Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

  • About
    • Bio
    • Coaching
    • Core Values
    • FAQ’s
    • Privacy Policy
  • Courses
    • Flower Math
      • About Flower Math
      • Free Preview Of Flower Math
    • Best Price Bundles
    • Business Plan
    • Contracts For Florists
    • E-mail Templates
    • How To Write Proposals That Sell
    • Marketing Minicourse
    • Wedding Workflow
    • Website Bootcamp
    • All Courses
  • Coaching
  • Testimonials
    • Student Success Stories
    • Flower Math Feedback
    • Art of Good Biz Testimonials
  • Blog & Freebies
    • Blog
    • Free Courses For Florists
  • Log In

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

How To Book A Wedding In 10 Days

A floralpreneur® asked: “Do you offer any courses or advice on how you do your consultations and process? I have seen you post that you have a phone conversation with a client for weddings and then you usually don’t really have much contact until delivery/setup day of wedding. Just wondering how you go about doing this, so that you are not in constant back and forth with the client? Thanks!”

I offer a ton of resources for florists to help book weddings and write proposals quickly, inside my Wedding Templates AND I’m going to dive into this question in more depth inside Patreon member training on May 18th,

but questions on “the steps to actually book weddings” keep coming up–so I put together 5 Steps to Book A Wedding in 10 Days, and I’ll walk you though them here!

I’m going to lay out the timeline for how I book a wedding in 10 days below…

And when you scroll down, I’ll add more detail to each step with links to all the resources I have available that take you behind-the-scenes to show you EXACTLY how I do each step!

Because I have resources to help florists book clients more quickly, but if you don’t know which tools are available, you may be missing out on these proven strategies.


Here’s the timeline for How To Book A Wedding In 10 Days:

  • Day 1: New client inquires via website inquiry form (or phone).
  • Day 1 or 2: Reply promptly and invite the client to book a call.
  • Days 2-5: Ideally the consultation call happens ASAP.
  • Days 6-8: After the call, I send out the initial quote ASAP.
  • Day 9-10: Follow up to close the sale!

Want me to walk through the steps of the sales process in more detail?

Here’s a break down of all 5 Steps along with additional tips & resources:

Step 1. New client inquires via website inquiry form (or phone).

Pro Tips:

  • Your inquiry form should help to pre-qualify clients for style and budget by gathering data you need.
  • This helps you save time by weeding out clients who cannot afford you.

Resources:

  • You can find my tips on how to create a contact form that helps you pre-qualify clients inside my 3 Keys To Booking Great Clients Video Series on Patreon Here (access starts at just $3).


Step 2. Reply and invite the client to book a call.

Pro Tips:

  • This is where my Wedding Workflow kicks in. It starts with the 4 C’s of booking: Congratulate, Confirm, Compliment and Consultation.
  • I also establish a starting budget if it’s unclear that we’re a budget match.

Resources:

  • You can get my Wedding Workflow Here (just $19) if you want to see a complete breakdown of my 16 Steps To Client Management.
  • You can also get my Email Templates for Florists Here to get the exact wording I use to establish a minimum spend with clients.
  • Or you can get all of my Wedding Templates in a bundle Here (including my Proposal, Contract for Florists, Wedding Workflow, & Email Templates for Florists).


Step 3. Consultation call happens ASAP while the client has your company at the top of their mind.

Pro Tips:

  • The call is a mutual interview and an opportunity to listen to the client’s needs/concerns to make sure their expectations are understood.
  • This is also an opportunity to establish trust and authority with potential clients.

Resources:

  • You can get a Transcript of a Real Wedding Consultation when you join me on Patreon (access starts at $29).
  • I’ll also be walking through the phone consultation process in more depth with Patreon members on May 18th!

Step 4. Write up the initial quote ASAP.

Pro Tips:

  • I write this up quickly without a ton of detail, establish a minimum spend for the clients, and put an expiration date on the proposal.
  • This is usually sent to the client within a few days, but it may take up to a week.

