Following the successful introduction of the UK Roundup Academy in February last year, nearly 700 garden retail staff signed up for the Academy, with close to 200 of these completing all four modules to become “Masters of Roundup”.
The momentum of the Academy also spread across Europe, with nearly 1,000 retail staff having joined up to the programme in France and Germany.
New for 2013 will be a fifth module to be added later in the year on how to control Tough and Difficult Weeds which will complement the existing four modules explaining the benefits and suitable applications of the Innovative Roundup Gel, the basics of weed killing, different types of roundup products available and how to use the products safely.
Signing up to the Roundup Academy is beneficial to new staff as well as those who didn’t enrol last year as it provides improved product knowledge, leading to increased confidence when giving advice to customers. This is great for retailers as, better customer service usually results increased sales.
Those who are already members can also login again this year to refresh their weeding knowledge, as there are a few new questions, and get another chance to win some Apple prizes.
As well as benefitting from an increased knowledge of weed control, Roundup is once again incentivising staff to join the Academy with prize draws to win iPads, iPod Nanos and iTunes vouchers in a monthly prize draw*. These will take place at the end of March, April and May so the earlier the training is completed; participants will have more chances to win.
Gary Philpotts, Roundup Lawn and Garden UK business director said: “We were delighted with the success of the Roundup Academy last year so we’re extremely pleased to be kicking off the 2013 Academy and are hoping to double the numbers of retail staff getting involved.
“Feedback from retailers about how well it was received was instrumental in our decision to invest in the academy further in 2013.
“The idea behind the Academy was based on research showing that 45% of customers shopping for ferts and chems leave without buying anything, mainly because they are confused by the different options available to them. By providing staff with the knowledge to offer informed advice, this ensures they can recommend the best product to a customer based on their individual needs and guide them towards making a purchasing decision.”
The Academy is found within the Roundup Trade information centre, located at www.roundup-garden.com/trade. Participants enter a unique code, which can be obtained from Scotts’ sales representatives, managers and customer services team.
