Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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Tips for Prequalifying Clients

How do you prequalify clients?

It took me several years of building my floral design business before I felt like I finally started to hone in on my pre-qualification process.

Not every customer can be my customer.

OK, I’d heard that before, but I really, really wanted more customers! How was I supposed to ignore perfectly decent customers in pursuit of only the right ones? (This felt risky.)

Well, it wasn’t “easy” and it did take some practice, but I spent the new few years zeroing-in on the clients that I really wanted to work with and soon, I had a calendar that was 90% filled with “my ideal customers”.

(OK, I totally made up that number….maybe it was 88%?….maybe 95%….I didn’t do the math, but my customers rocked. I was psyched with almost every single client.)

It took me years, but now I understand that attracting the right customers to my business is not about mass appeal; it’s about niche appeal.

So what’s unique about you?

That’s what’s marketable about you/your brand.

If we want to attract “better gigs”, we must show our ideal customers who we are.

Click to watch: Prequalifying Clients, Live from Facebook.

Prequalifying is a form of customer service.

Save yourself time and save clients time, too, by identifying early-on that you’re just not the right fit.

Make prequalifying part of your workflow.

Successful business owners don’t waste time in unnecessary meetings.

CEO’s say No to things that don’t fit the vision.

Prequalify.

We must be in love with our brand if we want customers to love it, too.

I know so much about my potential clients, even the ones who don’t book me, because their inquiry forms tell me a lot of important details about who they are….beyond just “we’re planning a wedding”.

My pre-qualification process feels like customer service.

It’s worth taking the time to get to know my ideal clients so I can more easily attract them AND more easily identify the clients who won’t be “ideal” for my company.

Remember: Ideal customers don’t need convincing. They already dig you.

Thanks for reading & watching!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Click for more:

What I’m obsessed with in my business right now.

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Why Florists Need to Set A Minimum

realflowerbusiness.com, education for florists, online courses for florists, floral design

When you own your own business, you’re “the decider”. It’s up to you, as a floralpreneur®, to set the rules and boundaries for your small business. I often quote from Pretty Woman, “We say who, we say when, we say how much.”

I didn’t have a minimum when I started out….I was new! I couldn’t turn any business away.

As time went on and I had more wedding inquiries than I had dates available, well, I had to set some minimum standards to ensure my profit margins.

You are the choreographer of customer service in your small business!

Communicating your minimum can actually feel like customer service. Clients need to know “how this works” and by explaining the steps to potential clients, we’re teaching them what it’s like to dance with us.

Here’s why florists need to set a minimum and how I approach the “minimum spend” at this point in my biz:

The Takeaway

This is your business and you set the rules.

At a certain point you need to implement minimum standards so you can continue to grow.

And if you need some tips on how to communicate your minimum clearly (and kindly) check out my “Full Communication Package”….This 5-course Wedding Bundle includes my E-mail Templates, Proposal Template, Contract For Florists and 16 Step Workflow.

Florists can’t be afraid to talk about budget with customers.

When’s the last time you bought something, but had absolutely no idea what you were going to spend?

Your customers aren’t coming to you with zero idea about what they’re willing to spend or what feels do-able for them.

What if a client’s budget isn’t realistic? Click HERE to find out how I handle unrealistic budget requests.

Show them the steps so they can dance with you! And present your minimum with confidence….because you’re worth it!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and watch.

xo. -Alison

Do you need help establishing your minimums?

Inside my course, Flower Math, you’ll find a list of all my starting prices (ie my minimums!) on wedding flowers over the past 16 years! Bouquets, centerpieces, ceremony arrangements, the whole sha-bang. (click here to see what else you get when you sign up.)

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How should florists charge for rentals?

realflowerbusiness.com, floral design, flower school

When I asked florists what they most wanted to learn in the upcoming year, the #1 answer was “pricing”.

One of the most frequent pricing questions I’ve received over the years is on rentals; precisely, “How do you charge for rentals?”…..

You’ll find multiple methods for charging for rentals, but here’s how I do it and why! Click to watch:

And if you want to learn EXACTLY how to “price for profit” on every arrangement you make, my course Flower Math course will show you how!

SAVE $100 off Flower Math!

Rentals can be a smart income stream for your business. If you find that your clients are most-interested in renting vs. buying centerpiece vessels, then offering items for rent is one way to fill a need for your clients.

If you tend to work with clients who want to “own everything” and feel free to give flowers away at the end of the evening or re-use them for brunch, etc., then perhaps you don’t rent as many centerpiece containers, but you have some “other feature pieces” that you can rent over and over again.

It can be difficult to speculate on “what people will want” (for years and years to come….), which is why you want to start with practical rental items. (see below!)

You must consider your storage space as well. For example, if you have to rent a storage unit, do you *really* need the expense involved in storing those rental items?

Start with a few practical rental items:

2 Large fiberglass urns for ceremony/altar,

65-100 Mercury glass votives,

10-12 Lanterns (for centerpieces or to light a pathway),

Signage, table numbers, place card holders,

3-4′ columns or pillars for ceremony arrangements,

Various centerpiece vessels,

Chuppah or arbor structure(s).

Remember: Styles come and go. Don’t go “all-in” with something that’s not particularly versatile!

Pro-tip: Sometimes rentals “walk away”. Make sure you have a clear rental agreement that covers a deposit for damage, loss, etc. Every contract requires a meeting of the minds; make sure your client knows how you will bill for lost or damaged items.

Thanks for taking the time to tune in and watch.

With love from me to you,

Alison

More FREE Resources:

Do you need a pricing guide on your website? Click HERE to find out.

Do customers think your prices are too low? Click HERE for more.

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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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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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