Customer Service – Page 8 – Real Flower Business

What’s Good In Your Business?

Hey, Floralpreneur,

What’s Good? I mean what is really good in your business right now?

Are you crushing it in your design work this year?

Are clients over-the-moon happy with your professionalism and attention to detail?

What are people thanking you for lately?

Acknowledge the things that are going well in your business; congratulate your employees if they’ve helped you get here!

What’s happening in your business that you’re especially proud of?

What progress have you made over the last year…or two…or ten?

Now, what’s next?….

Every year I set a new goal. I identify an area with “room for improvement” and I get to work on that.

One year it may be a website upgrade (i.e. an investment in my business);

another year, I may focus more on the numbers (how much profit as a % am I making on each event, what’s the average sale, what’s the total sales projection for the year?);

it may even be as simple as reorganizing my workbench. (It doesn’t have to be “major” to be a significant change. Simply streamlining the physical work space counts toward this “room for improvement” goal.)

Momentum builds…

A few years ago I made a decision to spend more time on boutonnieres and corsages. It’s an area I’d often leave until last and then rush through a bit as I just wanted to “get it done”. Once I made a serious effort to dedicate more care and patience into my bouts and corsage work, I was happier with the end product!…and now it’s just “the way I do it”.

Each year’s resolution for improvement builds upon the last until the brand is stronger and stronger through practice and dedication to excellence in as many areas as humanly possible.

The moral of the story…

As small business owners we cannot be perfect in all ways at all times, but we must continually set new goals and raise the bar for ourselves if we’re doing the work of a good brand.

Here’s a floral bracelet I made late on a Friday night for a wedding on Saturday.

Even though I’d had a long day, I kept my commitment to quality….because I’m the one who sets the standards.

Hey, have you unlocked The Vault yet? Get it for only $13 here.

Find out about more Alison here.

By Alison Ellis 1 Comment

Other People’s Proposals. You down with O.P.P?

A floralpreneur posed this question recently:

“Just wondering the group consensus on FLORISTS (not brides) who are asking brides to show them another florist’s quotes. I guess in order to come in lower to get the booking?”

The consensus from the group was clear; it’s unprofessional to ask to see another florist’s proposal.

(That is to say, we are not down with other people’s proposals!)

There are several reasons why it’s unimaginable to me, starting with this: How does one go about asking this question in the first place? Really. How do you ask a potential client to share a competitor’s proposal without sounding nosy, desperate or cutthroat?…or even worse, all three!

If there’s any gray area around this, let me state it plainly: Do not ask to see other florists’ proposals. It’s simply “not done”.

Not only is it “uncool” to try to undermine other people’s proposals, but you’re also putting a potential client in a really awkward position. The proposal was intended for them and shared with them by another professional who they’ve considered hiring. What if they feel sharing this information with you is unethical? What does it say about you? What if they tell other vendors (aka your peers!) what you asked of them?….and how uncomfortable it made them feel?

An integrity brand does not undermine competitors. Period. Click To Tweet

It happened to me.

A few years ago a lovely couple accepted my proposal, signed a contract, sent a deposit and THEN…a few days later….they received a lower quote from another florist. The bride wrote to ask me why the other quote was so much lower than mine and I replied honestly, “I have no idea.”

Maybe their arrangements will be smaller? Maybe they will use different flowers than I plan to use? Maybe I’m more experienced? The bottom line is this: I don’t know why or how the other florist came in “so much cheaper”, but the clients chose me anyway….even after I offered to void the contract and rip up the check (I hadn’t been to the bank yet) so she could accept the lower quote if she’d like.

When I gave her the answer, “I have no idea”, the client immediately replied that she did not want to accept the lower quote, that I was her florist, and even said, “Your reply was perfect.”

I know I’m not the cheapest florist. (I don’t compete on price.)

Liene Stevens of Think Splendid wrote a blog post in March titled, Why Are You So Much More Expensive?

In it she says:

“When a potential client asks why you are priced so much higher (or so much lower) than a competitor, the initial impulse is to compare everything you offer to everything the competition offers.

While this may sometimes work, it is often a fool’s errand, as it immediately commoditizes the services you provide.

The simple fact is that you most likely don’t know why your competitors are priced the way they are.”

Liene goes onto drive it home with this final thought:

“If you know the ‘why’ behind your pricing, you can stand behind it.”

Read the full post on Liene’s blog here.

If you really want to look behind the curtain on pricing & proposals…

I bring you behind the scenes of my business in my courses, Flower Math and How To Write Proposals That Sell!

Both courses bring you behind the scenes to show you how to price for profit (Flower Math) as well as a behind the scenes look at my proposal and more importantly how I streamline my process to write proposals more quickly!…but that’s completely different from asking to view another florist’s proposal. Completely different. And much more informative.

In these courses I give you a step by step look my process. Florists are not being “sneaky” by checking out my proposal (or my pricing!).

Get my downloadable pdf How To Write Proposals That Sell here.

Find details on Flower Math , The Florist’s Guide To Pricing And Profitability here!

