22 



THE SMALL NURSERY 



in the last chapter can serve as a starter, but there are 

 new ones being issued yearly that you will want. 



Before trying to tell you what kind of an order system 

 to choose, one w^ould have to know every detail of your 

 business, for there are as many different systems and 

 styles of order blanks as there are nurseries. Two funda- 

 mental things must be kept in mind as essential to a suc- 

 cessful order system : 



a. It should keep at least one copy of the order for 

 the office record and provide a good clear copy for the 

 man who digs the order. In addition, a copy of the order 

 makes a good form of acknowledgment for the customer. 



b. It should provide space on the order sheet for all 

 necessary information. Personally I think one thing 

 that should not be omitted is the name of the person that 

 took the order. If it is a planting order, there should be 

 a request that the person who is going to deliver and plant 

 it talk with the salesman before doing the work. The sales- 

 man can often give little personal facts about the cus- 

 tomer, and hints that help to make the customer think 

 everyone is taking a personal interest in his order. I have 

 found that, after all, it's the personal touch that is the 

 big thing about the nursery business. My customers 

 want me to plant their orders because it was my vision 

 that helped them arrange their place. And however 

 careful I may be in writing an order, I cannot impart to 

 any planter the personality of my work. If your business 

 is so big that you cannot superintend every job you get, 

 at least drop around once in a while and see that every- 

 thing is going right. As Fred C. Weber, the florist, says, 

 **A sale is not a sale unless it ends in satisfaction." So 

 plan now to make your orders clear. 



After your first orders are filled you will find the need 

 for an accounting system. (You will note that the 



