Trellis Coaching - Trellis News Garden Design Newsletter & Attraction Marketing Coaching

Trellis News
The newsletter for Garden Designers

Welcome to summer and to this edition of Trellis News - this month there's some great responses to the question about the efficacy of Yellow Pages advertising, a job opening for a designer, and a chance to win a coaching voucher worth £50!

The article about our Portugese house prompted a lot of interest from readers keen to discover how to realise their dreams - some pictures of the house can be seen at www.ourhouseinportugal.co.uk , which we'll keep updated as the project progresses.

Letters Page -
Your opportunity to have your say, to ask questions, look for resources.

Andrew Baines of Courseworks is looking for a designer.........

Hi there! As a regular reader of Trellis News, I thought it ideal as a noticeboard to mention our new vacancy for a garden designer/landscape architect. We are a team of designers at Courseworks working on a range of prestigious projects across the country, including a recent roof garden scheme in Chelsea and an existing estate project in Hampshire. Our work requires a real 'hands-on' approach - here at Courseworks we encourage innovative and original design from each member of the team and all drawings are undertaken by hand in order to maximise the very individual and personal nature of our work. Graphic design skills compliment our overall approach which ranges in theme from traditional to contemporary. Courseworks are based in Nottingham and welcome enquiries from any interested parties looking for a first break in the garden design world or with some experience but perhaps looking for a new start. This might be what you've been searching for! If anyone would like to discuss the vacancy please call direct on 0115 9176664 or alternatively e-mail me on andrewbaines@courseworks.co.uk

Last month, Imogen Castle asked for your advice on advertising in Yellow Pages. Thanks to Jo Wilde, Gwenneth Raybould, Rod Chism, Roger Webster, & Amechi Udo for their replies.

I haven’t used the yellow pages, as I used to when I was a textile designer for 15 years & only got time wasters calling me. I now have some postcards with a small image on & all necessary information. I put these in a garden centre that I work with & people pick them up & call me. It looks professional & only those really interested have called me so far. Other than that – a lot of work is via word of mouth which is great – but of course takes time.
Jo Wilde

I didn't find Yellow Pages much use in the South London area. I received lots of calls, but they were for garden clearance or general gardening work, not design. My ads were absolutely specific too and I put them in both the garden design category and landscape gardening with a cross reference. This year I've taken an ad in Thomson Local which has been much better as the two calls I've received have both converted into design work. Good luck!
Gwenneth Raybould

Yellow Pages advertising is fine, especially if you put some effort into the design of the ad(s). Don't rely on their art department to design it for you. If your graphic design is not up to scratch seek professional help i.e. a graphic designer (or company). It doesn't come cheap though, unless you know someone who is and is willing to help. Designing an ad should be part of an overall corporate identity for you. Have you considered this aspect of your new business? Again, it won't come cheap but this is one of the risks you should consider to make the business a success. How do I know? I am an ex graphic designer/art director (with many years experience) now practicing as a garden/landscape designer. When I first started up in business I heard many conflicting reports about advertising in Yellow Pages. After a year or so, I decided to take the plunge and must say that Yellow Pages has worked for me. One comment that is continually repeated is that my ad stands out from all the usual dross because it has been professionaly considered despite the yellow and black! Don't forget to consider other avenues for advertising e.g. the coffee table trade magazines or better yet, The Garden (RHS Publications).
Rod Chism
P.S. You might want to give Thomson Local a miss - it definitely doesn't work for me!

Imogen - don't do it! Advertising in Yellow Pages is expensive and it's very difficult to to make youself stand out from the rest unless you really spend a huge sum. There are much cheaper ways of getting those first few jobs: local Post Office or newsagents windows can be effective; you must know your own patch and pick the right spots, the ones where everyone from all walks of life have a look. Also try local parish magazines and local directories of business services. You probably won't get big glamorous commissions from these but they can help you establish a local reputation. Are you ready to handle big glamorous commissions anyway at this stage? The important thing is to get the work and build up a portfolio you can show to prospective clients. It's very important to talk to lots of people, be enthusuastic and confident and present yourself well. Talk to everyone - family, friends, colleagues, people in the pub and let them know what you can do. And talk to local landcape contractors - they may be sceptical and some won't want to know; find the ones who are interested, who like your work, and see how you could co-operate. Good luck!
Roger Webster

