Just doing a bit of research and would value your opinions - Would you have any interest in learning about Garden Design this summer if the course was quick, easy, inexpensive and written in plain English, not confusing designer waffle?!
I know a lot of you get asked to just 'come up with something' for clients who don't want to employ a designer & you end up losing work if you say no, or you struggle with it, knowing your efforts aren't as good as you'd like...
I'm thinking about offering a short online course in garden design for landscapers who would like to be able to offer a design service when needed, but don't have the time or inclination to do a full degree course and I want to judge the level of interest before I put it all together.
I was also thinking I'd add bonus advice on how to make sure your website to attracts plenty of the right clients - is this something that appeals?
Leave you comments below - many thanks!
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Hi Rachel,
I'd say my work is split 70/30 between landscaping and design. I did a diploma from home which was meant to have design aspect but had very little and the qualification isn't recognised as such. The deign side of the business is something I'd like to grow and although I have done quite a lot of designing it's an area I;d like to build my knowledge in.
I have often considered doing some sort of course but which didn't require the commitment or time needed for a full degree but for me the essential thing would be that it was a recognised achievement at the end. Recognised I guess by the industry is what I mean, so for example by the SGD if membership of that group was something I wanted to aim towards for example.
The website element would be interesting, again I'd like to be able to target more affluent customers who are happy to pay for the deign element on its own so yep that would be of interest.
Hope that helps.
Hi Andy,
Thank you, your reply has been very helpful, you've raised some points that I'd not thought of. I can see why you'd want an accredited course that's recognised. Mine unfortunately isn't as I've wanted to keep things simple and not have to pad the course out to meet other people's criteria, which is usually the case with accredited courses.
The methods I teach for designing gardens are really simple and aren't in any traditional text books or courses, but they are very effective. The course was originally designed for homeowners but I've had pro designers do it, even garden design teachers! And they've benefited from the training. So that's what gave me the idea to see if landscapers would be interested in it.
Thanks again for your feedback.
Best wishes
Rachel
This is an interesting one as it is one of the reasons behind why the network was created in the first place.
The internet now offers the ability to feature and promote a practitioner's work via text, photography and video, meaning many of the old 'gatekeepers' have seen the keys taken from their grasp.
Whilst peers may attach value to accreditations, I wonder if potential clients do as much?
Being able to show them the projects and designs that you have completed via the web, or even through recommendations from their friends in a Facebook message, may get you through the door to begin the consultation process.
When I see websites such as http://www.lynda.com/ offering courses on a wide variety of subjects, there is clearly plenty of potential with online learning, and I also think the shared experience of doing the course is an important element.
Wherever you look those 'gates' seem to keep on crumbling.
That's a good question Craig - from my experience, the answer is yes and no! These days no one asks if I'm qualified or not, but when I first started I was only 19, and 21 by the time I qualified and EVERYONE would ask me where I trained, almost as soon as they opened the front door as I looked so young!
At the end of the day, customers just want a really nice garden. There's still a huge number that don't know the difference between what a landscaper does and a designer - they just assume the landscaper does everything!
I've seen an alarming number of 'qualified designer's' work that really isn't up to scratch, so I'm personally more interested in someone's ability to do the work, much more than their qualifications. I do totally understand Andy's reasons for wanting an accredited qualification though.