadership, Personal leadership styles,
- Motivating staff,
- Managing and reviewing performance,
- Achieving results through others,
- Delegation, Coaching and mentoring,
- Communicating with the team, Improving team performance,
- The value of feedback,
- Strategies for dealing with difficult people & situations,
- Conflict management
Module 4: Accelerate the Growth of your Business
- Thinking about your successes and failures,
- Obsessions of highly successful businesses,
- How good is your business?,
- What is the potential of your business to grow?,
- What do you want from your business?,
- Working on your business and in your business,
- Profit improvement check list,
- SMART Strategy Tools Implementing your business plan,
- Staying on track