Do you want to spend less time on e-mail replies?

Do you ever track how many hours you spend replying to e-mails? I had no idea how much time I’d spend in front of my computer when I started my floral design business nearly 17 years ago.

For YEARS I found myself struggling with how to tell someone I couldn’t hold their date without a deposit,…or firmly explain that I will not reduce my price,… or how to strike a balance on how “tough” to *really* get when requesting a payment that’s overdue.

The reality of modern-day customer service is this: E-mail is a critical form of client communication; it’s how they get to know you!

Your customers can’t see your facial expressions or interpret your “tone”… so it’s critical that every word you choose is meaningful and accurate.

But it takes so much time to craft the perfect reply, right?!!

It took years to hone my voice so it felt professional, authentic and clear.

So let me ask you a question…

Do your e-mails increase your authority, grow trust with your clients, and make them feel well cared for?

What if you could…

Feel CONFIDENT when explaining your terms to a client,
Forget FEARS about not being taken seriously,
Gain AUTHORITY as you build trust with your prompt, concise replies,
Make stronger CONNECTIONS so your customers can actually understand your expectations,
Increase the INCOME you’ll be able to generate when you state your minimums clearly so clients say YES to your next proposal, no questions asked!

Confidence. Authority. Connections. Income.

… Do you want these things in your business?

THEN START…

Confidently establishing your authority…
Boldly claiming your role as the leader your clients need you to be…
Seamlessly building trust with clients who “get you”…

AND STOP…

staring at your computer screen searching for the “right thing to say”…
wondering if you’ll ever hear back from a prospect…
feeling like your clients are in the driver’s seat….

For my wedding and event clients, I often send the same basic e-mails over and over again throughout the season, so after about 15 years in business I created 12 E-mail Templates for Florists with some of my most frequent (& sometimes tricky!) customer conversations, as well as 10 More Templates with Difficult Client Conversations Made Easy!

Now THRU Oct. 31 at 3pm Eastern Time THEY’RE ON SALE! SAVE $20 OFF BOTH SETS OF TEMPLATES WHEN YOU BUY A BUNDLE.

Here’s what ya get in 10 E-mail Templates:

How to….

Tell someone you can no longer “hold their date”.
Present a proposal that’s over budget.
Ask someone why they did NOT book with you.
Tell someone you’re not a good fit for their event.
Reply to a complaint.
Bill for damaged or missing rental items after an event.
Explain you won’t order flowers until full payment is received.
Tell someone that their most recent changes/additions will result in a price increase.
Tell someone you will not update their proposal (again) or meet (again) without a deposit.
Respond when a wedding is cancelled.

And here’s what’s included in 12 E-Mail Templates:

How to…

Say, Hello in an introduction e-mail.
Present a minimum.
Present a proposal, contract and invoice.
Tell someone you’re unavailable for their date.
Tell someone you will not lower your price.
Follow up if you don’t hear back from a prospect.
Tell someone you cannot hold their date without deposit.
Confirm receipt of contract & deposit.
Confirm receipt of contract, but missing deposit.
Confirm receipt of deposit, but missing contract.
Request final changes and final payment.
Confirm receipt of final payment before event.

Plus These Bonuses:

5 E-Mail Etiquette Tips
How To Ask For a Testimonial

Click here to grab my templates and start leveraging your e-mails to increase your confidence, authority, and income.

This is the lowest price I’ve ever offered on templates!

…so if there is even an inkling of a desire to grab these templates, jump on it right now.

I’m closing the doors on this sale at 3pm EST on Oct. 31.

Templates save you time! You can customize your own e-mail templates by modifying the language and phrasing provided in my templates. Simply create an e-mail folder for your most commonly used conversations, then, copy, paste into a new e-mail and adjust as needed to suit your client!

Florists often tell me they use these e-mail templates the same day they buy them! Copy, paste, rinse, repeat!

If you have questions for me, get in touch! floralartvt@gmail.com

xo. -Alison

By Alison Ellis

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.

By Alison Ellis

If you want clients to value your work, you must do this first

As a floral designer, you want people to value what you do; your time, your art, your expertise, and your unique, quality blooms!….all these elements come together to create your own unique brand, and that’s what brings value to your clients.

If you want clients to value your work, you do have to provide a quality product, however, there’s a bit more to it in my opinion.

If you want others to value your time and your work, you must in turn value the work of OTHER creatives, including their time, art and expertise.

It’s much easier to “increase your value” in a genuine way if you walk the walk in your own life as well.

