Love for speed and passion for green. Michiel Ingen Housz started his webshop at a young age and sold special plants there. Sending a tree 4 meters high by post? Daily expense and still a logistical challenge. His webshop123planten.nlis the place for unique and special plants.
Act quickly and get results
'It's not like I suddenly woke up and thought: I'm going to send plants via an online shop. As a teenager I bought flowers from farmers that were too small for the auction. I then sold them door to door. Really no one saw the difference. I always had a nice pocket money left over from that. Later, when I did an internship at a hardware store, my passion for greenery returned. At that time it was not common to sell plants in a hardware store. But, the branch manager really liked my idea. Within no time, plant sales were booming. Act quickly and achieve results quickly: that appeals to me about entrepreneurship.'
'I get a lot of satisfaction from the steps we take. And that those steps lead to success'
Acceleration
'In the end, the head office put a big stop to the sale. That was a shame because we earned a nice living from it. I wanted to continue, so I started my own webshop. I had a lot of customer contact there. People wanted advice or a plant that the standard garden center could not supply. I discovered that an online shop is a lot of fun and then I went ahead. And yes, then everything started to grow rapidly to where I am now. I get a lot of satisfaction from the steps we take. And that those steps lead to success.'
Listen to customers
'Listen carefully to what the customer wants and constantly respond to that. When I first started my webshop, I thought I had to be a price fighter. But by listening, I noticed that that need was not there at all. People searched online for products that they could not find in the garden center. For example, a palm tree of 2.5 meters high or expensive, large cacti. I changed my strategy and started distinguishing myself through the range.'
'I have never experienced customer service that listens so well'
Fast customer service
'I was looking for a system that recognizes telephone numbers from our customer base. That's how I came into contact with Belco. It clicked from the start. Edwin is approachable, approachable and I can easily spar with him. Belco allows me to help a customer much faster. Even before anyone tells their story on the phone, I have already looked at the order. Customers are often impressed by how quickly they are helped. And I notice that they really like the fact that they don't have to tell their whole story every time. That saves a lot of time and money. I have never before experienced customer service that listens so well and acts immediately when necessary. Belco's customer service is sublime.'
'Our special plants also bring us to special customers'
Logistical challenge
'The logistics process has been a challenge from the start. If we send a plant by post, it must stand upright and not shake too much. Parcel services do not guarantee that the plants will arrive with leaves and all. Of course, the boxes have now been adapted to this and shipping usually goes well. Another challenge is sending large plants. A cactus weighing at least 150 kilos or a tree 4 meters high cannot fit in a cardboard box. We drive those whoppers to customers ourselves with our own van. This way we can not only be sure that the plant will arrive safely and on time, we can also provide extra service on location.'
Plants in top condition
'Because of our special plants, we often visit special customers. Feyenoord, for example, is also a customer of ours. Few people enter the training facilities and see how players are trained. We walk around there every month to keep the plants in the same top condition. We are very proud of that. And of course in our webshop !'
