Marketing Yourself – Philosophy & Strategy
In this, the third and final part of a short series aimed at demystifying the inner workings of the world of seeking work in the Gardening Industry, I will attempt to guide you through the essentials of Marketing Your Skills
Although these articles are written as standalone features, it is very useful to read through Parts One and Two (Professional Gardener Issues 149 and 150) prior to digesting this particular section, as the whole process of selling yourself is a complex science.
These articles are based on courses run by The School of Garden Management (www.tsogm.org) which in turn, are based on The Head Gardeners Survival Manual.
While the School philosophy and structure involves bespoke one-to-one mentoring, and these features are mere snippets, I hope you will find this short series helpful to your careers.
Part One explored the business of producing a portfolio, with the sole objective of selling yourself in words and pictures. Part Two covered the difficult subject of producing and presenting your curriculum vitae.
Marketing Your Skills – As an Individual
It is never too early to start preparing your foundations when it comes to the subject of Marketing Your Skills. Once you recognise the basic essential requirement of starting to compile the various elements of your experience, it becomes easier to understand the need for such information.
No matter how you start to collate every bit of previous experience, either in written form e.g. describing specific training you received, visits to gardens and lectures, people you perceive to be influential in the sphere of your particular type of work – names, places, training, influences, experiences, sites of interest – a host of information, all written in a form which is easily accessed, either alphabetical or chronological, or in other documentation form.
College courses, certificates awarded, citations received. Each and every document, date and mile-stone in your career to date should be listed.
You may be surprised to see just how much data you have collected over the years, and how, once collated into one foundation file, you will begin to see how and where you may like to see your career develop. You may find gaps in your experience, and decide to fill those holes with more courses and experience before finally appreciating that you have a solid base on which to begin Marketing Yourself.
It is a fact that you cannot begin to sell yourself unless you are really comfortable in your own skin. If you are unhappy with your own talent, how can you hope to convince potential employers or clients that you are worthy of their time and trust in your abilities?
It necessarily follows that your choice of career is married to your skills base and comfort zone. Who you are should match What you are. You will come across as a 100% genuine individual, and potential clients will be relaxed in your presence only if you too are at ease in your own company.
During an interview with a client, do not be concerned if you realise that you have gaps in your knowledge. Nobody knows everything, and no-one will expect you to have all the answers. An essential skill is learning when and critically, how, to admit that you do not have a particular answer to hand. Always avoid using the words ‘I don’t know’. Absolute taboo! If you are stumped, simply say ‘I will check that out and get back to you’. (Make sure you do find out and relay the correct answer!)
(I will not mention the fact that you need to be clean, tidy, sober, punctual, reliable etc, as these are taken as a given!)
In this article, I am concentrating on you as an individual, selling yourself to a potential employer or client, not as an employee going through a job interview process – we have covered those pretty thoroughly in Parts One and Two, although of course, if you decide to make a direct approach to an employer who has not advertised a vacancy, the advice may be useful!
Although it does not matter which scenario you meet, if you have your foundation established, a clear goal in mind, starting to develop specialist knowledge, and following an industry pathway (any field you can think of, from floristry to wild flower projects, seaside gardening to green roofs, commercial enterprises/hotels/office complexes, etc; becoming more knowledgeable and outwardly competent than your competitors will enable you to sell your talent to the right buyer) you will find yourself on the right road.
Marketing Yourself As a Business
(It is very important to notice that I have not covered, in any way, the financial requirements involved in setting up and running a business. This is a very complex, vitally important element, and must be addressed by you and your advisers beforehand)
Essentially, you will have followed the ‘Individual’ route as described above. Every successful business has been built by driven individuals. You have developed into a confident business-like person and now wish to create your own niche in the Market Place.
This niche may be as the proprietor of a company, a consultant, temporary Head Gardener, Specialised Skills person e.g. offering topiary, pruning etc, Trainer/Mentor to Special Needs classes, Historic Garden Tour Guide, Cemetery/grave Care, Events venue organiser – again, a very wide range of specialist niches that may be filled.
Perhaps nobody has ever thought there could be a market for such services! Perhaps that because nobody has yet launched such a business!
As a first priority, it is essential to decide a name for your services. Again, it is imperative that you are comfortable with the chosen business name. If it is a word or phrase that is difficult to pronounce, especially when answering the telephone, it is not a good idea to become tongue tied or convoluted.
Choose one that clearly describes you or your business. If you have an appropriate name e.g. Green, Gardener, Branch, Field, Lake, Brown etc, you may or may not decide it is a good idea to incorporate your name into the title of the company! Some may find it irresistible, others may see it as slightly contrived.
Consider how others react to your prospective name. Ask your friends and family, and seek their advice. Remember, you will be stuck with that name forevermore! (Or at least, until you sell the firm, when the correct name will be equally important.) I suggest too, that you do not tie yourself down to a region or place unless you do not intend to work outside that area.
Once you have chosen your name, specialist niche market, print face/colour for advertising, headed notepaper, vehicle sign writing and a host of related items that should be evaluated when starting out, you can begin with your Marketing Campaign.
How your campaign will evolve is dependent on the nature of your chosen field. Assuming that you will be working alone at the outset, with no employees and therefore limited to the amount of work you can handle, your campaign should grow from little acorns before becoming great oak trees!
Organic growth of a business is a vital element. For example, if you have the wherewithal to take a full page advertisement in The Times or Telegraph, you would be swamped with work you could never hope to handle, and thousands of disgruntled readers. Ridiculous? I have seen such things happen! Never promote or seek work you cannot hope to handle, therefore having decided on your presentation and colour scheme (important to maintain the same look to begin to gain recognition by regularity. If you change your style of advert, you lose the benefit of public awareness) begin you campaign.
It may be simple flyers or inexpensive advertisements taken out in Parish magazines (excellent source of work). One of the most effective adverts I know of was produced by a person, with the heading ‘Head Gardener – Due to Take Early Retirement Seeks Work in the
XXXXXXXX Area’. Very simple and to the point. The advert clearly intimated that the gardener was highly skilled, with a valid reason to advertise and ready and available to start work fairly imminently, and in their area.
Similarly, if your expertise is in something more obscure, and therefore a potential niche market, such as Historic Orchards, or Ancient Dew Ponds, Seventeen Century Knot Gardens,
or Medicinal/culinary Herbs & Vegetables, seek out those potential sources of work by contacting those in charge of such gardens, including The Historic House Association, or via your Local Authorities, who hold details of a wide range of Associations and Orders.
To recapitulate – once you have established your personal foundation skills and listed them into proper order, gained the confidence to be comfortable with your own talents and knowledge, the business of marketing yourself is relatively straightforward.
However, the clearer the path that you set out for yourself, and the greater the ultimate goal, the more successful you will become. Have faith in your abilities, and if you find that you are less than comfortable with any element, gently tweak your path until you find one that you find exciting and rewarding.
Never lose sight of your goal, and always find a way of feeling confident, even in the face of adversity. The road is never smooth, but by turning every negative into a positive by learning by experience, you will succeed.