Is conventional advertising the best value for the money? Have you told your network of friends, family and acquaintances that you are available and the type of clients you are looking for? Do you send e-mails a lot? If you do why not add a signature that will tell people how you can help them solve their gardening problems. There are plenty of low cost and no cost marketing strategies you can adopt, indeed an online newsletter like Trellis News is just one more example. Ultimately, you are looking to build professional relationships with people – by ‘professional’ I mean you get paid for

your services. When your budget is tight look at getting professional service relationships in place for yourself, before your create them with other people.
Amechi Udo

The first step in achieving the success you want is to get very clear about what it is that you do want. Do you want to be a garden designer who works in your local area or do you want to establish an international reputation and travel widely? Do you want to work with people who are happy to pay £60 for an uninspired design (see letter below) or do you want to command your own fee because your clients want one of your designs? Do you want to work on your own, or with associates or do you want a team of designers working for you? Does TV presenting appeal to you, or book writing? I know it may sound strange asking you this, Imogen, when you're just at the beginning of your career, but once we know our destination, it becomes much simpler to plan our route there. Once you have a clear picture of your ideal client in your mind, you can then answer your own questions about how to let them know how you can help them. This picture will include what your ideal client reads, the car they drive, how they spend their leisure time, and what emotional need a well designed garden will meet for them. So if you're aiming for middle income families in your local area, Yellow Pages could prove worthwhile - however, how about asking your local garden centres to display your brochure near the checkout, or contact your local newspaper about writing a regular column for them or your local council about designing the planting on a roundabout - there are many different ways of making yours the name that pops into their head when they decide to do something about their garden. If your target market is busy professionals in your locality, a better approach would be to network with local interior designers, or lifestyle organisers, and to arrange for your brochure to be on show in health clubs. The successful marketing approach varies depending on who it is you're aiming to appeal to.

So you've created your vision of the future, your destination point, and now it's time to take the first step towards it, which is finding that first paying client and then building up your design portfolio. It's said that each of us knows a thousand people (obviously to varying degrees of closeness!), and that we're never more than four people away from anyone we want to find, so tell everyone you know who it is you're looking for and how you can help them. For example, "I'm looking for busy professional people who want a garden that complements their lifestyle and doesn't use up their time, who do you know like that?" "I'm looking for people who's children have grown up and who want to reclaim the garden for themselves! Who do you know like that?" You may remember from edition 7 of Trellis News the Fill Your Fan Base Strategy Game, which was a step by step approach to converting people from people that you simply know, through being people you know who know what you do, to people who know you're looking for clients and finally on into being your real fans who do your marketing for you by telling everyone how brilliant you are! My challenge to you is to start by contacting 100 people you know and ask them who they know who matches your ideal client - good luck!
Annie Meachem

And here's a letter from a disheartened designer who would like to remain anonymous, and would welcome your support and advice:

"I too am struggling with getting a regular flow of clients despite advertising. Last year I built a small show garden at Hampton Court and got a bronze award. This was very satisfyng especially all the nice compliments and comments about my garden. Whilst recommendations by 'word of mouth' definitely works well, this however, takes a long time to become established. But even then, I am finding that clients either want to pay the minimum amount or that they can do it themselves. I am honestly beginning to think that garden designers do this for almost fun and satisfaction rather than as a serious business venture. Moreover, I know that local gardeners and builders are offering garden design as part of their services and even doing some sort of course on garden design and I even now of a GP who does this on the side. Both my neighbours have used a local gardener who designs for £60 flat fee, and I also know that at least 4 of his designs are pretty much the same! But the clients who have used him don't know this so it doesn't matter to them. So in my opinion, unless you are a landscaping business, a lonely Garden Designer like myself with a Diploma with distinction and even an RHS medal is going to find it very difficult initially to recover enough money to pay the bills"

What's your thoughts on the competition from unskilled and untrained designers? Is there room for everyone in the market? Your comments would be appreciated - please send them to for publication in the July edition of Trellis News.

End piece

If you've found this edition of Trellis News interesting, do tell your friends and colleagues about it. Please ask them to contact me on to receive future copies, and if they sign up before 14th July and mention your name, you will receive a coaching voucher worth £50 for you or someone you know to use.

Best Wishes

Annie Meachem

Trellis Coaching
0845 456 9382
+44 (0) 1243 545010 (from outside UK)
email

"I help designers and entrepreneurs grow their success - who do you know who's serious about being successful, and is willing to invest in themselves to achieve their dreams?"

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