Resources:

  • You can download my proposal template, How To Write Proposals That Sell Here to see exactly how I establish all of the above.
  • Or grab the Wedding Templates in a bundle to get all my booking tools including the Proposal, Contract for Florists, Wedding Workflow, & Email Templates for Florists.


Step 5. Follow up to close the sale.

Pro Tips:

  • I’ve mentioned the expiration date a few times in the steps above and that expiration date serves as a cue or a prompt to check in and follow up to close the sale with clients.
  • If you want to book the client, it’s your job to follow up!

Resources:

  • You can find exactly how I follow up to check in with clients inside my Email Templates for Florists.


After 20 years of booking weddings, I’ve found that a phone consultation and a prompt quote, combined with the follow-up email to close the sale creates a smooth process to consistently lead clients through the booking process to get to a “yes”.

 

For example: Client sends an inquiry on a Sunday (Step 1), I reply on Monday afternoon (Step 2), we arrange a call for Wednesday morning (Step 3), I send a quote by the end of the day on Friday (Step 4) , which means I could have this event booked by Monday (that’s less than 1 week)!

Though the quote would probably have an expiration date of Wednesday (or 5 days after I sent it). And in this scenario, Wednesday would be Day 10.

On Tuesday (Day 9), if I hadn’t heard from them yet, I’d check in to try to close the sale (Step 5): “I have a note on my calendar that your quote expires tomorrow and I wanted to follow-up to see if you have any questions for me or if you’d like to move forward.”

 


From my proposal template to the emails I send when a client inquires, to my Wedding Workflow (where I walk through the 16 Steps in my Client Management Process), to “up close and personal” lessons on how to pre-qualify clients, how to write quotes more quickly (and with more confidence), to a transcript of a real consultation so you can be like a fly on the wall in a real client meeting–I have resources available to help florists book more easily and I’m happy to help you create your own shortcuts to make a seamless sales process in your business as well!

In short, you’ll find all of my resources for booking clients quickly inside my Wedding Templates for Florists (found here) AND on Patreon where I share the 3 Keys To Booking Great Clients along with additional access to behind-the-scenes training that is usually only available to private coaching students. Patreon is a member-only creator page which can be found here.

If you have questions for me, get in touch. I’m a real person behind these courses and I’m here to help.

xo. -Alison


Learn More About Alison Ellis Here.

Read Real Student Testimonials Here.

May 1, 2022 — 6:17 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Do Florists Have To Go To Floristry School?

If you want to be a florist, do you have to go to Floristry School? It’s a question I see a lot and I know there can be some strong opinions on the subject. Click to see my answer to the question and let me know what you think!

The truth is, there isn’t just 1 right way to become a florist!

There are so many things to learn that you can’t learn “everything you need to know in just one place”. Whether you go to floristry school, or take an accredited floral design certification program, or you teach yourself through trial and error, there will always be something more for you to learn.

For example, I’ve heard from floristry students in Australia and England who enrolled in my Flower Math course and say that they got a much more thorough and clear explanation from my online course than they did in school! Even longtime florists have told me that they understand the design aspect of their work, but they’ve been kept mostly in the dark on the business-stuff.

And still, some floral designers manage to build a “busy” floral design business, but they struggle with attracting higher paying clients or creating systems to close sales (without a dozen meetings that drain their time and energy).

Let’s face it, there’s so much more to know as a florist than “just flowers”!

The secret to success in the floral industry is to keep learning and growing. Just going to floristry school isn’t enough.

And just learning from YouTube videos isn’t enough.

And letting 20 years pass between your last in-person learning experience isn’t enough either.

Never stop learning in your business and your life–and keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison


Ready to learn proven strategies to streamline your workflow and create more freedom in your floral business?

