Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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What does great customer service feel like?

The most important thing I’ve done for my floral design business is work towards perfecting a customer service experience that reflects the values of my brand and speaks directly to the heart of my ideal clients.

Want to find better clients?

Create a better customer experience.

What does great customer service feel like?

Do you remember the best customer service experience you ever had? A time when YOU were the customer and something stellar happened that made you feel great?

Maybe it was an unexpected refund you didn’t even have to ask for, or a hotel staff member who went above and beyond for you….maybe it was the super comfy leather chair in a waiting room that made your wait time a little more enjoyable…or the free refills…or the personal touch…a time when you experienced a better-than-average “result”.

How can you make you customers feel special?

1. Think of a real life customer service experience where you were wowed. [Even better, think of a brand that continually wows you with their service.]

2. Write down all the details….what did you expect to happen? How was this experience with this company or brand different/better?

3. Now consider how YOU can translate what was special about your experience into a customer experience for your ideal clients?

Tapping into what makes you one-of-a-kind propels your business.

Now…to expand on that…

Tapping into what your customers need is another meaningful way to speak to your ideal customers.

My downloadable pdf, Wedding Workflow, gives you a behind-the-scenes look at my 16 Steps to Client Management from the initial e-mail inquiry to a post-wedding followup.

Create a better customer service experience.

You can read the details on this downloadable course here including the table of contents with a list of all 16 steps!

It’s priced at just $19 and you can CLICK HERE TO GET IT.

DOES YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER READ YOUR BLOG?

I challenged floralpreneurs to blog every week in November…HOW’D YOU DO?

I hope you’ll consider taking this challenge and show your blog some love with 4 fresh posts!

If this is the first time you’re hearing of the challenge, can you blog 4 times over the next 4 weeks, then?…

WHY DO YOU NEED TO BLOG?

Your website is where you really want to talk to your ideal customers.

Your website is the only thing you own.

JOIN ME LIVE ON FACEBOOK!

I’ve been livestreaming on Facebook.

Real Flower Business is the name of the group and it’s a great group of floral pros.

Join us in the group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFlowersBusiness

Thanks to everyone who’s already joined me!

As always…

Keep doing beautiful work.”

With love from me to you,

Alison

Find a list of my course offerings HERE.

P.S. If you’re a floral designer who’s digging my content and/or my courses, please share the real flower business love via e-mail, Facebook, Instagram, sky writing, what-have-you with a florist you know and love. (I truly appreciate your support in cultivating other floral pros.)

P.P.S. Are you still on the fence about Flower Math? Buy it today for 10% off HERE. (Get it before the end of the year and it’s a business expense for 2016.) Keep more of the money you’re already making in 2017!

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Who is your Ideal Customer?

What is an Ideal Customer?

I see people referring to “ideal customers” or “ideal clients” all the time, yet I rarely see it the term clearly defined.

 

Before updating your website or rebranding your biz, the #1 question to answer is “Who is your ideal customer?”

But how can you find your ideal customers if you don’t know what you’re looking for?

Here’s one way to think of it:

Your ideal customers don’t need convincing…

they love what you do,

appreciate your work/artistry, and

all they need are a few details on how to officially book with you.

If you’re ever unsure about who your ideal customer really is, take a look at the customers that already love you–ideally, the ones that you love right back!–and try to identify the important qualities they have in common.

Click below to watch my video: Who is your ideal customer?

Qualities of an Ideal Customer:

  • Ideal customers are more interested in finding out what it takes to book with you than how much you charge for a centerpiece.
  • Ideal customers are quick to accept your proposal & sign a contract because they want what you’re selling!
  • Ideal customers feel like you’re the right choice for them; they trust you!

Every floralpreneur has her/his own ideal customer depending on where you are in your business. The ideal client for a home-based florist who’s just starting out is different from the ideal client for an established florist with a full-time staff and 25 years of experience. It’s only natural that your ideal clients might change as your business matures.

Click for more: How do you prequalify customers?

More from Alison:

When I started my business, Floral Artistry, in 2002 I’d never heard the term “ideal customer”.  As I often recount, “it was a simpler time“… back in the early 2000’s, without the power of Google and social media to help you hone your branding and reach your ideal customers (aka the clients who LOVE what you do).

You can gain a lot of clarity when you focus on the people you really want to work with; you’re not looking for just “anyone”.

The Takeaway

It’s not always easy to define who your ideal customers are and it can be particularly tricky when you have a wedding business where cultivating repeat business isn’t always in the cards.

Though the working relationship with a wedding client has a finite end, I strive to exceed expectations and choreograph a customer service experience that thrills and delights. Excellent service provides value and eliminates your competition.

Before you’ve built your brand to the point of attracting ideal clients, the concept of “customers that love you” may seem like a pie in the sky dream…just keep this in mind:

As you build an integrity brand with a website that represents who you are as a company/brand/designer you’ll find that ideal clients start finding you! (And they’re so happy that they found you.)

Identifying your ideal customers is a critical piece of your branding puzzle.

xo. -Alison

To find a full list of my course offerings click here. 

 

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What does 1 year in business look like?