If you’re someone who feels like everyone else is “too expensive” or “not worth THAT MUCH”, then it can be a challenge to demand that clients value what YOU do.

Finding value in others should come with ease if you aim to be the owner of a brand with integrity.

What are you willing to pay more for?

What feels “worth it” to you?

What are you willing to invest in? For business? For pleasure?

What artisan/creative/specialty product are you eager to pay for?

Who do you tip more than 20%?

Who (or what brand) sets a price that you do not question?

Your ideal clients feel the exact same way about you/your business as you feel about the products & services you value and are willing to pay for.

Real Flower Business

Clients must experience value from your brand.

And a good brand recognizes the value in others’ work as well.

Whether that’s the photographer, the caterer, the venue, the invitations…

It’s just good for business to acknowledge the importance of other businesses.

Value your work AND the work of others. Share on X

Here are some of the things I value (and will often pay more for):

Quality shoes

A “good” gin

Locally grown veggies and fruits

Eggs from my neighbor’s chickens

Fairtrade coffee

Freshly baked pies from the woman up the road

Gerard’s bread!

A great hair stylist

Education or workshops that help better my business!

When you “spend easily”, you’re an ideal client for the business you’re buying from!

What can you do to make your clients feel your value and, as a result, “spend easily” with you?

Find a full list of course offerings HERE. (including: 10 E-Mail Templates for Florists. Save $10 Off an Template Bundle HERE.)

Here’s the e-mail lineup:

How to tell someone you can no longer “hold their date”.
How to present a proposal that’s over budget.
How to ask someone why they did NOT book with you.
How to tell someone you’re not a good fit for their event.
How to reply to a complaint.
How to bill for damaged or missing rental items after an event.
How to explain you won’t order flowers until full payment is received.
How to tell someone that their most recent changes/additions will result in a price increase.
How to tell someone you will not update their proposal (again) or meet (again) without a deposit.
How to respond when a wedding is cancelled.

Plus a free bonus: How to Ask For A Testimonial.

Learn more about my templates HERE!

By Alison Ellis

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. Share on X

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

Is it time to lose your auto-reply?

What does an automatic reply actually say to your clients?

As commander-in-chief of my one-woman floral army, balancing time between my design bench and my office means my commitment to prompt e-mail replies can be a challenge.

One way businesses attempt to provide a prompt e-mail response is, of course, by setting up an auto-reply.

It starts out as an “away message” for a winter break…and then, it turns into a regular habit…24/7 auto-reply.

As prompt as it may be, an auto-response is not a personal reply…so while it’s prompt, it’s also impersonal.

The bottom line is this: An auto-reply does not feel like customer service.

Click to watch why I think it’s time to rethink the auto-reply (and what to do instead):

The Moral of the Story

There’s a time and a place for automation, but if you pride yourself on customer service, then, limit your reliance on auto-respond and lead clients through the booking and sales process with personalized service that’s unique to your brand–not straight out of the can!

I write my own email replies, but I follow some basic templates I’ve perfected after over 20 years in business! If you want to establish more authority and stop over-thinking your email replies, my Email Templates for Florists help you save time and close sales with customers in a clear, professional manner without sounding fake or phony!

Learn About E-mail Templates

Keep this in mind…

E-mail is a crucial part of your customer service experience.

Over the years, I’ve learned how to streamline my processes while establishing authority and trust in my e-mail communication. This allows me to pre-qualify and weed out price shoppers, book clients more quickly and gently guide customers through the sale.

That’s why I created my E-mail Templates for Florists to help navigate some of the most frequent (& sometimes difficult!) customer conversations so that you can spend less time worrying about how to say “no” and more time booking great clients.

Florists who use my templates….

Feel CONFIDENT when explaining terms to a client,
Forget FEARS about not being taken seriously,
Gain AUTHORITY and build trust with prompt, concise replies,
Make stronger CONNECTIONS so customers can actually understand your expectations,
Increase INCOME by stating minimums clearly so clients say YES to your next proposal, no questions asked!

You can spend HOURS trying to figure out how to say something “just right” or you can do something that will change your life…which is what florists tell me all the time about my templates! Try ’em. You’ll like ’em.

Click Here To Learn More

Melissa said:

“Just downloaded the 12 email templates, wedding workflow, and how to write proposals that sell………ALISON! You are the flower fairy god mother we all needed! Information overload! Do it guys 😉”

Best price=Buy a bundle (click for e-mail template bundle pricing!