Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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Can you be professional without a storefront?

It’s not always easy to work from home.

But it’s not unprofessional to “not have a shop”.

A shop doesn’t make you “more professional”. Your talent-level isn’t related to your workspace.

If you create beautiful work and provide excellent customer service….from home, a small studio, or your basement or garage….don’t feel inferior due to a lack of storefront.

Click to watch, Can you be professional without a storefront:

A few questions for you:

How many people do you allow in a consultation?

Do you prescreen clients with a phone consultation?

Consultations are an investment of time and I like to start with a phone consultation.

We can arrange an in-person meeting if we both feel we’re a good fit.

I can put together a quick proposal and quote after a consultation to get the ball rolling, make sure we’re on the same page; it’s essential to have a meeting of the minds.

Have you signed up for my FREE e-mail course, How To Book More Weddings More Quickly?

Check it out my FREE course HERE to get some of my best tips for booking more clients in less time.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out some of my Real Flower Business “stuff” today!

Keep doing beautiful work, floralpreneur.

With love from me to you,

Alison

Find a full list of my course offerings HERE.

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The most important thing you can do in your business today.

Do you know the most important thing you have to do in your business today?

Sometimes as business owners it can be tempting to push things off….

And sometimes you have a good reason. You’re busy, you’re “not ready”, or you” just don’t have time to get into that right now”.

But if you don’t implement, you don’t get results.

You may make a misstep or misfire, but if you wait until you’re “ready” or something’s “perfect”, you’ve probably waited, too long.

Don’t be afraid that it won’t be perfect….

because it probably won’t be perfect…

not at first.

Don’t wait for perfect.

You have to start somewhere.

Start before you’re ready.

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison

Click for more Real Flower Business Resources:

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Should you set an expiration date on your proposals?

Do you ever wonder how long you should wait after sending a proposal before checking in with a client?

I used to send out proposals and then wait and wonder for days, (or weeks!), whether a client was ever going to book with me! Then, one day, a business savvy friend told me to put an expiration date on wedding proposals and voila, my client management systems was forever changed.

Setting an expiration date on my proposals and was the single best move I ever made in my business. Period.

The expiration date is designed to set the parameters of your offer to honor this quote or “hold their date”…it’s a prompt for you to check in and see if they’ve made a decision or if they have any questions you can answer.

Checking in with a customer on, or before, the expiration date is to be expected when you’re trying to close this sale.

It’s not an ultimatum (most of the time), but it IS a clear signal that there’s a time limit on this offer because you don’t just “hold dates” indefinitely. Most offers are not open-ended. Neither is yours!

Click below to watch “Should you set an expiration date?”

Need some tips to write your next proposals in less time and present the expiration date to clients?

Do you have a “System” for your client communication?

A “System” is essentially a process (or protocol) for how you accomplish a task in your business. Typically you document your systems in writing (ie your operating procedures), and use them to identify inefficiencies or opportunities for automation in your business.

Systems are critical for a successful business, because they allow for you to:

  • generate income with way less effort

  • reply faster and more effectively with less stress

  • automate and streamline to get more done in less time

I have a system for client communication (and you should too).

Your prospects MUST see you as an authority and understand your rules.

That’s it.

Before you earn trust as an authority, you MUST nurture the relationship.

And the best way to do that, hands down is with:

CLEAR COMMUNICATION THAT ESTABLISHES AUTHORITY.

Emphasis on the word “AUTHORITY”… In fact, just like it’s “OK” to want to make money, it’s also totally OK to WANT clients to respect you, and follow the rules of your “systems”, and treat you like A LEADER in your field.

In fact, that authority status is the key to unlocking your maximum potential so that you can be creative, profitable, and fulfilled.

Now the good news is… there’s a BETTER way to get prospects to see you as an authority… better than working without a system…and much better than starting from scratch on every single e-mail and proposal for every single event.

It’s called…TEMPLATES!

Here’s what a real florist said about implementing my Templates…

“A couple of weeks ago I bought a bundle of Alison Ellis templates after all the talk of expiration dates. Reading through the templates gave us a fresh pair of eyes and ideas over what we were already doing. BUT what I really want to say is – we decided to try the expiration date approach and we have a record breaker! Our ideal bride just booked with an 8 day turn around from quote to deposit! Wooohooo try it.”
-Danijela FitzGibbon (from the Facebook group)

Oftentimes florists ask, “How does this expiration date work? Does the price go up after it expires?”

Well, that’s up to you. Do you need to increase the price for some reason?

I don’t increase the price after the expiration date. I just want to make my offer clear; here’s what I can do, here’s what it costs, here’s when I’d appreciate an answer…

If the client needs “more time” (for whatever reason), then that’s up to you, too. Can you extend the expiration date? Or will the clock truly run out because you have another inquiry for that date? Or is their hesitation a sign that they aren’t really serious about committing to you? What is the reason for the hold-up?

An expiration date serves as a prompt to both you, the business owner, and the client.

  1. Clients know that they should look it over sooner rather than later because you gave them the expiration date!
  2. As a business owner you now have a bonafide reason to follow-up, check-in, invite questions and close the sale.