Hey, floralpreneurs!

Growing a business is a journey. It’s not a sprint, not a straight line, and there’s no guarantee that anybody wants what you’re selling. I started my floral design business 15 years ago…before Facebook or social media pressures/rewards existed. When I started Floral Artistry I made my own business cards on my desktop computer and didn’t even have a website. It was a simpler time in many ways, but reaching a wider audience and making an impression is so much more possible now than it was “back then.”

The past year has been so intensely busy and absolutely rewarding. Did I set out to start a second business? Not exactly. I know a lot more about selling flowers than I know about selling courses… I love the business side of our business. And while I’ve never worked as hard as I have the past 14 months, I am so grateful for the connections I’ve made with florists across the globe.

In September 2015 I had the idea to create a pricing course for florists to teach everything I know about pricing and profitability. I spent the next 6 weeks working nearly around the clock to bring the course to life. Flower Math is a pricing “tell all” course that brings you behind the scenes of 3 real weddings with real profits and floral recipes to show floralpreneurs that IT IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE A PROFITABLE FLORAL DESIGN BUSINESS. You can provide value to your clients and turn a profit at the same time! I didn’t have any intentions to create other courses….Flower Math was “my only idea”…and it felt like a big risk to put it out there. It’s a serious look behind the curtain of my biz.

After I released Flower Math, a floral designer friend of mine (who also took my course), suggested that I make e-mail templates…and I do love client interactions and customer management!…so in Feb. I released 2 new courses: 12 E-mail Templates for Florists and How To Write Proposals That Sell. Then, in the fall, I released my Wedding Workflow which shares my 16 Steps to Client Management to show you how I’ve learned to step-up my customer service game over the past 15 years as a small business owner.

I appreciate every single person who took a leap of faith to purchase one of my courses. The thing that thrills me most is how many florists have returned to buy more than 1 course. That’s the highest compliment. There’s nothing more rewarding than earning trust. It’s crucial to building a brand.

My NEWEST COURSE will be LIVE Jan. 9-Feb. 6, The Art Of Good Business is a 5 week course on honing the voice of your brand, finding ideal customers (aka customers that love you!) and choreographing a customer service experience that will wow your ideal clients. My 2017 wedding season booked up more quickly than ever before thanks to the hard work and practice of building my brand. I’m going to walk through this course with you to show you exactly how you can do this hard work, too. Click here to see the course schedule.
BONUS: The first 10 people who register for The Art Of Good Business will also get a FREE one on one strategy session (value $249).

I’m in a unique position to work through this course with you because I’ve done the work to build my business and I’m also in the process of building a new business which means I’m experiencing new learning curves and lessons just about every week.

As I always say, Every year is a learning year!

Check out my course offerings HERE for details on all of my courses, including 2 FREE COURSES, Flower Boss and 4 Pricing Mistakes Florists Make.
I want floralpreneurs to thrive!
Take advantage of free training on my blog and YouTube!
I’ve created lots of free educational videos for florists over the years.

Click below to watch The Worst Business Advice I Ever Took…I also share the BEST business advice I ever got! Check it out.

Read more about Alison here.

#floralpreneur #floralindustry #realflowerbusiness #theartofgoodbusiness

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Are You Giving Away Your Best Stuff?

If you’re a floral designer in the midst of your busy wedding season there’s a good chance that 3 things are true:

1. You’ve been creating a lot of beautiful work.

2. You’ve been sharing photos of your beautiful work on Instagram and Facebook.

3. Your own website and blog has been getting no love or attention.

Am I right? (of course I am.)

I will admit that after years and years of steady blogging and website TLC I let it slip.

I became a mom (so I became understandably busy!),

my calendar was booking consistently early (so I wasn’t as motivated to create new content!),

I had years and years worth of blog posts (I could just rest on my laurels!),

and now, between my 18th wedding season and my weekly updates for Floralpreneurs on my e-mail list (and now a Facebook group where thousands of florists from around the world can connect!), well, I have plenty of good reasons why blogging has not been at the top of my list…

 

BUT I truly had an ah-ha moment as I was writing my Wedding Workflow course, (which includes my 16 steps to client management), when I realized I WASN’T FOLLOWING THE FINAL STEP!

 

I was missing out on the follow-up conversation with my customers because I wasn’t diligent about blogging.

THE FIRST STEP WAS ADMITTING I HAD A PROBLEM.

The ah-ha moment was when I realized that I’ve been creating all this free content for Instagram (which is awesome and fun!), but I’m missing out on creating this current content for my own website!  What was I thinking? 

There’s an instant gratification factor that only Instagram can give a floral designer these days.

On the other hand we think: “No one reads my blog.”

That’s the #1 reason we become disenchanted with blogging and go for the quick fix of Instagram or Facebook….the “likes” can be seen, heard and felt ’round the world. It’s instantly gratifying to share.

BUT on my blog the comments are few and far between, so I don’t feel the love as readily.

On the surface the “likes” seem relevant, but in truth, what’s relevant is a good, strong brand with integrity…

and the only thing I “own” online is my website, which is where my blog lives, and I love my blog, and I love the SEO I’ve earned through all the hard work of writing and labeling my images.