See  A Full Course List

*Get my FREE eBook*

*Meet Alison Ellis*

On The Flower Podcast

See Coaching Options

Flower Math Save $100

$20 Easy Business Plan

Get Wedding Templates

April 8, 2022 — 8:38 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Spring Pricing Chat for Florists

Spring is approaching–even here in Vermont where it’s still cold and snowy, I can see and hear the signs of spring–and for the 3rd spring in a row I’m inviting florists to join me for a free Pricing & Profitability Chat for Florists on Monday, March 21st, 2022 at 12pm EDT/9am PDT.

Click Here to Join The Pricing Chat


In this free live chat I’ll share:

  • 3 Numbers Florists Need To Know
  • 3 Easy Steps to calculate your profit margin
  • Why tracking your profit margins are SO important
  • The importance of setting a profit goal, NOT a spending goal
  • AND I’ll address your questions LIVE!

Think of it as a quick 1-hour spring business check-in. I’ll even have a special offer for those who attend live!

I’ll also be kicking off my Spring Flower Math Sale on March 21-23rd and I’ll have all the details for you on that soon! (Sign up for the pricing chat to be the first to know when the sale is live.)

In the meantime, I’m talking “all things pricing” over in my Instagram highlights HERE and you can watch a few short pricing tips below!

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness)

Sign Up For The Pricing Chat


View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness)


 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness)

Sign Up For The Pricing Chat

March 10, 2022 — 10:29 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Top 10 Florist Tips of 2021

As a general rule I find it’s best to look forward in my business, however, as 2021 comes to a close there’s a lot of hubbub about “top moments” and “best of” lists so it seems only fitting to reflect on some of the conversations and topics from the Real Flower Business community:

  • I started off last January with a question: Who Is Your Ideal Client (this was in preparation for my yearly program, The Art of Good Business)

 

  • Ben Cross at Crosslands Flower Nursery in the UK shared his family’s sustainable alstroemeria production with us and his #BritishFlowersRock campaign

 

  • April was dedicated to Newbie Tips on Instagram including: How Long Do Flowers Last?, a quick tutorial on How I Clean Stock and a behind-the-scenes look at How I Prep for A Wedding In My Small Home Studio

 

  • I shared time saving strategies for florists with 3 Tips on Writing Proposals Quickly

 

  • Ad we celebrated 5 Years in Community over in my free Facebook Group in July

 

  • I also broke down Tips for Running A Successful Floral Business (and what it means to define your OWN version of success)

 

  • Answered the question: How do florists actually “do a wedding” with Day-Of Wedding Prep Tips and a look at What I Bring To Every Wedding

 

  • In October, I got the opportunity to sit down with Michelle Lane of Something’s Blooming, to talk about How The Wedding Industry Can Be More LGBTQ+ Inclusive

 

  • In November, I hosted a Vision & Goal Setting Session and taught 3 days of live trainings to students inside my Marketing Minicourse (all replays are available now inside the course)

 

  • And it was so much fun to talk marketing with floral designers and flower farmers that I hosted a 3 day free Branding & Marketing Training for Florists in December, in preparation for enrollment in, The Art of Good Business, my online course and group coaching program, which begins January 4th, 2022!

While everyone is recapping the year, I just want to remind you of 1 thing:

Nothing’s ending–

it’s not over,

you didn’t miss it,

it’s OK if it isn’t “that special”,

all your efforts are part of what you’re building towards

and the “end of a year”, doesn’t mean anything is actually over…

 

Keep moving forward in your business.

I’m honored to be on your floral business journey with you.

Keep doing beautiful work and I’ll see you in the new year with MORE tips and trainings to help you move your business ahead.

With love from me to you,

Alison Ellis

(click here to learn more about Alison)

December 26, 2021 — 9:32 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

What Can Florists Do To Level Up Your Marketing Strategy?

