One of the most critical concepts to convey to the employees of a horticultural enterprise is that everyone is involved in customer service. While sales people and on-site foremen readily grasp the concept, others who do not have direct contact with customers may not understand. The leaders and managers of the business must convey to […]
Category: HORTICULTURE
Making the Sale
A greeting and offer of assistance should be made to customers soon after they enter the store, greenhouse, or sales yard. When the first contact is by telephone, the offer of assistance is immediate. The salesperson must then determine the needs of the customer and set about to satisfy those needs. The approach must be […]
Characteristics of Good Salespeople
Customers deserve assistance from a salesperson who has the following characteristics: Friendliness Customer should be greeted soon after walking through the door or into the sales yard. If the customer’s name is known, it should be used. Not every customer warrants a handshake, but it can be appropriate with a regular customer. Salespeople need to […]
CUSTOMER RELATIONS
The other major group of people in the human relations triangle are the customers. They are the people who keep the business in existence. Their good will must be cultivated as carefully as the horticulture crops they purchase. Good will and sales are intimately related business objectives, and the sales staff must be trained to […]
MATCHING THE EMPLOYEE WITH THE JOB
At times of need that borders on desperation, a worker may be hired or promoted to fill a position for which he or she is behaviorally unsuited. If the company has an up-to-date organizational chart (See Chapter 22), then each position should have a job description developed specifically for it. Before placing a new or […]
Complicating Factors
Even in businesses in which the owner and supervisors are sincerely interested in their workers and make a concerted effort to be good managers, problems still occur. Assuming that an employee does not dislike the supervisor, but that they are still not communicating effectively, it could be for one of the following reasons: • Age […]
Qualities to Avoid
Certain qualities in a supervisor may cause negative feelings to develop in an employee or group of employees. The probable result of negative feelings between workers and their supervisor is low worker morale, reduced productivity, and even theft or vandalism. While no supervisor can expect to perform flawlessly, an effort should be made to avoid […]
Other Qualities of Good Leadership
In addition to realistic expectations for each employee, effective supervision requires an understanding of what motivates workers to respond positively to their work and their supervisors. Most people respond in a positive manner to a supervisor whose competence they respect, whose expectations are fair and impartial, and whose attitude is upbeat. Consider the following qualities […]
A Diverse Workplace
The faces of America’s horticultural workforce are increasingly diverse as more and more companies are meeting their employment needs with nontraditional workers. Workers from Mexico and Central America have filled the majority of field positions in American nursery, arborist, and landscape firms since the mid-1980s. They are an increasingly important human resource in the turf […]
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
The direction of workers in a manner that brings out their best efforts and attitudes on behalf of the business is termed personnel management. While the owner of the business is the foremost personnel manager, other persons in supervisory or leadership positions must also develop good human management skills. Much of what constitutes good personnel […]