So the only logical conclusion is that I have to get back to blogging and adding photos of my most recent work to my website.

Conclusion: If I don’t love my website, no one else will either.

 

If you’re ready to take your website even further, take the leap to try my Website Bootcamp!

realflowerbusiness.com Website Bootcamp

 

Warning: Deliberate learning and practice will be required to improve your website. You will be forced to allow yourself to possibly make a mistake or misstep. The sooner you can accept that “it” (your business, your decisions, your efforts) sometimes cannot be perfect, the sooner you can create the room to bloom and grow….because nothing’s ever perfect. Progress over perfection.

Start before you’re ready. And if you’re not sure if a course is right for you, drop me a line any time. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have before, during or after taking a course. You can contact me at floralartvt@gmail.com

As always…

Keep doing beautiful work. 

With love from me to you,

Alison

Still need a kick in the pants? Check out my video below: The Most important Thing You Can Do For Your Business Today!

Thanks so much for reading and watching!

  • You can check out a full list of my course offerings HERE!

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Welcome to Real Flower Business Blog

Hello, floralpreneur!

Thanks for noticing me! I’m truly happy that you’re here.

Welcome to my brand new blog.

I’ve been sharing free business education with floral designers for over 6 years now, first on FlirtyFleurs.com and via my YouTube channel, and now on my very own blog.

People often ask me why I share so much for free? The answer is easy:

I am passionate about the art of good business.

In October 2015 I invited florists to join my e-mail list and in November I released my very first online course, Flower Math, The Florist’s Guide To Pricing & Profitability.

I didn’t really have a plan when I created my first course. I knew there were florists who struggle to turn a profit and I knew I could show them exactly how I price my work & create recipes to ensure my profit margins. It felt like a big risk to share such an intimate behind-the-scenes look at my process, but it was all very organic (aka genuinely from my heart!) so I had to move through any worries or doubts about whether this was a good idea and just do it!

I didn’t have any intentions to create more courses. I thought Flower Math would be “my only course” because I hadn’t considered teaching any other topics.

Pricing is my wheelhouse.

Profitability is my jam.

Over the past year my e-mail list has grown to nearly 900 subscribers and a few months ago, I started a Facebook group just for floral pro’s (which has been pretty awesome and includes almost 900 members…and counting!) and now, here I am, blogging on my newly re-named website: realflowerbusiness.com.

This has been a major year of growth and production for me. 

I’ve never worked quite so hard…and it’s been really rewarding.

After I released Flower Math a florist-friend (half jokingly) suggested I make e-mail templates to help other floral pros with tricky or difficult conversations. I thought it sounded brilliant. I love to turn a phrase.

At the time I was already about half-way done with a proposal template I’d been working on, so I hopped right on it and about 2 months after releasing my “one and only course idea”, I suddenly had 2 new downloadable courses; 12 E-Mail Templates and How To Write Proposals That Sell.

A few weeks ago I released my third downloadable course, Wedding Workflow, which shares 16 Steps To Client Management. This course gives designers a look behind the curtain at my own personal approach to customer service from the initial inquiry to the post-wedding day follow-up and I’m really proud of the value it provides.

When florists tell me they used one of my templates and booked a gig or refused to reduce their price I celebrate that victory with them. What you say and how you say it tells your clients so much about who you are and what you’re willing to accept. Honing the voice of your business (and hence, our brand) is no small detail. I’ve been mining this area of branding and customer service for a long time…

And now I have my biggest course yet! The Art Of Good Business.

Business courses for florists, floralpreneur

This week I’m so excited to announce my newest and biggest course: The Art of Good Business.

Floralpreneurs will leave the course with a deeper understanding of who your ideal customers are and how to attract more customers that love you.

You’ll develop skills to identify your own unique blend of talents that make up your one-of-a-kind brand by looking inwards and practicing talking directly to ideal customers.

Florists will also learn how to better improve website engagement to increase inquiries and improve the overall first impression/first point of contact with potential customers.

In regards to customer service, florists will gain valuable strategies around client management, prequalifying customers and creating an outstanding customer service experience.

You can read the full details on my sales page here. I call my new course “a digital experience” because I will be walking through the course with you virtually from start to finish.

I’ll be hosting a private Facebook group to correspond with the course with monthly livestreams and live office hours so I can answer your questions in real time. I will vary the times a bit to allow designers in other time zones/hemispheres to hop on for some live discussions. (I know some of my favorite Aussie’s are usually sleeping when I host live events! I don’t want you to miss out!)

So that’s the word. My “big reveal”. I have a newer, bigger, “more online than ever before” online course and it is awesome!

Click here to read what florists say about The Art of Good Business!

And…I’m blogging now! So you’ll be able to hop on over here to find the free content you’ve come to know (and hopefully love) from me.

If you have questions for me or want to drop me a line any time you can reach me at info@floralartvt.com

Thanks so much for stopping by my new blog!

Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. If you’re a floralpreneur who’s digging my content please share the love with a floral designer you know and love!

Have you tried my free courses?

Save on Bunch Pricing…


Find a full list of course offerings HERE!

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