I know so many florists out there are trying to go it alone when they try and build their businesses, AND 97% of florists are working without an actual marketing strategy! But how are you supposed to stand out above the competition and find great clients if you don’t have a plan to attract them to your business? If you’d like to work with me in 2022 on your branding and marketing strategy as well as systems to help close sales more quickly, my program, The Art of Good Business, is a high-quality, comprehensive course with live group coaching to support you in January and enrollment is open NOW-Dec. 16th at 5pm PST/8pm EST.

Click Here To Learn More


I went live on Instagram on Monday to share a little bit about WHY marketing and branding is such an important aspect of your business to master. Click below to watch!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness)

Enroll Today!


Florists recommend this course…

“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

 

Please feel free to reach out with questions for me. We can even schedule a free 20-minute call if you’re not 100% sure this program is right for you!

Doors close & the price is going up on Dec 16 @ 8pm EST!

Enroll Today!

December 13, 2021 — 11:08 pm

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 24
  • Next Page »

Welcome, floralpreneur®.  I’m Alison Ellis, creator of Flower Math, and founder of RealFlowerBusiness.com. My online business courses, group training and private coaching is created to help floral designers increase profits, book better gigs, type fewer emails & build awesome websites.  Learn More →

Follow me on social:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

FOR WEDDING FLORISTS:

Read my book: Falling Into Flowers

Templates for Florists

Flower Math Formulas

3 Keys To Booking Great Clients

FREE RESOURCES:

Free ebook: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Business

5 Actions To Take When Biz Is Uncertain

10 Things I Did To Grow My Biz

AS SEEN ON:

*The Flower Podcast

*Slow Flowers Podcast

*Mornings With Mayesh

*Botanical Brouhaha

*Florists’ Review

*FlirtyFleurs.com

*From The Ground Up Floral-podcast

Blogroll

Be Sage Consulting

Botanical Brouhaha

Hitomi Gilliam

Flirty Fleurs

Francoise Weeks

Marie Forleo

Passionflower Sue

The Business Of Being Creative

The Flower Podcast

The Full Bouquet

Think Splendid

Slow Flowers

Seth Godin

Topics

advertising Alison Ellis blogging Botanical Brouhaha branding Business Plan For Florists contracts Customer Service design tips e-mail E-mail Templates for Florists Eco-friendly FlirtyFleurs floraculture Floral Artistry floral business floral design floral foam floral industry floralpreneur Floral Speaker Floral Wholesalers Floral Workshop florist pricing floristry florists Flower Blog Flower Boss 2 Flower Math Freelance Florists Giving Back gratitude Home-Based Florists Ideal Customers Marketing Mornings With Mayesh real flower business Testimonials The Art Of Good Business The Flower Podcast Valentine's Day websites wedding florist wedding proposals Wedding Workflow

Categories

  • Alison's Favorite Things (4)
  • Book for Wedding Florists (3)
  • Boutonnieres & Corsages (2)
  • Building A Brand (108)
  • Business Plan (16)
  • Coaching (13)
  • Contracts (7)
  • Courses (47)
  • Customer Feedback (10)
  • Customer Service (44)
  • Delivery & Set-up (2)
  • E-mail Etiquette (10)
  • Floral Design (118)
  • Floral Industry (176)
  • Floral Workshop (13)
  • Flower Blog (149)
  • Flower Business (166)
  • Flower Math (40)
  • Frequently Asked Questions (23)
  • Giving Back (1)
  • Home-Studio Florists (71)
  • Ideal Customers (45)
  • Inclusivity (5)
  • Marketing (69)
  • Online Business Education for Florists (145)
  • Photography tips for Florists (1)
  • Pricing (41)
  • Pricing Tips For Florists (16)
  • Proposals (23)
  • Recipes (5)
  • Uncategorized (5)
  • Websites (33)
  • About
  • Courses
  • Coaching
  • Testimonials
  • Blog & Freebies
  • Log In

Copyright © 2022 Fresh Event Design, LLC · Website Designed by Zach Hoag