Not sure if one of my courses is right for you? Shoot me an e-mail any time floralartvt@gmail.com

I proudly stand behind every course I create. (And I created them just for floralpreneurs, like you!)

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

You can find a list of FREE courses as well as a full list of course offerings right here.

xo. -A

Save $175 Off a 5-Course-Bundle HERE.

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

What if a client’s budget isn’t realistic?

real flower business, floral design, education for florists, starting a floral business

If you’ve been in the floral business for more than a hot-minute you’ve probably experienced a client whose budget simply doesn’t align with their wishes.

Wedding pros tend to blame Pinterest for this “unrealistic budget epidemic”, but the truth of the matter is that all businesses experience this issue. Many skilled & experienced business owners manage to convert an “unrealistic budget client” into an “I’ll pay anything customer”….because there’s a way of selling and serving a client at the same time that establishes a level of trust.

Our clients rely on us to prequalify and educate whenever possible.

Unrealistic expectations around their floral budget does not mean the customer is “uneducated”.

An “uneducated customer” is an opportunity.

When a client understands the value of the service, they start to realize how much they actually want it.

Some florists may not be able to “get more money” from a client’s budget, however by expressing their willingness to do what they can to “make it work”, the client feels the value of service and expertise and proceeds with the knowledge that while her dream doesn’t fit their budget, they’re still getting the most “bang for their buck”.

There’s no right answer here…just for the record.

You don’t have to ALWAYS “do whatever it takes” to make it work…

You also don’t HAVE TO say “nope, this budget won’t work” if you want to make it work (as long as you can still turn a profit).

Learning to create your own boundaries is part of building your brand. Click To Tweet

We can’t do everything and anything a client requests.

We should choose to create rules that align with our business goals.

Click to watch a video I made for Flirty Fleurs where I share how I address the question, “Are these flowers expensive?”:

Note: If you’re not 100% confident in your current pricing formulas, my Flower Math course has the answers you’re looking for.

Sign up for Flower Math & SAVE $100!

To paraphrase The Rolling Stones, “Time is on my side….yes it is!” …meaning, the longer I’ve been in business, the easier it’s become to navigate these budget conversations.

If you’re not making a deliberate effort to streamline and improve communication, so your clients understand exactly “how this is gonna work”, you’re not doing enough to ensure your longterm success.

Standards and boundaries clear the path to reaching your ideal clients.

And when it comes to unrealistic budget expectations, I must quote The Stones, yet again, “You can’t always get what you want. But if you try, sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.” (Awwww, yeah.)

Setting boundaries takes practice. And confidence. And more practice.

Thanks for taking some time out of your day to stop by my site.

Keep doing beautiful work, floralpreneur®!

With love from me to you,

Alison

P. S. Have you joined my Facebook group yet? Click HERE to join & I’ll see you in the group!

Additional resources:

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Do You Need A Pricing Guide On Your Website?

As a consumer I can appreciate a good pricing guide.

When I see the “pricing tab” on someone’s website, it’s usually one of the first tabs I’ll click on…That said, there are 2 reasons I don’t provide a pricing guide on my website:

Reason #1: I design custom work and part of doing custom design work means I provide custom quotes.

A pricing guide doesn’t fit my business model.

Each event has its own parameters and that’s how I determine what this job costs for this client on this date in this location. It’s not a one-size-fits-all pricing formula.

Reason #2: I want to work with clients who are more focused on “what I deliver” and less focused on the “price of each piece”; providing a price list doesn’t jive with that goal either.

Referring clients to a price list, suggests that they should consider pricing out their own wedding before speaking to you.

The intention of listing your pricing is to be helpful and informative, but focusing on price can work against the best interest of your business.

One can easily argue the virtues of a pricing guide and its ability to “educate” before going down the road of an official consultation process, etc., but in my experience, a price list doesn’t really inform the client of what it costs to do custom work for their wedding.

If you put the focus on price before service, it may work to weed out certain clients, but it may also turn other perfectly excellent customers away…

A sample pricing guide often presents a range of prices, which is likely only minimally helpful.

For example:

If I tell you that bridal bouquets range from $175-375+, what does that really tell you about what your bouquet will cost?

If I tell you that centerpieces range from $75-250+, how does that inform you regarding your overall budget expectation?

(And yes, I have seen ranges this wide on centerpieces in online pricing guides…..because it really “depends” on what the client wants before you to accurately quote a price….and centerpieces are usually the bulk of the “average wedding order”, so you don’t want to underbid on half the job!)

Instead of a price list….

Instead of itemizing a price list for your website, create a thorough contact form to draw information out of potential clients so that you can prequalify and start to assess their needs and then, start a budget conversation based around the requirements of this particular client.

If you focus on service before price, clients start to experience what it’s like to work with you before focusing on “what it costs”. They can feel your value!

The goal is to work with ideal clients who recognize your value and choose you for you!….not just because you fit their budget.

Ideal clients feel your value so they choose you easily…

And they pay you what you’re worth!

Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. Does your website make it easy for client to choose you? Want a few stellar hacks to help streamline your site and make it SUPER user-friendly?

Click here to learn more about my Website Bootcamp to improve your website in 3 days or less!

And…you’ll find a full list of course offerings HERE.

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Bad For Business: Why Florists Must Say No To Sharing Economy

Yesterday, CBS News shared a story on a new company that advocates “sharing centerpieces” from one event to another. On the surface, this may seem harmless, even smart…an attempt to appeal to the millennial mindset that values minimalism…But here’s the thing, flowers aren’t Uber or Airbnb.

As a lifelong florist, selling flowers to one client and then re-selling the same flowers isn’t just an ethical conundrum; it’s bad for business.

The sharing economy has its place, but as a floral designer for over 23 years I am simply not able to get around the fact that in this “sharing” business model the florist is contracted to RE-SELL the same exact flowers to another customer the following day. This is simply not how florists do good business. Once flowers are sold, that’s it!

Here’s what Forbes says about companies that are geared toward the sharing economy:

“What’s fascinating is that the company is rarely the actual service provider; instead, they act as facilitator, making the transaction possible, easy, and safe for both the provider and the user. They break down the barriers that otherwise exist to starting a business or a “side hustle” for many people and make it both easy and lucrative to participate in this collaborative economy.“

While it may be lucrative to sell the same flowers twice, it’s not reputable.

Reputable florists should not sell designs at full price to one client and then offer a meager 10% refund or buy-back on those flowers so that they can be picked-up and RE-SOLD for an additional profit the following day.

How many clients will now question whether that florist will re-sell their flowers after breakdown even if they don’t choose to participate in sharing with Client B?

Does this florist also sell old flowers? Where’s the line?

Florists sell each stem only once. That’s the transaction. That’s the business we’re in.

“Buying back” so we can re-sell the same stems is not an option for a brand with integrity…even if the idea behind it is to re-purpose or re-use. If you want to repurpose or re-use, donate the flowers to a hospice or nursing home, deliver them to a charitable organization or give them away freely to family, friends and waitstaff who dedicated their evening to serving your guests.

Integrity brands deal in honesty. They rely on the trust of ideal clients to thrive. Click To Tweet

How can you have an integrity brand and sell the same flowers twice?

Even if you can somehow get around this fact, which bucks all trends of professional retailing, i.e. you don’t sell the same item twice, what does this say about the value you place on your own work?

How does one have an integrity brand and approach Client A regarding buying-back their centerpieces with the intention of reselling them?

How do you value your work and time and skill and provide a quote for $1,800 for centerpieces, and then tell Client A your work is only worth 10% of what they paid you, and then explain that you’ll then be re-selling the flowers they’re taking $180 bucks for and making an additional $900 on top of what they already paid you?

I’m serious. How does one do that?

You can’t. You simply cannot. You cannot and you should not.

Oh, and if a bride’s aunt wants to take home a centerpiece, she can’t….because the clients accepted 10 cents on the dollar from another company so you, their florist, can retrieve the flowers, refresh them and resell them.

If you’re not sure what I’m talking about you can watch a feature on the company below:

But wait, before you watch… Brace yourself, flower lovers. You’re about to hear flowers referred to as “so wasteful” and “just thrown in the trash”…not the kind of P.R. florists are really looking for, of course…

which bring me to another HUGE reason why this is bad business for florists; in order to sell this service, the company has decided to amplify the idea of wastefulness and the wrap that flowers are SO expensive, which means they purposefully use the exact opposite messaging than that of a floralpreneur who’s passionate about her/his craft and wishes to demand a higher quality and higher price for your work and your art.

You cannot sell “high-end” and “wasteful” in the same breath.

And you certainly shouldn’t list the full retail price of Client A’s centerpieces on a website, complete with inspiration photo, and then show the new “low, low price” Client B will pay for the same flowers. It does nothing but devalue your work and this is exactly how the sharing connection is made by this company; by showing how very much Client A pays and how very little Client B will pay.

An educated buyer would hear this offer and say, “hey, I’m paying $1,800 for my centerpieces, but I’m only getting $180….that doesn’t even cover the cost of my bouquet!….My florist, however is going to make another $900 off of the flowers I already bought….this doesn’t feel good…and I don’t get to keep any of these flowers!”

Click below to watch the story, yet again, blaming the florist for being “one of the most expensive parts of a wedding”…

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wedding-flowers-recycle-reuse-bloomerent-discounts

The moral of the story….

Don’t compromise your brand and established reputation for the chance to make a quick buck….which by the way, won’t actually be quick at all. By the time a florist returns to Venue A around midnight to pick up the centerpieces, returns to the shop to rearrange or freshen the flowers, returns to the shop in the morning to re-deliver the flowers to Venue B….it’s been a very long weekend.

Keep doing beautiful work, floralpreneurs!

Value your time.

Value your expertise.

Keep raising the bar.

xo. -A

Find a full list of course offerings, including FREE courses, HERE.