I want to be an easy choice for my clients. I want to be an easy “yes”.

Thanks for taking the time to read and watch!

And if you decide to implement an expiration date, I’d love to hear how it’s working for you!

With love from me to you,

Alison

If you want to shortcut your proposal process and present an expiration date with confidence, click here to read more about my downloadable templates!

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What I’m Obsessed With In My Business Right Now

I invited floralpreneurs to join me for a LIVE chat in my Facebook group in December so I could share what I’m obsessed with in my business right now…and what I plan to stay obsessed with for the forseeable future. I hope you’ll watch and get obsessed, too!

Click to watch!

And if you’re ready to “get obsessed” and you’re interested in The Art of Good Business CLICK HERE.

If you’d like to see a full list of my courses, Click here.

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The best way to evaluate a course: Real Florist Reviews

In my last two blog posts I shared survey results from real florists on why they did not sign up for my course, The Art of Good Business, and today I want to share the outcome and results from real floralpreneurs who DID take the leap to join my course.

I truly believe the best way to evaluate a course is to hear from real life florists.

(You can check out a FREE preview of the course here.)

Here’s what real florists had to say about The Art of Good Business:

“There is so much content in this course! Definitely exceeded expectations.
The most important part of this course for me was the section on choreographing the customer service portion of my business. I am learning how to communicate clearly and lead my clients in a way that builds trust and sets realistic expectations.
This course is great for anyone that is ready to refine their business practices. You have to be ready to take action for this to really make a difference.
I really enjoyed the live portion of the course…Felt like having you there with us.”
-Jessie Partridge
“Because it was nearly impossible for me to atend the live stream, it was invaluable to be able to watch when I was able to.
This is a terrific course for a floral design company to take their business knowledge to the next level. It also supports and confirms a more experienced designer and can round out any deficits.”
-Lisa Sommers
“I was hesitant to start and not finish the course online, but this course was very accessible.
 
[This course is for]…anyone and everyone seriously interested in improving their business. Learning to be passionate, but at the same time differentiate a hobby from a business.
I would love to do it again…”
-Sarita De Castro
“Being a success is more than dollars earned, recognition, or floral-designing mastered. More than visibility on social media or working prestigious venues. The integrity of delivering great value with integrity and client’s perception of being well served is what is a worthy goal. AND the work is mine to DO not just to KNOW. This falls in line with my personal life values so I’m happy to put this at the top of my list of business goals…
It was worth every penny. It was at the top of my affordability at this time in my fledgling business. And I did not have to get a hotel room or plane ticket, which kept me in the game.

I am so happy with the value of this course. I didn’t even know that all of THIS is exactly what I needed to know!“
-Cathy Lamb

 

“I recommend The Art of Good Business to anyone who has been trying to go it alone. I tried to figure out my business path on my own and found a patchwork of information. The Art of Good Business puts a plan out there to follow step by step. Also, because it is cohesive it puts all the information you need into one clear class. I have taken my binder with me everywhere I go to read and re-read the course. I find new depth in the material each time. It is wonderful that this course continues to grow with your business. The Art of Good Business is a guide book for my future.“

-Rebecca Raymond

Jessica Ormond shared in our private Facebook group:

“Hey everyone! I just have to say this course, Alison’s content works! If you are dragging your feet in applying the materials, just do it! Do whatever little piece you can fit in during wedding season…here’s my story …

I still have website tweaks to make but my ideal client is more clearly defined, I’ve mostly reworked my web copy, have been better about blogging, and more intentional about how I talk to my followers on social media posts.

…just booked as my biggest gig yet, by $3k….

They refused to give me a budget. Just said that they were willing to pay what was reasonable, flowers were a priority, and they knew they were going to be a big chunk so they intentionally saved in other places. It was sooo had to leave my money shoes in the closet and not make disclaimers when I sent the proposal.

In two hours she texted to say everything looked perfect… She signed the contact in 24hrs. And, she picked me over one of the more prestigious shops in town.”

Floralpreneurs told me that November, January and March are the best times to start my course so I’ve set up 3 new sessions so you can learn at your own pace.

REGISTER FOR 3 NEW SESSIONS:

0.1  DOORS OPEN NOW-NOV. 30

0.2  DOORS WILL OPEN JAN. 1-31

0.3  DOORS WILL OPEN MAR. 1-31

The Art of Good Business includes:

  • 6 pdfs (over 125 pages of lessons + 8 pages of worksheets) that you can download right to your computer; you can even print out the entire course if you’d like.
  • 10 videos with over 4 hours of content to supplement the pdfs.
  • Plus monthly livestreams in our private Facebook group to help move you through the course all year long! In our private group we can interact with one another (including other florists) and I can address your specific questions.

If you want to design a more engaging website, attract better clients and stop worrying about what “other florists” are doing, let’s dive into The Art Of Good Business.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW THRU NOV. 30TH!

(check out a FREE preview of the course here.)

Click HERE to join my course today!

Feel free to contact me with questions here: floralartvt@gmail.com

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